Lifetime cover
Protects your pet for life, as long as the policy is renewed each year.
Average cost: £12.78
What is time-limited pet insurance?
Time-limited policies are a type of pet insurance that covers your cat or dog for a specific period of time (usually 12 months).
During your policy term, term-limited insurance can cover costs in the following situations:
Your cat or dog is ill, injured, or needs to be put down
Your cat or dog is lost or stolen
Your dog harms someone or their property (including their pets)
Is it right for me and my pet?
A time-limit pet insurance policy may suit you if you are looking for:
✔ Younger pets (who are generally healthier)
✔ Affordable option (it is cheaper than lifetime cover)
✔ More basic cover that still covers illnesses
🚩 Any medical conditions your pet develops during the policy will be considered to be pre-existing conditions once your term ends.
What does time-limited pet insurance cover?
Cover varies by provider and policy, so always check your insurance documents.
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Typically covered
✔ Vet bills e.g. medicines, treatments and prescriptions
✔ Hospital visits
✔ Diagnosing illnesses e.g. consultations, X-rays, MRIs
✔ Dental treatment for accidents, like breaking a tooth
✔ Alternative therapies e.g. hydrotherapy or acupuncture (when recommended by a vet)
✔ Euthanasia (putting pets down)
✔ Lost and stolen pets e.g. advertising, rewards, refund of purchase price
✔ Third party liability cover e.g. your dog harms someone or their property
✔ Emergency boarding fees e.g. if you are unexpectedly hospitalised
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Not typically covered
✖ Routine care e.g. pet vaccinations, boosters, regular check-ups
✖ Routine dental treatment including routine check-ups
✖ Fleas and worming
✖ Elective or cosmetic treatments
✖ Cremation and burial
✖ Training and obedience classes
✖ Banned breeds or dog breeds classed as dangerous
✖ Unvaccinated or unmicrochipped animals
How much is time-limited pet insurance?
Time-limited dog insurance
£14
.47^ a month
Average prices paid by our customers
Time-limited cat insurance
£7
.91^ a month
Average prices paid by our customers
What impacts the price of pet insurance?
Insurers set their prices based on risk. The more likely they think you are to claim, or the more expensive it would be for them if you did claim, the higher your price is likely to be.
The key factors pet insurers will look at are:
Age
Breed
Medical history
Policy type
Where you live
How can I get cheaper time-limited pet insurance?
Compare quotes
Shopping around is the best way to find a deal the suits your needs and budget.
MoneySuperMarket can do the hard work for you. With our price comparison tool you can compare quotes from 37
Increase your excess
The excess is the amount of money you pay before the insurance covers the rest.
The higher the excess, the lower your premiums can be. The downside is that it makes claims less affordable.
Insure multiple pets under one policy
If you have other animals you can insure them all together under a multi-pet policy, which can be cheaper than individual policies.
Remove extra policy features
Pet insurance policies often offer optional extras, such as cover for marketing and rewards if your cat or dog is lost, or cover for dental treatments.
Adding these will give you better protection, but make your policy more expensive.
Spay, neuter, worm and vaccinate your pet
Preventing your cat or dog from breeding and keeping them in tip-top health is good for them and for your insurance premiums.
Insurers often offer a discount if your dog is up to date with all its recommended treatments. (They may also refuse some types of cover if your pet has not had them.)
Train and socialise your dog
Dog insurers charge more to insure dogs that have show previous signs of aggression, such as biting other people or other dogs.
Is pet insurance worth it?
The average claim is £668^
Paying out of pocket for insurable problems is usually significantly more expensive than taking out an insurance policy.
If your pet stays healthy and safe, you won't recoup your investment. But you'll have the peace of mind of knowing if something did go wrong the treatment options available to your pet won't be limited to what you can currently afford.
Our expert says…
Pets - and particularly dogs - are expensive. The PDSA, an animal charity, says the minimum costs required to care for a completely healthy dog over its lifetime can be £12,000 for a small dog and £18,800 for a large one.
Any vet bills would go on top of this, and increase that amount substantially.
A good pet insurance policy can take a lot of that extra financial pressure off your plate. When deciding which policy type to plump for, it may be helpful to know that the vast majority of insurance claims (around 90%, according to several pet insurers) are for illnesses, not accidents.
