Established in 1696, Aviva is the largest UK insurance company now with over 15 million customers. The company offers everything from life and health insurance to general insurance and pension plans.
Topics
Life Insurance
Aviva offer two different types of life cover: Level Cover and Decreasing Cover. You can choose up to £5 million worth of cover, and to qualify you must be a UK resident aged between 18 and 89 years.
With Level Cover you choose a lump sum to leave behind for your loved ones, and select how long you want your cover to run for. You’ll then pay the same amount each month until your policy ends. You can choose to make your cover amount increase in line with inflation.
Decreasing Cover lasts for a specific length of time, and your monthly premiums are fixed, unless you make any changes to your policy. The value of what you’re paying off gradually decreases over time, and so does the cover. That’s why it usually costs less than level cover.
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Over 50s Life Insurance
This policy is for people aged between 50 and 80 years old. You pay a monthly premium, between £5 and £100 a month, and your loved ones get a guaranteed fixed lump sum when you pass away. You won’t be asked any health questions or need a medical examination. Aviva currently offer a free £50 M&S voucher for new customers.
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Mortgage Life Insurance
Aviva does not offer mortgage life insurance
Critical Illness Insurance
When you apply for life insurance, you can add critical illness cover as a separate policy. It pays out a lump sum if you’re diagnosed with 1 of 53 conditions that Aviva cover. The policy term can be between 5 and 50 years and the cover can last until you’re 75 years old.
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Whole Life Insurance
Aviva does not offer whole of life insurance
Income Protection Insurance
Aviva does not offer income protection insurance
Other Services
Aviva offer free Parent Life Cover; a year’s worth of free life cover for parents of children under 4. It also has a large range of Motor Insurance, Health Insurance and Home Insurance products, as well as various Retirement Plans, ISAs and Investment Schemes.
Aviva Reviews and Ratings
Trust Pilot – 1.6/5 (based on 1426 reviews)
Reviews.co.uk – 2/5 (based on 160 reviews)
Feefo – 4.5/5 (based on 9414 reviews)
Online reviews for Aviva are fairly split depending on the review site used. Users on Trust Pilot and Reviews.co.uk have scored the company poorly, citing arrogant, repetitive and ‘cut and paste’ replies from the Aviva Customer Response Team, as well as slow communications and an unwillingness to be helpful. Reviewers on Feefo, however, are much more complementary, saying that the company is reliable, efficient and courteous.
Pros
- The largest UK insurance company with over 15 million customers
- A large range of life and health insurance plans and related products
- 98.9% of claims paid
- Medical exams not needed
- Aviva currently offer a free £50 M&S voucher for new customers
- An informative website with plain English explanations
- Useful ‘cover calculator’ resource online
- Flexible length of cover offered
- Free Parent Life cover
- 5 Star rated by Defaqto
Cons
- Mixed reviews with many bad customer experiences
- Automated ‘chatboxes’ annoy many customers who want live chat with real handlers
- No cash-in value for policies
- Suicide and self-inflicted injuries not covered in the first year of Critical Illness cover
- Income protection and Mortgage protection plans not available
Website: Aviva