Best Health Insurance Companies UK September 2026
Health insurance gives you and your family faster access to the very best medical treatment from a selection of local private hospitals, medical specialists, and consultants. Private medical treatment can often be life saving for many people who suffer from a serious illness such as Cancer, Heart Attacks, or Strokes. Health insurance can also be life-changing for other everyday health problems as well, like musculoskeletal issues (including broken bones, joint problems, and muscular conditions), dental treatment, and mental health.
According to the latest official figures from the British Medical Association (BMA), NHS waiting times are currently at 7.39 million and 2.98 million have been waiting for over 18 weeks for treatment. One of the most important elements with private health insurance for parents in the United Kingdom is that it avoids long NHS waiting lists and gives your family much faster access to specialist private medical treatment.
Top 10 Health Insurance Companies in the UK in 2026.
Our latest independent expert review for the best health insurance companies in the UK in 2025 has been based on customer review scores, cover options, health benefits, customer service, and most importantly the value for money. Our Top 10 health insurance insurance companies are:
- Vitality | (Rated 4.4 ☆)
- Bupa UK | (Rated 4.4 ☆)
- WPA | (Rated 4.6 ☆)
- AXA Health | (Rated 4.1 ☆)
- Aviva | (Rated 4.3 ☆)
- The Exeter | (Rated 4.0 ☆)
- Saga | (Rated 4.0 ☆)
- National Friendly | (Rated 4.4 ☆)
- Benenden Health | (Rated 4.6 ☆)
- Freedom | (Rated 4.3 ☆)
You can also view our full health insurance provider reviews to find out more about each of the top health insurance companies in the UK in 2025 and how they compare to other providers.
iam|INSURED Health Insurance reviews 2026
We regularly review the top health insurance companies in the UK to compare and rank each provider based on our 30 years of financial services industry knowledge. Our team of qualified financial experts has worked with most of the top health insurance companies as well as our own personal experiences from using these policies ourselves, recently we have used Vitality Health, Aviva, and Bupa health insurance products.
60 Second Summary – Which are the Best Health Insurance Companies in 2026?
Health insurance (also known as private medical insurance) is considered to be the most cost-effective cover the cost for private healthcare and to avoid long NHS waiting times.
Our latest independent research shows that Vitality is the UK’s best private health insurance company for families and individuals in 2025. Vitality is currently one of the biggest protection insurance companies in the United Kingdom with nearly 2 million members.
- Our Top 3 UK health insurance providers for 2025 are Vitality, Bupa, and WPA.
- Vitality offers the most comprehensive cancer cover, digital GP services, and the best range of discounts and rewards to policyholders. Premiums start at less than £20 per month for basic cover and premiums are extremely competitive.
- Before buying a new health insurance policy, you should consider how much you can afford to spend and which benefits will be most helpful for you.
- The ‘best’ health insurance company for you might not be Vitality, as this will be based on your own needs and situation. It is always best to compare multiple policies to ensure that you are happy with the cover that you choose.
Which are the Biggest Health Insurance companies in 2026?
The health insurance market in the United Kingdom is dominated by the four top medical insurance brands, the “Big Four” health insurance companies are Bupa, AXA Health, Aviva Health Insurance, and VitalityHealth. These four main brands are responsible for as much as 95% of the UK health insurance industry, including Bupa as the leading medical insurance company with an estimated 35% market share.
Bupa is still considered to be the biggest health insurance company in the UK, closely followed by AXA who is still gaining market share at a rate of 10% per year, and then reports suggest that Vitality and Aviva are very closely matched for third and fourth position. This does not mean that these are considered to be the best health insurance companies and you should definitely shop around to find a policy that best suits your families needs.
 |  |  |  | |
| Members | 2.3 million[1] | 2.8 million[2] | 1.9 million[3] | 1.2 million[4] |
| Rank | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th |
| Market Share | 35% | 25% | 15% | 10% |
| Revenue | £16.9 billion[5] | €8.1 billion[6] | £698.4 million[7] | £7,699 million[8] |
Our table above shows the Top Four Health Insurance companies in the UK in 2026 based on the size of the business and the current market share. These are not necessarily the best health insurance companies, these are simply the biggest and most prominent.
