How much does trauma insurance cost in New Zealand? The QuoteHub Premium Index, September 2026
Financial advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). QuoteHub is a trading name.
Trauma insurance for $100,000 of cover, priced across five insurers by the QuoteHub Premium Index, ran from $19.83 a month for a 25-year-old non-smoking man to $575.87 a month at 65, and the cheapest insurer changed at almost every age. See the full methodology for how this snapshot was built.
Trauma cover (also sold as critical illness cover) pays a lump sum on the diagnosis of a listed condition, most often cancer, heart attack or stroke; our trauma insurance cost guide covers the buying decision in full, while this page is the priced snapshot behind it. Every figure below is the QuoteHub Premium Index for September 2026: an indicative monthly premium, sourced from insurers' published rate cards and collected through Quotemonster (QPR) on the QuoteHub adviser account, as at 8 September 2026. It is a snapshot of published rate tables, not a quote, and your own premium depends on underwriting. This page also sets out what each insurer's trauma product actually is, because the five columns below are not comparing the same thing.
What $100,000 of trauma cover costs by age
Trauma premiums rise steeply after 35, and the table below is a non-smoker, $100,000 sum insured, priced across five insurers for occupation class 1.
| Age | AIA | Asteron Life | Chubb Life | Fidelity Life | Momentum Life | Partners Life | Cheapest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | $26.35 | not priced | $20.37 | $19.83 | not priced | $22.47 | $19.83 |
| 30 | $27.79 | not priced | $22.22 | $21.75 | not priced | $23.70 | $21.75 |
| 35 | $33.26 | $22.28 | $27.98 | $28.23 | not priced | $29.59 | $22.28 |
| 40 | $48.03 | $37.01 | $41.73 | $41.81 | not priced | $43.45 | $37.01 |
| 45 | $75.25 | $65.41 | $67.88 | $67.93 | not priced | $69.80 | $65.41 |
| 50 | $123.21 | $115.73 | $114.16 | $112.01 | not priced | $116.51 | $112.01 |
| 55 | $207.75 | $198.89 | $195.14 | $192.17 | not priced | $192.08 | $192.08 |
| 60 | $353.95 | $343.65 | $341.24 | $305.40 | not priced | $335.35 | $305.40 |
| 65 | $599.26 | $605.85 | $575.87 | not priced | not priced | $589.27 | $575.87 |
| Age | AIA | Asteron Life | Chubb Life | Fidelity Life | Momentum Life | Partners Life | Cheapest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | $24.50 | not priced | not priced | not priced | not priced | $22.26 | $22.26 |
| 30 | $27.72 | not priced | $22.71 | $21.54 | not priced | $24.63 | $21.54 |
| 35 | $34.29 | $23.68 | $29.50 | $29.06 | not priced | $30.38 | $23.68 |
| 40 | $49.39 | $36.99 | $42.40 | $41.60 | not priced | $42.81 | $36.99 |
| 45 | $73.15 | $56.86 | $61.42 | $60.61 | not priced | $62.57 | $56.86 |
| 50 | $96.58 | $82.76 | $89.15 | $79.63 | not priced | $89.68 | $79.63 |
| 55 | $142.24 | $125.05 | $131.93 | $115.60 | not priced | $129.62 | $115.60 |
| 60 | $224.42 | $207.13 | $205.98 | $166.25 | not priced | $209.90 | $166.25 |
| 65 | $368.33 | $385.56 | $330.61 | not priced | not priced | $383.47 | $330.61 |
A 25-year-old non-smoking man was cheapest at Fidelity Life on $19.83 a month; by 45 the cheapest price had risen to $65.41 a month at Asteron Life, and by 65 the cheapest price was $575.87 a month at Chubb Life. Fidelity Life did not price the 65-year-old age band for either sex in this snapshot, and Momentum Life did not price a Trauma Cover quote at any age this cycle.
How much does trauma cover cost at 45?
At 45, non-smoking $100,000 trauma cover ran from $65.41 a month (Asteron Life, cheapest) to $75.25 a month (AIA) for a man, and from $56.86 (Asteron Life) to $73.15 (AIA) for a woman, per the QuoteHub Premium Index for September 2026. That is a smaller spread than at older ages, because the age-rated cost of the covered conditions has not yet diverged much between insurers' rate tables.
