If you are considering buying life insurance, our independent review takes a close look at Zurich’s life insurance, including the types of cover available, how much monthly premiums typically cost, and the additional benefits provided. We also describe how you can compare all insurance products and providers at the end of this article to get up to £100 cashback* when you do.
Who is Zurich?
Zurich Assurance Ltd is part of the Zurich Group which is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland where it was founded in 1872 and opened offices across Europe. It later changed its name to Zurich Transport and Accident Insurance Limited, and then to Zurich General Accident and Liability Insurance Limited in 1894.
In 1912, Zurich gained licences to start business in the US and 10 years later it entered the UK general insurance market. An agreement with Ford Motor Company’s UK branch was made in 1925, providing insurance at a flat rate for all Ford cars sold in the UK.
A further name change was made in 1955 to Zurich Insurance Company, and in 1961 Zurich acquired the Commonwealth General Assurance Corporation in Australia. Four years later it entered the South American market with a further acquisition. An office was opened in Hong Kong in 1979 and in China in 1993. The company became Zurich Financial Services in 1998 after combining it with the financial arm of BAT Industries.
Zurich won the 'Underwriting and Claims' and the 'Organisation of the Year' awards at the Protection Review Awards 2023. At the Health and Protection Awards 2023, Zurich also won 'Best Individual Protection Provider' and 'Provider of the Year'.
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Zurich Overview
Below is an overview of the types of cover you can choose from with Zurich life insurance, as well as additional benefits and the company’s claims history.
- Policy types: Choose from level term, decreasing term, increasing term and whole of life cover for adults and illness and injury cover for children. Choose from joint and single policies. Terminal Illness Cover is automatically included and you can combine life insurance with Critical Illness cover.
- Claims record:
- 2022 - Life insurance 98%, critical illness 91%. 2021 - Life insurance 99%, critical illness 91%. 2020 - Life insurance 98%, critical illness 87%. 2019 - Life insurance 99%, critical illness 90%.
- Additional benefits: Free life cover is included during underwriting and between exchange of contracts and completion on a property purchase. Policyholders also have access to counselling and Zurich support services.
- Up to £100 cashback: If you apply for a policy with LifeSearch* (simply click on the link and complete the short form), you will receive up to £100 cashback. You can find out more below.
Zurich Policy Summary
You can choose from Zurich's life insurance, critical illness cover, income protection and children's cover options. Below we summarise the key benefits covered with each type of Zurich insurance policy.
Zurich life insurance summary
| Type of cover | Life Insurance |
| Options | Level, decreasing and increasing term life insurance |
| Policy Coverage | Single or joint life first event (pays out on the first death). |
| Minimum term | 1 year |
| Maximum term | 50 years (subject to expiry by age 89) |
| Terminal Illness Cover included? | Terminal Illness Cover is included and will pay out if the policyholder is diagnosed with an illness that is likely to cause death within 12 months. |
| Can cover increase over time (indexation)? | If you choose increasing cover, the sum assured will increase each year by either 3% or 5%, or in line with the Retail Price Index. |
| Decreasing life insurance interest rate | The cover will reduce at an assumed interest rate of between 2% and 18% as per your choice (at 2% intervals) |
| Waiver of Premium | Waiver of Premium can be added to your policy for an additional cost. This means you won’t have to pay your premiums if you are unable to work for more than six months. |
| Minimum age at entry | 16 |
| Maximum age at entry | 83 |
| Children's cover included | £5,000 of death benefit paid in the event of a child's death without affecting the adult cover at no additional cost (children covered from 30 days old until their 22nd birthday) |
| Policy Exclusions | Suicide in the first 12 months is not covered. Terminal Illness Cover will not pay out if the illness does not meet the policy definition or is not expected to cause death within 12 months. |
Zurich critical illness cover summary
| Type of cover | Critical Illness |
| Can it be combined with life cover? | Yes - must be combined. |
| Premium type | Guaranteed. |
| Number of full payout critical illnesses covered | 39 full payout conditions included |
