Some medical conditions can send travel insurance premiums soaring by more than 1,000 per cent, Which? finds

In February 2025, Which? surveyed over 9,000 members of its Connect panel who own or have bought travel insurance in the last two years. Three quarters (74%) said they’d declared a medical condition, and of these eight in ten (82%) felt this had affected the cost of their premium - with a quarter (25%) feeling that it had a major impact.

One respondent told Which? that "reasonable premiums are difficult to find”, while another found obtaining affordable insurance “almost impossible”.

Protectif - a company that evaluates medical risk for insurers - told Which? that it had seen as many as 82 per cent of applicants declaring a pre-existing medical condition between 2022-2025 - equating to millions of travellers every year who may see their premiums affected. Data shared with Which? by comparison site Compare the Market showed that customers who bought a single trip policy in February this year paid roughly double when declaring a medical condition, with travellers paying an average of £16 in the absence of any medical conditions, and £33 when they declared one.

Meanwhile, GoCompare figures suggest that with annual policies, pre-existing conditions typically add around £50 to a policy. Travellers in 2024 who didn’t declare a condition paid an average of £40; travellers who did paid £90.To discover just how much different conditions can impact the price you pay, Which? sought quotes from 12 well-known providers for three real people: a 67-year-old with type 2 diabetes, a 40-year-old with epilepsy, and a 41-year-old with bipolar and personality disorder, who’d had an unplanned hospital admission during the last five years. 

Seven of these were policies from standard insurers, while five of the companies specialised in cover for people with pre-existing medical conditions - often an option for those who find regular insurers reluctant to cover more complex medical needs. In each case, Which? selected the cheapest European annual policy available with £5m medical cover, £2,000 cancellation cover, and £1,500 cover for baggage with gadget protection.

In the case of the traveller with bipolar and personality disorder, all five specialist insurers were willing to provide cover, but only two of the regular insurers did - leaving just seven viable policies. In the most extreme example, this individual saw premiums with one insurer rise by an eye-watering 1,159 per cent after declaring their conditions, from £38.48 to £484.52. On average, the seven insurers increased their prices by 715 per cent when the condition was declared. The average premium went up from £58 to £426.

After declaring bipolar and personality disorder, there was a massive £531 difference between the most expensive policy - which came in at £715 - and the cheapest, at £184, underscoring the importance of shopping around. Both of these quotes came from specialist insurers - with the two non-specialists returning prices of £291 and £485.

The findings from Which? serve as a reminder of why travellers with more complex medical conditions should factor specialist insurers into their search - particularly as they don’t always appear on the major comparison websites. 

However, while a medical specialist was the cheapest option for the individual with bipolar and personality disorder, the consumer champion found regular insurers were the more competitive options for the case studies with diabetes and epilepsy - demonstrating the importance of obtaining quotes from a range of firms.

Declaring epilepsy saw an average increase in premiums of 23 per cent, with average prices rising from £67 to £77. Quotes ranged from just £52 at the lowest end, up to more than double that, at £110.

The individual with diabetes saw the smallest overall increases in price, with quotes rising six per cent on average - from £129 to £136. However, Which? found there were significant variations in the quotes offered. 

With non-specialist insurers, premiums for the individual with diabetes ranged from just £76 at the lowest end of the scale, up to £169. However with the specialist insurers the lowest price was much higher, at £118 - rising up to £168.When Which? spoke to insurance specialists at medical screening firms Protectif and Verisk, neither identified particular conditions as being particularly “tricky” to insure - but did caution that the stability of a condition is often key - including when it was diagnosed, ongoing treatment and any side effects.

While price is an important factor for those picking a policy, consumers also want to know they’ll get a good standard of cover - and an insurer that will actually pay out.

For that reason, in addition to its price analysis, Which? also reviewed 153 travel insurance policies offered by 55 providers to find the best options on the market. Each policy was awarded a ‘policy score’ reflecting how comprehensive the cover is overall, based on an assessment of 67 features of cover.

Scores ranged from lows of just 19 per cent through to 88 per cent - showing the vast differences in the quality of cover available. In all, 22 policies were awarded the prestigious Best Buy badge this year - including four medical specialists. Consumers can find full details of the best providers on the Which? website.