How much does trauma cover cost at 55?
At 55, the cheapest priced non-smoking $100,000 trauma cover was $192.08 a month for a man (Partners Life) and $115.60 a month for a woman (Fidelity Life), per the QuoteHub Premium Index for September 2026. The male figure is 66% higher than the female figure at the same age, because trauma pricing weights the higher measured incidence of cardiovascular and cancer claims in men in this age band more heavily than it does in the twenties and thirties.
What smokers pay for the same $100,000 of cover
A smoker's trauma premium was more than double a non-smoker's by the mid-40s, and the gap widens with age before narrowing slightly at 65.
| Age | AIA | Asteron Life | Chubb Life | Fidelity Life | Momentum Life | Partners Life | Cheapest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | $35.21 | $24.83 | $31.39 | $28.86 | not priced | $31.32 | $24.83 |
| 30 | $43.08 | $32.99 | $37.80 | $35.75 | not priced | $37.88 | $32.99 |
| 35 | $59.75 | $51.03 | $54.09 | $51.21 | not priced | $53.10 | $51.03 |
| 40 | $94.91 | $86.61 | $91.53 | $85.69 | not priced | $93.08 | $85.69 |
| 45 | $164.59 | $160.88 | $161.20 | $151.08 | not priced | $157.79 | $151.08 |
| 50 | $290.10 | $279.75 | $279.15 | $263.50 | not priced | $268.90 | $263.50 |
| 55 | $492.84 | $472.88 | $469.68 | $469.56 | not priced | $458.70 | $458.70 |
| 60 | $780.28 | $777.40 | $777.31 | $767.53 | not priced | $756.71 | $756.71 |
| 65 | $1,243.93 | $1,318.45 | $1,251.62 | not priced | not priced | $1,196.03 | $1,196.03 |
| Age | AIA | Asteron Life | Chubb Life | Fidelity Life | Momentum Life | Partners Life | Cheapest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | $34.08 | $25.08 | $30.07 | $25.47 | not priced | $31.14 | $25.08 |
| 30 | $48.97 | $39.11 | $40.54 | $39.51 | not priced | $43.53 | $39.11 |
| 35 | $69.38 | $57.77 | $60.75 | $57.69 | not priced | $56.66 | $56.66 |
| 40 | $102.22 | $86.94 | $94.31 | $88.82 | not priced | $91.05 | $86.94 |
| 45 | $152.23 | $134.38 | $142.24 | $131.45 | not priced | $138.62 | $131.45 |
| 50 | $222.44 | $198.29 | $212.05 | $172.82 | not priced | $214.83 | $172.82 |
| 55 | $335.89 | $306.16 | $312.50 | $247.29 | not priced | $310.07 | $247.29 |
| 60 | $490.69 | $459.43 | $456.34 | $352.63 | not priced | $460.03 | $352.63 |
| 65 | $714.28 | $878.73 | $685.97 | not priced | not priced | $776.91 | $685.97 |
At 45, the cheapest smoker price for a man was $151.08 a month (Fidelity Life) against $65.41 for a non-smoker (Asteron Life), a multiple of 2.31 times. At 25 the multiple was only 1.25 times, and it widened every five years to peak at 2.39 times at 55 before easing to 2.08 times at 65, when the underlying mortality and morbidity cost of smoking makes up a smaller share of an already high base rate.
How much more does a smoker pay for trauma insurance?
