Which whole life insurance is the best has no single answer: Aviva, Legal & General, Royal London, Zurich and Vitality each set their own entry ages, premium rules and joint options. This page puts the five side by side using each insurer's own documents, with the claims figures three of them publish.
If you would rather have your own age and health weighed than read a general table, an FCA-authorised broker can do that: jot a few facts about yourself down in the form on this page, which we hand on. It is free and takes a few minutes.
Which UK insurers sell whole of life cover, and through whom?
Most of the current documents come from adviser channels, which matters for what you can do yourself. Royal London sells its Whole of Life plan through financial advisers only, according to its web page. Zurich's Key Features (PW720505007 02/25) leave it to your adviser to help you judge whether a policy suits you and to explain how to apply. Aviva's summary (AL50007 02/2026) and Legal & General's (LG2588 06/2025) are each linked from that insurer's adviser pages. Vitality's (VLTD182053WF_02/25) sits in its adviser literature, though its consumer life insurance page (reviewed June 2026) links to it as the plan summary.
LV= is left out: its own site says "Please note, LV= no longer offer whole of life policies." What it does sell is on LV= life insurance.
Over-50s plans that ask no health questions are a different product, covered in guaranteed life insurance and the best life insurance over 50. Everything below is medically underwritten.
Whole of life policies compared on entry age, payout and joint options
Each cell reports what the insurer's document, named in the first column, says; exact words are quoted where they matter. Ages are for starting a policy, and the insurer must still accept the applicant on health.
| Insurer and document | Who can start a policy | When it pays out | Two people on one policy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aviva, Whole of Life Insurance+ summary (AL50007 02/2026) | 18 to 85, and 64 at most if the premium-protecting benefit is chosen | "we pay a guaranteed lump sum when you die"* | Can be set to pay on the first death or the second death of the two people covered |
| Legal & General, Whole of Life Protection Plan summary (LG2588 06/2025) | UK resident aged 18 to 84 | "pay out a lump sum when they die"* | "joint life first death" or "joint life second death" |
| Royal London, Whole of Life web page (undated; adviser-sold product) | A UK resident aged 18 to 88 | "pays a sum of money when you die or become terminally ill" | The plan can be used to insure you and your partner, if that is needed |
| Zurich, Whole of Life Key Features (PW720505007 02/25) | Single life 18 to 83; joint life first event 18 to 69; joint life second event 18 to 83. Zurich explains that 83 "means before your 84th birthday" | Pays the sum assured on death or on diagnosis of a terminal illness | First event: "The first person suffers a terminal illness or dies." Second event: both people have died or been diagnosed with a terminal illness. |
| Vitality, Personal Protection Plan summary (VLTD182053WF_02/25; adviser literature) | 16 to 74 inclusive for the plan; "For whole of life Life Cover, there is no maximum term." | Also pays a lump sum on a terminal illness diagnosis with a life expectancy of 12 months or less | A joint second death plan "will stop after both" people covered have died |
* These summaries word the payout around death only; whether a terminal illness payment is included is a question for the policy conditions or the broker.
Starting ages top out at 74 with Vitality and 88 with Royal London. Joint cover is framed differently too: at Zurich a terminal illness diagnosis can trigger a joint claim as well as a death, while Aviva and Legal & General frame the choice as first or second death. The idea behind joint cover is in joint life insurance, and the product itself in what whole of life insurance is.
Guaranteed or reviewable premiums, and how indexation differs
Premium terms differ as well. Aviva states that "Your premiums are guaranteed" and Zurich that its guaranteed premiums hold steady for the life of the policy unless you take Increasing Cover or change your cover. Legal & General's adviser page reads "Premiums Guaranteed unless increasing cover option is chosen at outset." Royal London's page says the monthly payment stays the same unless you choose reviewable payments or increasing cover, so a reviewable option exists there. Vitality offers both types, and says a reviewable premium is judged on "emerging claims experience" rather than your health.
| Insurer | What the document says about premium changes and indexation |
|---|---|
| Aviva (AL50007 02/2026) | Fixed increases of 3% or 5%, or RPI-linked up to a maximum of 10%; premiums rise by 2 times the cover increase |
| Legal & General (LG2588 06/2025) | Cover rises with RPI, capped at 10%; the premium rises by RPI multiplied by two, capped at 20% |
| Royal London (web page, undated) | "Choose the amount of cover to increase, or remain at the same level over the term of the plan" |
| Zurich (PW720505007 02/25) | Cover can rise by 3%, 5% or the Retail Price Index each year, with a 2% premium rise for every 1% added to cover |
| Vitality (VLTD182053WF_02/25) | Indexed cover rises with RPI, each increase limited to "a maximum of 10%"; with indexed cover, "After you reach age 80, your premium will increase by RPI plus 5%." |
Two Vitality features stand out. Premium Step starts the whole of life premium lower and then "At each plan anniversary" increases it by 2.5%; it is available only with guaranteed premiums. And even a guaranteed Vitality premium "may also change at each plan anniversary depending on your Vitality status". Neither is a reason to prefer or avoid Vitality; what a lower start adds up to over decades is worth seeing in writing for your age. What moves a whole of life premium is on what whole of life insurance costs. If you would like those sums for your own age, write whole of life into the form on this page; insurers can then be asked through the broker who receives it, at no cost to you.
