7 Best Pet Insurance Companies In The UK
Petplan and Agria are the strongest all-round pet insurance companies in the UK for 2026, thanks to deep lifetime cover and consistent Which? Best Buy ratings. Perfect Pet ranks third for flexible cover levels and one of the market’s largest multi-pet discounts at 15%.
A vet bill can turn a good week into a stressful one in a single phone call. The ABI reports UK insurers paid out a record £1.23 billion in pet claims in 2024, with the average claim now at £685.
We compared the UK’s major pet insurers on cover levels, excess, age limits, extras and independent ratings from Defaqto, Which? and Trustpilot. Here are the seven best, and who each suits.
Insure your pet young, because pre-existing conditions are excluded by every provider and switching insurers after a diagnosis can leave that condition permanently uncovered. Choose lifetime cover if you can, as it’s the only type where limits reset each year and chronic conditions stay covered for life.
Compare pet insurance quotes on policy type, not just price.
Which pet insurance companies are best in the UK for 2026?
The best pet insurance companies in the UK for 2026 are Petplan, Agria, Perfect Pet, ManyPets, Animal Friends, Waggel and Direct Line. Petplan and Agria lead for lifetime cover, while Perfect Pet, ManyPets and Waggel stand out for flexibility and value.
1. Petplan
Best for established, in-depth lifetime cover
- Vet fee cover: lifetime tiers of £4,000, £7,000 or £12,000 per year, reset at renewal
- Policy types: lifetime and time-limited (no accident-only)
- Multi-pet discount: £12 off per pet, per year
- Extras: direct vet payments, dental and behavioural cover, Claims Pricing Guarantee
- Rating: Defaqto 5 Star; Which? Best Buy December 2025
- Reviews: rated ‘Excellent’ on Trustpilot (around 20,000 reviews)
Petplan is the UK’s longest-established pet insurer and still sets the benchmark. Its top tier pays up to £12,000 of vet fees a year, resetting in full at renewal, and its Claims Pricing Guarantee means claiming won’t push up your premium.
It isn’t the cheapest, and there’s no accident-only option for tight budgets. But for a trusted name with deep lifetime cover and a strong claims reputation, it earns top spot.
2. Agria
Best for the highest vet fee limits and lifelong cover
- Vet fee cover: lifetime tiers of £6,500, £12,500 or £20,000 per year (dogs), reset at renewal
- Policy types: lifetime only; cover from 8 weeks with no upper age limit to start
- Multi-pet discount: 5%
- Extras: 24/7 vet video advice via the app, chronic condition cover, no premium rise for claiming
- Rating: Defaqto 5 Star; Which? Best Buy December 2025 (all three tiers)
- Reviews: rated ‘Excellent’ on Trustpilot (4.8 out of 5, around 11,600 reviews)
If your priority is the biggest safety net, Agria is hard to beat. Its top tier covers up to £20,000 of vet fees a year for dogs, one of the highest limits on the market.
The trade-off is price: high-limit lifetime cover sits at the premium end, and the 5% multi-pet discount is modest. For owners who want maximum protection, it’s the benchmark.
3. Perfect Pet Insurance
Best for flexible cover levels that match your budget
- Vet fee cover: up to £5,000 per condition, per year (lifetime)
- Policy types: lifetime, maximum benefit, time limited and accident only
- Excess: £90 per condition, per policy year
- Multi-pet discount: 15% per pet
- Extras: 24/7 Vet Assist calls, direct vet payments, discounts from UK pet brands
- Award: voted UK’s Best Pet Insurance Provider 2025 (Insurance Choice Awards)
- Rating: Moneyfacts 5 Star, Elite Extra Plus dog policy (2026)
- Reviews: rated ‘Excellent’ on Trustpilot (15,000+ reviews)
Perfect Pet Insurance is a UK specialist for dogs and cats, voted Best Pet Insurance Provider by customers at the 2025 Insurance Choice Awards. Its four policy types keep cover affordable because you only pay for the protection your pet needs.
The £90 excess is one of the lowest around, and insuring more than one pet earns a 15% multi-pet discount, one of the strongest in the UK. Claims are handled by a team that includes experienced vet nurses, and Perfect Pet can pay your vet directly.
4. ManyPets
Best for digital-first cover with free vet video calls
- Vet fee cover: lifetime from £3,000 up to £15,000 per year, reset at renewal
- Policy types: lifetime only, with one excess per year rather than per condition
- Multi-pet discount: up to 15%
- Extras: unlimited free 24/7 video vet calls with FirstVet, no admin or cancellation fees
- Award: Moneyfacts Pet Insurance Provider of the Year 2025
- Reviews: rated ‘Excellent’ on Trustpilot
ManyPets is the pick for a modern, low-friction experience: a clean app, no admin or cancellation fees, and a simpler single annual excess. Every policy includes unlimited 24/7 video vet calls through FirstVet at no extra cost.
A compulsory co-payment kicks in once your pet reaches a set age, so check the terms for older animals. For everyone else, it blends solid lifetime cover with the slickest digital service here.
5. Animal Friends
Best for budget cover and animal-welfare giving
- Vet fee cover: lifetime up to £18,000 a year, plus accident-only, time-limited and maximum-benefit options
- Policy types: the widest ladder here, from accident-only to high-limit lifetime
- Multi-pet discount: none
- Extras: free 24/7 vet video calls via Joii, emergency boarding, lost-or-stolen pet cover
- Rating: Defaqto 5 Star (Lifetime); Pet Insurer of the Year Highly Commended 2025
- Ethos: has donated more than £9.4 million to over 830 animal charities
Animal Friends offers the broadest range of cover levels, from cheap accident-only up to £18,000-a-year lifetime. It has also given more than £9.4 million to animal charities.
