By clicking a retailer link you consent to third-party cookies that track your onward journey. This enables W? to receive an affiliate commission if you make a purchase, which supports our mission to be the UK's consumer champion.

Bupa private health insurance review

Find out how Bupa customers rate their cover and how costs compare
Which? Money Team
Bupa logo lead image

Bupa is the UK's largest health insurer. Originating in the UK in 1947, Bupa now has more than 50 million customers worldwide. 

As well as offering health and dental insurance, it also runs a wide network of private hospitals. 

In 2025, Which? surveyed Bupa customers who have made a recent claim to find out how they rate their insurer. Read on to see the results.

Please note that the information in this article is for information purposes only and does not constitute advice. Please refer to the particular terms and conditions of an insurer before committing to any financial products.

Looking to buy private health insurance?

Find the right private health insurance policy using the service provided by LifeSearch.

Get a quote

Does Bupa offer the best private health insurance?

Here's how Bupa scored in our latest survey:

  • 64% customer score – 2nd out of 6 providers 
  • 71% claims score – 2nd out of 6 providers

See how this compares with the best private health insurance

How did customers rate Bupa?

Bupa received a customer score of 64% in our customer satisfaction survey, placing it second out of six providers. It was rated four out of five stars for most aspects of its cover, including its range of hospitals and choice of medical professionals, and three out of five stars for clarity of written communication and terms and conditions. 

Customers also told us what they thought of their most recent claims experience. Bupa scored 71% overall, with a full five stars given for the ability to access a specific service and four-star ratings for everything else.

Select a table to see how customers rated Bupa in various areas of service.

Customer satisfaction

Ease of purchasing
Ease of contacting
Clarity of comms
How well the cover fits
Range of hospitals
Choice of medical professionals
Clarity of T&Cs

Table note: The results are based on an online survey of the Which? Connect panel who owned private health insurance and had claimed on their policies within the past two years. The survey was conducted in April 2025. The sample size for Bupa was 251. 'Customer score' reflects the general satisfaction of customers with their insurer and their likelihood of recommending it. 'Claims score' reflects how satisfied they were with how their most recent claim was handled and their likelihood of recommending the insurer for claims. A dash ('-') means not enough respondents in our survey answered the question for us to report the result. Find out more about our methodology in our guide to the best private health insurance.

What does Bupa offer?

Bupa offers two levels of private medical insurance cover: 

  • Treatment and Care, which is cheaper, but excludes tests, scans and outpatient appointments before treatment
  • Comprehensive, which is more expensive, but includes pre-treatment tests, scans and outpatient appointments. 

As standard, both levels of cover include hospital treatment, outpatient therapies such as physiotherapy, mental health cover, cancer cover, and post-treatment tests, scans and appointments. You'll also get a dental allowance, an NHS cash benefit (which pays money into your bank account if you choose to have treatment through the NHS rather than using your private cover), an 'Anytime Healthline', and access to GP services by phone or video call. 

When you get a quote, you'll need to make a few choices that can affect your premium, including:

  • Your level of hospital access; a wider choice of hospitals will cost more
  • How much excess you want to pay (from £0 to £500)
  • How much outpatient cover you want (from £500 to unlimited) – this applies to Comprehensive cover only 

If you get a quote by phone, you can also choose to exclude cancer cover from your policy. Cancer cover is automatically included for policies purchased online. 

What doesn't Bupa cover?

Like all private medical insurance policies, Bupa's cover has some exclusions as standard. It usually won't cover pre-existing medical conditions. It also excludes conditions related to pregnancy, ageing, menopause and puberty, allergies and food intolerances, and most chronic conditions (with the exception of cancer and mental health conditions). 

How much does Bupa private health cover cost?

The cost of private health insurance can vary dramatically based on factors such as your age, where you live, and your smoking status. Older people or those that smoke, for example, are likely to pay significantly more than younger, non-smokers.

