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How Much Does it Cost to Insure the Top Ten Most Popular Dog Breeds in Wales?
The French Bulldog has yet again topped the charts as Most Popular Dog Breed in Wales. Unfortunately, French Bulldogs are also the most expensive of the top ten to insure, with Lifetime cover expected to cost a pet owner a whopping £12,800 over their dog's lifetime, 3X the cost of some other popular breeds.
Pet owners take great care when choosing a dog, considering factors like size, temperament and cuteness, but we often don't take into account the cost of expected health care for a given breed. As some breeds are prone to certain health conditions, keeping these dogs healthy represents a major financial commitment. To help you get a handle on the financial cost of providing vet insurance for different types of dogs, we've analysed pet insurance rates in Wales for the top ten dog breeds in the region.
- Which Popular Breeds in Wales are Cheapest to Insure?
- How Much Will You Spend on Pet Insurance over the Life of Your Pet in Wales?
- How Much is Pet Insurance for the Most Popular Dog Breeds in Wales?
- Methodology
Popular Dogs that are Cheapest to Insure in Wales
Of the ten most popular dog breeds in Wales, the Cocker Spaniel, Labrador Retriever and English Springer Spaniel were the cheapest to insure, costing around £331, £430 and £435 for a year's worth of Lifetime pet insurance respectively. These numbers reflect average premiums over a pet's expected 12-year lifespan—pet owners would typically pay less per year for a young, healthy pet and pay higher premiums in the later stages of life, when vet health bills tend to be greater. The Pug, Bulldog and French Bulldog were the most expensive to insure, with French Bulldogs costing their owners a massive £1,000 per year on average for Lifetime cover.
Average Annual Cost of Lifetime Vet Insurance for Popular Dogs in Wales
Ranked from Cheapest to Most Expensive Breed
| Rank (1 = Cheapest) | Dog Breed | Average Annual Premium |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cocker Spaniel | £331 |
| 3 | Labrador Retriever | £430 |
| 2 | English Springer Spaniel | £435 |
| 5 | Golden Retriever | £531 |
| 4 | Miniature Smooth-Haired Dachshund | £648 |
| 7 | German Shepherd Dog | £664 |
| 6 | Staffordshire Bull Terrier | £693 |
| 8 | Pug | £760 |
| 9 | Bulldog | £995 |
| 10 | French Bulldog | £1,067 |
| Top Ten | £656 | |
| Mixed Breed | £332 | |
The cost of Lifetime pet insurance for a French Bulldog is a whopping 3X the cost of cover for a Cocker Spaniel. It's worth noting that insuring a Cocker Spaniel costs about the same as a mixed breed dog.
Cost of Pet Insurance Over a 12-Year Lifetime in Wales
The cost to insure breeds with known health issues is even more significant when you consider the expense over your pet's entire lifespan. We've calculated expected insurance costs for each year of a dog's life, and summed up these costs to arrive at the total amount you'll spend on insurance in Wales for each of the top ten breeds. For each breed, we assumed a 12-year lifetime. Time Limited plans are generally the cheapest, followed by Maximum Benefit and finally Lifetime, which is the most comprehensive type of pet insurance due to vet limits that renew each year. Results are ranked from most to least popular dog breed in Wales.
Cost to Insure the Top Ten Most Popular Dog Breeds in Wales
Ranked According to Popularity
| Popularity Rank in Wales | Dog Breed | Insurance Type | Average Annual Insurance Cost in Wales | Average Cost of Insurance over 12 Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French Bulldog | Time Limited | £470 | £5,391 |
| Maximum Benefit | £498 | £5,940 | ||
| Lifetime | £1,126 | £12,804 | ||
| 2 | Retriever (Labrador) | Time Limited | £242 | £2,778 |
| Maximum Benefit | £246 | £2,925 | ||
| Lifetime | £450 | £5,161 | ||
| 3 | Spaniel (Cocker) | Time Limited | £203 | £2,338 |
| Maximum Benefit | £212 | £2,501 | ||
| Lifetime | £344 | £3,978 | ||
| 4 | Bulldog | Time Limited | £460 | £5,266 |
| Maximum Benefit | £549 | £6,531 | ||
| Lifetime | £1,074 | £11,938 | ||
| 5 | Spaniel (English Springer) | Time Limited | £257 | £2,949 |
| Maximum Benefit | £252 | £2,968 | ||
| Lifetime | £459 | £5,224 | ||
| 6 | Dachshund (Miniature Smooth Haired) | Time Limited | £257 | £2,932 |
| Maximum Benefit | £220 | £2,675 | ||
| Lifetime | £677 | £7,781 | ||
| 7 | Pug | Time Limited | £290 | £3,331 |
| Maximum Benefit | £403 | £4,912 | ||
| Lifetime | £789 | £9,115 | ||
| 8 | Staffordshire Bull Terrier | Time Limited | £267 | £3,063 |
| Maximum Benefit | £314 | £3,864 | ||
| Lifetime | £729 | £8,435 | ||
| 9 | Retriever (Golden) | Time Limited | £261 | £2,998 |
| Maximum Benefit | £305 | £3,697 | ||
| Lifetime | £707 | £8,174 | ||
| 10 | German Shepherd Dog | Time Limited | £282 | £3,239 |
| Maximum Benefit | £429 | £5,123 | ||
| Lifetime | £757 | £8,761 |
How Pet Insurance Costs in Wales Increase with Dog's Age, Ranked by Popularity
According to the most recently-available data from the Kennel Club, the French Bulldog, Labrador Retriever and Cocker Spaniel were the three most popular dog breeds in Wales in 2017. To help you understand how the annual cost of owning these popular dogs and the rest of the top ten changes over time, we've researched the cost of cheap pet insurance for different ages. Below is a table showing average costs for these three types of pet insurance for a healthy dog at 3 years, 7 years and 11 years old, ranked according to the popularity of each dog breed in Wales.
