To get life insurance quotes in the UK, you give an insurer or a broker a handful of details online or by phone (your age, whether you smoke, and the type, amount and length of cover) and they come back with a price. That first figure is not the last word: Legal & General, for one, says your answers to its medical questions decide the premium and whether it offers cover at all.

If you would rather not do the legwork yourself, the form on this page asks an FCA-authorised broker to get in touch about quotes for your own circumstances. It is free, with no obligation to buy.

What details do you need for a life insurance quote?

Legal & General, selling direct, says its online quote takes "around 2 minutes" and asks for three things: your personal details ("date of birth, contact details and smoker status"), the cover you want ("what type of life insurance and how much do you need, how long you want cover to last") and whether the policy is "for you alone or you and another person" (L&G Life Insurance page, read October 2026). Aviva's phone line asks for "the type, length, and amount of cover, plus your personal details" (read October 2026).

Aviva says the price depends on those factors and on personal details such as your age, medical history and whether you smoke, and Legal & General's FAQs say that when it assesses an application it will ask about your medical history, occupation and lifestyle. So it helps to have these to hand:

  • the amount and length of cover, and whether it is for one person or two (see term cover);
  • your height, weight and a rough history of conditions, medication and tests, with dates;
  • your job, and your GP's name and address in case the insurer asks.

That is our suggestion, not an insurer's checklist; each sets its own questions. How the answers move the price is in what life insurance costs.

Online, by phone or through a broker: how the routes differ

Online with one insurer. You enter your details into the insurer's own quote tool. Legal & General says its tool "gives you the opportunity to get more than one quote if you want to look at your options", meaning different amounts or terms from that insurer. It does not compare insurers; you repeat it with each one.

By phone with one insurer. The questions are the same, put by a person. Aviva's quote line is open 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, and a call lets you ask what a question means before you answer it.

Through a broker. A broker collects your details once and can put them to several insurers, then checks how each would treat your health and circumstances. Some policies are set up that way: Zurich's key features for its whole of life policy (February 2025), a document on its intermediary site, say an adviser will help you judge whether the policy suits you and explain how to apply. That is one insurer's policy, not a rule for all.

Check that a broker is authorised. The FCA says "being authorised means that firms must meet certain standards and have our permission to provide certain products and services", and that if you deal with an unauthorised firm you will not have access to the Financial Ombudsman to complain (FCA, last updated 22 September 2026).

Over-50s and whole of life quotes

Over-50s plans are built differently, and so is the quote. Legal & General says of its Over 50 Life Insurance that it guarantees to accept you without medical questions if you are aged 50 to 80 and a UK resident (L&G, reviewed 08 June 2026), and SunLife's headline guarantee is acceptance with no medical questions (read October 2026). SunLife's page lists "Quote and apply online" and a free number to call for a quote. What you choose differs, too. With Legal & General's plan "you choose a premium you want to pay and can afford each month, to provide a cash sum payout", and the premium is based on your age and whether you smoke, so those details and the monthly amount you pick are what the quote is built on.

The trade-off sits in the terms rather than the questions. The same page says full cover is payable after just one year; a death within the first year brings a refund of premiums paid, unless it results from an accident, in which case full cover is paid. Plans differ, so read the policy summary; guaranteed acceptance life insurance explains how they work, and best life insurance over 50 sets them side by side. The page also adds that other products may be available if you are willing to answer further lifestyle and medical questions, and what over-50s cover costs is a question for its own page.

For whole of life cover, the direct route exists at least in this form: Legal & General describes its over-50s plan, sold on its own site, as a type of whole of life cover. Zurich's whole of life policy is arranged through an adviser instead, as its key features, quoted above, show; for any other insurer, check whether it sells whole of life direct or through an adviser. Our whole of life guide explains the product, and life insurance over 50 compares it with the alternatives.

Quote, underwriting and disclosure: what happens after the first price

Once you apply, the insurer assesses the risk, which is what underwriting means. It can accept you on the terms quoted, accept you on different terms or at a different premium, or decline. The medical questions help the insurer decide your premium and whether you are entitled to life insurance, and Legal & General says you can get cover with a pre-existing condition "depending on how severe your health problem is, and the outcome of your medical assessment". A quote is not a promise of acceptance, and we cannot say what an insurer will decide about your health. Most applicants, Aviva says, will not need a medical exam.

If you have a health condition and want a sense of how more than one insurer might view it before you apply, the form on this page lets you ask an FCA-authorised broker to look at your details, with no commitment on your part.

What you tell the insurer matters in law as well as price. Section 2 of the Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012 requires a consumer to take reasonable care that nothing they tell the insurer is a misrepresentation. An insurer has a remedy only where it shows that, without the misrepresentation, it would not have entered into the contract at all or would have done so only on different terms (section 4), and the remedies in Schedule 1 differ according to whether the misrepresentation was careless or deliberate or reckless (section 5). This summarises the statute and says nothing about how any particular application will be treated; getting cover with a medical condition and what you must disclose go further.

Once you buy, each of these two insurers gives you time to change your mind. Aviva and Legal & General each allow 30 days; when that window starts and what comes back are in what happens if you cancel life insurance.

How to compare life insurance quotes like for like

Each quote prices one specific policy, so read the description before the figure: two prices set against each other mean little unless the sum, the term, one life or two, any critical illness cover and the type of premium are the same in both. Whether a premium can be reviewed later is explained in reviewable and level premiums; weighing features and providers belongs to comparing policies and providers, and the rest of our cost and quotes guides deal with price.

A quote may arrive with an incentive. Aviva's own page says the gift card offer is separate from the policy terms and benefits, and that Aviva can withdraw or change it at any time.

Can you get life insurance quotes without phone calls or personal details?

Partly. A truly anonymous figure is hard to come by, as the price depends on your age and smoker status at least. Legal & General's online quote asks for "contact details" along with your date of birth (L&G, read October 2026). To see whether a site may follow up by phone, read its privacy information before you submit.

Applying is different from quoting. Whether you are asked to speak to someone, or to have a medical, depends on what you disclose and on the insurer. The L&G and SunLife over-50s plans above ask no medical questions, and SunLife offers to "quote and apply online".

A broker works the other way round: you give your details once and the broker contacts you, so expect a conversation.

Frequently asked questions

How do I start a life insurance policy for myself?

You choose the type, amount and length of cover, answer the insurer's questions, and accept its offer; the policy then starts. Legal & General's direct policy is open to UK residents aged 18 to 77 (read October 2026). Other insurers set their own limits.

How do I get term life insurance for a couple?

Ask for a joint quote. Aviva says a joint policy ends when the first person dies or makes a successful claim for terminal illness. Our joint life guide sets out the differences.

When you want a figure based on your own details, complete the short enquiry form here and we will introduce you to an FCA-authorised broker.

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