10 Best Pet Insurance Providers in the UK: We Read the Small Print (October 2026)

The best pet insurance for most dogs is a lifetime policy from an insurer with a strong claims record. Unlike time-limited cover, a lifetime policy keeps paying for a long-term condition year after year, which matters because conditions like arthritis, allergies and diabetes rarely go away.

We have compared ten UK insurers on the things that decide whether a policy actually pays out: the annual vet fee limit, when a co-payment kicks in, whether older dogs can join, and how each one treats dental illness and pre-existing conditions. Then we went further. We read every insurer's full policy document, the long one most people never open, and pulled out the catches and the hidden perks. Pets at Home doesn't publish its wording online, so we asked for a copy and read that too. You will find them in a short "small print" box under each insurer. Every detail was checked against the insurers' own websites and policy documents in October 2026.

At a Glance

Provider	Highest lifetime limit	Co-payment for dogs	Best for
Agria (and Royal Kennel Club)	£20,000 a year (£25,000 with Royal Kennel Club)	Check your schedule	Best all-round
Petplan	£12,000 a year	20% from age 10 (7 for some breeds)	Claims reputation
ManyPets	£20,000 a year	20% from age 7	Pre-existing conditions
Animal Friends	£18,000 a year	20% from age 8	High limits on a budget
Waggel	£15,000 a year	Optional 20%	Simple digital policy
Petgevity	£15,000 a year	None on Lifetime Plus	Older dogs, several pets
Perfect Pet	£5,000 per condition	15% from age 8	Lowest-cost lifetime cover, with catches
Purely Pets	£15,000 a year	20% from age 6	Choice of cover levels
Post Office	£12,500 a year	Compulsory from an age shown on your certificate	Best high-street lifetime cover
Pets at Home	£15,000 a year	20% from an age set by breed	Newest on the market

A co-payment is the share of every claim you pay yourself once your dog reaches a certain age. Our co-payment guide shows what it costs on a real vet bill.

What Has Changed in 2026

• Top limits have gone up. Agria and ManyPets now both offer £20,000 a year, and the Royal Kennel Club's top policy covers £25,000.
• Pets at Home has started selling insurance. The UK's biggest pet retailer launched its own lifetime cover in August 2026, first through Compare the Market and now direct as well.
• The vet market is being reformed. The Competition and Markets Authority finished its investigation into vet prices in March 2026, and the legal order putting its reforms into effect was made on 22 September 2026. Vets will have to publish price lists, give written estimates for bigger treatments, show which group owns them, and cap what they charge for a written prescription at £21.40. The changes arrive between December 2026 and September 2027, with smaller practices given longer. Our guide to the vet prescription fee cap has every date.
• Premiums have steadied. Industry price tracking showed average premiums slightly lower in autumn 2025 than a year earlier, after several years of sharp rises. Individual renewals for older dogs can still rise steeply, and several insurers now say in their policy documents that there is no limit to how much a renewal can go up.
• Claims are at record levels. Insurers paid out a record £1.23 billion in pet claims in 2024, the third year in a row above £1 billion, and dogs accounted for £933 million of it.

Cheapest Pet Insurance in the UK: How to Pay Less for Good Cover

The cheapest way into genuine lifetime cover is usually a per-condition lifetime policy or a lower cover level from a mainstream insurer. Perfect Pet and the Lifetime Condition Limit policies from Animal Friends work this way: each condition gets its own limit, reset every year, which costs less than one large annual pot. If you do not need lifetime cover at all, a time-limited policy such as Direct Line's Essential cover is cheaper again, but it stops paying for any condition after 12 months.

One caution before you sort by price. The cheapest premium usually means a lower vet fee limit, a bigger excess, a co-payment on every claim, or tighter small print, and a single cruciate ligament operation can wipe out years of savings. Cheap cover you can actually claim on beats cheap cover you cannot. What genuinely brings the price down:

• Raise your excess to the most you could comfortably find in a bad month
• Pick a realistic vet fee limit instead of the biggest number on the table
• Insure your dog while they are young, before anything counts as pre-existing
• Put several pets with one insurer and take the multi-pet discount, where there is one
• Requote at every renewal, but never switch insurer while your dog has an ongoing condition

What the Small Print Says That the Summaries Don't

Every insurer publishes a one-page summary. The real rules sit in a policy document of 25 to 55 pages. We read all ten, including Pets at Home's, which isn't online, and these are the differences that matter most.