A smoker paid roughly 1.25 to 2.4 times the cheapest non-smoker price for the same $100,000 of trauma cover, depending on age, per the QuoteHub Premium Index for September 2026. The multiple is smallest in the mid-20s and largest in the 50s, then narrows again by 65 as non-smoker pricing itself has already climbed close to the smoker rate.
| Age | Female non-smoker | Female smoker | Female multiple | Male non-smoker | Male smoker | Male multiple |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | $22.26 | $25.08 | 1.13× | $19.83 | $24.83 | 1.25× |
| 30 | $21.54 | $39.11 | 1.82× | $21.75 | $32.99 | 1.52× |
| 35 | $23.68 | $56.66 | 2.39× | $22.28 | $51.03 | 2.29× |
| 40 | $36.99 | $86.94 | 2.35× | $37.01 | $85.69 | 2.32× |
| 45 | $56.86 | $131.45 | 2.31× | $65.41 | $151.08 | 2.31× |
| 50 | $79.63 | $172.82 | 2.17× | $112.01 | $263.50 | 2.35× |
| 55 | $115.60 | $247.29 | 2.14× | $192.08 | $458.70 | 2.39× |
| 60 | $166.25 | $352.63 | 2.12× | $305.40 | $756.71 | 2.48× |
| 65 | $330.61 | $685.97 | 2.07× | $575.87 | $1,196.03 | 2.08× |
Which insurer is cheapest for trauma cover
No single insurer was cheapest at every age, sex and smoking status this cycle.
| Age | Male non-smoker | Male smoker | Female non-smoker | Female smoker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | Fidelity Life $19.83 | Asteron Life $24.83 | Partners Life $22.26 | Asteron Life $25.08 |
| 30 | Fidelity Life $21.75 | Asteron Life $32.99 | Fidelity Life $21.54 | Asteron Life $39.11 |
| 35 | Asteron Life $22.28 | Asteron Life $51.03 | Asteron Life $23.68 | Partners Life $56.66 |
| 40 | Asteron Life $37.01 | Fidelity Life $85.69 | Asteron Life $36.99 | Asteron Life $86.94 |
| 45 | Asteron Life $65.41 | Fidelity Life $151.08 | Asteron Life $56.86 | Fidelity Life $131.45 |
| 50 | Fidelity Life $112.01 | Fidelity Life $263.50 | Fidelity Life $79.63 | Fidelity Life $172.82 |
| 55 | Partners Life $192.08 | Partners Life $458.70 | Fidelity Life $115.60 | Fidelity Life $247.29 |
| 60 | Fidelity Life $305.40 | Partners Life $756.71 | Fidelity Life $166.25 | Fidelity Life $352.63 |
| 65 | Chubb Life $575.87 | Partners Life $1,196.03 | Chubb Life $330.61 | Chubb Life $685.97 |
Across the 36 profiles priced, Fidelity Life was cheapest 15 times, Asteron Life 12 times, Partners Life 6 times and Chubb Life 3 times. AIA priced every one of the 36 profiles but was never the cheapest, and Momentum Life priced none. This is a count of which insurer's published rate was lowest in this snapshot, not a ranking of which policy is best: the product comparison below shows why the cheapest column and the best-value column are different questions. Our insurer financial strength guide and claims and insurer strength research cover the factors price alone does not.
What is the cheapest trauma insurance in NZ?
There is no single cheapest trauma insurer across every age and sex in this snapshot: Fidelity Life was cheapest in 15 of 36 priced profiles, Asteron Life in 12, Partners Life in 6 and Chubb Life in 3, per the QuoteHub Premium Index for September 2026. The cheapest insurer at your own age and sex is shown in the tables above, but price is only one factor; see how to compare trauma cover.
Do men or women pay more for trauma insurance?
The sex gap in trauma pricing moves in different directions at different ages, unlike life insurance, where women are consistently cheaper.
| Age | Male | Female | $ gap | % gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | $19.83 | $22.26 | -$2.43 | -10.9% |
| 30 | $21.75 | $21.54 | $0.21 | 1.0% |
| 35 | $22.28 | $23.68 | -$1.40 | -5.9% |
| 40 | $37.01 | $36.99 | $0.02 | 0.1% |
| 45 | $65.41 | $56.86 | $8.55 | 15.0% |
| 50 | $112.01 | $79.63 | $32.38 | 40.7% |
| 55 | $192.08 | $115.60 | $76.48 | 66.2% |
| 60 | $305.40 | $166.25 | $139.15 | 83.7% |
| 65 | $575.87 | $330.61 | $245.26 | 74.2% |
At 25, the cheapest priced quote for a man ($19.83, Fidelity Life) was actually lower than for a woman ($22.26, Partners Life), a gap of 11% in the man's favour, because the cheapest insurer differs by sex at that age. By 45 that had reversed: the cheapest male price ($65.41) was 15% above the cheapest female price ($56.86). By 65 the male price ($575.87) was 74% above the female price ($330.61), reflecting the higher measured incidence of the covered conditions, particularly cardiovascular disease, in older men.
