Aviva life insurance in the UK means a small set of plans that Aviva sells on its own website and by phone: term life, critical illness, income protection and over-50s cover. This page sets out what each does in Aviva's own documents, what its published claims figures show, and who stands behind the policies.
Aviva's price depends on your details. If you want Aviva's terms checked against other insurers' for your own circumstances, a short form on this page starts a conversation with an FCA-authorised broker. It is free to use.
What life insurance does Aviva offer?
The table uses the product page and the policy summary that Aviva links as current for each plan. The summary files sit in Aviva's adviser document library, but its direct pages send customers to them.
| Plan | What Aviva's documents say | Ages and terms |
|---|---|---|
| Life Insurance Plan (term cover) | A lump sum if you die, or are diagnosed with a terminal illness that meets Aviva's definition, during the term; the policy then ends. | Apply from 18 to 77. The term is between one and 50 years and must end before you turn 91 (DA03008, May 2023). |
| Critical Illness Plan | A lump sum for a defined illness: some pay on diagnosis, others only at a set severity or after named treatment. You must survive 10 days. It does not pay out on death. | Apply from 18 to 64. The term is between five and 50 years and must end before you turn 76 (DA09001, May 2023). |
| Living Costs Protection (income protection) | Between £500 and £1,500 a month for up to 12 months on each successful claim. It does not cover redundancy or unemployment. | Apply from 18 to 59. A policy lasts from 5 to 52 years and must end before your 71st birthday. |
| Over 50s Life Insurance | A fixed lump sum, with cover for life. | Guaranteed acceptance for UK residents aged 50 to 80. |
Aviva also advertises Free Parent Life Cover of £15,000 for each child under four, for one year. Aviva income protection covers Living Costs Protection in more depth.
Aviva's over-50s plan pays a fixed sum, whose real value inflation reduces over time, and lasts for as long as you live; Aviva says it is sometimes referred to as whole of life cover. In the first 12 months a death from any cause other than an accident pays a cash amount equal to the premiums already paid rather than the cover amount, and Aviva warns that, depending on how long you live, the premiums you pay could add up to more than the payout. The detail is in Aviva's over-50s plan, and the general product in whole of life insurance.
A separate summary, Life Insurance+ (AL50001, February 2026), sits in the same library. It is a different plan from the Critical Illness Plan above, with its own list: life and critical illness cover includes "32 critical illness conditions", two additional conditions and children's benefit, with more on an upgrade. Its list is counted differently from the plan above, so the two counts are not directly comparable (life and critical illness cover). Ask Aviva whether it is sold direct. Policies issued by AIG Life Limited or Aviva Protection UK Limited have a separate Aviva help page and cannot be viewed on MyAviva (see former AIG policies). Post Office's over-50s plan is underwritten by Aviva Life & Pensions UK Limited but, bought through Post Office, arranged and sold by Neilson Financial Services Limited, so read the documents for your route (best life insurance over 50).
How does Aviva's Life Insurance Plan work?
Aviva's May 2023 summary describes level cover, increasing cover and decreasing cover, which reduces monthly, roughly tracking a repayment loan such as a mortgage at a fixed interest rate; see decreasing and level term. Aviva's page says a joint policy ends at the first death or the first successful terminal illness claim (joint life insurance). The summary says the policy never has a cash-in value, and Aviva's page says that if you stop paying or cancel, your cover ends and you get nothing back. You have 30 days to change your mind (cancelling life insurance).
Premiums are paid monthly by Direct Debit. Aviva's conditions (DA03011, May 2023) give you 60 days from each due date, deduct any unpaid premium from a claim in that time, and say "If you don’t pay your premiums within the 60 day period, we’ll cancel your policy." If money is tight, Aviva lists lowering the cover, shortening the term, or a cost of living support scheme that lets you raise payments again in 12 and/or 24 months. Aviva says that changing the amount or length of cover may lead it to alter or replace the original policy, or to issue a new one.
Aviva says that in most cases you will not need a medical exam (medical questions for life insurance). Its trusts, a Discretionary Gift Trust and a Survivor Trust, are available with the Life Insurance Plan or Over 50s plan but not the Critical Illness Plan, and Aviva warns "once it's been set up, you can't simply cancel it" (putting a policy in trust).
What does Aviva critical illness cover include?
Aviva's Critical Illness Plan page says it covers 52 conditions. The summary adds that Aviva covers only the critical illnesses it defines in its policy. It calls its list only a guide: for example, some types of cancer are not covered, and for some illnesses you need to have permanent symptoms to make a claim.
Cancer shows how this works. The list says "Cancer – excluding less advanced cases", and the conditions (DA09002, May 2023) define it:
Any malignant tumour positively diagnosed with histological confirmation and characterised by the uncontrolled growth of malignant cells and invasion of tissue.
Tumours of the prostate are left out unless they reach a Gleason score of 7 or above or a stated TNM classification. Carcinoma in situ of the breast needing surgery, and low-grade prostate cancer with specified treatment, are additional illnesses paying the lower of £25,000 or 25% of the cover amount, after which the policy continues. Dementia is listed as "Dementia – of specified severity", so the definition decides a claim (is dementia a critical illness; conditions covered). You must survive 10 days after diagnosis, and the plan does not pay out if you die.
