How much does family health insurance cost in the UK in 2026?

Why you can trust myTribe Insurance Experts

• Over 11,500 health insurance quotes collected and analysed by our experts
• Family health insurance prices for basic and comprehensive policies assessed
• 7 leading family health insurance providers' prices compared
• Independent and impartial – we don't have commercial relationships with insurers

Our private health insurance content, including pricing guides, is created by writers and editors who specialise in private healthcare. All articles are written and reviewed by qualified insurance experts to ensure accuracy and clarity.

Family health insurance premiums are affected by many factors, some you can control, others you can’t. All of the following will play a role in the overall cost of your family’s plan:

• The number of people on the policy
• The age of each family member
• Where you live in the UK
• Whether the parents smoke
• The current cost of private medical treatments
• The hospital list you select 
• The excess on the policy
• How the policy is underwritten (moratorium or full medical underwriting)
• The level of cover chosen (inpatient, some outpatient, full outpatient)
• Any optional extras (physiotherapy, dental cover, travel cover)

How we worked out the cost of family health insurance

In March 2026, as part of our broader research into the average cost of private health insurance we obtained quotes from seven leading UK health insurers and held all variables the same, except the family size and parental age so that the prices compared are like-for-like. 

To keep the comparison fair, we used a single Oxford postcode, a £250 excess, and a consistent cover level for each quote. Comprehensive policies included a minimum of £1,000 in outpatient cover per person; basic policies included none. No add-ons, such as dental or optical cover, were included on any quote. 

Every quote was based on moratorium underwriting. That means past medical history is not disclosed upfront and pre-existing conditions you've had symptoms, treatment, or advice for in the past five years are excluded at outset. An excluded condition can become covered once you've gone two symptom-free years on the policy.

The variables we held constant

• A single Oxford postcode was used for all quotes. 
• Pricing was gathered from the seven leading providers: Aviva, AXA Health, Bupa, Freedom, The Exeter, Vitality,and WPA.
• All the policies were underwritten on a moratorium basis, so applicants’ medical histories did not need to be disclosed upfront. 
• The policy excess was set at £250, or as close to that as possible.
• Comprehensive policies included £1,000 of outpatient cover per insured person.
• Basic policies did not include outpatient cover.
• No additional options, such as dental or optical cover, were included.
• All quotes were based on a guided consultants option.
• The quotes were obtained in March 2026.
• All the children on the policies were under 15.
• Pricing was based on both parents being 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70 years old respectively.

What's included in a private health insurance policy varies by insurer. Some include mental health treatment as standard; others sell it as an optional extra. The quotes here reflect the standard comprehensive and basic builds for each insurer, not bespoke configurations. 

Always get a quote yourself

Before we go any further into the figures, it's important to note that the averages we provide in this guide are based on several assumptions. Your family's situation will be unique, so the cost of your family's policy will be different.

The quickest and most accurate way to find out what it would cost for your whole family is to request a personalised comparison quote through a specialist broker.

The average cost of a private health insurance policy for a family of three is £175.26 per month. This is based on both parents being the same age with a 10-year-old child (except for the scenario where both parents are 20, which is based on a 1-year-old child).

The cost of a family health insurance policy will differ depending on the level of cover you choose. The average cost of a comprehensive health insurance policy is £211.11, while a basic policy will cost an average of £139.40. This means that a comprehensive policy costs approximately 51.4% more than a basic policy on average for a family of three.

The cost of private health cover for a family is largely based on the adults' ages. As the parent ages increase, premiums rise significantly, with the steepest increases occurring after age 50.‍

Our latest pricing research shows that the average cost of private health insurance for a family of four is £180.64 per month. The average cost of comprehensive family health insurance for a family of four is £218.21 per month , compared with £143.07 for a basic policy.

In this scenario the adults are the same age and both children are 10 years old (for a 20-year-old couple we have based the pricing on two children aged one year).

As the data shows, adding more children to a policy doesn't increase the cost of family health insurance as much as many people might expect. On average, a family of four will pay only about 3% more for health insurance than a family of three. While adding children will usually increase premiums, the rise is relatively modest, with each additional child typically adding only a small amount to monthly premiums compared with the impact of parents’ ages.

The average monthly cost of health insurance for a family of five is £186.60. This is based on both parents being the same age with children aged five years, 10 years and 12 years (where the parents are both aged 20, we have based the cost on two one-year-old children and a three-year-old). 

Looking at the different types of private health insurance cover, the average cost of a basic policy for a family of five is £147.64, compared with £225.56 for a comprehensive policy.

Overall, the cost of family health insurance for a household of five is only 3.3% higher than a family of four and just 6.5% higher than a family of three.

To identify which providers offer the most competitively priced family health, we analysed the pricing of the five insurers we rated as having the best family health insurance in 2026 based on the overall quality of their policies and family-friendly features: Aviva, AXA Health, Bupa, The Exeter and WPA.

For basic family health insurance, WPA was the cheapest provider in 13 of the 18 scenarios we analysed. Bupa offered the lowest prices in four scenarios, while The Exeter was the cheapest in one case.

There may be other insurers offering lower family health insurance premiums, but they may be less suitable for families in terms of benefits and features.

While WPA dominated the table for the cheapest basic family health insurance, the results for comprehensive cover were more evenly split between WPA and Bupa.

WPA offered the cheapest comprehensive premiums in nine of the 18 scenarios analysed, particularly among younger families and those with parents aged 50 or under. Bupa was the cheapest provider in the remaining nine scenarios, including every example involving parents aged 60 and over and for most larger families.

Several health insurers offer discounts or family-friendly pricing structures that can help reduce the cost of family health insurance plans These include:

• Bupa: Offers a 10% discount on family health insurance, and you only pay for the eldest child on the policy.
• Freedom Health Insurance: Families with up to three children only pay for the first child, with charges capped at four children.
• WPA: Offers a 10% discount on family health insurance premiums.
• The Exeter: Provides a 10% discount on family health insurance policies.

Will the cost of my family's health insurance increase each year?

In most cases, barring any provider promotions, you can expect your policy to increase in cost as you age and to factor in increases in the cost of accessing private healthcare.

With this in mind, it's always sensible to have your health insurance broker review your policy each year to make sure you're still getting the best deal. With many of the best providers having highly rated products, you can often switch without losing significant benefits.

How can I get my own quote for family health insurance?

If you want to get a comparison quote for health insurance for your family you can complete our form. An independent, FCA-approved adviser will then compare family health insurance policies on your behalf and get in touch to talk you through your options.