What to check	What we found
How long you have to claim	Perfect Pet 90 days. Agria, Royal Kennel Club, ManyPets and Pets at Home six months. Petplan, Waggel, Purely Pets and the Post Office 12 months. Animal Friends and Petgevity set no fixed deadline.
Claims in the first 14 days	Most insurers cover accidents after a day or two. Waggel pays nothing at all in the first 14 days, accidents included.
Your dog with a walker or groomer	Perfect Pet and Petgevity exclude incidents while your dog is in someone else's paid care. Pets at Home's liability cover excludes claims involving a dog walker, sitter, kennel or groomer.
Prescription food	Almost all exclude it. Petgevity pays up to £250, ManyPets up to £500 on most plans, Pets at Home 25% to 45% of the cost up to £500, and Agria and Petplan only towards bladder stone diets.
Cancelling after a claim	With Agria, Royal Kennel Club, ManyPets, Petgevity, Perfect Pet, Purely Pets and Pets at Home you still owe the rest of the year. Waggel and Petplan do not ask for it.

Three more things worth knowing:

• Cruciate ligament limits. This is one of the most common big claims for dogs. Purely Pets caps it per leg for the dog's whole life, Petgevity caps it at £2,000, and the Post Office treats both knees as one condition.
• Lead and road rules. Agria will not pay for an injury while your dog is off a short lead near livestock. Animal Friends will not pay for a road injury if your dog was off the lead near a road, driveway or car park, or for an escape from a garden that was not securely fenced.
• Royal Kennel Club and Agria are the same policy. The policy documents match word for word. Only the limits and the branding differ.

How We Ranked Them

We put the most weight on what happens when you claim: the size of the annual limit, whether it resets every year, when a co-payment starts, each insurer's published claims record and customer ratings, and what the full policy document says about deadlines, caps and exclusions. We then looked at age limits, dental cover, pre-existing conditions and perks like video vet calls. No insurer has paid for a place in this guide. Our page on how we rank pet insurance explains the method in full.

The Best Pet Insurance Providers in the UK

1. Agria Pet Insurance: Best All-Round Lifetime Cover

Agria is the world's oldest pet insurer, founded in Sweden in 1890, and it only sells lifetime cover. Its four dog policies cover £3,000, £6,500, £12,500 or £20,000 of vet fees a year, and each limit resets in full when you renew. There is no upper age limit for starting a policy, and puppies can join from 8 weeks.

It is also one of the few insurers to cover dental illness as well as injury, as long as your dog has had a dental check in the previous 15 months. Every policy includes free 24/7 video calls with a vet, Agria can pay your vet directly, and rescue dogs from participating centres get £5,000 of free cover for five weeks. Agria says it paid 98% of claims in 2025, and it has the highest customer score in Which?'s current pet insurance ratings. Read our full Agria review.

Also sold as Royal Kennel Club Pet Insurance. The Royal Kennel Club's dog insurance is underwritten and run by Agria, and its policy document is Agria's word for word. The difference is the limits: £4,000, £7,500, £15,000 or £25,000 a year, the highest annual limit we found anywhere in the UK market. It is dogs only, its top two policies include a £25 voucher each year towards health checks or vaccinations, and it has dedicated schemes for breeders. If you want the highest possible limit, quote both.