Lauren Chong Pet Insurance Expert
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the advantages of time-limited pet insurance?
Time-limited pet insurance is cheaper than lifetime pet insurance and offers broader cover than an accident-only policy. Alongside injuries, your cat or dog will be covered for any illnesses they develop during the policy term.
What are the disadvantages of time-limited pet insurance?
Time-limited pet insurance will usually not provide cover for any illness that first showed symptoms before the year's policy started. This is the case even if you previously had a policy with the same insurer.
In contrast, lifetime pet insurance will cover all conditions that develop from when you first take out insurance with that provider, as long as you don't miss any payments. (Your premiums and excess can be increased each year.)
Should I choose lifetime or time-limited pet insurance?
Time limited pet insurance is cheaper than lifetime pet insurance.
However, if your pet develops an illness on a time-limited policy you won't generally be covered for that illness again, even if it appears again years later or develops in a different area of your pet's body.
What are the other types of pet insurance?
💡 Top tip: Lifetime cover is the most popular type of pet insurance.
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^ -
Maximum benefit
Sets limits on how much you can claim for any given illness or injury.
Average cost: £16.02
^ -
Accident only cover
Only covers your pet for accidents, does not protect against illnesses.
Average cost: £3.95
^
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What do I need to get a time-limited pet insurance quote?
You’ll need the following to get a quote:
✓ Pet’s age
✓ Pet's breed or size
✓ Pet's health
✓ If they have been neutered/spayed
✓ Price you paid for them
✓ Behavioural history
✓ Medical history
Why compare time-limited pet insurance quotes with MoneySuperMarket?
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We're trusted
All our insurance providers are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
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Rated 4.9/5 on Feefo
We're also the UK's most recommended price comparison website
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Give us a few details and we'll show you multiple quotes in minutes, saving you time and effort.
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Am I legally required to have dog insurance?
No, there’s no law requiring you to take out dog insurance.
There are other laws dog owners must follow however, including:
Your dog must be microchipped and registered (after 8 weeks old)
Your dog must wear a collar and tag with its owners details on when in a public place
Your dog must be kept under control while in public
You must pick up your dog's poo when in public
If you do not follow these laws you can be fined thousands of pounds.
What are the most common dog health problems?
Some of the most frequent issues seen across all dog breeds include skin allergies, ear infections, dental disease, obesity, arthritis, and gastrointestinal problems (like vomiting or diarrhoea).
Breed-specific conditions (like hip dysplasia in large breeds) are also common.
Can I get pet insurance for working dogs?
Yes, you can get cover for working dogs (like service dogs, police dogs, or farm dogs). However, you will need to declare this to your insurer and policies may cost more or have stricter terms because of the higher risk of injury.
Some companies also offer specialised working-dog policies.
Will dog insurance cover me bringing my dog to my workplace?
It depends. Several pet insurers will not cover your dog in an office or other workspace, even if they are just accompanying you to your job. Always check your policy wording.
If your dog is working at your workplace (providing security, therapy, or other services), you are likely to need a specific plan or rider to cover work-related injuries or liability.
Can I insure an aggressive dog?
Yes, pet insurers will usually still cover your dog if they sometimes bite or otherwise act aggressively. But you will probably have to pay higher insurance premiums.
Can I insure a dog classed as dangerous?
No, if you own an illegal dog breed you will struggle to take out insurance for it. This is the case even if you've proved to the court your dog is well behaved and received an exemption that allows you to own it.
The banned breeds, as defined by the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 are:
American XL Bully
Dogo Argentino
Fila Brasilerio
Japanese Tosa
Pitbull Terrier
Insurers also often will not cover dogs that are mixed with banned breeds. They may cancel your policy if they receive veterinary evidence that your dog has this sort of heritage - even if you weren't aware of it yourself.
Can I insure an older dog?
Some dog insurers set upper age limits for taking out a new policy. This is usually 8 years old, although it may be lower for certain breeds.
If you already have insurance for your pet, most insurers will continuing covering your dog for its entire lifespan (as long as you continuously pay the premiums).
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Every page on our website goes through a careful editorial process before it is published. It’s written or reviewed by one of our experienced experts, checked for accuracy, and updated regularly to reflect the latest information.