Top 10 Health Insurance Companies in 2026
| Rank | Insurer |  |  | Market Share | |
| 1st | Vitality | 4.4 'Excellent' (56,282 reviews) |  | 60% | 1.9 million members |
| 2nd | Bupa | 4.4 'Excellent' (35,767 reviews) | | 68% | 2.3 million members (35% market share) |
| 3rd | WPA | 4.6 'Excellent' (7,881 reviews) | | 69% | N/A (3% market share) |
| 4th | AXA | 4.1 'Great' (15,779 reviews) | | 70% | N/A (25% market share) |
| 5th | Aviva | 4.3 'Great' (50,279 reviews) | | 69% | 1.2 million members |
| 6th | The Exeter | 4.0 'Great' (1,106 reviews) | | No rating | N/A |
| 7th | Saga | 4.0 'Great' (1,106 reviews) |  | 61% | N/A |
| 8th | National Friendly | 4.5 'Excellent' (265 reviews) |  | 68% | N/A |
| 9th | Benenden Health | 4.6 'Excellent' (7,946 reviews) | | No rating | N/A |
| 10th | Freedom | 4.3 'Great' (102 reviews) | | No rating | N/A |
The table above shows our latest Top 10 Health Insurance Companies in the UK in 2026 for individuals, couples, families, and businesses. Our independent health insurance review is based on customer reviews, quality of cover, claims handling and claims process, and value for money.
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Which are the best Health Insurance companies in 2026?
Our comprehensive guide below provides a full breakdown of the Top 5 Health Insurance companies for consumers in the UK in 2026, and we provide a complete summary for the top medical insurance options.
Top Health Insurance Companies UK 2026 Summary
Check out our latest ratings of the Top Health Insurance companies in the UK below, and we’ll explain in more detail about the best medical insurers to protect yours and your families health this year. Each insurer works slightly differently and so it’s important to understand which are best suited to your needs and circumstances.
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1. Vitality Life Insurance
Vitality Health Insurance is one of the fastest growing and most innovative health insurance companies in the United Kingdom, and around the world. It provides health insurance and life insurance to almost than 2 million members currently in the UK. One of the most important elements of the Vitality Health proposition is its Healthy Rewards programme, which provides daily discounts to its members for living healthier lives and recording their fitness activity.
Vitality rewards partners include Apple Watch, Expedia, Pure Gym, Cafe Nero, Odeon and Vue Cinemas, Gym Shark, and American Express. Members can claim weekly and monthly discounts on well-known high street brands to help them to save money and reduce the cost of their health insurance premiums.
Vitality Health Insurance - helping people live longer
Vitality's unique health rewards program helps policyholders to live longer and healthier lives by tracking and recording their daily activity, and getting rewarded for it.
Key points: Vitality Health Insurance.
- Defaqto rating of 5 stars for Health Insurance policies for the whole family.
- Customer reviews on Trustpilot are “Excellent” (4.4 out of 5.0 stars) from over 55k reviews.
- Flexible Health Insurance options to help make cover more affordable for new and existing members.
- Up front discounts available and No Claims Bonus for healthy customers.
- Award winning Vitality Healthy Rewards programme with extensive range of high-street discounts available.
- Outpatient cover options: Seperate or combined limits to help reduce premiums.
- Weight loss surgery coverage for specified procedures.
- Exclusive Discounts and Reward partners include Apple Watch, Expedia, Odeon & Vue Cinemas, Café Nero, Pure Gyms, Gym Shark, and many more.
- Vitality GP gives you 24/7 access to a medical professional that can help you with all types of health, medical and nutritional questions for you and your family.
Summary: Our Health insurance experts have rated Vitality as the top health insurer for 2026 because of its claims process which is proven to be excellent. Our personal experience of this compared to other insurers like Bupa and Aviva, was far more pleasant and the support from Vitality was outstanding. We also regularly use the Vitality rewards and track our activity daily through the app.
2. Bupa Health Insurance
Bupa has been the biggest and most well-known private medical insurance provider in the United Kingdom for many years, and continues to rank as one of the top rated in many health insurance reviews. The brand was previously most recognised for its 25 private hospital facilities which it sold in 2007 to Cinven for £1.44 billion and are now under the Spire Healthcare. Bupa currently offers health insurance in two main products which are its Treatment and Care plans or the top level of cover which is its Bupa By You Comprehensive plan.
Standard health insurance cover from Bupa includes hospital treatment, outpatient cover (including physiotherapy), mental health benefit, cancer cover, and cover for scans, tests or investigations after treatment has finished. One of the key elements for Bupa is that it continues to have no shareholders and so does not pay dividends to shareholders, which means that its profits are re-invested to improve its healthcare for customers.
