UK Pet Insurance | Norton Insurance Brokers | Birmingham (2024)

FAQs

Is pet insurance worth it for a dog UK? ›

It's not a legal requirement in the UK to have pet insurance. However, whether or not you need pet insurance comes down to what you can afford. When a pet is suddenly affected by a health problem, it's sometimes necessary to act fast to prevent the condition from getting worse.

The average claim is three times more expensive than the average policy meaning it's extremely worthwhile. Figures from the ABI show: Pet insurers paid out £799 million in claims in 2020 – the equivalent of £2.2 million a day. The average cost of a claim has risen to £817.

Top 15 UK Pet Insurance Statistics

3. In 2020, only 11% of dogs and 22% of cats in the UK were insured. The number of total pet insurance subscribers only increased by 1% from 2019 to 2020. PetPlan is the largest pet insurer in the UK, with 27.3% of the total written premiums.

You do not legally have to insure your pet, but it could save you money if your pet is ill, injured, lost or stolen.

FAQs. How much is pet insurance UK? Dog insurance costs from around £10 a month (£125 a year) for accident and illness cover; prices go up from there for premium plans, higher vet limits, older pets and certain breeds such as bulldogs. Cat insurance costs also start from around £10 a month (£125 a year).

Simply put, there is no NHS for pets and no government support for veterinary practices as there is in the field of human medicine in the UK. In fact, our fees include VAT at 20% so a big chunk of your bill is tax to the government.

What are the average vet bills for dogs? Vet bills for dogs can easily top the £1,000 mark. According to Animal Friends, the average vet bill for cysts and tumours in medium dogs was £902. And the average vet fee for problems related to the digestive system was £863.

Average Pet Insurance Cost

According to our research, pet insurance costs $720 a year for dogs and $384 for cats, with an overall average monthly cost of around $46 per month. To determine pricing, our team secret-shopped with 21 national pet insurance providers and gathered over 17,330 quotes in all 50 U.S. states.

A copayment, or copay, is your share of the vet visit cost aside from your deductible. The reimbursem*nt rate is the percentage of the bill the insurer will pay. For example, if your policy has a 70% reimbursem*nt rate, that means your copay is 30%.

Many of our staff are pet owners too so we understand what a worrying time it is if your animal is ill or injured. Petplan remains the UK's biggest pet insurer, helping more animals than anyone else.

Does the UK have free healthcare for pets? ›

* There are already many companies that offer pet healthcare insurance in the UK, and, I presume, elsewhere - similar to the US, but none of these are compulsory in the way ACA is. People who do not have this insurance are expected to pay the full cost of veterinary care - again, similar to the US.

More than 2 in 5 pet owners (42%) with pet insurance say they have it because their pets often need care covered by their policy, according to the survey. If you anticipate ongoing covered expenses, the monthly premium of insurance coverage can help smooth your costs.

In fact, you may find that many policies won't provide any cover at all for so-called 'pre-existing conditions'. Therefore, for pet insurance to be the most worthwhile, you should aim to take out a policy when your furry friend is young and less likely to have any pre-existing conditions.

So we know that dogs can be left 8 hours at night but the PDSA are saying that if you leave them for more than four hours during the day, you are compromising their welfare. Remember, owners now have obligations to provide for their pets' welfare under the Animal Welfare Act.

Breeds of dog that are banned under UK law will almost always be uninsurable. Petplan's policy is that we do not cover dogs that need to be registered under the Dangerous Dogs Act, or pets used for security, guarding, track racing or coursing.

Ultimately, pet insurance can be helpful for many situations, especially if you want to reduce the stress and difficult decisions that can stem from unexpected vet bills. In general, you want to shop for pet insurance sooner than later so that it's more cost-effective, but even older pets can be insured.

When is it worth making a claim on my pet insurance? Usually, you should make your claim right away. Sometimes when it is a small claim and after your excess amount there isn't much more to pay, some people opt to paying that bill themselves without making a claim.