Yes. People with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes can get life insurance in the UK. Having diabetes usually means paying more than someone without it, but across the more than 1,100 applications we have handled, the large majority of people with diabetes have been offered cover. This article explains what to expect, what it costs and what affects the price.
Our figures come from our own clients’ applications and are correct as at 11 September 2026. External sources were checked on 19 September 2026.
Can people with diabetes get life insurance?
Yes. Having diabetes does not stop you getting life insurance in the UK. The insurer usually charges more than it would for someone without diabetes, and how much more depends on your diabetes type, how well controlled it is, how long you have had it and whether you have any complications.
This article is for people with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, with or without complications. Type 2 with no complications usually has the most options and the most competitive prices. Type 1 cover is available, at a higher price. Complications are covered further down: some are accepted by several insurers, others usually mean a specialist insurer instead.
Not sure where you’d stand?
Tell us about your diabetes and we’ll check the insurers for you.
How much does life insurance cost with diabetes in the UK?
In your forties with Type 2 diabetes and no disclosed complications, clients at Royal London Personal Menu Plan typically paid around £23.88 a month for every £100,000 of level cover (latest terms September 2026). The table gives two more examples from our own cases.
| Insurer | Who it is for | A month per £100,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Royal London Personal Menu Plan | Type 2, no complications, aged 40 to 49, level cover | £23.88 |
| Scottish Widows | Type 2, no complications, aged 50 to 59, level cover | £49.77 |
| All insurers we place with | Type 1, no complications, aged 30 to 39, level cover | £19.69 |
You choose the amount of cover and the number of years. All the figures here are for level cover, where the payout stays the same for the whole term. The insurer sets a monthly price from your age and health, and diabetes adds to it. We show what clients paid a month for every £100,000 of cover so the figures compare; for £200,000 of cover, roughly double the figure.
The pattern is that Type 1 cover costs more than Type 2, and the price rises with age. These prices cover the 16 to 25 year terms our clients typically chose, and a longer term costs more. They are what our clients paid, not quotes; your own age, health, amount and term will move the figure.
Those are what our clients paid. Want your own price?
We check the insurers for your age, diabetes type and health, and explain what we find.
What affects a life insurance application if you have diabetes?
Four things move the outcome most in our cases: whether you have Type 1 or Type 2, your HbA1c reading, any complications, and how you manage your diabetes day to day. Each is covered below.
Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes
The type changes what you pay. Insurers call the extra amount they add because of someone’s health a “rating”. A +100% rating means the insurer charges roughly twice its standard price.
Across the insurers we place with, Type 2 clients with no disclosed complications typically carried a rating of around +100% (latest terms September 2026). For Type 1 clients with no disclosed complications, the typical rating was around +225%, more than three times the standard price (latest terms September 2026).
In practice, Type 1 clients usually pay more than Type 2 clients of the same age for the same cover, even with equally well-controlled diabetes and no complications, because insurers treat the two conditions differently when they assess long-term risk. Cover has been available for both groups in our cases; the difference is in the price.
HbA1c
From our own cases, a reading below 97 mmol/mol has kept the mainstream insurer routes open. Between 97 and 107 mmol/mol the options narrow, and above 107 mmol/mol we have generally looked at products that do not ask health questions instead.
Royal London Diabetes Life Cover, for example, has considered cases in the 97 to 107 mmol/mol range in our experience. The reading matters, but it is one factor among several, and insurer positions on HbA1c can change, so we check the current position before we apply.
Diabetic retinopathy
It can affect an application, and the effect depends on how far the retinopathy has progressed. Background retinopathy (eye changes that have not needed treatment) has been accepted by several insurers in our cases, typically at a higher price than someone with no eye changes.
Across the insurers we place with, Type 2 clients with background retinopathy typically carried a rating of around +150%, about two and a half times the standard price (latest terms July 2026). For Type 1 clients with background retinopathy, the typical rating was around +175% (latest terms August 2026). Cover was still available.
Where retinopathy has been treated with laser or injections, the mainstream options become more limited and we would typically look at The Exeter as a specialist route. Across the insurers we place with, Type 1 clients with retinopathy treated with laser or injections typically carried a rating of around +275% (latest terms June 2026).
If you have been told you have any degree of retinopathy, it is worth talking it through with us before applying anywhere.
Insulin pumps
Using an insulin pump rather than injections does not automatically change the outcome. In our experience, insurers focus on the diabetes type, how well controlled it is, the HbA1c reading and any complications, not on the method of insulin delivery.