Pros:

• Lifetime cover only, up to £20,000 a year (£25,000 through the Royal Kennel Club), with no upper age limit to join
• Dental illness covered, which much of the market excludes
• 4.8 out of 5 on Trustpilot from more than 13,000 reviews, a Which? Best Buy on three of its four policies, and Defaqto 5 star rated

Cons:

• Rarely the cheapest quote
• You pay a fixed excess and, on some policies, a percentage of every claim
• Only a 5% multi-pet discount

The small print, in short:

• Extras such as therapy, special diets and behavioural treatment come from a limit per condition that does not refill at renewal, even though the vet fee limit does.
• If treatment carries on past your renewal date, the fixed excess is charged again.
• You have six months from treatment to claim, or until the end of the policy year if that is later.
• An injury while your dog is off a short lead near livestock, including horses, is not covered.
• Hidden perks: titre tests are accepted instead of boosters (except leptospirosis), a glucose meter, stem cell therapy and joint replacements are covered, and up to £150 towards cremation is paid with no excess.

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2. Petplan: Best Claims Reputation

Petplan is the UK's best-known pet insurer, with more than 45 years in the market and underwriting by Allianz. Its Covered For Life policies cover £4,000, £7,000 or £12,000 of vet fees a year, plus a separate £2,000 for complementary therapies. It says it pays 97% of claims, and 90% within five working days.

Petplan has a Claims Pricing Guarantee, so your premium will not go up because you claimed. Many vets bill Petplan directly, and dental illness and injury are covered if your dog has annual dental check-ups. The main limits are on age: most dogs must start a policy by age 8, or 5 for some breeds. Read our full Petplan review.

Pros:

• Premiums do not rise because you have claimed
• 97% of claims paid, 90% within five working days
• Which? Best Buy for its £7,000 and £12,000 lifetime policies, and Defaqto 5 star rated
• £1 a month off each pet's premium if you insure more than one

Cons:

• One of the more expensive insurers, and its top limit of £12,000 is now below several rivals
• New policies only up to age 8, or 5 for some breeds
• A 20% extra excess from your dog's 10th birthday, or 7th for some breeds

The small print, in short:

• Once you have claimed more than £36,000 over your dog's life, Petplan can ask for its own specialist, pre-authorise all treatment, or choose the vet.
• A condition on one side of the body counts as pre-existing for the other side too.
• No food is covered except part of the cost of a bladder stone diet, and cremation is not covered.
• Death from illness cover is removed after your dog's 8th birthday, or 5th for some breeds.
• Hidden perks: 12 months to claim, cancel at any time with a refund for the unused months, and a therapy pot that refills every year and still covers homeopathy.

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3. ManyPets: Best for Pre-Existing Conditions

ManyPets, formerly Bought By Many, sells four lifetime plans: Essential Care (£3,000 or £5,000 a year), Standard Care (£7,000 or £10,000), Standard Care Pre-existing (£7,000) and Complete Care (£15,000 or £20,000). Its excess is charged once a year rather than per condition, which helps a dog with several problems. From October 2026 its policies are underwritten by Wakam UK and SCOR UK.

The pre-existing plan is what sets it apart. It covers up to £1,500 a year for conditions your dog already had, as long as they have not needed treatment for at least three months. Dental illness is covered on Standard Care, Standard Care Pre-existing and Complete Care, while Essential Care covers dental accidents only, up to £1,000. There is no upper age limit to join, and every plan includes unlimited 24/7 video vet calls. Read our full ManyPets review.

Pros:

• One of the few UK policies that covers some pre-existing conditions
• Up to £20,000 a year, one excess per year, and up to 15% off for multiple pets
• 4.7 out of 5 on Trustpilot from more than 38,000 reviews, Defaqto 5 star on every plan except Essential Care, and Moneyfacts Provider of the Year 2026

Cons:

• A 20% co-payment from the first renewal after your dog turns 7, earlier than most rivals
• Essential Care leaves out dental illness, behaviour, special diets and end-of-life costs
• Dental claims need a check-up in the last 12 months, with any recommended treatment done within six months

The small print, in short:

• On any plan, a condition that showed no signs in the 24 months before you joined is covered, and some untreated signs can become covered after 12 months on cover.
• A dog that has ever been in a fight, bitten or shown aggression cannot be insured, and nor can an owner who has been declined by another insurer.
• You have six months from treatment to claim.
• Only Complete Care covers you outside the EU. The other plans cover the EU only.
• Third-party liability only covers an office workplace, and can be removed at renewal for a breed ManyPets considers high risk.

