Is Aviva The Best Life Insurance Policy?

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Nishadh Mohammed updated on June 29, 2021

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This is the ultimate review to guide you through the ins and outs of Aviva life insurance. You might already know that Aviva has several different contract options.

Some are great. Some are less useful. Some are simply too expensive.

So, if you want to get better value for money from your insurance contract, as well as indicative quotes and tips to lower your insurance premium, then you’ll probably love the following article.

Let’s dive right in!

Is Aviva the best life insurance for you?

When taking out life insurance, there are so many things to think about. Life insurance is one of the most important insurance plans to have, as it is the best way to protect your loved ones if something happens to you.

Aviva life insurance has a lot to offer. Here are the main points that you should look at before taking out life insurance with Aviva.

4 Safe overall rating for Aviva

Rating CriteriaSafe RatingOur Review
Customer service satisfaction, claims and support

Aviva has a 5 star rating from Defaqto
Chatbot available
The policy details are detailed on the website
Policy documents can be easily gotten
Poor ratings of 1.6/5 from TrustPilot
The bad reviews are centered around the unavailability of customer care agents

Coverage options

Aviva offers a one year free life insurance worth £15,000 to parents with children that are less than 4 years.
90 days free cover is offered to policyholders in the case that he/she is buying a house at the point of applying for Aviva's life insurance.
The Critical illness option that Aviva offers pays up to £25,000 or 50% of the cover amount (whichever is lower) in the event that your child has a critical illness.
Aviva offers cover for up to 53 critical conditions.
Whole-of-life cover is not provided

Value for money

Cover can be gotten for as low as £5 per month.
Cover of up to £5million is provided.
Cashback vouchers are available.
With Aviva, if you stop paying your premiums, you won’t get any money back and your cover will stop

Financial strength

In 2013, Aviva paid out £1.4m per day in life insurance and critical illness claims.
Aviva was founded in 1833, and presently provides insurance for 2.7 million lives in the UK

Apps and technologies

Chat bot is available
The information provided on the website is well detailed
Quotes can be gotten online
There is a calculator on the website that helps determine the amount of life insurance needed
Claims can be filled out online
No mobile app

Safe rating for Aviva Life insurance

Expert and customer satisfaction reviews for Aviva

Review organisationConsumer satisfaction rates for Aviva Life insurance
Trustpilot1,6/5 based on 1559 reviews
Defaqto5
Experts rating for Aviva

Aviva insurance in a nutshell

In summary, here are the main features you need to know when taking out life insurance with Aviva.

CriteriaAviva details
Minimum age18 years
Maximum age 89 years
Pay-outUp to £5m
Life insurance with free giftsNo
Extras

There is an insurance calculator on the website that can help the policyholder determine the amount of life insurance needed

Terminal illnessYes
Aviva life insurance in a nutshell

What are Aviva life insurance policy types?

When choosing life insurance, you have to make a lot of important decisions. You have to choose between different policy types to find which one would best cover your needs. As the first big choice, you have to choose between:

  • Term life insurance. Term insurance splits into two types: level term or decreasing insurance. If you choose a term insurance, once again you would have to choose between these two. Sometimes, there is an increasing term insurance option.
  • Whole of life insurance. This insurance will pay out when the policyholders die. Not all insurers offer this type of coverage.

What is Aviva term life insurance?

There are two term life insurance options:

  • Level cover guarantees that your loved ones get a payment if you die during a specific period of time. You will receive the same amount during a fixed period. Life insurance can be for 5,10, 20 years, etc., depending on your needs.
  • Decreasing cover guarantees that your loved ones get a payment if you die during a specific period of time. The amount decreases over the policy term. It is really useful if you have a loan, as the price tends to decline over time. You can choose an increasing cover as well.
CriteriaAviva life insurance
Minimum term1 year
Maximum term50 years
Pay-outUp to £5m
Minimum monthly premium £5
Extras or any interesting facts
  • House Purchase cover
Aviva term life insurance

Should you take level or decreasing term life insurance?

Aviva offers two types of term life insurance: one is level life insurance, the other one is decreasing life insurance.

