Pet insurance statistics, facts and trends - 2026

Updated: 08 Oct 2026

In this guide / article

Find the latest pet insurance statistics and trends in 2026, including the premiums of different pets, and how age, breed and policy type can impact the cost.

Key statistics

Luna is the most popular dog and cat name among MoneySuperMarket customers.
Dog insurance costs more per month on average than cat insurance.
Accident only pet insurance is generally the cheapest policy type. Higher-cost policy types can provide broader cover, depending on the policy.
Among the listed dog breeds, Border Terriers have the lowest average monthly premium and English Bulldogs have the highest.
Among the listed cat breeds, Siamese cats have the lowest average monthly premium and Maine Coons have the highest.
Bernese Mountain Dogs are the most expensive dog breed to buy in this dataset, while Burmese are the most expensive cat breed.

Pet insurance pricing statistics

Price by animal

Animal	Average monthly price	Monthly price from
Cat	£7.39^[1]	£3.29^[2]
Dog	£11.09^[3]	£3.96^[4]
Kitten	£5.19^[5]	£3.26^[6]
Puppy	£9.07^[7]	£3.83^[8]

Insuring a dog costs more per month on average than insuring a cat. Premiums for cats and kittens tend to be closer together than those for dogs and puppies.

Price by policy type

Pricing for dogs

Policy type	Average monthly price	Monthly price from
Accident only	£3.95^[9]	£3.75^[10]
Lifetime	£12.81^[9]	£5.29^[10]
Maximum benefit	£15.24^[9]	£7.48^[10]
Time-limited	£13.15^[9]	£6.25^[10]

Pricing for cats

Policy type	Average monthly pricing	Monthly price from
Accident only	£3.58^[11]	£3.02^[12]
Lifetime	£6.94^[11]	£3.52^[12]
Maximum benefit	£7.54^[11]	£4.32^[12]
Time-limited	£7.12^[11]	£3.89^[12]

Accident only is the cheapest form of pet insurance. It’s a good option for young, healthy pets but it does have minimal cover.

Price by popular breed

Dog breeds

Breed	Monthly average price	Monthly price from
Border Terrier	£9.95^[9]	£3.95^[10]
Boxer	£18.20^[9]	£3.75^[10]
Cocker Spaniel	£11.29^[9]	£4.18^[10]
Corgi	£12.16^[9]	£5.34^[10]
Dachshund	£12.05^[9]	£4.17^[10]
English Bulldog	£25.67^[9]	£5^[10]
French Bulldog	£16.62^[9]	£3.96^[10]
German Shepherd	£14.13^[9]	£3.96^[10]
Golden Retriever	£13.52^[9]	£4.37^[10]
Labrador	£13.29^[9]	£4.56^[10]
Pomeranian	£10.47^[9]	£3.96^[10]
Pug	£12.94^[9]	£3.75^[10]
Rottweiler	£24.07^[9]	£3.96^[10]
Shih Tzu	£10.81^[9]	£3.93^[10]
Staffordshire Bull Terrier	£10.83^[9]	£3.96^[10]
Yorkshire Terrier	£10.18^[9]	£3.95^[10]

Among the listed dog breeds, Border Terriers have the lowest average monthly premium in 2026. English Bulldogs have the highest.

Cat breeds

Breed	Monthly average price	Monthly price from
Bengal	£5.02^[11]	£3.18^[12]
Birman	£4.77^[11]	£3.02^[12]
British Shorthair	£6.17^[11]	£3.18^[12]
Maine Coon	£6.75^[11]	£3.29^[12]
Persian	£4.22^[11]	£3.03^[12]
Ragdoll	£6.13^[11]	£3.26^[12]
Russian Blue	£7.02^[11]	£3.52^[12]
Siamese	£3.71^[11]	£3.15^[12]

Cat premiums vary less than dog premiums in this data. Siamese cats have the lowest average monthly premium among the listed breeds, while Maine Coons have the highest in 2026.

Price by age

Dogs

Age	Monthly average price	Monthly price from
Under 1	£9.27^[9]	£3.96^[10]
1-2 years old	£8.25^[9]	£3.96^[10]
3-4 years old	£10.09^[9]	£3.99^[10]
4-5 years old	£12.81^[9]	£4.54^[10]
6-7 years old	£15.78^[9]	£4.64^[10]
Over 7 years old	£20.09^[9]	£7.24^[10]

Cats

Age	Monthly average price	Monthly price from
Under 1	£5.25^[11]	£3.28^[12]
1-2 years old	£4.80^[11]	£3.05^[12]
3-4 years old	£4.87^[11]	£3.02^[12]
4-5 years old	£5.16^[11]	£3.05^[12]
6-7 years old	£5.68^[11]	£3.17^[12]
Over 7 years old	£10.23^[11]	£3.71^[12]

As you might expect, it is more expensive to insure your pet as they get older. Although this is the case, it can be cheaper than unexpected vet bills!

Top 10 most popular dog names

Dog name
1. Rex^[13]
2. Luna^[13]
3. Bella^[13]
4. Milo^[13]
5. Teddy^[13]
6. Buddy^[13]
7. Daisy^[13]
8. Charlie^[13]
9. Poppy^[13]
10. Lola^[13]

Top 10 most popular cat names

Cat name
1. Rex^[14]
2. Luna^[14]
3. Milo^[14]
4. Bella^[14]
5. Coco^[14]
6. Willow^[14]
7. Loki^[14]
8. Leo^[14]
9. Charlie^[14]
10. Simba^[14]

Rex is currently the most popular dog and cat name among MoneySuperMarket customers. Luna is the second most popular dog and cat name.

💡 Explore our popular pet name tool to check even more names!

The most expensive dog to buy

Breed	Price
1. Bernese mountain dog^[13]	£2142.34^[13]
2. Newfoundland^[13]	£1977.99^[13]
3. Lagotto romagnolo^[13]	£1930.21^[13]
4. Japanese shiba inu^[13]	£1852.12^[13]
5. St bernard^[13]	£1822.31^[13]

Based on this MoneySuperMarket customer data, Bernese Mountain Dogs are the most expensive dog breed to buy in 2026.

The most expensive cat to buy

Breed	Price
1. Burmese^[14]	£1143.43^[14]
2. Oriental^[14]	£1128.23^[14]
3. Siberian^[14]	£1124.13^[14]
4. British black shorthair^[14]	£1055.62^[14]
5. Snow leopard bengal^[14]	£952.54^[14]

Based on this MoneySuperMarket customer data, Burmese are the most expensive cat breed to buy in 2026.