Compare Life Insurance Quotes

The purpose of this article is to clearly demonstrate the differences between the various life insurance policies and providers. We compare each company’s unique offerings which differentiate them from one another and their pricing for 2 sample insurance candidates.

Once you have reviewed this information, you can enter your details and be connected with one of our vetted Central bank regulated insurance partners who will get you quotes from all major life insurance providers.

Our goal is to connect you with the best value and quality life insurance policy for your needs.

Compare Life Insurance

Who offers life insurance in Ireland?

Insurer Example 1*  Example 2**
Zurich €37.24 €112.45
Royal London €41.03 €96.07
Aviva €43.41 €129.51
New Ireland Assurance €43.41 €114.34
Irish Life €43.41 €142.31
Laya €44.74 €110.69
VHI €51.63 €129.38

* Example 1 – Life Insurance – Joint Life – 31yrs, 32 years, non smokers – term 34 years, €300,000, no serious illness cover. Accurate as of 12/04/23. Accurate as of 12/04/23.
** Example 2 – Life Insurance – Dual life – 45 yrs, 46 yrs, non smokers – term 20 years, €400,000, no serious illness cover. Accurate as of 12/04/23. Accurate as of 12/04/23.

Quote data accurate as of April 12th 2023

Differences Between Life Insurance Companies

Aviva

Aviva - Home Insurance

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Aviva offer car, home, mortgage protection, life, and travel insurance in the Irish Market.

Aviva offer term life protection from 2 to 50 years with indexation and convertible cover options.

Aviva offers a digital GP service, as well as their best doctors service which allows you to get a second opinion from one of their panel of doctors, even if you were diagnosed prior to taking out your life insurance policy.

Irish Life

irish life

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Irish Life is operating in Ireland for over 80 years. They offer life insurance, health insurance, pensions, and investment products.

Irish Life offers whole life insurance, term life insurance, pension plan life insurance, and specified illness cover.

Irish Life offers One Plan Protection which includes bill cover (for monthly expenses if you are ill or injured and cannot work), specified illness cover ( pays a lump sum if diagnosed with a specific serious illness), and decreasing life cover which decreases each year and is designed to replace the income that the deceased person would have earned all as part of the same package.

Laya

laya

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Laya is Ireland’s second largest health insurer.  They offer health insurance, life insurance, and travel insurance.  Laya offers term life insurance.

Laya offers a 10% online discount and immediate cover with no GP visits, reports, or medicals required.  They offer single or joint life term life insurance policies.

New Ireland

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New Ireland was the first wholly Irish owned life assurance company in Ireland.  They offer life insurance, term and whole of life cover, mortgage protection, income protection, specified illness cover, and business insurance, as well as, pension and investment products.

New Ireland offers a Life Choice you & family plan which offers unique flexibility – you can change the cover amount, extend or reduce the term of cover and add or remove benefits during the term of the policy and you can add illness protection.

This policy will pay a lump sum or a monthly income to your dependents should you die and will also pay a monthly income should a stay at home parent die to cover expenses such as childcare.

You can also include serious illness protection and be paid a lump sum should you be diagnosed with a serious illness.

You can also add whole of life cover which pays a €50,000 on your death which will continue past age 65 when other benefits end.

Royal London

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Royal London is operating in Ireland for almost 200 years. They offer mortgage protection, home insurance, life insurance, serious illness protection, pensions, and business assurance through insurance brokers.

Royal London offers term life insurance with a maximum term of 55 years up to the age of 91 (if the policy is taken out before the age of 55).  They offer the first month of life insurance free when you take out a new policy.  They also offer whole of life insurance through insurance brokers.

VHI

vhi

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VHI is Ireland’s largest health insurer and is operating in Ireland since 1957.

They use Zurich for their life insurance. They often add life as an upsell to their health insurance customers so we have included them for the purposes of this comparison.

VHI offer a simple term assurance policy which guarantees a lump sum should you die during the term of the policy.  They offer a 10% customer discount.

