Aviva life insurance [2024]

Aviva is the UK’s largest insurer, providing life insurance to more than 11 million customers nationwide[1].

Aviva life insurance policy options include:

  • Term life insurance
  • Joint life insurance
  • Over 50 life insurance
  • Critical illness cover
Aviva

In this in-depth review, we explore these policies in detail, as well as the cost of Aviva life insurance and extra benefits they offer.

At Reassured, we can provide you with free quotes for Aviva term life insurance, with prices starting from just £3.50-a-monthˆ.

We can also compare Aviva quotes with other top UK insurers, including Legal & General, Zurich and AIG, helping you to find the best possible deal.

In 2022, Reassured helped arrange more than 17,000 affordable Aviva life insurance policies. Get in touch today and secure the right financial protection for your loved ones should the worst happen.

Aviva life insurance key facts and benefits

  • Aviva life insurance reviews: Aviva life insurance is rated 5 stars by Defaqto and the insurer is rated ‘Excellent’ on Trustpilot from more than 26,000 customer reviews
  • Awards: Aviva has won numerous awards including ‘Best Protection Provider’ at the Money Marketing Awards in 2021
  • Pay out rates: In 2021, Aviva paid out 99.4% of life insurance claims totalling £731.6 million, and paid out 92.4% of critical illness claims totalling £309.7 million[2]
  • Added benefits: Policies can come with a range of benefits and additional options, including the Aviva Digicare+ app, house purchase cover and waiver of premium
  • Free parent life cover: Aviva offer 12 months free parent life cover worth £15,000 for each child up to the age of four
  • Aviva life insurance in trust: Place your policy into a trust to avoid (or minimise) 40% inheritance tax
  • Going green: Aviva are the first financial services company to target net zero carbon emissions by 2040
  • Regulation: Aviva are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)

Who are Aviva?

Aviva is the largest UK insurance company and one of the biggest insurers in Europe.

They also operate in over 16 countries with more than 18.5 million customers.

As well as life insurance, Aviva is also well-known for car and home insurance, as well as retirement and investment solutions.

Aviva has a long and complex history dating back more than 325 years. Here’s a brief history of Aviva life insurance company:

1600s - Aviva started out in 1696 as Hand in Hand

1700s - In 1706 they began selling life insurance as the Amicable Society

1800s - Norwich Union took over in the early 1800s and the company started overseas expansion

2000s - Following several merges, the company became CGNU in 2000 and officially rebranded as Aviva in 2009

With a wealth of history and many years of experience providing life insurance cover, Aviva is known to be a safe and reliable life insurance company.

How much does Aviva life insurance cost?

Aviva term life insurance can be secured through Reassured from as little as £3.50-a-month.

However, the exact cost of your cover will depend on your personal circumstances and the type of policy you’ve chosen.

The information required during the application process to calculate your life insurance premiums includes:

Age

Age at the point of application

Health

Health, lifestyle & smoking status

Planning the funeral your way

Policy type, term & sum assured

The table below shows pricing examples of Aviva life insurance through Reassured.

Quotes are based on a non-smoker, in good health, taking out £150,000 of cover with a 20 year term:

AgeLevel term life insurance monthly premiumDecreasing term life insurance monthly premium
20£3.50£3.50
25£4.40£3.88
30£5.45£4.51
35£7.47£5.27
40£10.31£6.97
45£15.23£9.87
50£24.14£15.74

Please note: quotes are subject to individual status and medical underwriting

Comparing quotes will allow you to secure the best possible price for a policy that meets all of your needs. Get in touch with a friendly member of our team today or use our online comparison service to get your free quotes.

Aviva life insurance calculator

Understand how much life insurance you may need by using our handy calculator. Simply enter your current financial commitments and how much you want to leave to your loved ones.

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£137,934 is the estimated mortgage debt per household in the UK.

The purchase of a home is likely to be the largest financial commitment any of us will make in our lifetime. Your life insurance should cover your remaining mortgage balance to allow your loved ones to stay in the family home should anything happen to you.

Source: Moneynerd.co.uk

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The average monthly household budget in the UK is £2,548 (that’s £30,576 per year), which is spent on transport, food & drink, utilities (gas, electricity, water etc), clothing, council tax and leisure activities.

With energy prices hitting a record high and the cost of living rising sharply in the UK, you may wish to factor in utility bills and family living expenses into your cover.

