How long you have to be a non-smoker for life insurance depends on the insurer: Legal & General and Vitality say 12 months with no tobacco, vapes or nicotine replacement, while Aviva treats you as a previous smoker after 12 months and as a non-smoker only after five years. An FCA-authorised broker can measure your own quit date against these rules at no charge; the form on this page, once sent, has one call you back.
How long each insurer says you must have stopped
There is no market-wide period. Each insurer sets its own, and Vitality's guide says the definition "depends on the insurer". What these consumer pages say, with their dates:
| Insurer | What its page says |
|---|---|
| Legal & General (page dated 16 September 2026) | No cigarettes, cigars, pipe or shisha, vapes, e-cigarettes or nicotine replacements "at all in the last 12 months", even if the product contained no nicotine. |
| Vitality (updated 9 December 2025) | No tobacco, nicotine, nicotine replacement or vapes in the last 12 months to be considered a non-smoker. |
| Royal London (cost guide, 10 June 2026) | Its guide says insurers in general ask about any nicotine or nicotine-replacement use in the last 12 months, and that such use means you are classed as a smoker. |
| Aviva (published 13 February 2023) | "Previous smoker" at 12 months or more, different rates considered at one to five years, and non-smoker at five years without tobacco or nicotine related products. |
| LV= (updated 5 May 2026) | Most insurers will classify you as a non-smoker after "at least the last 1 to 5 years" without a cigarette or nicotine substitute. |
Read that as a range, not a rule. Aviva's consumer page is the oldest here, but its current underwriting guide for financial advisers keeps the same two marks: a smoker is someone who has used cigarettes, tobacco or nicotine replacement in the last 12 months, and an ex-smoker someone who smoked within the last five years but not the last 12 months. The terms on your own quote are the ones that apply.
Do patches, gum and vapes restart the clock?
With these insurers, yes. Quitting cigarettes while still using a nicotine product does not start the period. LV= says that even if you are quitting and have not touched a cigarette for a while, you will not usually be able to claim to be a non-smoker until you have completely quit the products for "at least 12 months without relapse", though this can vary between companies. Vitality's guide says the 12 months normally has to be free of nicotine patches, vaping and other aids to quitting as well, and Aviva's page classes anyone who uses patches, gum or lozenges as a smoker.
Which products count, and how each insurer treats pouches or cigars, is covered in whether vaping counts as smoking.
Can you move an existing policy to non-smoker rates?
Usually not automatically, and not always at all. What the insurers say:
- Legal & General says a current policy or its premiums would be unaffected by your stopping. Provided you meet its definition of a non-smoker, you could be eligible to take out cover as a non-smoker after 12 months, which may affect the cost of a new policy, and it is normally a good idea to wait until the new cover starts before cancelling the old.
- Aviva says stopping "won't automatically change" the premiums of a policy taken out as a smoker, but you could be eligible for a new policy if you now meet its definition of a non-smoker.
- Zurich's key features for its Personal Protection policy (April 2026) list, among changes you can make: "Ask us to review your premium if you have given up smoking." It adds that it may ask about your health and circumstances first.
- LV= says premiums will not change by themselves: you tell your insurer and it "might agree" to reduce them.
- Royal London's page points to talking to your insurer or obtaining new quotes, since monthly payments may fall.
Replacing a policy means a new policy, with its own application and its own price. Your answers must be accurate; what you must disclose is explained separately. Whether an older policy is open to review is for a broker to untangle by phone; to ask, use the form on this page.
Will the insurer ask for proof?
Possibly. Vitality's guide says your insurer may ask for evidence you have stopped, such as a GP report or a test. Legal & General says someone who has declared themselves a non-smoker may be invited to a medical exam, which can include a blood test. How these checks work is in how insurers check whether you smoke.
What to have ready before you ask
- The date you last used any tobacco, vape or nicotine replacement, including a single cigarette.
- Whether you used patches, gum or vapes while quitting, and when those stopped.
- Your current policy documents, if you want to ask about a review rather than a new policy.
For what the smoker and non-smoker gap means in pounds, see the smoker premium page. Written-down dates help, because a broker can compare them with what several insurers would ask; the form on this page, kept brief, leads to that free call.
Frequently asked questions
Can ex-smokers get life insurance?
Yes, ex-smokers can apply. Insurers decide on the whole application, and the answer to the smoking question depends on the time since you last used any nicotine product. If a policy has been refused, life insurance with medical conditions covers where to look next.
How long does vaping affect life insurance?
Legal & General and Vitality treat it as smoking until 12 months have passed without it. Aviva's page classes vaping as smoking and puts full non-smoker status at five years without tobacco or nicotine related products, while LV= says most insurers look for somewhere between one and five years.
Does one cigarette make me a smoker again?
LV= says that if you use a nicotine product or even casually smoke a cigarette, you will not usually be considered a non-smoker by insurers. Tell the broker the date of your last use, however small.
What does Aviva mean by a previous smoker?
In Aviva's words, someone who has not used tobacco or nicotine related products for 12 months or more. Between one and five years it says it can consider different rates.
Is there one insurer that suits every ex-smoker?
That depends on how long ago you stopped and what you took to quit, and the insurers differ on both. A broker can compare what each of the insurers it works with would ask about your dates.
Sources
- Legal & General, Life insurance for smokers (16 September 2026), read 26 October 2026. legalandgeneral.com
- Vitality, Life Insurance for Smokers (last updated 9 December 2025; archived capture of 15 February 2026), read 26 October 2026. vitality.co.uk (archive)
- LV=, Life insurance for smokers UK (last updated 5 May 2026), read 26 October 2026. lv.com
- Aviva, Life insurance for smokers (published 13 February 2023), read 26 October 2026. aviva.co.uk
- Aviva, Understanding Underwriting: a guide to medical conditions and the underwriting process (AV1729200 PT15357 0926; for financial advisers), read 20 October 2026. aviva.co.uk
- Royal London, What factors affect the cost of life insurance? (10 June 2026), read 26 October 2026. royallondon.com
- Zurich, Key features of the Zurich Personal Protection policy (PW720494014 04/26; sold through financial advisers), read 26 October 2026. zurichintermediary.co.uk
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