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4. Animal Friends: High Limits on a Budget

Animal Friends was founded in 1998 to raise money for animal charities, and says it has now given more than £10 million to over 830 charities. Its Lifetime Annual Limit policies run from £1,000 up to £18,000 a year, and its cheaper Lifetime Condition Limit policies give each condition up to £6,000 a year. It also sells maximum benefit, time-limited and accident-only cover.

Dogs of any age can join from 4 weeks, and every policy includes free 24/7 video vet calls through the Joii app. Excess options run from £69 to £299. Dental cover depends on the policy: up to £3,000 on the £10,000 and £18,000 policies, less on the cheaper ones, and none at all on the £1,000 policy. Read our full Animal Friends review.

Pros:

• Up to £18,000 a year, with a wide choice of cover levels and excesses
• Cover from 4 weeks old with no upper age limit
• 4.6 out of 5 on Trustpilot from more than 57,000 reviews, several Which? Best Buys, and highly commended in Defaqto's Pet Insurer of the Year 2026

Cons:

• A 20% co-payment for dogs from age 8, which cannot be removed
• No multi-pet discount
• Dental cover has its own limit, and the cheapest policies have little or none

The small print, in short:

• Animal Friends sets a maximum it will pay for common vet charges, but those figures are in a document you only receive after you buy.
• A road injury is not covered if your dog was off the lead near a road, driveway or car park, and an escape is not covered if your garden was not securely fenced.
• Assistance dogs, such as guide dogs, are excluded.
• The excess is charged once per condition each year.
• Hidden perks: no fixed deadline for claims, and cruciate ligament problems are covered after the same 14 days as other illnesses.

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5. Waggel: Simplest Digital Policy

Waggel sells one lifetime policy that you shape yourself online, choosing an annual vet fee limit of up to £15,000 and an excess from £0 to £500. Instead of forcing a co-payment on older dogs, it lets you choose a 20% co-payment at any age to bring the premium down. Dogs can join from 8 weeks with no upper age limit. Waggel is underwritten by Red Sands.

The policy includes up to £1,000 a year for dental treatment after an accident or illness, 24/7 online vet access, free behaviour and nutrition consultations, and up to £2 million of third-party liability cover. Claims are handled through an online dashboard, and there is a phone line and webchat six days a week. Read our full Waggel review.

Pros:

• One simple lifetime policy up to £15,000 a year, with no upper age limit to join
• The 20% co-payment is your choice, not forced on you at a set age
• Dental illness included up to £1,000, and 4.5 out of 5 on Trustpilot from more than 14,000 reviews

Cons:

• You cannot make any claim, even for an accident, in the first 14 days
• Pre-existing conditions are excluded
• No multi-pet discount

The small print, in short:

• You do not answer medical questions when you buy. Waggel checks your dog's vet history when you claim, so you find out what counts as pre-existing at that point.
• An optional Vet Triage add-on lowers the premium, but you pay a £50 penalty if you see a vet about a new problem without using Waggel's online triage first. Emergencies are exempt.
• Prescription food, cremation, boarding and holiday cancellation are not covered, and the death benefit for illness stops at age 8.
• Hidden perks: dental illness covered from day one (with yearly dental checks), no cap per visit on out-of-hours fees, you can drop the co-payment at renewal, and you can cancel monthly without owing the rest of the year after a claim.

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6. Petgevity: Best for Older Dogs and Several Pets

Petgevity sells two lifetime policies with vet fee limits from £1,000 to £15,000 a year. Its Lifetime Plus policy is unusual: you can choose an excess from £0 to £500 and an optional co-payment from 0% to 30%, and there is no compulsory co-payment at any age. It can also cover pre-existing conditions if you declare them and Petgevity accepts them.

There is no upper age limit, puppies can join from 4 weeks, and you can put up to eight pets on one policy. Dental accidents are covered as standard, and dental illness is an optional add-on, capped at £5,000 or your vet fee limit if that is lower. Read our full Petgevity review.