| Number of partial payout critical illnesses covered | 2 partial payout conditions covered - less advanced cases of cancer of the breast or the prostate. Pays out up to £25,000 |
| Minimum term | 5 years |
| Maximum term | 40 years (subject to expiry by age 74) |
| Children’s critical illness cover included | Not included - but can be added for an additional cost. The cover will pay the lower of £25,000 or 50% of the lump sum. |
| Minimum age at entry | 16 |
| Maximum age at entry | 69 |
| Policy exclusions | No payout will be received if you are diagnosed with an illness that is not covered by the policy or does not meet the policy definition. |
Zurich enhanced critical illness cover summary
| Type of cover | Critical Illness |
| Can it be combined with life cover? | Yes - must be combined. |
| Premium type | Guaranteed. |
| Number of full payout critical illnesses covered | 52 full payout conditions are covered |
| Number of partial payout critical illnesses covered | 33 partial payment conditions are covered |
| Minimum term | 5 years |
| Maximum term | 40 years (subject to expiry by age 74) |
| Children’s critical illness cover included | Not included - but can be added for an additional cost. The cover will pay the lower of £25,000 or 50% of the lump sum. Can be enhanced to cover up to £100,000 |
| Pregnancy and Early Childhood Cover | Additional cover available at extra cost - see below for details |
| Minimum age at entry | 16 |
| Maximum age at entry | 69 |
| Policy exclusions | No payout will be received if you are diagnosed with an illness that is not covered by the policy or does not meet the policy definition. |
Additional free benefits provided by Zurich
- Life insurance includes Terminal Illness Cover that pays out if you are diagnosed with an illness that is likely to cause death within 12 months.
- Zurich life insurance includes a separation option so that you are able to keep your individual covers from a joint life insurance policy if you choose to part ways in the future.
- Access to Zurich Support Service which offers short-term counselling and professional consultation.
- Free life cover of up to £250,000 and critical illness cover of up to £150,000 during underwriting.
- Free life cover of up to £500,000 and critical illness cover of up to £350,000 between exchange and completion on a property purchase.
- If you have a joint life insurance policy but separate or divorce, separation benefit allows you to cancel the policy and start individual policies without providing medical information.
- Milestone benefit is usually included which allows you to increase the amount of cover on your policy within 90 days of a significant life event - such as moving house or getting married - without answering any health questions. Note that premiums will change.
- Critical illness cover can pay out as soon as you are put on an NHS waiting list for one of seven major operations.
Optional benefits provided by Zurich
- Multi-fracture covers the cost of broken bones, dislocations, Achilles tendon ruptures and cruciate ligament tears and cover can be added for a fixed cost per month. This will pay a lump sum of up to £6,000 if you break a bone or dislocate a joint each year.
- Waiver of premium is available for an additional cost and means you won’t have to pay your premiums if you are unable to work for more than six months.
- Option to add children’s critical illness cover when you take out a critical illness policy. This covers children up to the age of 22 and will pay out the lower of £25,000 or 50% of the lump sum if they are diagnosed with a critical illness during the term of the policy. If your child dies, £5,000 will be paid out. Children will also be able to start a new life and critical illness policy between their 16th and 22nd birthday without needing to provide personal details using Zurich's conversion option.
- Total disability cover can be added which will pay out if you can no longer do your current job.
- Option to convert an increasing or level term policy to a whole of life policy without answering any questions about your personal circumstances.
- Pregnancy and early childhood cover which pays up to £5,000 for cleft lip, development dysplasia of the hip, ectopic pregnancy, placental abruption, eclampsia amongst some other complications that may occur during pregnancy or during the infancy of your child up to age 7 years old.
How much does Zurich life insurance cost?
The tables below give you an idea of how much £250,000 of level term life insurance cover could cost you each month with Zurich over a 20-year term. Figures have been broken down for both a non-smoker and a smoker in different age groups and monthly premiums have been compared to the cheapest and most expensive monthly premiums in the market.