CriteriaProvider Details
Aviva term life insurance (level)
  • The term life insurance can range for a period of 1-50 years
  • The premiums remain the same throughout the duration of the policy
  • Terminal illness cover is provided
  • House purchase cover is provided
Aviva decreasing term life insurance, also known as life insurance for mortgage
  • With decreasing cover that Aviva provides, the value of the policy gradually decreases during the duration of the policy till it reaches £0
  • The amount paid for the premium never change
  • This cover can be used to pay off a repayment mortgage or long-term loan in the case that the policyholder dies at any point while the policy is still active
Level or decreasing life insurance

Some providers also propose increasing life insurance, which is a similar concept as decreasing life insurance, but with the premiums getting higher rather than lower.

Aviva life insurance propose increase life cover:

  • With the increasing cover that Aviva offers, the cover amount increases with inflation
  • The monthly premiums paid will also increase by 1.5 and the percentage increase in CPI
  • If the CPI does not increase, the amount to be paid for the premium will remain the same
  • The increase in premium rates per year will not exceed 15%

Can you take out a Aviva plan life insurance with someone else?

Yes, you can either have a single or a joint policy at Aviva.

Taking out a joint policy covers two people that are together under the same policy. In the end, it is cheaper than two single policies. It covers both of your contributions to the family. It only pays out once, and the sum will be given to the other partner if one dies. It leaves the surviving member of the couple without life insurance after the death of the first partner.

Taking out a single policy pays for one person only. It pays out the amount chosen. Taking out two policies is more expensive, but you can choose the level you want, and it’s beneficial if the two partners don’t need to be insured at the same level.

What are Aviva life insurance extras?

You can add these extras at additional cost to your Aviva life insurance:

Details Reviews
House Purchase Cover

Aviva provides the policyholder with 90 days free cover which starts when the insurance application has been accepted and the future start date coincides with the completion of your house purchase.

Separation benefit

In the case that you separate from your partner, your joint policy can be split into single policies

Death benefit

A sum is paid in the case that the policyholder dies during the policy term.

Terminal Illness benefit

This benefit is paid if the policyholder is diagnosed with a terminal illness during the course of the policy term.

Child Death Benefit

A sum of up to £5,000 is given in the case that the child dies during the policy term

Aviva life insurance extras

Should you take out Aviva life insurance critical illness cover?

What is critical illness cover?

It is an extra that can be added to your policy, or can be combined with your standard life insurance. It pays out if you contract a disease. The illness developed must be specified in your policy contract. The most common illnesses covered are cancer and heart attacks, etc. If you become really ill, your insurance will pay out exactly as if you’ve passed away.

Is Aviva the best critical illness cover?

Here are the main features when you take out Aviva life insurance with serious illness:

CriteriaOverall life insurance and critical illness cover
Coverage

The Life and Critical illness cover that Aviva provides offers the following:

  • Additional critical illness benefit is provided.
  • Cover of up to £1 million is provided.
  • Cover provided for up to 53 critical conditions.
  • Cover is provided for children at no extra cost.
  • Monthly premiums are to be paid from 5 to 50 years.
  • Joint policies can be split into two single policies
Children's Cover
  • The children cover provided by Aviva is valid from when the child is 30 days old till when the child is 21 years old.
  • This cover provides up to £25,000 or 50% of the amount of cover in the case that the child is diagnosed with one of the critical conditions.
  • A sum of £5,000 is provided in the case that the child dies when the policy is still active
What should you know about Aviva critical illness cover?

In 2018, Aviva paid out £354m in critical illness claims, an average of £71,779 per customer.

Aviva life insurance

How much is Aviva life insurance?

The big question is knowing how much life insurance you’ll need. Your answer to this question (as well as your age) will mainly determine the price of your life insurance:

However, your life insurance price will also depend on several factors:

  • Your medical conditions
  • Whether or not you are a smoker
  • Which add-ons you add to your life insurance
  • Your salary
  • The coverage you want
  • Whether you take out a joint policy or not

So you must ask yourself the relevant questions for your own situation, for example: Do you have a loan? Do you have savings? Do you have debts? Do you have a family? Does your job offer protection?

How to contact Aviva life insurance?

Here are all the important phone numbers for contacting Aviva life insurance:

ServicePhone NumbersOpening Hours
Get a quote at AvivaNot available Not available
How to claim at Aviva0800 015 1142Monday to Friday: 9:00am - 5:00pm
How to cancel at Aviva

0800 068 6800

Monday to Friday: 9:00am - 5:00pm
Aviva phone numbers

What are Aviva general contact details?