Whether a condition you have had would be accepted is for underwriters. A broker reached through the quote form here can put your details to several insurers and check how each would treat them; nothing is promised.
How much does Aviva life insurance cost?
No monthly figure can be given without your details, and Aviva says there is no average cost: the price turns on the cover level and length you pick and on your personal circumstances, including your age, medical history and whether you smoke. Across insurers, a longer term, a larger sum, smoking or added critical illness cover usually raises a premium, and buying younger usually costs less. Aviva's summary says level and decreasing "premiums will be guaranteed"; increasing cover premiums could change (what life insurance costs).
Aviva quotes online or on a free line, 0800 068 5549, open 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Aviva says its gift card offer sits outside the policy terms and benefits and can be changed or withdrawn at any time (see life insurance discounts and offers), and its existing-customer discount excludes products bought through price comparison websites. Choose cover on what it does, not on the gift.
To see what several insurers would charge you, ask for quotes with your own details; a broker introduced via this page can request them, though the price is the insurer's to set (life insurance quotes).
What do Aviva's claims figures show?
Aviva's claims release of 25 March 2026 covers 2025 and says 96.9% of all individual protection claims received were accepted.
| Aviva's category | Paid in 2025 | Rate Aviva gives |
|---|---|---|
| Life Insurance, including Over 50s Plans and advanced payments for Terminal Illness | More than £860 million across 40,000 claims | 98.7% accepted |
| Critical Illness, Children’s Benefit and Total and Permanent Disability | More than £388 million across 5,500 claims | 90.7% of claims received paid |
| Income Protection | Just over £63.5 million to around 4,100 claimants | 90% accepted |
Aviva says that among the few life claims it declined, the leading cause was still misrepresentation of relevant information, especially about health and lifestyle, and that most declined critical illness claims were because the diagnosis did not meet the policy definition. These are Aviva's own counts, not a comparison with other insurers (life insurance claims statistics).
Who owns Aviva, and is it financially secure?
Aviva's summary says the Life Insurance Plan is provided by Aviva Life & Pensions UK Limited, which it describes as authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority, and regulated by both the FCA and the PRA. Aviva plc says its shares are listed on the London Stock Exchange and that it has been "taking care of people for more than 325 years".
On AIG, Aviva's April 2024 release says it had completed buying AIG Life Limited from Corebridge Financial, "a quoted subsidiary of American International Group"; what happened to AIG life policies follows the change through.
If the insurer itself failed, the summary says the Life Insurance Plan is covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme: "If we become insolvent and we can’t meet our obligations under this policy, the scheme may cover you for up to 100% of any successful claim you make."
How do you manage an Aviva policy or make a claim?
MyAviva lets you "check your cover, see your policy documents, and keep your details up to date". Finding an Aviva life policy and cancelling Aviva life insurance set out the routes.
After a death, Aviva's page says you can complete a notification form or call; making an Aviva life insurance claim after a death covers what it asks for. Aviva says it may pay a policy held in trust quicker, provided at least one trustee survives (what a life insurance trust is).
Frequently asked questions
What are Aviva's Simple, Zero and Plus life insurance products?
Aviva's product pages and summaries name its plans Life Insurance Plan, Critical Illness Plan, Living Costs Protection, Over 50s Life Insurance, Free Parent Life Cover and Life Insurance+. If you have seen another name, ask Aviva or a broker which product it refers to; Aviva Life Insurance Plan, Life Insurance+ and Simple Life Insurance sets the names side by side.
How do I make a complaint about Aviva life insurance?
Aviva's page says it will respond in writing within 8 weeks. If it has not resolved the matter, you can ask the free Financial Ombudsman Service, on 0800 023 4567 as Aviva prints it. Aviva publishes complaints data for its life and pensions business, which also covers pensions and investments, and the Ombudsman publishes the cases it receives by firm.
Which Aviva life insurance plan is best?
None is best in general: they do different jobs, and we rank no insurer. See best life insurance policies and insurers compared.
When you are ready, a few details on this page's form are enough for an FCA-authorised broker to get in touch and talk through your options, at no charge to you.
Sources
- Aviva, product pages for life, over 50, critical illness and income protection cover, and policy summaries DA03008, DA09001, AL19001, AL50001 and conditions DA03011, DA09002, read 18 October 2026. aviva.co.uk/insurance/life-products
- Aviva plc, claims release (25 March 2026) and AIG acquisition release (9 April 2024), read 18 October 2026. aviva.com/newsroom
- Aviva, complaints page and life and pensions complaints data (to 30 June 2026), read 18 October 2026. aviva.co.uk/help-and-support
- Financial Ombudsman Service, Half-yearly complaints data: H2 2025 (22 July 2026), read 18 October 2026. financial-ombudsman.org.uk
- Post Office, Over 50s life insurance (undated), read 18 October 2026. postoffice.co.uk