Do men or women pay more for trauma insurance in NZ?
It depends on age: at 25 the cheapest-priced quote favoured men by about 11%, by 45 women were about 15% cheaper, and by 65 women were about 74% cheaper than men, per the QuoteHub Premium Index for September 2026. Unlike life insurance, where women pay less at every age we priced, the trauma gap is not constant across the age range.
What each insurer's trauma cover actually is
The five priced insurers do not sell the same product under the "trauma insurance" label, and the differences below decide what a claim actually pays, not just what the premium costs.
| Insurer | Product, as published | What makes it structurally different | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIA | Critical Conditions, part of AIA's Trauma Insurance range | An optional early cancer upgrade pays part of the benefit for a defined set of early-stage, treatable minor cancer conditions, ahead of a full claim | AIA: Critical Conditions, retrieved 8 September 2026 |
| Asteron Life | Trauma Recovery Insurance | Covers 48 named medical events, conditions and procedures; includes an early stage cancer cover benefit that pays part of the cover early | Asteron Life: Trauma Insurance, retrieved 8 September 2026 |
| Fidelity Life | Trauma Multi Cover | Built to pay more than once: an initial lump sum plus up to four further payments for later, unrelated covered conditions (five payments in total), rather than one payment only | Fidelity Life: Trauma multi cover, retrieved 8 September 2026 |
| Chubb Life | Trauma Cover and Moderate Trauma Cover, under Assurance Extra | Two tiers you can mix and match, plus an optional Continuous Trauma Cover add-on allowing up to four full-benefit claims worth up to four times the sum insured, across 47 covered conditions, after a stand-down period | Chubb: Trauma Cover; Continuous Trauma Benefit, retrieved 8 September 2026 |
| Partners Life | Trauma Cover, under the Partners Life Journey Plan | Offered as Trauma Cover Accelerated (linked to your Life Cover, which reduces after a claim) or Trauma Cover Standalone, with a buy-back option to reinstate cover after a claim | Partners Life: Trauma cover and Partners Life Journey Plan Trauma overview, retrieved 8 September 2026 |
| Momentum Life | Not priced in this snapshot | Momentum Life did not return a Trauma Cover quote for any of the 36 profiles priced this cycle | QuoteHub Premium Index, 8 September 2026 |
What is the difference between life insurance and trauma insurance?
Life insurance pays a lump sum on death or, with some policies, on a terminal diagnosis; trauma insurance pays on diagnosis of a listed serious illness such as cancer, heart attack or stroke, whether or not you die or stop working. Our guide to life insurance versus trauma insurance sets out how the two combine in a typical plan.
Is trauma insurance the same as income protection?
No. Trauma insurance pays one lump sum on a listed diagnosis; income protection pays a monthly benefit for as long as you cannot work, after a waiting period, and does not require a listed condition. Our income protection versus trauma insurance guide and our income protection cost page go through the practical difference.
Does trauma insurance pay out for cancer?
Yes: cancer is one of the most commonly claimed conditions on New Zealand trauma policies, alongside heart attack and stroke, and every insurer in this snapshot names cancer among its covered conditions in the sources listed above. The exact definition, staging threshold and any partial-payment treatment for early-stage cancer differ by insurer, which is why the product table above matters as much as the premium.
What is a partial trauma payment?
A partial payment is a reduced lump sum, commonly 10% to 30% of the sum insured, paid for a listed condition at an earlier or less severe stage than the condition that triggers the full benefit, such as an early-stage cancer or a less advanced cardiac procedure. AIA's Critical Conditions and Asteron Life's Trauma Recovery Insurance both name an early cancer partial-payment benefit; see the sources in the product table above, retrieved 8 September 2026.
Can I claim on trauma cover more than once?