To give you an idea of Bupa's pricing, we used its website to get quotes for annual cover for two couples (one in their 30s and one in their 50s) living in south London. We assumed that they were in good health, didn't smoke, and had no pre-existing medical issues.

ProviderPolicy nameQuote for a 35-year-old coupleQuote for a 55-year-old coupleTake out a policy
BupaComprehensive£2,236£3,975Use the service provided by Lifesearch

Table note: These are illustrative quotes obtained from Bupa's website in July 2025. When getting quotes for all providers, we selected cover that provides full inpatient care and full outpatient care, comprehensive heart and cancer cover, diagnostic tests and scans, and some cover for complementary therapies (such as physiotherapy) for a non-smoking couple, in good health, living in south London. Where possible, we excluded mental health, dental and optical cover from our quotes, but this was not possible for Bupa so its quotes include some dental and mental health cover. We selected the standard hospital and specialist lists. We selected no excess, but did select a waiting time if offered. We opted not to protect our no-claims discount if given the option.

We also got equivalent quotes for five other leading private health insurance providers: Aviva, Axa Health, Saga, Vitality, and WPA. Premiums ranged from £1,586 to £2,435 for our 35-year-old couple, putting Bupa's premiums in around the middle of this age range. However, it was the second most expensive for a couple aged 55. 

Bear in mind that these quotes are illustrative; Bupa may offer better or worse value for other scenarios.

How can you save money on Bupa private health insurance?

Compare quotes

There are several ways to buy Bupa private health insurance, including:

  • Directly from Bupa
  • Via general price comparison sites such as Compare the Market, Confused.com or Money Supermarket
  • Through a specialist life and health insurance broker. 

Costs and cover levels can vary between providers, so – as with any insurance purchase – we recommend comparing quotes from other providers. If you know what cover you need, a price comparison site can be a quick and easy way to get a range of quotes – though not all comparison sites cover the whole market. 

However, if you're not quite sure what cover you and your family need, speaking to a specialist broker can help you understand your options and ensure you're getting the right cover. 

The British Insurance Brokers' Association (BIBA) and Association of Medical Insurers and Intermediaries (AMII) have searchable directories of brokers that specialise in health and life insurance. 

Find the right private health insurance policy using the service provided by LifeSearch. Find out more

Adjust your cover levels

If, after comparing providers, you're confident that Bupa is right for your needs, you can tweak your cover to keep your premiums down. Ways to cut costs include:

  • Choose Bupa's lower-level 'Treatment and Care' policy, which excludes pre-treatment appointments, tests and scans. 
  • Opt for a higher excess. This the amount you'll need to contribute towards any claim. The higher the excess, the lower your premium is likely to be. 
  • Choose a less extensive hospital list. This will help keep costs down, but could mean you can't get treatment at your preferred hospital. 
  • Limit your outpatient cover to £500 or £1,000 rather than unlimited cover. 

If you buy your policy online, you can also choose to exclude private cancer cover. 

Warning

How do I make a claim for Bupa private health insurance?

If you have cancer symptoms, mental health concerns, or problems with your muscles, bones or joints, call Bupa directly as you may be able to get treatment without a GP referral. 

For other symptoms, you'll need to follow these steps:

  1. Book an appointment with your own GP or through Bupa's digital GP service. If they recommend you see a specialist, ask the GP for an open referral letter. This outlines the type of treatment you need, but without specifying a particular specialist or location for treatment. 
  2. Contact Bupa. You'll need to provide your membership number, details of your symptoms and when you spoke to a GP, and details of the recommended treatment. Bupa will outline next steps and, if your treatment is covered, provide you with a pre-authorisation code. 
  3. Bupa will refer you to a medical professional who can provide the tests or treatment you need next. You'll need to make an appointment and provide your pre-authorisation number so that Bupa can pay them directly for your treatment. 

Find out more: Health insurance for over 60s

Interested in private health insurance?

Find the right private health insurance policy using the service provided by LifeSearch.

Find out more