Watch two things: there’s no multi-pet discount, and a 20% co-payment applies once a dog turns 8 or a cat turns 10. For single-pet owners who like the charitable angle, it’s an easy recommendation.
6. Waggel
Best for a simple, modern policy with strong perks
- Vet fee cover: lifetime, with annual limits from £1,000 up to £15,000, replenished each year
- Policy types: lifetime only; pets must be enrolled before age 10
- Multi-pet discount: available (percentage varies)
- Extras: free 24/7 vet video calls, direct vet payments, a named claims contact, free behaviour and nutrition consultations
- Reviews: rated ‘Excellent’ on Trustpilot (around 4.5 out of 5)
- Ethos: certified B Corp
Waggel does one thing well: clear, single-type lifetime cover with none of the confusing tier names. You pick an annual limit and it replenishes every year, with every claim assigned a named UK vet-nurse contact.
It’s a younger brand with a shorter track record than Petplan or Agria, and you can’t start once your pet is 10 or older. But for a modern, no-nonsense policy with useful perks, it’s a smart choice.
7. Direct Line
Best for big-brand reassurance bought direct
- Vet fee cover: Essential up to £4,000 per condition, Advanced up to £8,000 per condition
- Policy types: two tiers: time-limited (Essential) and maximum benefit (Advanced)
- Multi-pet discount: 5% on additional pets
- Extras: free 24/7 online vet video calls via PawSquad, direct vet payments
- Availability: sold direct only, not through comparison sites
- Note: now part of the Aviva group following its 2025 acquisition
Direct Line keeps it simple with two tiers, and because it sells direct rather than through comparison sites, its quotes are worth a separate look. The 12.5% multi-pet discount is generous and free 24/7 PawSquad vet calls come as standard.
Cover tops out at £8,000 per condition, lower than the lifetime specialists, and limits are per condition rather than resetting annually. For a familiar name and a clean two-option choice, it’s reliable.
How do the best pet insurance companies compare?
The table below sums up cover type, top vet fee limit and multi-pet discount across all seven insurers, so you can shortlist at a glance before getting quotes.
What should you compare first?
Limits are shown on different bases (per year versus per condition), so read the policy wording rather than comparing headline numbers alone. A £12,000-per-year lifetime limit that resets at renewal is very different from a £8,000 per-condition cap that doesn’t.
| Provider | Best for | Top vet fee cover | Multi-pet discount |
| Petplan | Established lifetime cover | Up to £12,000/year | £12 per pet |
| Agria | Highest cover limits | Up to £20,000/year | 5% |
| Perfect Pet | Flexible, budget-matched cover | Up to £5,000/condition/year | 15% |
| ManyPets | Digital-first service | Up to £15,000/year | Up to 15% |
| Animal Friends | Budget range and charity ethos | Up to £18,000/year | None |
| Waggel | Simple lifetime cover and perks | Up to £15,000/year | Available |
| Direct Line | Big-brand, direct only | Up to £8,000/condition | 12.5% |
How much does pet insurance cost in the UK?
The average UK pet insurance premium was around £389 a year in 2024, according to the ABI. Basic dog cover can start under £125, while high-limit lifetime policies on older or higher-risk pets can exceed £700.
What drives the price?
Breed, age, postcode and cover level all move the number. A flat-faced breed like an English Bulldog can cost several times more to insure than a terrier of the same age.
How can you keep costs down?
- Insure your pet young, before any conditions appear
- Pay annually rather than monthly to avoid interest
- Use a multi-pet discount if you have more than one animal (Perfect Pet offers 15%)
- Match the cover level to your pet’s needs rather than defaulting to the biggest limit
Which type of pet insurance is best?
Lifetime cover is widely considered the best type of pet insurance because its limits reset every year, so ongoing conditions stay covered for life. Time-limited and accident-only policies cost less but leave bigger gaps.
What are the four main types?
- Lifetime: limit resets each year, so chronic conditions stay covered for life. The most complete, and the priciest.
- Maximum benefit: a fixed pot per condition with no time limit; cover for that condition stops once the pot runs out.
- Time-limited: pays for each new condition for up to 12 months; cheaper, but not for long-term illness.
- Accident only: covers injuries but not illness (most claims), so it’s a fallback rather than full protection.
What about pre-existing conditions?
Pre-existing conditions are the exclusion that catches people out. Switching insurers after a diagnosis can leave that condition uncovered, which is why choosing lifetime cover early matters.
The FCA has guidance on what pet insurance should and shouldn’t cover.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
There’s no single winner for everyone. Petplan and Agria lead for lifetime cover and both hold Which? Best Buy status, while Perfect Pet stands out for flexible cover levels and a 15% multi-pet discount.
Look for a large per-pet discount and the option to give each animal its own cover level. Perfect Pet applies 15% per pet on one renewal date, one of the strongest multi-pet offers in the UK.
For most owners, yes, because lifetime cover resets its limit every year so ongoing conditions like arthritis or diabetes stay covered for life. It costs more than time-limited or accident-only cover, but it’s the only type that reliably handles long-term illness.
The average premium was around £389 a year in 2024, according to the ABI. Basic dog insurance can start under £125 a year, while high-limit lifetime policies for older pets can exceed £700.
Almost never. Standard policies exclude conditions your pet showed signs of before the policy started, which is why it pays to insure while your pet is young and to avoid switching insurers after a condition has been diagnosed.
Yes, but it gets harder and pricier with age. Some insurers set an upper age limit to start a new policy, while others including Perfect Pet and Agria have none, so insuring early locks in cover and lower premiums.