Cydesdale Life Insurance Review 2025
Clydesdale Bank is an older British financial institution dating back to 1838.
So with the products in mind, let’s look at the defining features of Clydesdale life insurance.
Clydesdale Bank is an older British financial institution dating back to 1838.
So with the products in mind, let’s look at the defining features of Clydesdale life insurance.
Fill in the form below for a FREE, no obligation quote now.
Clydesdale Bank is an older British financial institution dating back to 1838. It became part of the Virgin Money group in 2018 and has since rebranded to Virgin Money, offering a wider range of services.
Clydesdale offers a series of life insurance services to meet the needs of the modern client, and this guide looks at how they fare in the marketplace.
Contents
Despite being accredited as one of Britain’s leading insurers, Clydesdale has relatively limited offerings compared to other more prominent providers on the market. The core offering is life insurance with either decreasing or level terms and an optional add-on of critical illness cover.
Find out more details unique to Clydesdale’s plans below.
Clydesdale’s life insurance follows industry standards when it comes to its plans. Beneficiaries will receive a lump sum payout should they pass away within their agreed term, providing financial protection to loved ones. However, the products tend to be geared toward those with mortgages.
It’s essential to note that life insurance at Clydesdale is not provided directly by the institution but partners with Legal & General to offer selected products to suit their market. With that in mind, the two types of plans on offer are a decreasing and level term policy, which we go into more detail below.
The decreasing term life cover is one of the more popular options considering Clydesdale offers a broad range of other financial products. The policy runs parallel to the outstanding debt on a mortgage, decreasing the amount paid out over your contract term.
Level-term life insurance is a policy that will pay a fixed amount to the beneficiary no matter the stage of the contract. Level term policies from Clydesdale are particularly suited to those with interest-only mortgages.
Clydesdale’s critical illness cover is not a standalone plan like some leading insurers offer. Instead, it’s an add-on to existing life insurance policies to give policyholders peace of mind that they’ll be able to continue paying their mortgage.
So with the products in mind, let’s look at the defining features of Clydesdale life insurance.
Find critical details of this insurer in the table below.
| Clydesdale will pay out on your policy if: | The policyholder dies during the contracted term. |
| Options: | Term Life Insurance (level or decreasing) |
| Policy Coverage: | Single/Joint Coverage |
| Terminal Illness Cover: | No |
| Critical Illness Cover: | No |
| Minimum Entry Age: | 18 |
| Maximum Entry Age | 65 |
| Guaranteed Insurability: | No |
Clydesdale’s insurance product details show that they work well if you have an existing mortgage. They highlight how each product should have adequate cover if linked with the debt on your home. This highlights that they are ideal for protecting your family against a mortgage burden.
So what’s the general opinion from those that have used or interacted with Clydesdale life insurance?
We compare plans from the leading life insurance providers
Because Clydesdale does not manage the products, there is a noticeable difference in customer perception between Clydesdale’s service and the insurance products themselves. The overwhelming opinion of the service is negative, whereas the product is viewed more positively.
We’ll first look at the key features of Clydesdale life insurance before examining the public opinion. Key features of Clydesdale life insurance include:
So now, let’s put the public opinion on Clydesdale into the spotlight.
Customer feedback on Clydesdale is unfavourable, and this negative feedback extends beyond just their insurance policies. While the available public commentary isn’t specifically about life insurance, some customer accounts mention negative experiences.
Specific criticisms regarding Clydesdale’s life insurance products include:
These negative points relate to Clydesdale’s service, not the insurance products themselves. We’ll highlight how the plans are rated by peers in the next section and the customer ratings given to the institution.
It’s essential to recognise that the negative public feedback does not necessarily represent the quality of the products, as Clydesdale are only the front that sells the policies. The rest are managed by their provider, Legal and General.
However, positive initial interactions are important when choosing insurance policies. We’ve broken down customer experiences through different trust platforms below.
The customer-centric Trustpilot ranks Clydesdale very low, with many reviews highlighting difficulties getting quotes and applying for insurance policies. See the breakdown of the feedback below, they have an overall score of 1.2 out of 5.
| Rating | Percentage of Feedback |
| Excellent | 5% |
| Great | 1% |
| Average | 1% |
| Poor | 2% |
| Bad | 92% |
So how do the industry professionals perceive Clydesdale life insurance?
Defaqto ratings are an independent assessment of financial products, helping consumers understand the quality of different offerings. They use a star rating system from 1 to 5, with 5 stars indicating the highest quality. These ratings are current as of March 7, 2025.
Clydesdale Bank’s life insurance products have received a mix of Defaqto ratings. Their direct life assurance and direct critical illness with life cover both achieved a top 5-star rating. However, their level term life assurance plan received 3 stars. Decreasing life assurance and both decreasing and level term critical illness covers are rated at 4 stars.
Compared to competitors, Aviva consistently achieves 5-star ratings across many of their life and critical illness plans. Legal & General also holds numerous 5-star ratings, particularly for their Multi Protection plans. Zurich demonstrates strength in critical illness and whole of life cover, often securing 5 stars. These ratings suggest that while Clydesdale has some strong offerings, other major insurers have a broader range of top-rated products.
For consumers, these ratings indicate that Clydesdale provides strong direct life and critical illness options. However, those seeking level term life insurance might find higher-rated alternatives elsewhere. It’s important to consider these ratings alongside individual needs and policy details when making a decision.
Do you think Clydesdale could still be a suitable option despite the negative feedback? Many people opt for the policies as they are well-suited for covering a mortgage should something happen to them.
Clients can consider contacting expert brokers to learn more about whether Clydesdale life insurance is the right choice for them.
| Type | Plan name | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Critical illness (decreasing) | Mortgage Protection Plan | 4 |
| Critical illness (level term) | Mortgage Protection Plan | 4 |
| Critical illness (direct with life cover) | Mortgage Protection Plan | 5 |
| Life assurance (direct) | Mortgage Protection Plan | 5 |
| Life assurance (decreasing) | Mortgage Protection Plan | 4 |
| Life assurance (level term) | Mortgage Protection Plan | 3 |