You will find in this table all the general contacts that you would need if you want to reach Aviva life insurance:

General contacts
Mailing address

St Helen's
1 Undershaft
London EC3P 3DQ
United Kingdom

Social media

Facebook, Twitter, YouTube

Chatbot

Yes

Aviva general contacts

scottish widows life insurance contact number

How to claim at Aviva life insurance?

You will find on this table the different possibilities for reporting a claim on your Aviva life insurance:

How to claim on your life insurance at Aviva?
When to claim?

As soon as possible

Claim by mail

Not Available

Claim by emailNot available
Claim online

To make a claim online

  • Go to the Home Page
  • Click on "Make claim" option under the Life insurance section
Claim by phone800 015 1142
Claim at Aviva life insurance

Here are all the important Aviva life insurance contact number!

How to cancel my Aviva life insurance?

You will find on this table the different ways to cancel your Aviva life insurance:

How to cancel your life insurance at Aviva
Fees
  • If you cancel within the 30 days cooling period, the premium paid would be refunded fully
  • If the cancellation is done after the cooling period, no refunds would be made
  • if you cancel your policy, you forfeit the ability to make a claim
Cancel by mail

Not Available

Cancel by email

[email protected]

Cancel onlineTo cancel your account, you can login to your MyAviva account
Cancel by phone

0800 068 6800

How to cancel my Aviva life insurance?

How do I get Aviva life insurance quotes?

Here are the different ways to get a life insurance quote at Aviva:

How to get a life insurance quote at Aviva
Quote online

To make get quote online

  • Go to the Home Page
  • Click on "Retrieve a quote" option under the Life insurance section
  • Click on your preference under the "Start a new quote" option
Quote phoneNot available
Get a quote at Aviva

How do I log into Aviva life insurance?

Go the Aviva Home Page and select the login option. Enter your Login details to access your account.

Do we recommend Aviva life insurance?

Aviva was founded in 1696. It was previously referrred to as Norwich Union but in 2009, it was changed to Aviva. In 2013, they paid out £1.4m per day in life insurance and critical illness claims. Aviva offers a series of insurance policies like the Level term life insurance, Decreasing term life insurance, Critical illness cover, Over 50s Life insurance. They have a 5 star rating from Defaqto, however, on TrustPilot, there were many complaints anout the customer care service. They however have a lot of optional extras that can be added to an isurance policy. Asides from the bad review about the customer care service provided, Aviva is recommended.

What is life insurance? 

Life insurance is a contract between an insurance company and the policyholder. In exchange for an annual or monthly premium, the insurance company agrees to give out to a designated beneficiary a lump sum if the policyholder were to pass away. 

Is life insurance worth getting?

Yes, it is worth getting life insurance when people depend on you financially, like your family.

How much is life insurance in the UK? 

How much life insurance in the UK is depends on a lot of factors. However, with our data, we calculate that the average monthly cost of life insurance is £15. Of course, the price will depend on whether you take out joint or single life insurance, and the term of your insurance if you are not taking out  a whole life insurance policy. 

How does life insurance work in the UK?

Like with other types of insurance, it is a standard procedure: the policyholder pays a premium to a provider, with an agreed level of cover. 

What are the best life insurance with free gifts?

Lots of life insurance providers offer free gifts: 
- Royal London
- Legal & General
- Aviva
- Shepherds Friendly 
- OneFamily 
- British Seniors Insurance Agency

What is the best life insurance in UK?

There are lot of life insurance policy that have interesting features. Depending on these features, you can decide if this life insurance suits you. 
To find what is the best life insurance for you, use our tool to compare prices and offers from all the insurers on the market instantly.  

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Nishadh Mohammed
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Nishadh Mohammed is a seasoned news editor and financial writer, working with HelloSafe since May 2023. Nishadh has developed expertise in financial markets, insurance, and investment products, with a deep understanding of the Canadian financial landscape. He has honed his SEO skills and content marketing strategies while writing for Canadian publishing houses. Armed with a master's in Business Analytics and extensive journalistic experience, Nishadh uniquely combines data proficiency and thorough research to deliver comprehensive and accessible information.