Zurich life insurance price comparison - £250,000 over 20 years (Non-Smoker)
| Zurich premium | Cheapest premium | Most expensive premium | |
| 25-year-old non-smoker | £6.19 | £5.42 | £9.71 |
| 35-year-old non-smoker | £10.96 | £10.64 | £15.55 |
| 45-year-old non-smoker | £28.61 | £23.55 | £31.31 |
| 55-year-old non-smoker | £73.94 | £61.86 | £87.77 |
Zurich life insurance price comparison - £250,000 over 20 years (Smoker)
| Zurich premium | Cheapest premium | Most expensive premium | |
| 25-year-old smoker | £10.35 | £9.39 | £13.03 |
| 35-year-old smoker | £20.49 | £19.16 | £27.02 |
| 45-year-old smoker | £68.06 | £53.09 | £74.31 |
| 55-year-old smoker | £237.71 | £155.74 | £237.71 |
Keep in mind that the above figures should only be used as a guideline. The amount you, as an individual, pay for life insurance premiums will depend on a number of factors such as your age, health, whether you smoke, your occupation, how much cover you choose, and how long you want the cover to last.
To get a clearer idea of how much you could pay each month, it can be worth speaking to an independent insurance specialist who can help you choose the right life insurance products. Below we explain how you can also qualify for up to £100 cashback if you take out a life insurance policy.
Zurich life insurance reviews - is it any good?
Zurich is rated 4.0 out of 5 stars based on over 2,300 reviews submitted to Trustpilot although these are based on all of Zurich's insurance products including home insurance, car insurance, travel insurance and small business insurance. Zurich Personal Protection plans are 5-star Defaqto rated which means that they are deemed "excellent products with a comprehensive range of features and benefits". On the other hand, Zurich Life Protection is 3-star rated by Defaqto which deems it a standard product providing an average level of features and benefits. It is worthwhile looking at the differences between the different types of life insurance offered by Zurich to ensure that you choose wisely.
Best way to buy Zurich life insurance?
Before buying life insurance, it’s a good idea to speak with an independent life insurance specialist such as LifeSearch*, as they will be able to access quotes from all major insurance companies allowing you to compare what Zurich offers against other insurance companies and ensure you are choosing the right policy.
Independent specialists can advise on a range of topics, including:
- which type of life insurance cover and/or critical illness cover is best for you
- how much cover you need
- how to complete your application forms
- how to put your policy into trust
- how to make a claim in the future
If you’d like to get a quote, simply fill in this short form*. There is no obligation to take out a policy but if you do, you will qualify for up to £100 cashback.
Zurich life insurance summary
- Established in 1872.
- In 2022, Zurich paid out 98% of life insurance claims and 91% of critical illness claims.
- Life insurance automatically includes Terminal Illness Cover and can also be combined with Critical Illness Cover.
- Children’s critical illness cover can be added for an extra cost if you take out your own policy.
- Free life cover is included during underwriting and between exchange or contracts and completion of a property purchase.
- Policyholders have access to Zurich Support Service which offers short-term counselling and other support services.
- Separation benefit is also included, allowing you to cancel a joint life insurance policy if you separate or divorce, and start individual policies.
- Zurich’s life insurance premiums won’t necessarily be the cheapest for you. The amount you pay will depend on a number of factors so it is best to shop around and compare deals carefully to ensure you get the right policy at the right price.
- If you buy a life insurance policy through LifeSearch*, you will receive up to £100 cashback. Simply click on the link and complete the form to be called back at a time to suit you.
If a link has an * beside it this means that it is an affiliated link. If you go via the link, Money to the Masses may receive a small fee which helps keep Money to the Masses free to use. The following link can be used if you do not wish to help Money to the Masses and do not wish to qualify for the cashback referred to in the article - LifeSearch
