How much does Bupa health insurance cost? 2025 Pricing guide

Disclaimer

Health insurance is a complicated financial product with many options and variables; therefore, the price of your Bupa health insurance will differ from what we share here. The costs of Bupa Health Insurance included in this article are only meant as examples.

Why you should always compare health insurance providers

While Bupa is undoubtedly one of the best health insurers in the UK, it’s one of many, and there's a high probability that another provider may be a better fit for you. Comparing health insurance is quick and easy and it’s a surefire way to ensure you get the best policy and price for your circumstances.

The British United Provident Association Limited, which trades as "Bupa," is an international health insurance and healthcare group that began in the UK. Today, it has a presence in numerous countries and provides services to some 60 million customers worldwide.

Bupa is arguably the best-known health insurance provider in the UK and, perhaps unsurprisingly, has one of the biggest customer bases, at around 2.3 million people. The company is limited by a guarantee, meaning it doesn't have shareholders and can reinvest profits.

Bupa offers two core policy types: "Treatment and Care", their entry-level option, and "Comprehensive", which gives you access to a broader care range. The independent rating agency Defaqto scored Treatment and Care three stars in 2025, and Comprehensive their maximum rating of five stars. At the time of writing, Bupa boasts an impressive Trustpilot rating of 4.5 from 38,731 reviews, as of 1st December 2025.

Please read our recent review to learn more about Bupa's private health insurance coverage.

Key benefits of Bupa health insurance

Here's where we believe that Bupa stands out in comparison to other leading insurers:

• Mental health cover as standard - if you have out-patient cover, mental health is included as standard, although it will come from your out-patient limit if you have one.
• Bupa Direct Access - you can speak with Bupa directly about cancer, mental health, muscles, bones, and joints without seeing a GP.
• Guided consultants with a hospital list - with Bupa, you choose your hospital list and can then opt for Guided Consultants to bring your premiums down.
• Fair with how claims affect your NCD - in early 2024, Bupa updated its terms on how claims affect your no-claims discount, making them now one of the fairest in the market.
• No upper age limits for new members - unlike other insurers, Bupa doesn't restrict the age you can join them, making them a viable option for those over 70 and 80.

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What affects Bupa's private health insurance cost?

There are many factors that will affect the cost of private health insurance, whether with Bupa or another insurer. You'll have control over many of them, such as the level of cover you opt for and the excess you set on the policy, but you won't over others, such as where you live or your age.

Here are just some of the factors that will affect the ultimate cost of your Bupa insurance:

• Your age - health insurance costs more as we age and considerably more as we enter retirement and later life.
• Where you live - if you live in a major city, the cost of private medical treatments is likely to be higher, and therefore, you can expect to pay more for your health insurance. London is usually the most expensive; however, we've also seen high premiums in Manchester and other major cities.
• Cover level - what you want your policy to cover is the most significant factor you have control over. Go for a basic policy, and you'll pay less. Opt for a comprehensive policy with many additional options, and you'll pay more.
• Your excess - the higher your excess, the lower your premiums will be. However, please ensure that it remains affordable, as the last thing you want is a big bill you can't afford when you're unwell.
• Consultant access - the leading insurers, Bupa included, typically give you two choices regarding medical consultant access. You can opt for their "Guided Care", which limits you to a pre-approved list they have favourable terms with, or you can choose unrestricted consultant access. Based on our research of all leading providers, opting for restricted consultant access will typically reduce the cost of your health insurance policy by 20%.
• Hospital list - some private hospitals charge more than others, especially those in central London, often operated by HCA. If you want to include high-end hospitals, you can expect your premiums to increase.
• No-claims discount - Bupa offers a no-claims discount (NCD) that starts at 65% (level 12) for new health insurance policies and moves up or down depending on your claims. In 2024, they updated their terms in this respect and are now one of the fairest in the market in relation to how claims affect your NCD.
• Dental cover - If you want to cover the cost of routine dental appointments, such as checkups and trips to the hygienist, you can take out the optional Dental Cover.
• Mental health cover - uniquely to Bupa, they include Mental Health Cover in their base policies up to certain limits. Therefore, there's no additional cost to protect your mental health unless you want to extend those limits.
• The cost of private medical treatment - inflation affects all products and services in the UK, and the cost of private medical treatment is no different. Prices tend to rise and contribute to the increasing cost of private health insurance cover year on year.
• Your medical history - depending on how fit and well you are, you can benefit from a 10% discount from Bupa when joining, albeit terms apply.
• Your smoker status - we all know that smoking is bad for us, and insurers know it, too. You'll likely pay more for private health insurance if you're a smoker or use nicotine replacement products.