Pros:

• No compulsory co-payment at any age on Lifetime Plus, and a £0 excess option
• Can cover declared pre-existing conditions, subject to acceptance
• No upper age limit, up to eight pets on one policy, and £1 a month off per pet when you insure more than one

Cons:

• The standard Lifetime policy has a £100 minimum excess and a compulsory 20% co-payment from age 8
• Dental illness costs extra
• Low excess, no co-payment cover for an older dog will be expensive

The small print, in short:

• Your dog needs a vet health check in the 12 months before cover starts, or within the first 14 days.
• Incidents while your dog is with a dog walker or pet minder are excluded.
• Cruciate ligament treatment and MRI or CT scans are each capped at £2,000.
• Dogs that live at premises selling alcohol, and dogs that have bitten or shown aggression, cannot be covered.
• Hidden perks: waiting periods are waived if you switch with no gap in cover, boarding or a minder is paid if you spend just 24 hours in hospital, and up to £250 towards euthanasia is paid with no excess.

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7. Perfect Pet: Lowest-Cost Lifetime Cover, With Catches

Perfect Pet does lifetime cover differently. Rather than one annual pot shared by everything, each condition gets its own limit of up to £5,000, reset every year you renew, with no limit on how many conditions you can claim for. That structure keeps premiums down, and it is one of the cheapest routes into lifetime cover. Perfect Pet now also sells Elite Premium tiers with one annual pot of £7,000 or £10,000, but the per-condition plans are the ones we rate here.

It is also flexible on age. Puppies can be covered from 4 weeks old, and there is no upper age limit for new policies. The excess is a fixed £90 per condition, you get 24/7 vet advice by phone and video, and multi-pet households get 15% off. Perfect Pet says it settles 97% of claims within five working days. But its policy document sets low limits on everyday costs, which is why it sits lower in our ranking than its price might suggest. Read our full Perfect Pet review.

Pros:

• A separate limit for every condition, reset each year, at a value price
• Cover from 4 weeks old with no upper age limit
• 15% multi-pet discount, and 4.6 out of 5 on Trustpilot from more than 17,000 reviews

Cons:

• Low fixed caps on anaesthetics, hospital stays, referrals and out-of-hours fees
• A 15% co-payment for dogs from age 8
• Dental cover is for accidents only

The small print, in short:

• Everyday costs have their own caps: £250 per anaesthetic, £100 for hospitalisation, £200 for a referral, and £50 for out-of-hours fees (£150 if the treatment is life-saving).
• Claims must reach Perfect Pet within 90 days, the shortest deadline we found.
• Vet fees are not covered while your dog is being looked after by a sitter, walker, kennel or groomer.
• The excluded breeds include Huskies, Malamutes, Great Danes and working sheepdogs.
• If a premium payment is missed, outstanding claims are not paid.

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8. Purely Pets: Widest Choice of Cover Levels

Purely Pets offers 15 lifetime cover levels, from £1,000 to £15,000 a year, grouped into Bronze, Silver and Gold bands. Dogs can join from 8 weeks with no upper age limit, and its Silver and Gold policies are rated 5 stars by Defaqto. It says it paid 98% of eligible claims in 2024.

The trade-offs are significant, though. A 20% co-payment is compulsory from age 6, earlier than any other insurer on this list, and it cannot be removed. Dental illness is only covered from the second policy year. Around 50 breeds are excluded, including Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Rottweilers and most pointers.

Pros:

• Fifteen cover levels, so you can match the limit to your budget closely
• No upper age limit to join
• Defaqto 5 star on Silver and Gold policies

Cons:

• A compulsory 20% co-payment from age 6
• Around 50 breeds excluded, including Staffies
• 3.9 out of 5 on Trustpilot, among the lowest of the insurers here

The small print, in short:

• Cruciate ligament cover is capped per leg for the dog's whole life (£1,000 on Bronze, £2,000 on Silver and Gold) and does not reset at renewal.
• Dental illness is only covered after 12 months on cover, behavioural treatment after 24 months and cremation after 36 months.
• Third-party liability only pays if a court finds your dog to blame.
• Hidden perk: up to 180 days a year of cover abroad at your full vet fee limit.