Annual Cost of Pet Insurance in Wales for Most Popular Breeds
Ranked According to Popularity
| Rank (1 = Most Popular) | 3 Years Old | 7 Years Old | 11 Years Old | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time Limited | Maximum Benefit | Lifetime | Time Limited | Maximum Benefit | Lifetime | Time Limited | Maximum Benefit | Lifetime | ||
| 1 | French Bulldog | £308 | £374 | £643 | £491 | £680 | £1,186 | £491 | £680 | £1,186 |
| 2 | Labrador Retriever | £161 | £194 | £272 | £243 | £304 | £477 | £243 | £304 | £477 |
| 3 | Cocker Spaniel | £137 | £157 | £215 | £202 | £243 | £364 | £202 | £243 | £364 |
| 4 | Bulldog | £316 | £389 | £583 | £449 | £774 | £992 | £449 | £774 | £992 |
| 5 | English Springer Spaniel | £170 | £185 | £268 | £259 | £292 | £471 | £259 | £292 | £471 |
| 6 | Miniature Smoot-Haired Dachshund | £167 | £168 | £473 | £255 | £266 | £661 | £255 | £266 | £661 |
| 7 | Pug | £193 | £292 | £550 | £302 | £496 | £795 | £302 | £496 | £795 |
| 8 | Staffordshire Bull Terrier | £79 | £80 | £176 | £259 | £439 | £864 | £259 | £439 | £864 |
| 9 | Golden Retriever | £178 | £259 | £226 | £262 | £422 | £842 | £262 | £422 | £842 |
| 10 | German Shepherd Dog | £189 | £359 | £256 | £274 | £531 | £893 | £274 | £531 | £893 |
| Mixed Breed | £133 | £136 | £207 | £190 | £216 | £354 | £190 | £216 | £354 | |
As you can see, the cost of pet insurance rises with your pet's age, because older pets tend to suffer from more age-related illnesses.
Final Thoughts
If you're considering buying a French Bulldog, be aware of the financial costs associated with this popular breed. Pet owners who own a French Bulldog either need to be prepared to pay upwards of £12,000 for Lifetime vet health insurance over the course of their pet's life, or opt for a less robust type of pet insurance in order to save money. Choosing a Time Limited or Max Benefit plan can save a pet owner around £600 per year or over £6,000 over their French Bulldog's life, but these types of insurance may not be sufficient to cover future vet bills. Time Limited plans only treat an illness/injury for 12 months, and Max Benefit plans only reimburse up to a certain amount for each illness/injury. Lifetime plans, on the other hand, renew the limits each year, which is useful for ongoing medical conditions. While there's no denying the cute factor with a French Bulldog, the financial repercussions of owning this popular breed are nothing to sneeze at.
Methodology
In order to understand the potential insurance costs faced by pet owners in Wales, we first gathered the most recently-available data from the Kennel Club to discover the most popular dog breeds in the area. We then collected hundreds of sample quotes for cheap pet insurance for each of these 10 breeds across all age groups, for a sample Welsh household. Here are the pet insurance companies from which we gathered quotes:
- 4Paws Pet Insurance
- Debenhams
- EandL
- Everypaw
- Healthy Pets
- John Lewis
- Lifetime Pet Cover
- Marks and Spencer
- Paws and Claws
- Pet Pals
- Pet Protect
- Pet-Insurance
- Post Office
- Puffin
- Scratch and Patch
- SunLife
- The Insurance Emporium
- UIS Pet