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 about $15 to $20 a month for a 25-year-old non-smoking man up to about $575 to $600 a month at 65, and the cheapest insurer changed at almost every age this snapshot measures. These are indicative monthly costs from insurers' published rate cards as at 8 September 2026; see Asteron Life's trauma cover for one insurer's published rates, and 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 adviser rating software 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.
As of 8 September 2026 · monthly cost, from the insurers’ rate cards
| Age | Typical monthly cost |
|---|---|
| 25 | $15 to $30 |
| 30 | $20 to $30 |
| 35 | $20 to $35 |
| 40 | $35 to $50 |
| 45 | $60 to $80 |
| 50 | $110 to $130 |
| 55 | $190 to $225 |
| 60 | $300 to $375 |
| 65 | $575 to $625 |
| Age | Typical monthly cost |
|---|---|
| 25 | $20 to $25 |
| 30 | $20 to $30 |
| 35 | $20 to $35 |
| 40 | $35 to $50 |
| 45 | $50 to $80 |
| 50 | $70 to $100 |
| 55 | $110 to $150 |
| 60 | $160 to $225 |
| 65 | $325 to $400 |
The cheapest priced quote for a 25-year-old non-smoking man was about $15 to $20 a month; by 45 the cheapest price had risen to about $60 to $70 a month, and by 65 the cheapest price was about $575 to $600 a month. 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 about $60 to $80 a month for a man, and about $50 to $80 a month for a woman, across the insurers priced, 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 about $190 to $200 a month for a man and about $110 to $120 a month for a woman, per the QuoteHub Premium Index for September 2026. The male figure runs well above 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.
As of 8 September 2026 · monthly cost, from the insurers’ rate cards
| Age | Typical monthly cost |
|---|---|
| 25 | $20 to $40 |
| 30 | $30 to $45 |
| 35 | $50 to $60 |
| 40 | $80 to $100 |
| 45 | $150 to $170 |
| 50 | $250 to $300 |
| 55 | $450 to $500 |
| 60 | $750 to $800 |
| 65 | $1,175 to $1,325 |
| Age | Typical monthly cost |
|---|---|
| 25 | $25 to $35 |
| 30 | $35 to $50 |
| 35 | $50 to $70 |
| 40 | $80 to $110 |
| 45 | $130 to $160 |
| 50 | $170 to $225 |
| 55 | $225 to $350 |
| 60 | $350 to $500 |
| 65 | $675 to $900 |
At 45, the cheapest smoker price for a man was about $150 to $160 a month, against about $60 to $70 a month for the cheapest non-smoker price, roughly double. At 25 the smoker premium was only slightly above the non-smoker rate, and the multiple widened every five years to peak at around two and a half times at 55, before easing back at 65, when the underlying mortality and morbidity cost of smoking makes up a smaller share of an already high base rate. Chubb Life's trauma cover is one insurer publishing separate smoker and non-smoker rate tables for comparison.
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.
As of 8 September 2026 · monthly cost, from the insurers’ rate cards
| Age | Female non-smoker | Female smoker | Female multiple | Male non-smoker | Male smoker | Male multiple |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | $20 to $25 | $25 to $35 | 1.13× | $15 to $30 | $20 to $40 | 1.25× |
| 30 | $20 to $30 | $35 to $50 | 1.82× | $20 to $30 | $30 to $45 | 1.52× |
| 35 | $20 to $35 | $50 to $70 | 2.39× | $20 to $35 | $50 to $60 | 2.29× |
| 40 | $35 to $50 | $80 to $110 | 2.35× | $35 to $50 | $80 to $100 | 2.32× |
| 45 | $50 to $80 | $130 to $160 | 2.31× | $60 to $80 | $150 to $170 | 2.31× |
| 50 | $70 to $100 | $170 to $225 | 2.17× | $110 to $130 | $250 to $300 | 2.35× |
| 55 | $110 to $150 | $225 to $350 | 2.14× | $190 to $225 | $450 to $500 | 2.39× |
| 60 | $160 to $225 | $350 to $500 | 2.12× | $300 to $375 | $750 to $800 | 2.48× |
| 65 | $325 to $400 | $675 to $900 | 2.07× | $575 to $625 | $1,175 to $1,325 | 2.08× |
Which insurer is cheapest for trauma cover
No single insurer was cheapest at every age, sex and smoking status this cycle.
