Best pet insurance providers 2024

How to choose the best pet insurance

The best pet insurance policy should offer value for money while providing your pet with the appropriate level of cover. The costs of taking your pet to the vet are rising, so it's never been more important to find the right pet insurance policy. 

In December, our experts analysed and compared 150 cat and 167 dog policies, as well asking 1,300 actual pet insurance customers about everything from customer service to ease of applying, to find the UK's best pet insurers. 

From this we've compiled our view of the best overall pet insurance providers and policies, which you can see in the tables below. We've also compiled a separate view of the best cat insurance and best dog insurance providers as well - click on those links to find out more.

Please note that the information in this article is for information purposes only and does not constitute advice. Please refer to the particular terms and conditions of an insurer before committing to any financial products.

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Best pet insurance policies

Agria Lifetime Premium

• 83% policy score both for dog and cat cover. This placed it joint first of 167 dog policies reviewed and second (and the highest scoring Best Buy) of 150 cat policies we reviewed.
• 70% customer score, placing it first of the 10 insurers we had customer scores for.  

We like: one of the highest vet fee limits available – £20,000 per year. The cap includes costs for scans and also £750 for therapy provided by a behaviourist. 

We don't like: as with most (but not all) policies, conditions that started before the policy was taken out are excluded.

• Read our expert review of Agria pet insurance

Kennel Club Lifetime Premium

• 83% policy score for dog cover. This placed it joint first of 167 policies reviewed.  

We like: Administered and underwritten by Agria insurance (see above for its best own-brand policy), Kennel Club's 'Lifetime Premium' cover has the highest annual vet fee limit in the policies we rated – £25,000 per year. Customers have access to a 24-hour vet video call service at no extra cost.

We don't like: The policy offers £3,000 holiday cancellation cover – but you can only claim if your dog needs immediate emergency lifesaving treatment. With some other policies, the criteria allow for additional situations – for example, if the pet is 'seriously unwell', or goes missing.

• Read our expert review of Kennel Club pet insurance

Best pet insurance policies and providers compared

Only the most comprehensive pet insurance policies receive our Best Buy recommendation in the tables below. You will also find comprehensive reviews of each provider elsewhere on this page.

• The first and second tables list Best Buy policies, based on our expert analysis of 150 cat and 167 dog lifetime policies.
• The third table lists top pet insurers for customer service.
• The fourth table lists top pet insurers for claims service.

What does pet insurance cover?

Not all policies will include all these types of cover, and limits and exclusions might apply. See our individual insurer reviews for more details.

Vet fees

• Most policies cover the cost of vet fees and certain medical expenses, and can range from £1,000 to as much as £25,000 a year. 
• Policies aren't likely to cover routine treatments, or expenses connected with pet pregnancy and giving birth.
• Most pet insurers offer cover if your pet needs dental work. Some policies cover treatment needed as a result of injuries or illnesses. However, some won't cover illness.

Overseas travel cover

• Most pet insurance policies will provide cover if your pet falls ill, is involved in an accident, or needs veterinary treatment when abroad.

Cattery and kennel fees

• If you are hospitalised and there's no one else to look after your pet, your pet insurance provider will pay out for your pet to be put in a cattery or a kennel. You usually have to be in hospital for at least two to four consecutive days.

Missing pets

• Most pet insurance providers cover the cost of putting up posters and paying a reward if your pet goes missing.

Third-party liability (dog-only policies)

• If you have a dog, your pet insurance policy should pay out if your dog injures a third party or damages their property.

This covers legal costs, expenses and the claimant's expenses. Cats don't need third-party cover as legally they are considered 'free spirits'.

Death by accident or illness

• If your pet dies, you can claim for an amount reflecting what you paid or the financial value of the pet.
• Most pet insurance policies have an age limit – around eight years is fairly common but it can be as low as five – after which you'll no longer be able to claim on this part of the policy.

• Find out more: pet insurance explained

What are the five different types of pet insurance?

While only lifetime policies can get our Best Buy recommendation, we've rated all types of policies.

Lifetime cover pet insurance

Lifetime cover is the most comprehensive pet insurance. It pays out for ongoing issues your pet might have throughout its life.

• Annual cover has a maximum overall limit that includes all conditions your pet could experience, which resets each year. Some policies might also have a lower maximum amount you can claim per year for any single condition.
• Per condition per year has a maximum limit for specific conditions that your pet might have, which resets each year.

Both types cover ongoing illnesses every year unless you cancel your policy.

Non-lifetime cover pet insurance

Non-lifetime cover is less comprehensive and excludes certain conditions after you hit your claims limit.