Sam Richardson, Deputy Editor of Which? Money, said:“Travel insurance is an essential when going on holiday, but finding the best policy at the right price isn’t always straightforward - especially if you have a pre-existing condition.“Our research found significant disparities in price depending on the insurer, so it’s vital that consumers shop around and compare as many policies as possible before making a decision. While comparison sites are a great starting point, these won’t always include specialist providers - so it’s essential to obtain these quotes separately before making a purchase.

“Though it may be tempting to omit a condition in order to get the price down, it’s never worth the risk. Failing to declare something in advance could see your policy invalidated and in the worst cases, leave you with a bill in the thousands of pounds.”

-ENDS-

Notes to editors:

-Which? members can find the full reviews of the best and worst travel insurance providers at which.co.uk/travelinsurance (2025 results available from 00.01 on 22nd May).

-In February 2025, Which? surveyed 9,398 members of its online panel who own or have bought travel insurance in the last 2 years.

Price comparison methodology:

- Which? sought quotes from 12 well-known providers for three real people: a 67-year-old with type 2 diabetes, a 40-year-old with epilepsy, and a 41-year-old with bipolar and personality disorder. 

- For the 67-year-old with type 2 diabetes, Which? declared that this was being controlled with Metformin tablets, while the 40-year-old with epilepsy was using two medications, Carbamazepine and Levetiracetam. The individual with bipolar and personality disorder had an unplanned stay in hospital in the last 5 years.

-Seven of these were policies from standard insurers, while five of the companies specialised in cover for people with pre-existing medical conditions. In each case, Which? selected the cheapest European annual policy available with £5m medical cover, £2,000 cancellation cover, and £1,500 cover for baggage with gadget protection.

Tips on how to find the right cover

• If you haven’t faced specific questions about your medical history, assume conditions you have aren’t covered. Generally speaking (there are exceptions, but these are rare), conditions that aren’t disclosed are excluded by default. With some firms, you may need to contact the provider to declare your conditions and get a revised price. 
• If you have difficult-to-cover medical conditions, the insurer may offer you a quote but add exclusions to your policy. This will be declared during the sales journey but is easy to overlook, especially if you’ve been scrolling through quotes all day. Check carefully which conditions have actually been added to your policy and take extra care if the quote seems unusually low.
• If you’re struggling to find affordable cover, include medical specialist insurers in your search. But don’t set off with the assumption that only the specialists will cover you, or that they will necessarily have the best deals. Most customers with PEMCs will have a range of choices across the market. 
• Check who is doing the medical screening, as it might affect the price you pay. Insurers generally outsource their medical screening, and this field is dominated by two players in the UK - Verisk and Protectif. The former is by far the most used  - by 82 per cent of providers Which? checked in its latest reviews of travel insurance polices. This can account for why screening questions will often seem so similar with different providers. 
• Crucially for consumers, the two firms take slightly different approaches - which could potentially lead to differences in quotes. For example, in Which?’s scenarios, an insurer using Protectif began by asking which medications the applicant was taking, whereas firms using Verisk simply asked how many medications the applicant took and asked questions that seemed less detailed. Importantly, though, while screening companies help insurers evaluate medical risk, they don’t set their prices - so you could still get very different outcomes from two insurers using the same screening process. The MoneyHelper Directory lists which screening tool each medical specialist uses, and Which? does the same in its online reviews, so it may be worth trying firms that use different companies if you’ve been having a sustained lack of success getting affordable quotes. 
• Carefully consider the cover you need. According to Saga, two in five customers buy their insurance at the last minute. If you do this, you’re depriving yourself of cancellation cover, which commences as soon as you buy the policy. If you have a medical condition that could potentially threaten your ability to travel, cancellation cover is a must.
• Be honest and upfront. While not declaring a condition may result in a more attractive premium, it could cost you hugely if a PEMC disrupts your holiday and your insurance won’t pay out. If you’re uncertain about what to declare or think there’s any additional information the insurer should be aware of, contact it as soon as possible.

About Which?

Which? is the UK’s consumer champion, here to make life simpler, fairer and safer for everyone. Our research gets to the heart of consumer issues, our advice is impartial, and our rigorous product tests lead to expert recommendations. We’re the independent consumer voice that influences politicians and lawmakers, investigates, holds businesses to account and makes change happen. As an organisation we’re not for profit and all for making consumers more powerful.