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9. Post Office Pet Insurance: Best High-Street Lifetime Cover

The Post Office's pet insurance is run and underwritten by Pinnacle Insurance, the insurer behind several high-street brands. Its lifetime policy pays up to £12,500 of vet fees a year, reset every year you renew, and Defaqto rates it 5 stars. There is no upper age limit to join, puppies can be covered from 8 weeks, and the Post Office says it pays 98% of claims within four working days.

It also sells maximum benefit and time-limited policies, which stop paying for a condition once a set amount is used up or after 12 months. Make sure the quote you buy is for Lifetime cover.

Pros:

• Up to £12,500 a year of lifetime cover, with no upper age limit to join
• 12 months to claim, and waiting periods waived if you switch from another insurer
• No exclusions for dogs looked after by a walker or minder, or hurt off the lead

Cons:

• A percentage excess becomes compulsory at an age set by your pet's details, shown only on your certificate of insurance
• Only 25% of prescription food is covered, for up to six months per condition
• The death benefit for illness stops at 8, or 5 for some breeds

The small print, in short:

We read the full Post Office policy wording (P3324v9) and the June 2026 product summary for Lifetime cover.

• The co-payment age is on your certificate, not the website. The wording says the percentage excess "becomes fixed at certain rates and payment of it is mandatory" from an age shown on your certificate, with at least a year's notice.
• Both sides count as one condition. Problems affecting both sides, such as hip dysplasia or cruciate ligament disease, are treated as a single condition.
• Dental illness needs check-ups. There must be a history of annual check-ups, with any advice followed within six months.
• A dog with a fighting history is excluded from fight claims, and the usual banned and restricted breeds, including XL Bullies and Cane Corsos, cannot be covered.
• Hidden perks: the 3-day and 14-day waiting periods are dropped if you switch with continuous cover, hip, knee and elbow replacements are covered, and boarding is paid if you spend more than 48 hours in hospital.

Why Direct Line is no longer in our top 10: Direct Line sells only time-limited cover, which stops paying for each condition after 12 months. That is the wrong kind of cover for most dogs, so we replaced it. Our Direct Line review explains what its Essential policy does and does not do. Our guide to pet insurance to think twice about covers the other big names whose cheaper policies catch people out.

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10. Pets at Home Pet Insurance: Newest on the Market

Pets at Home, the UK's biggest pet retailer, launched its own insurance in August 2026 under the name Pets Insurance. It sits below the established lifetime insurers for now because it is so new: it has no customer reviews or claims record yet, and we will look at its ranking again once it has. It sells one lifetime policy at three levels, with vet fee limits for dogs of £4,000, £7,000 or £15,000 a year that reset every year you renew, and no limit per condition. It is underwritten by Great Lakes Insurance UK.

The excess is charged once a year rather than per condition, at £100, £150 or £200. Complementary therapies have their own limit of up to £3,500, kept separate from vet fees, and dental accidents and illness are covered. You can buy it direct or through Compare the Market, and new customers get a Pets at Home voucher of up to £40 for a dog if the policy stays paid for 90 days. Read our full Pets at Home insurance review.

Pros:

• One excess a year and no per-condition limits
• Complementary therapy limits sit outside your vet fee limit
• Part of prescription food is covered, which most insurers exclude

Cons:

• A compulsory 20% co-payment starts at an age that depends on breed, and the age is only shown during a quote and on your schedule
• Older dogs cannot get a quote at all for now, with the cut-off also set by breed
• No multi-pet discount yet, and no customer reviews yet to judge its claims service

The small print, in short:

Pets at Home doesn't publish its full policy wording online. It sent us the June 2026 edition when we asked, and these points come from that.