• Per condition cover (also commonly referred to as 'max benefit' cover) pays a limited amount for each condition, and the condition is excluded from future payouts once the limit has been reached.
• Time-limit per condition cover has both a per-condition limit and a time limit, typically 12 months, before the condition is excluded.

With a time-limit policy, even if your cash limit for a particular condition wasn't reached, the condition would eventually be excluded after 12 months.

Accident-only pet insurance

This provides a fixed sum of money for each accidental injury to help pay for your pet's treatment. It's the cheapest type of pet insurance policy but excludes cover for illness entirely.

Get pet insurance right the first time

Dean Sobers, Which? insurance expert says:

'When buying pet insurance, you want to make the right choice the first time round, as switching later on can mean sacrificing cover for conditions your pet has developed.

'The most weighty aspect of our analysis is what it will pay for vets bills – the fundamental purpose of pet insurance. But even this is more complicated than a headline figure, with some policies offering an annual allowance and others total limits for specific conditions. We only give our ‘Best Buy’ recommendation to lifetime policies – which commit to making an ongoing contribution towards all of your pet’s covered conditions throughout its life. Among our latest batch of Best Buys are policies offering between £4,500 and £25,000 a year. 

'We can’t tell you which policy will be the best fit for you. But our scores and reviews should help you see which are the most comprehensive, how they compare in key areas, and what real customers have said about their insurers – all of which can help you to decide.'

Read: how to find cheaper pet insurance

More on pet insurance

About Which?'s pet insurance research

For cats

In December 2023, we analysed 150 insurance policies covering cats. We examined the amounts they paid out in vet fees, and other benefits they provide, including costs for holiday cancellation, dental cover, and advertising and reward costs to help find your pet if it goes missing.

We compared 31 features of these insurance policies, plus the amount each pays in vet fees, to create a policy score. The higher the score, the more comprehensive the policy's cover.

Policies that we've named as Best Buys are all lifetime policies that did well in our analysis of cover, scoring at least 67%. In addition:

• Each will pay out a minimum of £2,000 per year in vet fees.
• Each will pay out a minimum of £1,000 for any single condition in a year, if an annual condition limit applies.
• They all also provide dental cover for both accidents and illnesses.

For dogs

In December 2023, we analysed 167 insurance policies covering dogs. We examined the amounts they paid out in vet fees, and other benefits they provide, including costs for holiday cancellation, dental cover, and advertising and reward costs to help find your pet if it goes missing.

We compared 34 features of these insurance policies, plus the amount each pays in vet fees, to create a policy score. The higher the score, the more comprehensive the policy's cover.

Policies that we've named as Best Buys are all lifetime policies that did well in our analysis of cover, scoring at least 67%. In addition:

• Each will pay out a minimum of £2,000 per year in vet fees.
• Each will pay out a minimum of £1,000 for any single condition in a year, if an annual condition limit applies.
• They all also provide dental cover for both accidents and illnesses.

Customer service

In November 2023, we carried out a survey of 1,300 Which? members that own pet insurance. Customers were asked how satisfied they were with their provider, and how likely they would be to recommend it. We used answers to these questions to generate our customer score.

Claims scores are based on responses from 758 Which? members that have claimed on pet insurance in the past five years (survey carried out in November 2021). Respondents were asked how satisfied they were with their most recent claim and how likely they would be to recommend their provider based on its claims service.

Customer Score sample sizes: Agria (35), Animal Friends (127), Direct Line (53), John Lewis (58), LV (78), Many Pets (167), More Than (30), Petplan (364), Sainsbury's (42), Tesco Bank (74) 

Claims score sample sizes: Animal Friends (86), John Lewis (36), LV (40), Many Pets (92), Petplan (288), Tesco (47). Where '-' given in customer or claims score columns, we didn't receive enough responses in our survey (30) to generate the scores.

We didn't receive enough respondents in our customer survey to provide customer or claims scores for each brand considered. This means we can't assess the levels of service for each Best Buy provider. However, we haven't included providers we were able to rate that received poorer-than-average customer or claims scores. We've additionally not included other providers that, at the time of the analysis, had a poorer-than-average complaints record with the Financial Ombudsman Service.

We've also examined data published by the Financial Conduct Authority on how often pet insurers have accepted claims and how often customers making claims complained to the insurer. We've not given our Best Buy award to providers shown to be poorer than average in either of these areas. 

More questions on pet insurance? Take a look at our guides:

• Pet insurance explained
• How to find cheap pet insurance