Scottish Widows review
Updated September 28, 2026 · SumCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026
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Our verdict
Scottish Widows is a British insurer founded in 1815, selling life, critical illness and income protection rather than general insurance. It suits UK households who want those protection policies from a provider with a long history and phone support, with starting premiums in this group sitting at €7.95.
Key facts
- Best for
- Households wanting life, critical illness and income protection cover from a long established insurer.
- Insurance types
- Life, Critical-illness, Income-protection↗
- Provider type
- Insurer↗
- Legal entity
- Scottish Widows Limited↗
- Headquarters
- United Kingdom↗
- Founded
- 1815↗
- Support channels
- Phone↗
- Official website
- scottishwidows.co.uk
Facts checked September 26, 2026, 2 sources
Pros and cons
Pros
- Life, critical illness and income protection all sit with one provider (life, critical illness and income protection), keeping a household's protection policies in the same place.
- A named insurer rather than an intermediary: the legal entity is Scottish Widows Limited, founded in 1815 and based in the United Kingdom (GB).
- Help comes by phone (phone), which suits anyone who would rather talk a claim through than type it.
Cons
- Cover is limited to life, critical illness and income protection (life, critical illness and income protection), so no home, travel or gadget cover appears on the listing.
- Support runs on phone only, so there is no listed email or chat route.
- You deal with an insurer rather than a broker or comparison site (insurer), so a second opinion means approaching another provider yourself.
Ready to try Scottish Widows?
Scored 9.3 / 10 by SumCue.
Who it suits
- Households buying life, critical illness or income protection for a mortgage or dependants.
- People who want a long established insurer with phone support rather than online only servicing.
- Shoppers who want their protection policies straight from the provider, with no broker in between.
Who should look elsewhere
- Anyone after home, travel or gadget cover: EuroAsia Insurance lists auto, home, travel and gadget (auto, home and travel).
- People wanting health cover alongside life: Oney Préstamos ES lists health, life and gadget (health, life and gadget).
- Buyers happy with a narrower list can compare Linxea, which covers life alone (life).
How Scottish Widows compares
9.3 vs 8.6
9.3 vs 9.4
9.3 vs 9.3
9.3 vs 9.4
9.3 vs 8.7
9.3 vs 8.5
9.3 vs 9.4
9.3 vs 8.7
9.3 vs 9.0
9.3 vs 8.7Adds health and gadget cover to life (health, life and gadget), useful for households after more than a single line.
9.3 vs 9.4
9.3 vs 9.2
9.3 vs 9.4
9.3 vs 9.4
9.3 vs 9.4
9.3 vs 8.7Life cover only (life), a shorter list to weigh against the three lines Scottish Widows sells.
9.3 vs 9.0
9.3 vs 8.8
9.3 vs 8.9
9.3 vs 8.9
9.3 vs 9.0
9.3 vs 8.3
9.3 vs 9.5
9.3 vs 9.4
9.3 vs 9.4
9.3 vs 9.4
9.3 vs 9.3
9.3 vs 9.3
9.3 vs 9.3
9.3 vs 9.3
9.3 vs 9.3
9.3 vs 9.3
9.3 vs 9.2
9.3 vs 9.2
9.3 vs 9.2
9.3 vs 9.2
9.3 vs 9.1
9.3 vs 9.1
9.3 vs 9.1
9.3 vs 9.1
9.3 vs 9.1
9.3 vs 9.1
9.3 vs 9.0
9.3 vs 9.0
9.3 vs 9.0
9.3 vs 9.0
9.3 vs 9.0
9.3 vs 8.9
9.3 vs 8.9
9.3 vs 8.9- 9.3 vs 8.6
9.3 vs 8.6
9.3 vs 8.5
9.3 vs 8.4
9.3 vs 8.3
9.3 vs 8.3
9.3 vs 8.2- 9.3 vs 8.0
Where Scottish Widows is available
- Available
- United Kingdom
Countries from the brand (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Frequently asked questions
What does Scottish Widows actually insure?+
It is an insurer rather than a broker or a comparison site (insurer), and its cover is life, critical illness and income protection (life, critical illness and income protection). In practice that means a payout on death or on a listed critical illness, and income replacement if you cannot work.
How much would a policy cost?+
Starting premiums across the insurance listings sit at €7.95 in the middle, with the middle of the range running €2.66 to €26.75 and a highest quote of €3,431.08. The lowest starting point in the group is €0.
Can I pay monthly?+
Most insurers in this group let you spread the premium across the year: 89% offer monthly payments and 11% do not. Since Scottish Widows sells life, critical illness and income protection (life, critical illness and income protection), confirm the payment schedule on a quote, as it changes the total you pay.
How do I get help?+
Support runs on phone only, so phone is the listed route to a person. Email and chat do not appear on the listing, which suits callers who would rather talk a claim or a change through than type it out.
Is the provider established?+
It is an insurer trading as Scottish Widows Limited, founded in 1815 and based in the United Kingdom (GB). Direct insurers are the commoner model in this group, at 41.7% of the insurance listings, so you deal with the provider itself rather than a middleman.
What do the wider figures show?+
Across the site, retail loss percentages sit at 70.15% in the middle, with the middle of the range running 65.75% to 74.5%. Those figures describe the listings as a whole rather than a single provider, and Scottish Widows (insurer) is one of the insurer names in the group.
How many providers are in the insurance group?+
The insurance listings cover 580 brands, of which 322 are licensed and 8 are partners. Life cover is the most common line, listed at 48.8%, so a life policy from Scottish Widows (life, critical illness and income protection) sits in the crowded part of the market.
How does it look in the life insurance group?+
In the life insurance group, life cover is listed for every brand at 100% and monthly payments are near standard at 94%. Scottish Widows adds critical illness and income protection to life (life, critical illness and income protection), which is what sets it apart from a life only policy.
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_Widows checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Provider type, Founded, Headquarters, Insurance types, Legal entity
“Scottish Widows Limited is a life insurance, pensions and investment company based in Edinburgh”
- scottishwidows.co.uk checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Support channels
“If you need help, call us on 0345 716 6777”
Compiled from 2 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.
Not confirmed yet: Premium from, Monthly payments.
Scottish Widows
Households wanting life, critical illness and income protection cover from a long established insurer.