If you use a pump and want to know how a specific insurer is likely to treat your application, we can check that before you apply.
Which life insurance providers specialise in cover for people with diabetes?
Several mainstream UK insurers regularly accept people with diabetes. For example, we have placed clients with Scottish Widows, Royal London, Guardian and Legal & General, among others. Royal London also has a product called Diabetes Life Cover, designed specifically for people with diabetes.
For people with complications or other health conditions where mainstream insurers add a large extra charge or decline, The Exeter is a specialist insurer we use as a route when the mainstream options are not suitable. Which insurer suits you depends on the factors above, which is why we check the current positions before you apply.
Do I have to tell a life insurer I have diabetes?
Yes. Life insurance applications ask about your health, and diabetes is a condition you must disclose. Failing to do so could mean a claim is not paid.
Answer the questions on the application honestly and in full. If you are unsure what counts, we can talk you through it before you apply.
I’ve been declined life insurance because of my diabetes, what are my options?
A decline from one insurer does not mean cover is unavailable. Different insurers take different views on diabetes, and a case that one declines another may accept, sometimes at standard terms, meaning the insurer’s normal price with nothing added for the diabetes.
We have a full page on what to do if you have been declined for life insurance because of diabetes, covering the steps we take and the routes we look at. It is listed under Read next at the end of this article.
Been declined, or quoted more than you expected?
One insurer’s no isn’t every insurer’s no. We’ll look at who else might say yes.
Does life insurance cover diabetes?
Life insurance pays out if you die during the policy term. It does not pay out because you have diabetes, and it does not cover the costs of managing diabetes day to day.
It provides money for the people who depend on you, to help repay a mortgage, replace your income or cover other commitments if you die while the policy is in force.
If your concern is what happens financially if diabetes or another illness stops you working, income protection is the product to understand: it pays a regular income when illness or injury prevents you working, subject to the policy terms. Our income protection page explains it, and we can help with that too.
Can we help you find life insurance with diabetes?
Yes. We specialise in helping people with diabetes find life insurance and related cover. When you call us, we talk through your diabetes type, how long you have had it, your most recent HbA1c reading, any complications, and your wider health.
We then check which insurers are realistic for your situation, explain what we find and help you with the application. A straightforward, well-controlled case often goes through on the same call, and the application takes about 15 minutes.
Where we do not think there is a realistic route, we will tell you rather than putting you through an unnecessary application. We are directly authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority and give regulated advice.
Questions people ask next
Who are the best UK life insurance brokers for people with diabetes?
A broker who specialises in diabetes will know which insurers are realistic for your situation before you apply, which matters because an unnecessary application can leave a record. More Than Diabetes has specialised in this area for around eight years and has handled over 1,100 applications for people with diabetes.
Can I get life insurance if I have Type 2 diabetes managed by diet alone?
Yes. In our experience, people managing Type 2 diabetes with diet alone are among the most straightforward cases to place. Several mainstream insurers have accepted this group in our cases, and the extra charge is often at the lower end of what we see for Type 2 clients generally.
Does having both diabetes and raised blood pressure or cholesterol make it harder to get life insurance?
It can push the price up further. Across the insurers we place with, Type 2 clients with no complications but also disclosing raised cholesterol typically carried a rating of around +150% (latest terms September 2026). Cover was still available in those cases; the price was higher. If you have both conditions, it is worth talking through your situation before applying.
Where these figures come from
Applications handled by More Than Diabetes advisers, recording insurer approached, health disclosures, final terms and premium. Prices are what clients actually paid per £100,000 of cover per month.
Prices exclude any policy fee not captured in the premium line. Named insurer figures are examples drawn from our own cases; they are not a complete market survey.
Our clients are not a random sample of all UK people with diabetes. Insurer positions change; figures are dated. A longer term costs more than the figures shown. These are not quotes.
Our own figures are correct as at 11 September 2026. Insurer positions can change. We regularly review them and check the current position again before we apply.
Read next
- what to do if you have been declined for decreasing life insurance because of Type 2 diabetes
- income protection for people with diabetes
- how an insulin pump works
- how diabetic complications can affect your life insurance
- life insurance with diabetes: your guide
Sources
- Financial Conduct Authority: FCA Register, More Than Money (trading as More Than Diabetes) (checked 19 September 2026)
Talk to a diabetes insurance specialist
Tell us about your diabetes and what the cover is for. We’ll check the insurers available to us, compare the realistic options and help with the application. The insurer makes the final decision; we make sure you go to the right one.
