Rabbit insurance cost in UK for 2024 - do you need pet cover for a rabbit?

There are an estimated one million rabbits in the UK with 2% of UK adults thought to own a bunny. But how much does rabbit insurance cost and do you need pet cover for a rabbit?

Rabbit insurance cost in UK

Rabbit insurance costs in the region of £108 - £277 per year for a policy with around £2,000 of vet bill cover that renews each year (lifetime cover), according to our marketplace tests.

To arrive at these figures, we generated quotes from four rabbit insurers across five breeds (Dwarf Lop, Netherland Dwarf, Sussex, Himalayan and New Zealand White) and four ages (8 weeks, 2 years, 4 years and 6 years old).

Rabbit insurance costs largely depend on the age of the rabbit, with younger rabbits costing less to insure. For example, we found that an 8-week-old rabbit cost from about £108 to insure for a year, while a 6-year-old rabbit cost around 70% more to insure, with the cheapest policies starting from £185. Not only that, but fewer insurers are willing to insure older pets.

What's the cheapest rabbit insurance brand?

Of the insurance companies we studied, we found that helpucover and 4Paws offered the cheapest premiums to pet owners.

A few points to note about the above: helpucover.co.uk, 4Paws and Petplan policies provide £2,000 of cover for vet bills. Agria Lifetime gives £1,500 and Agria Lifetime Plus gives £2,500.

Also, Agria rabbit insurance can be made cheaper by opting for a 10% variable excess in addition to the standard fixed excess. This can drop Agria prices by around £25 - £35 per year, giving their policy the cheapest premium, but the pet owner is responsible for a larger portion of vet bills when they opt to include a variable premium.

Does rabbit insurance cost depend on the breed?

Breed may impact the cost of insurance, but not always. It largely depends on the insurance company. For example, we found no price variation across breeds for three of the insurers (Agria, 4Paws and helpyoucover), but one insurer (Petplan) charged more for a Sussex rabbit to the tune of an extra 20 - 35% per year (the extra premium changed with pet age).

Pet insurance for older pets

Petplan and helpyoucover aren't as good at new policies for older pets, as neither will insure a rabbit for the first time past its 5th birthday.

Other companies we looked into would insure rabbits with a new policy up to 7 years old.

Once your rabbit is insured with any brand, however, cover can continue beyond these upper age limits so long as the policy remains valid and you keep up the payments.

How to help your rabbit live a long life:

What does rabbit insurance cover?

The main reason to buy rabbit insurance is the help with vet fees, but some policies offer additional coverages, too. Here are some features you might find on a policy:

Does rabbit insurance cover vaccinations?

Rabbit vaccinations are important as there has been an emergence of the highly infectious, often fatal Viral Haemorrhagic Disease over the last few years. Regular vaccines for myxomatosis, a severe, usually fatal disease spread by fleas, ticks and other blood-sucking insects, is also advised by vets.

A rabbit should be vaccinated when it is a few weeks old, and then annually.

Pet insurance does not cover vaccinations and most policies won’t pay out if a rabbit becomes ill from something that could have been prevented with a vaccine.

The cost of rabbit vaccinations can range from about £50 to £125, depending on your vet and where you live in the UK.

Compare rabbit insurance

It is best to compare pet insurance cover for rabbits before taking out a policy. It's a good idea to read the different types of pet insurance available so you can think about which rabbit cover is best.

There are four different options for pet insurance generally:

However, in our experience most pet insurers only offer lifetime cover for rabbits. We broadly view this type of insurance as the 'best' type because the vet limits renew each year. And although lifetime cover is typically the most expensive of the different options, rabbit insurance is usually pretty cheap compared to insurance for other animals, so this keeps lifetime cover affordable for rabbit owners.

Our guide: Which type of pet insurance is best for me, explains the different grades of cover in more detail.

To compare quotes from a range of pet insurance providers, fill out this short form or click the button below.

How much does it cost to keep a rabbit per month in UK?

A rabbit will need just over 9kg of pellets over the course of a year, costing between about £16.50 and £50 for the year, depending on the quality. This is £1.40-£4 a month.

Bunnies also need access to hay for both food and bedding. A rabbit will eat about 1.5kg of hay a month according to some estimates and need much more for bedding (although this can be drier and cheaper than the eating variety), costing about £60 a month in total according to the RSPCA.