Bupa | This is Health Insurance advert
Bupa's latest advert campaign highlights the evolution of health insurance to protect our modern and diverse lifestyles across the United Kingdom.
Key points: Bupa Health Insurance.
- Defaqto rated 5 stars for Health Insurance policies for your family.
- Customer reviews on Trustpilot are “Excellent” (4.4 out of 5.0 stars) from over 33k reviews.
- Two main health insurance products to suit different customer needs and budgets.
- Extremely fair and flexible approach to No Claims discounts (claims up to £300 don’t impact NC bonus).
- Bupa Direct offers direct access to specialists without the need for a GP referral or self-referral.
- Dental Care (Bupa By You) includes one Bupa Dental check-up appointment per year, plus £300 towards dental care.
- No age limits, meaning that members can join Bupa at any time throughout their life.
- Standard Mental Health cover is included on all plans.
Summary: Bupa is ranked second in our Best Health Insurance Companies for 2026 because it continues to provide affordable and flexible private medical insurance cover to consumers. Bupa also came runner-up in the Which? 2026 health insurance review from customer reviews and feedback with an overall score of 64%.
3. WPA Health Insurance
WPA Health Insurance or Western Provident Association, is consistently ranked as one of the top private medical insurance providers in the United Kingdom because of its market leading customer service and exceptional claims process. This provider is best known for its flexible approach to health insurance for individuals, couples, and families, offering a range of options to suit most budgets and customer circumstances.
There are three cover options, from its Comprehensive option for the highest levels of cover, followed by its Mid-Range plan, and then its Core cover which is the most affordable option for consumers with smaller budgets. WPA has also consistently performed well in most of the key comparison site annual health insurance reviews, including Which? 2024 and 2025 Best Health Insurance survey.
WPA Health Insurance | Shared Responsibility cover
WPA Shared Responsibility explains how this annual private medical cover option works for policyholders to provide more affordable cover for consumers.
Key points: WPA Health Insurance.
- Defaqto rated 5 stars for Health Insurance policies for your entire family.
- Highest customer review score on Trustpilot are “Excellent” (4.6 out of 5.0 stars) from nearly 8k reviews.
- Three health insurance policy options for different levels of cover and budgets.
- Flexible pricing options for No Claims Discount with ‘pooled risk’ pricing also available.
- Comprehensive range of options for private hospital facilities all over the country.
- Individual limits options for each benefit to customise your plan.
- Cash benefits for various a range of treatments.
- Self-refer options for counselling and selected complimentary therapies.
Summary: WPA is consistently ranked as the highest of the less well-known health insurance brands in the United Kingdom which is a massive achievement for a smaller provider. It is also the highest rated health insurance company by its customers on Trustpilot and the Which? annual health insurance survey.
4. AXA Health Insurance
AXA Health Insurance is also one of the most well-known and well established medical insurance brands in the United Kingdom, as well as other territories around the world. It provides health insurance for almost 3 million members and a market share of 25% according to recent figures for the UK. One of the main selling points for AXA Health Insurance is the flexibility and customisation that its policies offer.
There are several different tiers that are available to individuals, couples, and families which range from its Foundation Plan up to highest level of cover which is the Prestige Plus option. AXA is one of the most flexible insurers in terms of its product choice and options that are available, but this can also make it more confusing for consumers to select the right option.
AXA Insurance Advert | Protecting your future
AXA UK provides Health Insurance, Home Insurance, Car Insurance, and Business Insurance to help protect all of your everyday insurance needs.
Key points: AXA Health Insurance.
- Defaqto rated 5 stars for Health Insurance products to protect you and your family.
- Highest customer review score on Trustpilot are “Great” (4.1 out of 5.0 stars) from over 15k reviews.
- Fairer Finance rating of 70% and one of the only health insurance providers to achieve Silver status.
- Highly customisable cover for personal health insurance customers with Five main cover options.
- Unlimited outpatient treatment available as optional extra.
- GP Fees benefit up to £500 available with Private GP service (included with Extended Cover options).
- No limits on specialist referred diagnostics with standard outpatient benefit.
Summary: AXA is one of the most well-known and trusted personal health insurance brands in the United Kingdom, which makes it one of our top 5 picks for this years Best Health Insurance review. It offers a wide range of cover options for customers but it does fall down slightly on its customer satisfaction scores and it can be confusing for consumers.