Source: Nimblefins.co.uk

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The average personal debt of UK adults has risen to £34,566 (not including mortgage debt), with credit cards, personal loans and overdrafts being the most common forms of debt.

Factoring in any debts into your life insurance cover means that, if they need to be paid back from your estate after your passing, your loved ones won’t miss out financially.

Source: Money.co.uk

£
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According to SunLife, the average cost of a funeral in the UK is £3,953 (with the overall cost of dying at £9,200).

Funeral costs have increased by 116% since 2004 and are a significant cost which should be factored into the amount of life insurance you secure.

Source: SunLife.co.uk

£
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When factoring in cover for your children, you may wish to calculate the amount based on how long it is until they reach financial independence.

This could include childcare (£7,000 per year for part-time care), school expenses (£1,519 per school year for uniforms, lunches, stationary etc), as well as an additional sum for further education (this could be a contribution of up to £5,000 per year).

Sources: Daynurseries.co.uk, Primarytimes.co.uk & Savethestudent.org

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If you are one of the 65% of the UK who are lucky enough to have savings, this could be used as protection if you were to pass away.

Any pay outs from existing life insurance policies and investments can also be used as financial protection for your loved ones if you were no longer around.

Factor this into your required cover amount.

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If you’re lucky enough to have your own savings or are part of the 30% of UK residents who already have a life insurance policy in place, this can provide financial protection for loved ones.

By entering your current cover, savings or death in service amount you can reduce the sum assured you require.

Source: Scottishbusinessnews.net

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Your total cover estimate

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Let us find the cheapest quote we can offer you

Aviva life insurance policy summary

Aviva offer a range of life insurance policies. The option that’s best for you will depend on various factors including your specific age, budget and what you want to protect.

Aviva life insurance policy options include:

We look at all these policies in more detail below…

Aviva level term life insurance

Aviva level term life insurance

Policy key features

  • Provides cover for a specified term (1 - 50 years)
  • Fixed sum assured (up to £5 million)
  • Available to applicants aged 77 - 90
  • Includes free terminal illness cover
  • Can help to cover an interest-only mortgage
  • Can be taken out as a joint policy
  • Quotes from £3.50 through Reassured

Aviva level term life insurance works in the same way as any other level term policy.

It provides a fixed sum assured (cover amount) which will pay out if you pass away within the policy term.

While the maximum pay out is £5 million, you’ll only be able to secure as much cover as you need and can afford.

You can choose the length of your cover (between 1 and 50 years up to the age of 90) based on what you want it to protect.

For example, your policy term could mirror that of your mortgage to ensure that your family could pay off the remaining balance if anything happened to you.

Level term life insurance can also provide a financial safety net for your family to help them cover daily living costs.

Compare Aviva level term life insurance through Reassured to find the best deal we can offer you.

Aviva decreasing term life insurance

Aviva decreasing term life insurance

Policy key features:

  • Provides cover for a specified term (1 - 50 years)
  • Decreasing sum assured (up to £5 million)
  • Available to applicants aged 77 - 90
  • Includes free terminal illness cover
  • Can help to cover a repayment mortgage
  • Can be taken out as a joint policy
  • Quotes from £3.50 through Reassured

Aviva decreasing term life insurance is also known as Aviva mortgage life insurance.

This is because it provides a sum assured that reduces over the term (but your premiums remain fixed), making it ideal for helping to cover a repayment mortgage.

The sum assured can reduce at the same rate as your remaining balance and the policy term can mirror your mortgage term.

So, if you were to pass away while the policy is active, your loved ones could pay off the mortgage and remain in their family home.

It's common across different insurers for decreasing term cover to be cheaper than other policy types.

Why not let us help you secure the most cost-effective decreasing term life insurance?

Aviva increasing term life insurance

Aviva increasing term life insurance

Policy key features

  • Provides cover for a specified term (1 - 50 years)
  • Increasing sum assured (up to £5 million)
  • Available to applicants aged 77 - 90
  • Includes free terminal illness cover
  • Protects your cover amount from inflation
  • Can be taken out as a joint policy
  • Not currently offered by Reassured

Increasing term life insurance is an option offered by Aviva if you want to protect your pay out from inflation.

With this type of policy, Aviva would increase your sum assured annually in line with the cost of living.

This would ensure that your pay out amount isn’t worth less in the future, and your loved ones would receive what you intended for them.

The amount it is increased by is determined by the Consumer Prices Index (CPI), to a maximum of 10% each year.

