Can you get life insurance with type 2 diabetes? Diabetes UK says you can, and Legal & General calls life cover for type 2 "often more straightforward" than for type 1. What an insurer offers still turns on how well your diabetes is controlled (your HbA1c result), whether you have complications, and how it is treated.

Have your latest HbA1c result and your diagnosis date to hand, then use the form on this page. Once you send it, an FCA-authorised broker phones you, free of charge, to put those facts to insurers and say how each might view them.

How much does your HbA1c result count?

In its diabetes guide, last updated on 12 May 2026, Aviva calls HbA1c "a key measure of this control" and explains that it "indicates your average blood sugar levels over the past two to three months". Alongside that result, it says, insurers usually weigh which type you have, how you manage it and your general health, and type 2 "can usually be managed with lifestyle changes and medication, so insurers may consider it to be less of a risk".

A high result can slow things down or narrow the options. Legal & General (guide dated 4 June 2026) says it may need more information from your GP "if the results of your HbA1c test suggest high blood sugar levels". Diabetes UK, on its undated page for people with diabetes (read 21 October 2026), says it "could be harder" to get cover with a high HbA1c, giving 75 mmol/mol or above as its example.

The charity also says a higher reading "may increase your monthly payments" and that you can ask a provider to review the price if your levels fall. It adds that your healthcare team's guidance comes first, "and not any targets from insurers". The NHS (page last reviewed 10 February 2025) says an HbA1c test is part of routine type 2 care every 3 to 6 months, so a recent result is usually on your records already.

Which complications change the picture?

Aviva says insurers consider conditions "known to be complications of, or associated with, diabetes", and names gastroparesis, diabetic nerve damage, foot problems, chronic kidney disease, eye disease and cardiovascular disease. The NHS (complications page, last reviewed 10 February 2025) lists damage to blood vessels leading to heart disease and stroke, foot problems, sight problems and kidney problems.

The clearest published contrast comes from Legal & General: with type 2 and "no additional complications", it says you "may be able to get a decision at the point of sale". Its application checklist asks about "kidney and eye problems, abnormal urine test results" and symptoms such as numbness or tingling in fingers, toes or feet. It also says it cannot help every applicant with "additional cardiovascular risks, such as angina, heart attack or stroke".

Diabetes UK points the same way: if diabetes is well managed with no complications, "you might not need to provide a full medical report". For the heart side, see life insurance with a heart condition; life insurance with high cholesterol and life insurance with high blood pressure cover two readings often found with type 2.

Do your diagnosis date and treatment matter?

Both Legal & General and Aviva ask for them. Legal & General's checklist begins with "When you were diagnosed, and the date of your last diabetic review" and asks "Whether your treatment includes insulin injections or an insulin pump". Aviva asks for "The type of treatment you use, whether it be insulin pumps, injections, tablets or diet", and for any hospital stays other than regular clinic visits.

Legal & General describes type 2 treatment as a change of diet or medication, "with insulin injections only necessary if the condition worsens over time". How much weight a given insurer puts on an early diagnosis, or on a move from tablets to insulin, varies between insurers, and the broker can go through it for your own history on the free call-back.

Diabetes UK adds a few other details insurers commonly want: cholesterol levels, blood pressure readings, and your height and weight. How weight is treated has its own page, life insurance BMI requirements. Smoking matters too: Legal & General says it "cannot help all smokers", and what smoking adds to the cost explains the general direction.

Leaving your details on this page starts that check, and the broker rings at a time to suit you.

Will type 2 diabetes raise the price, and can it come down?

Aviva says insurers "count diabetes as a pre-existing condition and may increase the cost or change the terms" of a policy, and may ask for your medical records or a medical examination. Diabetes UK says you "may have to make higher payments", depending on how well managed your diabetes is. How far your own type 2 results would move the price depends on the insurer; a broker can check that with the insurers it works with on a free call-back.

One insurer sells a plan built around the test result. Royal London's Diabetes Life Cover page (undated, read 21 October 2026) says the plan is for people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes and pays out if you die or become terminally ill during the term. It is bought through a financial adviser. UK residents aged 18 to 88 can apply, and the plan must end before you turn 90. You send evidence of an HbA1c result within three months of applying; until it arrives, it estimates a price and then adjusts it to your result.

It says that for sending an annual HbA1c reading it "could reduce your monthly payments by up to 40%, provided your condition is improving", a cut its FAQ says comes over a few years. If a later reading is missing, or your diabetes is less well managed than before, it says it will raise the premium again, though never "above your original starting price". That is one insurer's product, with its own conditions, not a general rule. The overview for any type is in life insurance with diabetes.

What must you tell the insurer?

Legal & General asks you to say if you have had contact with a doctor, nurse or other health professional about diabetes "in the last 5 years", and warns that failing to answer truthfully "could invalidate any future claim and result in your policy being cancelled". What you must disclose explains the legal duty, and medical questions for life insurance shows what is typically asked.

What about critical illness cover?

Critical illness cover is decided separately from life cover. Legal & General's guide rules it out for new customers with diabetes, and Aviva tells readers with diabetes that it will not provide them with this cover. Each is describing its own cover, not the whole market; critical illness cover if you have diabetes sets out what other insurers' documents say.

What if the price is high, or the answer is no?

An offer can come with a higher price or changed terms, and one insurer's answer is not the final word. Diabetes UK says it can help to go through a specialist broker who works with insurers more likely to help, because cover can be harder to find direct or through comparison sites.

When you ask for a call-back, a broker can take your case to insurers, with no guarantee of an offer. For next steps, see getting life insurance with a medical condition and options after a declined application, and the wider health and underwriting hub has the rest. If your HbA1c improves, tell your insurer or broker: the charity says that may help reduce what you pay, and your insurer should be able to reassess it.

Frequently asked questions

Is life insurance for type 2 diabetics in the UK different from type 1?

It can be. Legal & General says type 1 applicants may not get a decision at the point of sale because it may ask their GP for more, and Diabetes UK says a full GP report may be needed for type 1. Life insurance for type 1 diabetes covers that side.

What is the best life insurance for type 2 diabetics?

No single policy is best for everyone, and this site names no winner. Useful things to compare are whether the insurer can decide quickly, how it treats your HbA1c, and whether it reviews the price if your control improves.

What does a life insurer want to know about type 2 diabetes?

Typically your diagnosis date, treatment, latest HbA1c result, any complications and recent hospital stays. Diabetes UK also lists cholesterol, blood pressure, height and weight, and the test result is usually from the last year.

Sources

  • Legal & General, Life insurance and diabetes (4 June 2026), read 21 October 2026. legalandgeneral.com
  • Aviva, Life insurance and diabetes (published 1 October 2024, last updated 12 May 2026), read 21 October 2026. aviva.co.uk
  • Diabetes UK, Life insurance for people with diabetes (undated page), read 21 October 2026. diabetes.org.uk
  • Royal London, Diabetes Life Cover (consumer web page, undated), read 21 October 2026. royallondon.com
  • NHS, Treatment for type 2 diabetes and Complications of type 2 diabetes (pages last reviewed 10 February 2025), read 21 October 2026. nhs.uk