Zurich

Zurich - Home Insurance

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Zurich Insurance is operating in Ireland since the 1950’s and offers motor, home, commercial property, business, farm, and professional indemnity insurance as well as life insurance, mortgage protection, and income protection.

Zurich offers term life protection for renters which offers whole of life protection and serious illness cover so that your dependents can pay rent should you have a serious illness or die.  They also offer a choice of term life protection between level term cover which pays a lump sum should you die during the term or monthly income cover which is a guaranteed monthly payment from your death until the end of the term.

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Types of Life Insurance

When comparing life insurance policies there are 6 main types of policies you need to consider: 

Types of life insurance

Single Cover Life Insurance

Single Cover covers the life of the policyholder only and will pay out a lump sum to their beneficiaries on their death.

Joint Cover Life Insurance

Joint cover covers the life of the policyholder and their spouse or partner and pays out a lump sum on a first death basis. 

Dual Cover Life Insurance

Dual cover covers the life of the policyholder as well as their spouse and will pay out twice if both spouses die.  It is generally more expensive than the first two options.

Term Life Cover Insurance

Term life cover offers cover for the specific time period stated in the policy.  When the term of the policy has elapsed you are no longer covered by this policy.

Convertible Term Life Cover

Your policy can be extended or altered without providing new medical information with this type of cover.

Whole of Life Cover

Whole of life cover means that you are covered as long as you are alive while you are paying premiums and is guaranteed to pay out on your death.  This type of life insurance is sometimes referred to as life assurance.

Compare life insurance quotes from every insurer.

Take our 90-second online assessment and get the best life insurance quotes on the market. Our vetted life insurance partners are regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland and will outline the various options available to you.

How to Compare Life Insurance

Life insurance is highly individualised and complex with many factors affecting the premium you pay as well as the protection and benefits that are right for you. 

The amount that is to be paid out will affect the price of cover as well as the lives covered on the policy, be it single life cover, joint or dual life cover.

It is best to tailor your cover to your unique circumstances.  Factors you may want to consider include: 

  • Your age on taking out the policy – as you get older, life insurance becomes more expensive and your age may affect the term you need or are offered by insurance companies.
  • Your health – any health issues you may have or previous illnesses.
  • Your monthly income – how much can you afford to pay each month ?
  • Your family circumstances – is your spouse a stay at home parent or do they also have a monthly income ? What are the ages of your children and how long until they will be financially independent ? These factors will affect whether you take out a single, joint or dual cover life insurance policy and also the term of your policy.
  • Levels of debt – What is the outstanding balance of your mortgage ? Do you have other personal debts ?
  • Levels of cover – how much would you like your policy to pay out ?
  • Whether you want level term cover or reducing term cover.
  • Whether or not you want your policy to be protected from inflation.
  • Any additional cover you may require eg. serious illness cover, accidental death cover, income protection.
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When you have considered all of these factors you can compare life insurance policies on a like for like basis as you can compare policies based on their levels of cover and features as well as just on monthly price.

How often should I shop around for life insurance?

It is worthwhile to get quotes for life insurance and compare them to your current insurer.  However, it is important that you do not compare policies solely on price as the features of the various policies can vary.  

Make sure you are comparing like for like and that you are not losing levels of protection that you currently have, eg. levels of cover, additional benefits etc.  

Policies are generally more expensive as you get older. It is also worth considering whether you have had any illnesses and your current health or new medical conditions as these may affect the price of your new cover.

Tailored Life Insurance Quotes

We are Ireland’s first impartial insurance comparison website.

  • Our mission is to help consumers find the best insurance deals in Ireland

  • All research is examined through an independent market research body

  • Our central bank regulated insurance partners will provide you with free life insurance quotes from every provider so you always get the best deal

We compare the life insurance market so you don’t have to.

Life insurance products are complex and there are many factors in choosing and comparing life insurance as well as price.

Compare Life Insurance to get the best possible deal for you.

Let us do the legwork and offer you a range of policies that are right for you.

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Compare life insurance quotes from every insurer.

Take our 90-second online assessment and get the best life insurance quotes on the market. Our vetted life insurance partners are regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland and will outline the various options available to you.