Your monthly premiums would also increase to a maximum of 15% each year.

Over 50 life insurance

Aviva over 50 life insurance

Policy key features

  • Provides a fixed cash pay out when you pass away
  • Guarantees acceptance to those aged 50 - 80
  • No medical information required
  • Sum assured up to £25,000
  • Could help to cover funeral costs
  • Not currently offered by Reassured

Over 50s insurance, also known as an over 50s plan, offers a guaranteed pay out to your loved ones after you pass away.

This form of cover is often used to help cover a funeral, clear outstanding debts and/or to leave a small inheritance.

Unlike the other policy types mentioned, you’re not required to provide any medical information to Aviva during the application process as acceptance is guaranteed for those aged 50 - 80.

When taking out an over 50s plan through Aviva, they’ll allow you to choose a premium amount that fits into your budget, this can be between £5 - £100 a month.

This will then dictate the level of cover you can take out (up to a maximum of £25,000).

At Reassured we can compare quotes for over 50 life insurance from other leading providers starting from just £5-a-month + . Why not get in touch for your free quotes?

Aviva joint life insurance

Policy key features

  • Available with term life insurance policies (level, decreasing or increasing)
  • Provides cover for two lives simultaneously (such as a married couple)
  • Pays out once on the first death
  • Up to 40% cheaper than two single policies
  • One monthly premium payment
  • Quotes from 21p-a-day through Reassured for joint level or decreasing term cover

Aviva offer the option to take out their term life insurance policies on a joint basis.

With a joint life insurance policy, two lives will be covered simultaneously under one policy.

There’s only one application to fill in and you’ll only need to pay one premium - which can help you to save some money.

However, this means that there will only be one pay out (upon the death of the first partner) after which the policy will expire.

This means the surviving partner will need to secure new cover at an older age (and at a potentially higher price point).

If it’s within your budget, it can be beneficial to secure two single policies to provide two pay outs upon the death of each partner.


The table below shows the average cost of two single life insurance policies vs a joint policy.

Quotes are based on non-smokers, in good health, taking out £150,000 of level term life cover with a 20 year term:

AgeJoint policyTwo single policies% Saving
20£6.26£7.00-11%
25£7.62£8.80-15%
30£9.78£10.90-10%
35£13.12£14.94-14%
40£18.80£20.62-7%
45£28.30£30.46-4%
50£45.44£48.28-6%


Contact Reassured for your personalised Aviva joint life insurance quotes to find the best option to meet your needs.

Aviva critical illness cover

Policy key features:

  • Provides cover for as specified term (5 - 50 years)
  • Pays out if you’re diagnosed with a critical illness during the term
  • Cover amount up to £1 million (depending on your personal circumstances and budget)
  • 35 medical conditions covered
  • Available to applicants aged 18 - 64 years old
  • Includes children’s benefit up to £25,000 at no extra cost
  • Helps to replace a lost income and fund medical care
  • Quotes from 33p-a-day º through Reassured

Critical illness cover (CIC) provides you with a cash lump sum pay out if you’re diagnosed with a critical (not terminal) illness during the policy term.

It can provide a financial safety net for you and your family while you’re unable to work.

The pay out can be used to help cover costs that your usual income would cover, such as:

  • Mortgage or rent payments
  • Household bills (water, gas, electricity, council tax etc)
  • Everyday living costs (transport, food, childcare etc)

The funds could also be used to pay for private medical care or hire a home carer.

When arranging critical illness cover through Reassured, you’ll be covered for 35 medical conditions, including heart attack, diabetes type 1, cancer and stroke.

You can take out critical illness cover through us when combined with a level term or decreasing term life insurance policy.


See some example premium prices in the table below.

Quotes are based on a non-smoker in good health taking out £300,000 of life cover and £30,000 of critical illness cover over a 20 year term:

AgeLevel term + CIC monthly premiumDecreasing term + CIC monthly premium
20£6.26£7.00
25£7.62£8.80
30£9.78£10.90
35£13.12£14.94
40£18.80£20.62
45£28.30£30.46
50£45.44£48.28

Aviva life insurance benefits

Aviva life insurance policies can come with many added benefits at no extra cost.