We do use AI tools to support our research and drafting, but a human editor is always in the loop to review, fact-check and approve everything before it’s published, so you can trust that what you’re reading is both reliable and up to date.
You can read more in our editorial guidelines.
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We get paid by the companies we work with, but the payment we get doesn’t have any bearing on the information we provide. We get paid in different ways, depending on the type of product or service you buy through us. Our goal is to search deals from as wide a range of companies as possible, but we only show results from our partner providers.
Our comparison service is, and will always be, free to use.
Why should I use a price comparison website?
One of the best ways to get the lowest prices and best deals is to compare quotes from different companies. We do the work for you, comparing quotes side-by-side and giving you all the information you need so you can choose the right deal for your needs and your wallet.
We don’t give recommendations or financial advice, but we give you clear information so you can choose financial products that suit your circumstances.
Does MoneySuperMarket work with all the providers on the market?
No, not every company can be included in our service. This is because some companies don’t want their products included on comparison sites, and some decide that they would rather not pay a fee. There are also a few smaller providers who can struggle to cope with the volume of customers that can find their products if they appear on MoneySuperMarket.
Our goal is to search deals from as wide a range of companies as possible so that you can choose the deal that suits you.
Is pet insurance eligible for SuperSaveClub and rewards?
Yes, you can earn SuperSaveClub rewards when you buy pet insurance through MoneySuperMarket.
This includes:
Up to £10, which you can withdraw as a pre-paid Mastercard or a gift card for brands like Sainsbury's and Amazon.co.uk
Free Days Out pass (worth £180), which gives free entry to a range of UK attractions (you must download our app to get this)
Cashback of up to 10% when you spend at brands including eBay, Just Eat and Argos
To earn SuperSaveClub rewards on purchases you must:
Sign up to SuperSaveClub (it's free)
Be signed in to your account when you make the purchase
More information can be found on our SuperSaveClub homepage.
Is pet insurance eligible for Price Promise?
Yes, pet insurance is included in our Super Save Price Promise.
If you buy through us then find the same deal for less we will:
refund the difference
give you a gift card worth up to £20
Terms and conditions apply. More information can be found on our Price Promise page.
Reviewed on 9 Dec 2025 by
Based on the 10th percentile of monthly premiums our customers were quoted per month for cat insurance based on quotes created on MoneySuperMarket between September 2025 and November 2025 where only 1 pet was included in the quote.
SuperSaveClub restrictions and T&Cs apply. Click here for details.
Accurate as of 01 December 2025.
Based on the 51 percentile of monthly premiums our customers were quoted less than £12.78 per month where the customer requested lifetime pet insurance based on quotes created on MoneySuperMarket in the month of November 2025 where only 1 pet was included in the quote and the pet didnt have pre-existing medical conditions
Based on the 51 percentile of monthly premiums our customers were quoted less than £16.02 per month where the customer requested max benefit pet insurance based on quotes created on MoneySuperMarket in the month of November 2025 where only 1 pet was included in the quote and the pet didnt have pre-existing medical conditions
Based on the 51 percentile of monthly premiums our customers were quoted less than £3.95 per month where the customer requested accident only pet insurance based on quotes created on MoneySuperMarket in the month of November 2025 where only 1 pet was included in the quote and the pet didnt have pre-existing medical conditions
Based on 1 visit per month – average ticket value £15.30 (Oct 24)
T&Cs and restrictions apply, see here for more information
YouGov Survey 1st July 2024 to 30th June 2025. Net Recommend score derived from “Which of the following online service websites would you recommend to a friend or colleague, or tell them to avoid?” Base: Current Customers of (MoneySuperMarket n=18,382, Compare the Market n=16,802, Go.Compare n=10,162, Confused.com n=8,229, Uswitch n=528).
ABI data 2023
Based on the 51st percentile of monthly premiums our customers were quoted per month for cat insurance based on quotes created on MoneySuperMarket between September 2025 and November 2025 where only 1 pet was included in the quote.
T&Cs and restrictions apply, see here for more information
T&Cs apply, click here for more information
Based on the 51st percentile of monthly premiums our customers were quoted per month for dog insurance based on quotes created on MoneySuperMarket between September 2025 and November 2025 where only 1 pet was included in the quote.