Fast answer: Aviva's core cover is stronger (full cancer cover and £2,000 mental health standard vs AXA's modular extras) and its NCD is published to 75%. AXA counters with the 3-year moratorium look-back — the shortest in the market — and a cheaper published example. Verified July 2026.
AXA Health vs Aviva: side by side (July 2026)
| AXA Health | Aviva | |
|---|---|---|
| Published example price | £42.05/mo, age 30 (April 2026) | Under £48/mo avg, ages 35–50 (Jan–Mar 2026) |
| Moratorium | 3-yr / 2-yr | 5-yr / 2-yr |
| Cancer | Optional module, new cancer only | Standard, uncapped by chronic exclusion |
| Mental health | Optional module (then no yearly clinician fee limit) | £2,000 outpatient standard; 28-day inpatient upgrade |
| Excess | Not published in full | £100–£5,000 published |
| NCD | 10 levels, percentages unpublished | 15 levels, max 75%, published in full |
| Digital GP | 24/7 phone/online GP | 24/7 Digital GP app |
| Guided option | Open-referral guided option | Expert Select — hospitals within 25 miles, bills settled in full |
Verified against both providers' own published documents, July 2026.
Which should you choose?
Choose AXA when the 3-year look-back matters to your history or you want per-person modularity. Choose Aviva when you want cancer and mental health covered without remembering to add them, and prefer published pricing mechanics (NCD table, discount stack, renewal guarantee) over quote-time surprises.
Compare across providers (July 2026): Two providers is a start — See every major UK provider side by side on our private health insurance comparison.
Frequently Asked Questions
Differently. Aviva includes full cancer cover as standard — its chronic-condition exclusion explicitly doesn't apply to cancer. At AXA, cancer care is an optional module and covers only new cancer (anything you've had before joining, including recurrence, is excluded). Verified July 2026.