• If your dog has ever bitten, nipped or attacked a person or another animal, the policy won't cover them. The wording counts showing teeth, lunging and snarling as aggressive behaviour, and you have to tell the insurer if anything like that happens once you're covered.
• The list of breeds it won't insure is long, and it includes any dog with a parent or grandparent on the list. Alongside the breeds you would expect, it names the Bullmastiff, Anatolian Shepherd, Working Sheepdog and Gundog. Dogs used for hunting, guarding or your work aren't covered either.
• Your dog needs a yearly health and dental check-up with your vet. Dental treatment is only covered if any work the vet recommends is done within six months, and root canals, crowns and fillings are never covered.
• You can't take out the policy if you live at a property that sells alcohol, such as a pub.
• The £2 million liability cover won't pay if your dog was somewhere dogs aren't allowed, if you take your dog to work, or if clients come to your home.
• You can lower your cover at renewal but not raise it. Moving up means starting a new policy, and anything your dog has had before is then excluded.
• You have six months from the start of treatment to claim.
• Hidden perks: the 14-day wait for illness claims is dropped if you switch from a lifetime policy you've held for a year with no gap, or if your dog has a check-up at a Vets for Pets practice in the week before cover starts. There is also pre-authorisation for bills over £700, a free 24/7 line to vets and vet nurses, up to £500 a year each for hydrotherapy and behaviour therapy with no excess, and 25% to 45% of prescription food up to £500 (but not food for weight loss).

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Which One Should You Choose?

• For most dogs: Agria or Petplan, if the budget stretches, for the strongest claims records.
• For the highest possible limit: Royal Kennel Club at £25,000, or Agria and ManyPets at £20,000.
• If your dog already has a medical history: ManyPets Standard Care Pre-existing or Petgevity Lifetime Plus.
• On a tighter budget: Animal Friends for lifetime cover at a lower price, or Pets at Home if you want one excess a year and some prescription food cover. Perfect Pet is cheaper still, but read its caps on everyday costs first.
• For an older dog: Agria, ManyPets, Waggel and Petgevity all accept dogs of any age, and Petgevity Lifetime Plus never forces a co-payment. Our guide to pet insurance for older dogs compares the age limits and co-payments in detail.
• For a new puppy: insure in the first weeks, before anything can count as pre-existing. Our puppy insurance guide covers how young each insurer will take them and what happens when the breeder's free cover ends.
• For more than one pet: Perfect Pet and ManyPets give the biggest discounts, and Petgevity puts up to eight pets on one policy. See our multi-pet insurance guide.
• For an XL Bully or a breed insurers are wary of: many insurers won't cover them at all. Our XL Bully insurance guide lists who still will.

Whichever you choose, read the policy summary before you buy and check four things: the annual limit, the excess, the age a co-payment starts, and how long you have to claim. Those decide what you actually pay when your dog is ill.

Sources

• Petplan: I have more than one pet to insure, can I get a discount?
• Petgevity: multi-pet insurance
• Insurer websites and policy summaries: Agria, Royal Kennel Club, Petplan, ManyPets, Animal Friends, Waggel, Petgevity, Perfect Pet, Purely Pets, Post Office
• Full policy documents, read in October 2026: Agria, Royal Kennel Club, Petplan, ManyPets, Animal Friends, Waggel, Petgevity, Perfect Pet, Purely Pets, Post Office (P3324v9)
• ABI: record numbers take out pet insurance (average premium £389, 2023 data)
• ABI: insurance payouts for pets top £1 billion for third year in a row (May 2025)
• CMA: market investigation concludes with major reforms to the veterinary sector (March 2026)
• Veterinary Services Market Investigation Order 2026
• Which?: best and worst pet insurance
• Defaqto Pet Insurer of the Year 2026
• Pets at Home Pet Insurance and its FAQs
• Pets at Home: Pets Insurance policy wording (PETSPWLT0626) and the £15k Dog Max product information document, June 2026 editions, supplied by Pets at Home on request in October 2026
• Insurance Times: Pets at Home enters insurance via Compare the Market (August 2026)
• Insurance Business: UK pet insurance premiums edge upward as market stabilises (November 2025)

All policy details and policy documents were checked on 6 October 2026, and Pets at Home's policy wording on 9 October 2026. Insurers change their products often, so always read the policy documents before you buy.