As we mentioned at the start of this section, these are just some factors that will affect the cost of your Bupa private medical insurance. There's more, which we don't want to get into now, but suffice to say, getting advice from an independent broker before buying is vital.

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What discounts does Bupa offer?

Bupa offers several private health insurance discounts for people looking to join them, which we've detailed below:

5% discount for couples

If two of you apply for a policy together, you'll save 5% compared to getting two individual health insurance policies.

10% discount for families

Families with at least one adult and one child on their health insurance benefit from a 10% discount compared to buying individual policies for each family member.

10% discount if you're healthy

If everyone on the private policy has a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 and has not been treated or pre-treated for diabetes in the past two years, you'll get a 10% discount. You can use this tool on the NHS website to calculate your BMI.

15% discount for dentists and doctors

Bupa offers a 15% health insurance discount to dentists, doctors, and their dependents, as long as the medical professional is the primary policyholder.

These discounts usually apply to both Bupa's Treatment and Care Health Insurance and Comprehensive plans.

While this post focuses on Bupa, it illustrates how complicated health insurance can be. If you multiply the above by 7-8 of the top providers, each with subtle differences, it's a minefield. The only way to ensure you get the best price and private health insurance policy is to get a comparison quote and speak to a health insurance broker.

Health insurance brokers compare policies daily and are in the perfect position to find the best private medical insurance provider for you. Health insurance brokers work for you, the customer, not the insurers, yet the service is free. Yes, they earn a commission if you buy a policy, but under their obligations with the Financial Conduct Authority, they have to work in your interests, not theirs.

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Cost of Bupa health insurance in 2025

Here are our findings based on hundreds of quotes from Bupa obtained in 2025. We examined how much they charge for their entry-level Treatment and Care health insurance and their Comprehensive cover, looking at six age groups in 23 major towns and cities across the UK.

Bupa policy configuration

To find meaningful averages, we needed to select policy terms that we believe are typical for people looking at health insurance. We must reiterate that these terms and, therefore, the prices are just examples. You could opt for more cover options and pay a higher premium, or vice versa.

Here is how our two example plans were configured:

• Health insurance pricing is based on an individual applying as a new Bupa customer
• Prices are based on quotes from 23 major towns and cities across the UK
• We set the excess of the policy to £250
• The individual was a non-smoker
• Both policies were to be written using Bupa's Guided Care
• The Comprehensive policy included £1,000 of out-patient cover and cover for therapies
• The pricing is based on an average of Guided Care and Unrestricted Consultant access
• We didn't opt for routine dental cover
• We opted for Bupa's standard hospital list
• The policy was underwritten on a Moratorium basis

Overall, the average cost of Bupa health insurance is £69.09 per month. This average is based on all Bupa plans and ages. For Bupa Treatment and Care the average cost is £57.78 per month, while for Bupa Comprehensive the average monthly cost is £80.39.

Our in-depth pricing research is based on hundreds of health insurance quotes from Bupa for fictional people of varying ages living across the UK. Your age plays a significant role in the cost of your Bupa health insurance; therefore, understanding the prices as you get older is vital.

The table below reveals the average cost of Bupa health insurance in 2025, broken down by policy type and age group:

As you can see, Bupa health insurance is fairly affordable, especially if you're young. However, please bear in mind that these prices are for a new policy, which comes with a substantial no-claims discount.

If you have a policy for several years and make multiple claims, your renewal health insurance premiums will likely be far higher than what we show here. Our recommendation - keep in touch with your broker and review your policy every year or two.

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How much does where you live affect the price of Bupa health insurance?