These include the following:

BenefitDetails
House purchase coverReceive 90 days free life insurance if you're taking out Aviva life insurance to cover your mortgage (up to £500,000).
The free cover will start once your application has been accepted, you’ve exchanged contracts and the purchase of your new home is completed.
Only available with term policies.
Terminal illness coverAll term polices come with terminal illness cover as standard. This allows you to make an early claim if you’re diagnosed with a life-threatening illness and predicted to pass away within 12 months.
The funds can be used to help your dependants cope with the loss of an income, pay for homecare or make adaptions to your home.
Only available with term polices.
Aviva DigiCare+ appWhen taking out life insurance with Aviva, you can receive free access to the DigiCare+ app which provides annual health checks, discounts on gym membership, nutrition advice, mental health counselling and more.
Available with all policies.
Separation benefitThis benefit allows you to split a joint policy into two single policies if you separate from your partner, without an additional cost.
You won’t need to provide any extra medical information to take out the new policies.
Only available with joint term policies and joint critical illness policies.
Life change benefitAlso known as guaranteed insurability, this benefit allows you to increase your life cover (to the maximum of £200,000) if your circumstances change during the policy term.
Life changing events can include marriage, divorce, a new baby or taking on a bigger mortgage. You won’t need to provide any medical information to take out more cover.
Only available with term and critical illness policies.
Children’s critical illness coverReceive free cover for your children if you take out critical illness cover. If your child is diagnosed with a critical illness defined in your policy (up to 32 illnesses), Aviva will pay out 50% of the cover amount to a maximum of £25,000.
Additionally, if your child was to pass away during the policy term, then Aviva will pay a children’s death benefit of £5,000.
Only available with critical illness policies.


When taking out an Aviva life insurance policy, on its own or with added critical illness cover, you could be eligible for some (or all) of these free benefits.

Their life insurance policies can also come with optional benefits which you can choose to include for an additional cost. These include the following:

BenefitDetails
Fracture coverReceive a lump sum if you fracture a bone while your policy is active. 18 fractures are covered including skull, cheekbone and jaw.
Global treatment coverProvides access to overseas medical treatment for you and your children.
Waiver of premiumIf you’re too ill or injured to go work and can’t earn an income, Aviva will pay your premiums (instead of cancelling your policy).
Renewal optionRenew your policy at the end of the term without having to provide any new medical information.
Conversion optionConvert your level policy to a whole of life policy at any point during the term.


Get in touch with Reassured to learn more about the policies we can offer and which additional benefits you could receive.

Aviva life insurance in trust (avoid or minimise IHT)

Aviva provide their customers with the option to write their life insurance in trust.

Writing a policy in trust means assigning a trustee to have control of your policy after you pass away.

The trustee will be responsible for distributing the pay out as per your wishes.

Writing your life insurance in trust has the following benefits:

  • Avoid or minimise 40% inheritance tax
  • Bypass probate for a faster pay out
  • Choose who’ll benefit from the pay out

At Reassured we offer a free trust service on the majority of the policies we arrange, where we can guide you through the process and help you to write your Aviva life insurance policy in trust.

Aviva life insurance claims

You can make a claim for Aviva life insurance online, simply by heading to the life claims section of their website.

You can make a claim online, or over the phone. The Aviva life insurance contact number for claims is: 0800 015 1142.

You can also make a claim for critical illness cover online or by phone, the contact number is: 0800 015 1142.

It’s helpful to have all the relevant information regarding the life insurance or critical illness policy to hand before calling them.

As mentioned, Aviva have a good track record of paying out life insurance claims, with 99.4% of their claims being settled in 2021.

Compare Aviva life insurance quotes

At Reassured, we can help you compare Aviva life insurance quotes, as well as quotes from other leading insurers, to help you find our best deal.

We offer a range of policies to suit all needs and budgets, including term life insurance, whole of life insurance and over 50s plans.

There are two different ways to get your FREE quotes:

  1. Online - Use our simple online service to fill in the application, compare multiple quotes and buy your perfect policy online or;
  2. Over the phone - Speak to one of our experts who can help you run through your policy options, compare quotes, guide you through the application process and explain any jargon

Secure life insurance today through our award-winning broker service and have peace of mind that your loved ones are protected should the worst happen.

Sources:

All information regarding Aviva's product offerings is taken from their website and is correct as of 10/02/2023. This is subject to change by Aviva at any time https://www.aviva.co.uk/surance/life-products/life-insurance/

[1] https://www.aviva.com/about-us/how-we-are-organised

[2] https://www.aviva.com/newsroom/news-releases/2022/05/over-1-bn-in-individual-protection-claims-helped-more-than-53700-customers-and-families-in-2021/

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