With most trauma policies, no: a single claim for the full benefit typically ends standard cover unless you hold an optional reinstatement or multi-claim benefit. Fidelity Life's Trauma Multi Cover is built for up to five total payments, Chubb Life's optional Continuous Trauma Cover allows up to four further full-benefit claims after a stand-down, and Partners Life offers a buy-back option to reinstate cover after a claim; see the product table above for the sourced details of each.
Why did Momentum Life not price trauma cover in this snapshot?
Momentum Life did not return a Trauma Cover quote for any of the 36 age, sex and smoking-status profiles priced by the QuoteHub Premium Index this cycle. That is a statement about what this snapshot returned, not a claim that Momentum Life has no trauma product; see Momentum Life for what it does publish, and the methodology page for how the panel was priced.
What occupation class does this trauma pricing use?
Every figure on this page is occupation class 1, the standard, lowest-risk occupation category used across the QuoteHub Premium Index this cycle; a class-3 or higher-risk occupation would be quoted differently. Our guide to insurance occupation classes explains how the classes work and where trauma pricing does or does not vary by occupation.
Is this a stepped or level premium?
Every trauma premium on this page is a stepped premium, which increases each year as you get older; the QuoteHub Premium Index does not currently publish a level-premium comparison, because the level-premium calculation period differs by insurer and has not been independently verified against Quotemonster's output. See stepped versus level premiums and the crossover point between them for what that choice means for your own cover, and the methodology page for why this snapshot is stepped-only.
Why do trauma premiums rise so much between 35 and 45?
The cheapest priced non-smoking male $100,000 trauma premium rose from $22.28 a month at 35 to $65.41 at 45, an increase of 194%, because trauma pricing is driven by the measured incidence of cancer, heart attack and stroke, which climbs sharply through the forties rather than in a straight line from age 25. The QuoteHub Premium Index study shows the same acceleration point across life, trauma and TPD cover.
How does trauma cover compare with TPD on price?
At age 45, non-smoking, the cheapest priced monthly figures in this snapshot were $65.41 for $100,000 of trauma cover and $27.56 for $250,000 of TPD cover: two different products insuring two different risks, so the premiums are not directly comparable without also comparing the sums insured. Income protection pricing was withdrawn from the Index on 9 September 2026 (see the methodology's Corrections section) and is not part of this comparison this cycle. See TPD insurance cost for the full breakdown and income protection cost for what drives that product's price instead.
How this snapshot was priced
The QuoteHub Premium Index is a September 2026 snapshot of five insurers' published trauma rates, sourced from insurers' published rate cards and collected through Quotemonster (QPR) on the QuoteHub adviser account, as at 8 September 2026: standard rates, occupation class 1, stepped premiums, no loadings or exclusions, indexed monthly cover. QuoteHub's read is that the spread between insurers on this page is wide enough, and the products different enough, that comparing on price alone would miss the point: definitions, partial payments and reinstatement decide what a trauma claim actually pays. Full detail, including why the account can only restate this data quarterly, is on the methodology page. This page is general information, not personalised financial advice. Financial advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). QuoteHub is a trading name. For advice on which trauma cover suits your situation, see our trauma insurance guide or use the trauma insurance calculator to estimate a sum insured, then compare insurers on more than price.
Adviser's view
QuoteHub's read is that no single insurer dominates trauma cover: the cheapest priced insurer changes at almost every age this snapshot measures, and the five priced products are not identical wordings, so price alone is the wrong basis for a decision. Compare the insurer table below alongside the premium, not instead of it, before assuming the first quote you see is competitive.
Talk through trauma cover with a licensed adviser · free, no obligation.
Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). Trauma Insurance Cost NZ, Sep 2026: The QuoteHub Index. www.quotehub.co.nz/quotes/trauma-insurance. Updated 2026-09-09.
References
- AIA: Critical Conditions
- Asteron Life: Trauma Insurance
- Fidelity Life: Trauma multi cover
- Chubb: Trauma Cover
- Chubb: Continuous Trauma Benefit
- Partners Life: Trauma cover
Explore related pages: Trauma Insurance, Life Insurance, Income Protection, Health Insurance, Ongoing Protection.