Most health insurance providers, including Bupa, charge different private health insurance prices based on where you live in the UK. The primary reason is that private medical treatment costs vary significantly around the country, but other factors, such as claim rates, also play a part.

In this section of our guide to Bupa costs, we'll share how prices varied across the towns and cities we sampled. To keep things simple, we'll look at the overall average of all age groups purely for a comprehensive policy. As a reminder, the national average for a policy, including out-patient cover and therapies, was £80.39 per month.

As our stats show, London (Chiswick) and Nottingham have the highest monthly Bupa premiums, followed by Birmingham. At the other end of the scale, Newcastle upon Tyne, Glasgow and Edinburgh are significantly below the national average. Sunderland also fares well, and surprisingly, prices in Manchester are around the national average.

How much is Bupa family and couple cover?

You can add your partner, children, or both to your Bupa health insurance but this will increase the cost of your policy. However, you should note that couples and families benefit from a discount when applying together, in comparison to applying individually.

Couples and family health insurance policy configuration:

• We set the health insurance policy excess to £250 per policy year
• The policy used Moratorium underwriting
• We opted for their Guided Care (restricting consultant access)
• We included £1,000 of out-patient cover
• We defaulted to their standard hospital list
• Any children on the policy were ten years old
• We didn't opt for dental cover
• All applicants we non-smokers
• Where more than one adult was on the policy, they were the same age

As you can see, this methodology is far from perfect, and it's improbable that you and your partner are identical in age and have kids the same age, too! To reiterate, please take the following with a large pinch of salt and compare health insurance costs and providers before you buy a policy.

Watch: How does family health insurance in the UK work?

Here's a short video explaining how family private health insurance works, what it covers, the benefits and more.

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The average cost of Bupa health insurance for a couple is £131.27 per month or £1,575.24 per year. Looking at the two different types of products offered by Bupa, the average cost of Bupa Treatment and Care for a couple is £109.79 per month, while the average monthly cost of Bupa Comprehensive is £152.75.

The table below shows the price of Bupa private medical insurance for couples of different ages for its Treatment and Care and Comprehensive policies. Please note that couples save 5% compared to two individuals taking out a health insurance policy.

The average cost of Bupa health insurance for a family in 2025 is £152.90 per month, based on our latest pricing research. However, the actual amount you pay will depend on the product and level of cover you choose. The average monthly cost of Bupa Treatment and Care for a family is £127.50 compared with £178.31 for Bupa Comprehensive. Bupa’s pricing structure means that all families with children under the age of 20 pay the same premium at the start, regardless of the number of children included in the plan.

Bupa discounts for families

Bupa offers a couple of discounts for families to help reduce the cost of private health insurance. These are:

1. Families save 10% compared to taking out individual policies.
2. Only pay for your first child under 20 years old.

In the rest of this section, we outline in more detail what you can roughly expect to pay for a Bupa private health insurance policy for your family, looking at both their Treatment and Care entry-level policy and their Comprehensive plan. 

How much does Bupa health insurance cost for a family of three?

On average, a family of three will pay £152.90 per month for Bupa health insurance, according to our research. Bupa’s Treatment and Care policy costs around £127.50 per month, while the Comprehensive policy averages £178.31 per month.

The cost of Bupa health insurance for a family of three is largely based on the age of the adults on the policy. The cost of adding a child is relatively nominal, especially once you factor in the 10% family discount.

How much does Bupa health insurance cost for a family of four?

As Bupa only charges for your eldest child, depending on your children's ages, it's likely the price of Bupa for a family of four will be the same as that for a family of three. This means that the average cost of Bupa health insurance for a family of four is £152.90 per month. Of course, many other factors will affect the cost of your policy, so in practice, what you pay will be different, but having more children under the age of 20 won’t increase the cost of your Bupa policy.

How much does Bupa health insurance cost for a family of five?

The average monthly cost of Bupa health insurance for a family of five is £152.90. Bupa only charges you for your eldest child, so whether you have three or six children under 20, you will pay the same amount. Of course, the more people you add to a policy, the higher the probability of claims being made, which could affect your renewal premiums in the future.

We hope you found this research and article useful. If you would like a quote for Bupa and the other leading private medical insurance market insurers, please request a comparison quote here.