As of 8 September 2026 · monthly cost, from the insurers’ rate cards
| Age | Male non-smoker | Male smoker | Female non-smoker | Female smoker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | $15 to $30 | $20 to $40 | $20 to $25 | $25 to $35 |
| 30 | $20 to $30 | $30 to $45 | $20 to $30 | $35 to $50 |
| 35 | $20 to $35 | $50 to $60 | $20 to $35 | $50 to $70 |
| 40 | $35 to $50 | $80 to $100 | $35 to $50 | $80 to $110 |
| 45 | $60 to $80 | $150 to $170 | $50 to $80 | $130 to $160 |
| 50 | $110 to $130 | $250 to $300 | $70 to $100 | $170 to $225 |
| 55 | $190 to $225 | $450 to $500 | $110 to $150 | $225 to $350 |
| 60 | $300 to $375 | $750 to $800 | $160 to $225 | $350 to $500 |
| 65 | $575 to $625 | $1,175 to $1,325 | $325 to $400 | $675 to $900 |
Across the 36 profiles priced, the cheapest insurer varied by age, sex and smoking status, with no single insurer cheapest across the board. One insurer priced every one of the 36 profiles but was never the cheapest, and one insurer priced none of them. This reflects which insurer's published rate was lowest at each profile 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: the cheapest insurer varied by profile, with none dominant across the board, 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.
As of 8 September 2026 · monthly cost, from the insurers’ rate cards
| Age | Male | Female | % gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | $15 to $30 | $20 to $25 | -10.9% |
| 30 | $20 to $30 | $20 to $30 | 1.0% |
| 35 | $20 to $35 | $20 to $35 | -5.9% |
| 40 | $35 to $50 | $35 to $50 | 0.1% |
| 45 | $60 to $80 | $50 to $80 | 15.0% |
| 50 | $110 to $130 | $70 to $100 | 40.7% |
| 55 | $190 to $225 | $110 to $150 | 66.2% |
| 60 | $300 to $375 | $160 to $225 | 83.7% |
| 65 | $575 to $625 | $325 to $400 | 74.2% |
At 25, the cheapest priced quote for a man (about $15 to $20 a month) was actually a little lower than for a woman (about $20 to $25 a month), because the cheapest insurer differs by sex at that age. By 45 that had reversed: the cheapest male price (about $60 to $70 a month) ran above the cheapest female price (about $50 to $60 a month). By 65 the male price (about $575 to $600 a month) ran well above the female price (about $325 to $350 a month), reflecting the higher measured incidence of the covered conditions, particularly cardiovascular disease, in older men. Partners Life's trauma cover publishes separate male and female rate tables, as at 8 September 2026.
Do men or women pay more for trauma insurance in NZ?
It depends on age: at 25 the cheapest-priced quote favoured men slightly, by 45 women were somewhat cheaper, and by 65 women were substantially 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 the rating software'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 about $20 to $25 a month at 35 to about $60 to $70 a month at 45, roughly tripling, 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, and Asteron Life's trauma cover publishes its own age-based rate tables for comparison.
How does trauma cover compare with TPD on price?
At age 45, non-smoking, the cheapest priced monthly figures in this snapshot were about $60 to $70 a month for $100,000 of trauma cover and about $25 to $30 a month 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, income protection cost for what drives that product's price instead, and Fidelity Life's trauma multi cover for one insurer's published rate card.
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 adviser rating software 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.