5. Aviva Health Insurance
Aviva Health Insurance is part of Aviva PLC which is the UK’s largest general insurance brand which provides cover for over 21 million policyholders across its range of insurance products, including motor, home, travel, and life. It has also recently acquired AIG Life in the UK and is acquiring Direct Line Insurance as part of its plans to dominate the insurance market in the United Kingdom. Health Insurance is one of Aviva’s core products which forms part of its personal protection products, including Life Insurance, Critical Illness Insurance, and Income Protection Insruance.
Aviva offers three tiers of health cover which are its entry level Core Cover plan as standard, policyholders can also choose its Enhanced Cover to improve coverage, or choose its Reduced Cover option to help with affordability. Aviva’s Healthier Solutions is considered to be one of the most comprehensive plans on the market, but it does tend to lose out to other products when we consider flexibility and choice.
Aviva Insurance | Making it Click advert
Aviva's latest TV ad campaign includes some of its main Wealth, Insurance, and Retirement products to help customers with their everyday finance needs.
Key points: Aviva Health Insurance.
- Defaqto rated 5 stars for Personal and Business Health Insurance policies.
- Customer review score on Trustpilot is “Great” (4.3 out of 5.0 stars) from over 50k reviews.
- Fairer Finance rating of 69% and a Bronze badge which is the second highest rating.
- One of the top four health insurance brands in the UK with an estimated 10% market share.
- No Claims Discounts not affected by claims under £250 which is one of the leading providers for this.
- Standard cover is fairly comprehensive and provides ample cover for most customers needs.
- No age limits which is the same as Bupa.
Summary: Aviva tends to perform well on paper against the other main health insurance brands and it has strong brand presence in the United Kingdom, which makes it trusted and reliable. Unfortunately, based on our own reviewers personal experiences Aviva has fallen down with its customer service and claims handling process, which were both disappointing.
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What is the best private health insurance company for couples?
A joint or couples health insurance policy is a popular option in the UK, as it allows you to protect yourself and your partner within one policy. Most of the UK’s top insurers offer couples policies, including our top-rated insurers for 2026 (Aviva, Bupa, and Vitality).
Bupa currently offers a 10% discount for couples who live in the same household, which can help you to save on your monthly (or annual) premiums.
The right insurer for you and your partner will depend on the level of cover that you need, and which benefits are most appealing to you. It’s worth comparing multiple quotes or getting proper advice if you are unsure about which insurer will be best for you.
What is the best private health insurance company for families?
A lot of the top health insurance companies offer discounts and extra benefits for families who want to add their children to their policies.
- AXA Health: Free newborn cover if a child is born before your next policy renewal date.
- Aviva: You only pay for the oldest child on your plan, and Aviva also offers free newborn cover (3 months maximum).
- Bupa: All children are covered for the price of one (the one child being the oldest child).
- The Exeter: Free online health support and parental accommodation benefits if your child needs to stay in the hospital overnight.
- Vitality: Can claim a £100 cash benefit pay out for childbirth or adopting a new child.
We explain more about these benefits and other important facts in our full Family Health Insurance guide.
Rated "Excellent" 5 out of 5
"This company went above & beyond to get me cover even though I have MS, I am very happy I managed to get cover, Amazing staff, Dean went above & beyond, I highly rate this company."
by Elizabeth Turner-Long - 9th August 2023
What is the best private health insurance company for pre-existing conditions?
The Exeter Health+ is a slightly more specialist health insurance product and well suited to certain people, such as those with chronic medical conditions (e.g. diabetes, asthma, mental health, MS etc.). The benefits of a Friendly Society is that it does not have the same restrictions as the bigger insurance brands, and so can be more flexible in its approach.
Health+ is one of the most comprehensive health insurance policies that is available today which is backed up by The Exeter’s excellent customer service levels. Some of the most appealing elements of this product include a unique “Community Rated” scheme for individuals between the ages of 70 and 80 to protect your no claims discounts.
What are the benefits of private health insurance?
There are plenty of reasons why you might be interested in buying private health insurance, and some of the main benefits of health insurance include:
- Avoid ever-increasing NHS waiting times.
- Quick access to specialists and private hospitals.
- Faster diagnosis and avoid further complications.
- Private treatment rooms and accommodation (overnight stays).
- Greater choice and options for specialists or facilities.
- Reduced recovery times and better rehabilitation support.
- Some plans include optional rewards and discount schemes.
To find the most suitable and the cheapest health insurance products for you and your family, you should seek advice from a health insurance specialist. There are lots of great options that are available to consumers who are looking for cover to protect their families health and avoid NHS waiting times.
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