Trusts and the extras each insurer includes
On trusts the wording varies. Aviva warns that inheritance tax may apply to a payout if the policy is not in a suitable trust. Zurich and Legal & General each say the sum "should not form part of" the estate when written under a suitable trust. Vitality's summary points anyone wanting a trust towards a solicitor. How a trust works is on life insurance trusts; the tax side, which is the usual reason for whole of life cover, is in whole of life insurance and inheritance tax. That is the general position, not tax advice.
The extras are where the products diverge most, each in one insurer's wording:
- Aviva lists a life change benefit, a separation benefit for splitting a joint policy and an inheritance tax benefit as extra benefits included at no extra cost. The life change and separation benefits need the policy accepted on standard terms, and where the life change or inheritance tax benefit raises cover, "The increase in benefit will be on a new policy, for an additional premium."
- Royal London includes its Helping Hand support service, which it says is not part of the insurance contract and can be amended or withdrawn at any time.
- Waiver of premium keeps premiums paid if illness or injury stops you working. Aviva says you "pay more" for it and the maximum age is 64; Zurich's can start no later than the day before the 55th birthday and ends the day before the 70th.
What claims figures do these insurers publish?
Three of the five have published 2025 claims figures. Each is the insurer's own count on its own basis, so they do not form a league table.
- Royal London's release of 15 June 2026 reports "£282m in whole of life claims, with a 99.9% payout rate". It says its figures include the first full year of claims following the transfer of Aegon's individual protection portfolio.
- Aviva's release of 25 March 2026 groups whole of life with its other life cover: "Life Insurance, including Over 50s Plans and advanced payments for Terminal Illness" had an acceptance rate of 98.7% across 40,000 claims.
- Legal & General's guide of 14 April 2026 gives a total across its life cover: "In 2025 we paid out over £527 million in life claims".
Only Royal London's figure is for whole of life alone, and it counts claims, not applications. How to read such figures is covered in life insurance claims statistics. Aviva's, Legal & General's and Zurich's documents each say the Financial Services Compensation Scheme covers the policy, Zurich's adding "the scheme covers 100% of the claim". Zurich's also sets out its complaints route: the insurer first, then the Financial Ombudsman Service, which is free.
Which is cheapest, and what about ratings and reviews?
No premium is quoted here, because each insurer sets its price only after assessing the applicant. Aviva says its premiums turn on the amount of cover you choose, as well as your age, job, health, lifestyle and smoking habits, and Zurich lists tobacco or nicotine replacement use among its factors. The cheapest insurer for one person need not be the cheapest for the next, and a guaranteed premium is not like-for-like with a reviewable one.
A broker can take one set of details, such as age, health and cover amount, to several insurers and explain why their figures differ. Star ratings and review scores are left out; what a policy promises is in the insurer's own document. For how this cover sits against other kinds, see best life insurance policies and term against whole of life.
Frequently asked questions
Which company has the best whole life insurance policy?
No single company: the five set different terms, and which of them matters turns on age, health and what the cover is for. Each insurer has its own page on this site: Aviva, Royal London, Zurich and Vitality.
Is there a whole of life policy with no waiting period?
Aviva's protection promise can cover a death "free of charge" while an application is assessed, up to "£500,000", with exclusions; Legal & General includes Accidental Death Benefit in that period, and Zurich says it "may be able to offer free cover". Aviva and Zurich exclude suicide in the first 12 months, and Legal & General in the first year. See waiting periods for life insurance.
What is the best whole life insurance for pre-existing conditions, diabetes or smoking?
Each insurer asks about health and smoking and makes its own decision on each applicant. Life insurance with medical conditions explains how insurers assess a history, and a broker can ask several of them how they would treat yours.
For figures worked out on your own details, send the form on this page: it reaches an FCA-authorised broker, who replies free of charge. The wider set of cover types sits under types of policy.
Sources
- Aviva, AL50007 02/2026, Policy Summary of Whole of Life Insurance+, linked from Aviva’s adviser site; read 18 October 2026. aviva.co.uk
- Aviva, Whole of Life Insurance+ adviser page (undated), read 18 October 2026. connect.avivab2b.co.uk
- Legal & General, LG2588 06/2025, Whole of Life Protection Plan Policy Summary, from L&G’s adviser site; read 18 October 2026. legalandgeneral.com
- Legal & General, Whole of Life Protection Plan adviser page (undated), read 18 October 2026. legalandgeneral.com
- Legal & General, How do life insurance payouts work? (14 April 2026), read 18 October 2026. legalandgeneral.com
- Royal London, Whole of Life page (undated), read 18 October 2026. royallondon.com
- Royal London, press release on its 2025 protection claims (15 June 2026), read 18 October 2026. royallondon.com
- Zurich, Zurich Whole of Life Key Features (PW720505007 02/25; sold through financial advisers), read 18 October 2026. zurichintermediary.co.uk
- VitalityLife, VLTD182053WF_02/25_J8476, Personal Protection Plan Summary, adviser literature; read 18 October 2026. adviser.vitality.co.uk
- Vitality, Life insurance page (reviewed June 2026; archived capture of 23 August 2026), read 18 October 2026. web.archive.org
- Aviva plc, news release on its 2025 protection claims (25 March 2026), read 18 October 2026. aviva.com
- LV=, Types of Life Insurance Explained (undated), read 18 October 2026. lv.com