A recent survey by The Pet Insurance Guide shows startling differences in the cost of insuring different dog breeds with the average cost of insuring some breeds three times as much as other breeds. With many pet owners now paying several hundred pounds a year to insure a single dog, anybody thinking of getting a dog would be well advised to check out pet insurance costs before they do so!
The survey, conducted in September 2015, investigated the costs of insuring the most popular 50 pedigree dog breeds and mixed breeds of various sizes. Quotes were obtained from 16 leading pet insurance companies.
Key Findings
The cheapest dog breed to insure is the popular Jack Russell Terrier, and the most expensive the Dogue de Bordeaux.
Some pet insurance companies operate a reasonably flat pricing structure with only a few pounds price difference between monthly premiums for each breed. Other pet insurance companies though can charge three or four or even five times as much for some breeds as others.
Pet insurance companies often have very different opinions of the potential health risks posed by each breeds. For example Petplan quoted very similar premiums for a Border Collie and Jack Russell Terrier, The Kennel Club wanted twice as much for Border Collie than for a Jack Russell Terrier.
The least expensive 10 dogs to insure were
- Jack Russell Terrier (least expensive)
- Border Terrier
- Lhasa Apso
- Yorkshire Terrier
- Chihuahua
- Cairn Terrier
- Toy Poodle
- Shih Tzu
- Border Collie
- Pomeranian
The most expensive 10 dogs to insure were
- Dogue de Bordeaux (most expensive)
- Great Dane
- Newfoundland
- Rottweiler
- Shar Pei
- Bulldog
- Boxer
- Bull Terrier
- French Bulldog
- Rhodesian Ridgeback
The relative average costs of insuring the ten most popular breeds (in order of popularity) is shown below with the Border Terrier being the least expensive and the English Bulldog being the most expensive.
Although the results of the survey found that it is generally true that crossbreed dogs are cheaper to insure than pedigree dogs, it is not always the case.
For example the average cost of insuring a Jack Russell Terrier was less than that for a small mixed breed dog, and a large mixed breed dog was roughly the same as for the nation’s most popular breed of dog – the Labrador Retriever.
“The survey results show that pet insurance companies also have different views of the risk posed by each breed of dog and adjust their premiums accordingly.
“ This may mean that if pet owners do not take the time to research this complex market thoroughly before making their choice, they may not only find themselves without the vital cover they really need, but may also potentially be paying hundreds of pounds more each year than they need to”
For further details, including survey results for each of the most popular breeds, please see The Pet Insurance Guide website at www.pet-insurance-guide.co.uk/blog/pet-insurance-dog-breeds-premium-survey/.