Vaping, smoking and life insurance
It’s no surprise that insurance providers view smokers as high risk. But does vaping count as tobacco use for insurance?
Our clear guide will explain the difference between smoking and vaping when it comes to life insurance, and how it affects the cost of your cover.
It’s no surprise that insurance providers view smokers as high risk. But does vaping count as tobacco use for insurance?
Our clear guide will explain the difference between smoking and vaping when it comes to life insurance, and how it affects the cost of your cover.
Does vaping count as tobacco use for insurance?
While it’s well known that smoking and life insurance are related, many insurance providers also consider vaping as tobacco use. This means you could invalidate your life insurance if you tick the ‘non-smoker’ box on your policy and it turns out you’ve been using e-cigarettes.
Nicotine vaping is not risk-free, but it’s substantially less harmful than smoking, according to the NHS.
In 2022, UK experts reviewed the international evidence and found that ‘in the short and medium-term, vaping poses a small fraction of the risks of smoking’.
But one report published by the World Health Organisation suggests e-cigarettes can contribute to an increased risk of long-term ailments, including cancer, and heart and lung disease, compared with non-smokers.
In the eyes of an insurance provider (and healthcare bodies), nicotine is nicotine. It doesn’t matter where it comes from. It’s still bad for you and the effect on your insurance premiums will be the same.
That said, not all insurance providers treat vaping – including nicotine-free vaping – the same way, so it’s worth checking before you apply for life insurance.
How often do I need to smoke to be classified as a smoker?
For insurance purposes, if you’ve used any products that contain nicotine in the past year, you’ll be classed as a smoker.
These include:
- Cigarettes
- Cigars
- Pipes
- Hookahs
- Chewing tobacco
- E-cigarettes
- Nicotine patches
- Nicotine gum.
It doesn’t matter whether you smoke a packet a day or have the occasional puff on a cigar. You’re still a smoker as far as an insurance provider is concerned.
Did you know?Around 6.4 million adults in the UK say they smoke, and 4.5 million say they vape, according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics. Although this figure has dropped significantly over the past decade, smoking is still a leading cause of preventable death in this country. It contributed to more than 74,600 deaths in 2019 in England, according to NHS figures. It’s easy to see why life insurance providers consider those who smoke as being a higher risk when they’re working out a premium. |
What if I don’t tell an insurance provider that I smoke or vape?
This really isn’t a good idea, even if you only smoke now and then. Failing to inform your insurance provider that you smoke or vape is classed as ‘material misrepresentation’.
Anyone can make an honest mistake, but the law states that if you deliberately or carelessly withhold information or mislead your insurance provider, then your policy may be invalid.
This means that if you were to die and it was found out that you were a smoker, there’s a real risk your beneficiaries would be turned down for a claim.
How does smoking affect my life insurance premium?
Statistically, smokers are at risk of suffering from preventable ill health or dying at a younger age. According to NHS England, there were 408,700 hospital admissions due to smoking in 2022-2023. That’s a 4.8% increase on 2021-2022.
That means life insurance providers are more likely to have to pay out on a claim if you’re a smoker, which is why you’re charged a higher premium.
When working out how much to charge you for life insurance, providers will look at:
- What you smoke (for example: cigarettes, a pipe or e-cigarettes)
- How many years you’ve smoked
- Your overall lifestyle and physical fitness
- If your health has already been affected by smoking.
Each provider will have its own criteria for assessing you but, in some cases, the amount you smoke will affect the cost of your premium. For example, an occasional social vaper might not pay as much as a chain smoker.
If you quit smoking, when are you considered a non-smoker?
Typically, you’ll need to have been off all nicotine products for at least 12 months.
The amount of time and how you’re classified varies among insurance providers. For example, if you gave up 12 months ago you may be considered a previous smoker. If you haven’t smoked for 1-5 years, you may be considered for better rates than a smoker. After five years you may be considered a non-smoker.
But these time periods and labels vary among providers. For some providers it may be ten years plus to be considered a non-smoker.
As well as making you healthier, quitting smoking can reduce the cost of life insurance premiums. With many insurance providers, you won’t be able to amend your policy if you stop smoking and it may be better to take out a new policy. Check your policy details or ask your provider if it makes a difference.
Before offering you a cheaper premium, your provider might want to see evidence that you’ve quit the habit for good and are 100% nicotine-free. This may involve:
- A doctor’s report
- A chest X-ray
- A saliva or urine sample.
Getting help to stop smokingIf you want to quit smoking or vaping, there’s lots of help and support available from the NHS and you can get a personal quit plan. |
Where can I get a life insurance quote as a smoker?
You can start by comparing life insurance quotes with Compare the Market. We’ll ask you a few questions about your health and lifestyle, including your smoking or vaping habits.
Once we have your details, we can send you quotes based on your needs.
Frequently asked questions
Should I tell my insurance provider I have switched to e-cigarettes?
Yes, it’s worth letting them know you’ve switched to e-cigarettes, especially if you’re using a vape liquid that doesn’t contain nicotine.
Whether it will make a difference to the eventual cost of your premiums depends on the insurance provider. Some class all types of vaping as smoking, while others may have different rules regarding nicotine-free e-cigs.
It’s important to check your policy to find out if this could affect your premium.
Why don’t insurance providers reward vaping if it helps me quit smoking?
Insurance providers don’t reward vaping because the long-term effects aren’t yet known.
You might find providers who take a more lenient view, but most will class it in the same bracket as smoking.
As more research is carried out, the consensus on vaping might change in the future.
How will my life insurance provider know if I’m a smoker?
When you apply for life insurance cover, your life insurance provider will ask if you’re a smoker or have ever smoked.
As part of your application, you might also need to take a medical exam, which will test for a variety of things including nicotine in your system.
Your insurance provider may also ask your GP for your medical records (with your consent), which may identify you as a smoker.
It’s always best to be honest about your smoking habits as a claim could be rejected if you’re not.
What type of life insurance should I get if I smoke?
There’s no particular type of life cover that’s best for smokers. What’s right for you will depend on your personal circumstances. Options include:
- Level term insurance: cover stays the same throughout the policy length.
- Decreasing term insurance: cover decreases as your debts, particularly your mortgage, are assumed to decrease.
- Over 50s cover: typically, policies guarantee acceptance for life insurance without a medical.
It might be worth adding critical illness cover to your policy, for an extra cost. This can pay out if you’re diagnosed with a serious condition or illness that’s listed in your policy, such as some types of cancer, a stroke or a heart attack.
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