Greens such as grass or edible weeds are also needed for a balanced diet, but these can be clippings from the garden, or made available if your rabbit has an outdoor run on grass.

To keep costs down on bedding, old newspapers or scrap paper can be added to a rabbit's bed.

The minimum initial cost for setting up a home for two bunnies is £652 for indoor rabbits and £712 for outdoor rabbits according to the PDSA. This is excluding the cost of buying a pair of rabbits. The cost is estimated based on two rabbits as it’s recommended bunnies have companions because they are such sociable creatures and need interaction for their mental health, behaviour and welfare. The RSPCA has slightly different numbers, with one rabbit costing between £510 and £610 to set up, and a pair costing between £700 and £800 to set up.

Insurance starts from £108 for a year’s cover for an 8-week-old rabbit which works out to be £9 a month. Premiums rise the older the rabbit is, with a six-year-old rabbit costing from £185 (£15.42 a month) for the cheapest policy, but on average costing £236 (£19.67 a month).

Monthly costs are low, with the minimum monthly cost to care for a pair of rabbits estimated to be £67 for a pair of indoor rabbits and £70 for two outdoor rabbits, according to the PDSA. The RSPCA calculates costs to be £76 a month for one rabbit, either indoor or outdoor, or £112 for two rabbits. This includes food, bedding, toys, vaccinations, health checks and insurance, but doesn’t include the initial set up fees. The RSPCA’s figures are slightly higher as they account for an estimated cost for two week’s boarding if a family went away on holiday and had to pay for someone to look after the pet.

What are the biggest expenses of owning a rabbit?

The biggest expenses of owning a rabbit are its vet bills, which is why it is generally advised rabbit owners take out insurance for their bunnies. Cover starts at little more than £2 a week, but a broken leg is estimated to cost from £500 in veterinary bills, according to the RSPCA.

Rabbits are relatively cheap to keep but there are initial outlays to consider such as buying a hutch, run and play area, rabbit-proofing outdoor or indoor spaces, initial vaccinations, microchip, neutering, carrier, insurance and food and water bowls and toys.

For a rabbit to have enough space to hop, run, jump, dig and stretch, the Rabbit Welfare Association recommends rabbits have an enclosure at least 3m x 2m and 1m high.

Indoor runs can cost as little as £25, although two may be needed to meet the RWA’s specifications. Outdoor hutches are more expensive and can run into hundreds of pounds. It is also difficult to find a hutch at the RWA’s specifications.

Day to day, the biggest expense is food and bedding, with hay being the most expensive part of general upkeep as it is used for both bedding and food.

How much does it cost to get a rabbit in UK?

There are a few different ways to buy a rabbit in the UK, the first is to adopt from a shelter or charity. This costs about £45 for one rabbit or £80 for a pair at the RSPCA and £60 (£90 for a pair) at Blue Cross. Other charities also offer rabbit adoption.

Pet shops and people in the local area can also have rabbits for sale but customers should check the rabbits for signs of discharge around their eyes, nose, ears or bottom, and ensure they have been kept in a clean hutch.

Best rabbit insurance

The best rabbit insurance for you depends on your circumstances and budget. The most exhaustive rabbit insurance is a lifetime policy which covers illness and accidents with a limit that renews every year.

Most rabbit insurance providers actually only offer lifetime policies and although this is the most expensive type of cover, rabbits are usually less expensive than cats and dogs to insure.

Providers offer different limits of cover and varying excesses, so the best rabbit insurance depends on how much you think you might need to spend at a vet and could reasonably afford to pay yourself. A lower excess (the amount you pay before an insurer starts funding treatment) will usually mean a more expensive premium.

While all lifetime policies cover vet fees for illness or injury up to a set limit that renews every year, providers offer other unique benefits which set them apart from each other.

When we looked at different providers, Petplan offers complementary acupuncture, chiropractic manipulation, herbal medicine, homeopathy, osteopathy and/or hydrotherapy. 4Paws also offers this up to £750 each year.

Meanwhile 4Paws covered expenses up to £1,500 if your pet is quarantined abroad or after return to the UK, so some might want this peace of mind if they are frequent travellers.

Meanwhile, Helpucover offers to pay the cost of insurance for every 30 day period the policy holder is unable to work due to accidental injury, illness or unemployment.

To compare quotes from a range of pet insurance providers, fill out this short form or click the button below.