Pet Insurance Awards 2019

With wins in all three Exceptional Value categories, Pet Insurance Australia has been awarded our Pet Insurer of the Year for 2019. Their 3 levels of cover - Accidental Injury, Accidental Injury and Illness and Major Medical Cover - pay a generous 80% of vet bills, and they offer flexibility in the choice of excess, which can reduce your premiums if you’re happy to make a co-payment when it’s claim time.

Accident insurance covers your pet’s medical care after situations such as a motor vehicle accident, burns, electrocution and snake bites. To find the plans that offer the best value we compared quotes for cats and dogs of different ages, and for dogs,  a variety of breeds. As policies can provide varying levels of benefit if you need to make a claim, we assessed how much potential benefit could be delivered for each dollar spent on premiums.

Two policies stood out for being competitively priced across a range of different quotes.

If you're a pet owner that not only wants cover for accidents, there are policies that also include cover for illness. A wide range of illnesses are typically covered, from simple problems such as an eye infection or skin condition, to more serious and ongoing issues like diabetes or cancer, where costs can really add up. Pre-existing conditions are usually excluded, and be sure to check the fine print for waiting periods and specified illnesses, particularly if you have a breed that is known to be prone to certain conditions.

In our assessment, one product stood out for its competitive pricing without sacrificing the cover on offer.

This is the top-notch option for pet insurance, bundling cover not only for accident and illness, but also helping to cover the costs of routine care. Routine care provides some cover for procedures such as teeth cleaning, regular vaccinations and desexing. Of course, there are the usual cover limits, exclusions and waiting periods to be aware of, but if you want to get a whole lot of cover for the least dollars, these are the insurers to start with.

Our assessment methodology identified two comprehensive products we think are worthy of being on anyone’s shortlist.

For people looking for all-singing and all-dancing insurance for their fur baby, we compared the benefits on each Accident & Illness policy and here are the winners. We assessed the range of benefit limits offered and awarded scores for the level of cover ranging from high cost items like dental,  CT and MRI scans to less costly ones like routine care and physiotherapy. Of the Exceptional Quality winners, Petcover and Petplan have a mandatory excess, while the other three winners pay a fixed benefit percentage, but have the choice of excess.

What’s the Judging Criteria for the awards?

Running since 2014, the Mozo Experts Choice Awards recognise products that deliver exceptional value or benefits to consumers.

See our methodology report for more detailed information on how we performed the price comparisons and determined the final winners list for the pet insurance awards.
 

Did you compare all pet insurance policies in the market for these awards?

We collected pricing and cover information for 28 different pet insurance providers. The information collection was conducted in July and August 2019. To be considered for inclusion in these awards, all information considered must be readily available on the insurer’s website and the policy available to the general public without being a previously established member or customer. Products are considered and awards are made irrespective of a product provider’s commercial relationship with Mozo. We aim to include most providers in the market in the Mozo Experts Choice Awards. However, not every product in the market will be included in our review.
 

How do I find the cheapest pet insurance policy for my pet?

You’ll want to check out the winners in the Exceptional Value categories. Our experts crunched the data on a range of pet scenarios and these were the insurers and policies that came out the cheapest when compared to similar products.

It’s important to understand that several factors go into determining the cost of pet insurance, such as your pet’s age and breed. So, you’ll still need to do some comparing of features and options to find a policy that is right for you and then get quotes, so that you can compare the price.
 

What product features or benefits did you consider for the Exceptional Quality Awards?

Our assessment of Quality is based on how well the product scores on a large range of different factors including the nature and extent of the insurance cover, and the inclusion of added benefits. Overall results are weighted towards benefit percentage, annual benefit limit, coverage. The full list of factors considered is included in our methodology report. We relied on product information in each insurer’s product disclosure statements, and on their websites, to assess cover and benefits. 
 

Who are Mozo’s experts?

The Mozo Experts Choice Awards analysis is overseen by AJ Duncanson, Mozo’s Data Services Director. AJ is a data scientist and actuary, and has worked in financial services and product comparison for almost three decades. Together with our Product Data Manager, Peter Marshall, the team has over 50 years of financial services experience.
 

I work for an insurer, how do we promote our win?

Please get in touch with us to discuss by emailing or phoning our account management team on 02 9037 4368.