If you've ever made a claim on your pet insurance and come away feeling like the whole experience was more stressful than it needed to be, you're far from alone. In fact, according to a new piece of research, UK pet owners are the least satisfied with the pet insurance claims process of any country in Europe.
The UK sits at the bottom of the claims satisfaction table
The findings come from Guidewire's European Insurance Consumer Survey, published in May 2026. Only 59% of UK respondents said they were satisfied with their claims experience, which is 17 percentage points lower than France, where satisfaction sits at 76%. Germany came in at 70% and Spain at 64%. Whichever way you look at it, the UK is at the bottom of the table.
It is not just about whether a claim gets paid
What's interesting is why. The research suggests that dissatisfaction isn't mainly about whether claims get paid or not. It's about how the whole process feels while it's happening, the communication, the waiting, and whether people feel like they're being kept in the loop and treated fairly. As Sebastia Company-Mas, product marketing manager at Guidewire, put it, dissatisfaction is driven less by whether claims are ultimately paid and more by communication, delays and overall trust in the process.
That rings true to a lot of pet owners' experiences. Making a claim when your pet is ill or injured is already an anxious time. Having to chase for updates, not understanding why something is taking so long, or feeling like the small print is working against you makes a difficult situation feel a lot worse.
The survey also pointed to rising vet costs as part of the picture. Veterinary fees have risen sharply in recent years, outpacing general inflation, which has made pet owners more sensitive to premiums, exclusions and how claims are handled. When you're already paying more for cover and more at the vets, the stakes around a claim feel higher.
Technology could help, but trust is still fragile
On the technology side, the survey found that 46% of UK consumers aged 18 to 24 are already using digital tools like online symptom checkers to look up their pet's health. The research also asked whether people would trust an AI-powered app that could scan a pet's eyes or skin to give an instant health score. Just over a third said yes, while 45% said they wouldn't trust it, which suggests there's interest in new technology but also a fair amount of scepticism about how far it should go.
What this means for pet owners
The broader message from the research is that the pet insurance market needs to do more than just pay claims. Pet owners want the process to feel simpler, clearer and more human, particularly at the moments when they're most worried about their animal.
Whether that actually happens remains to be seen, but it's encouraging that this data is out there and being talked about. The more pressure there is on insurers to improve the claims experience, the better it tends to get for everyone.
This article is for general information only and does not constitute advice of any kind. Always read your insurer's policy wording and claims information before buying or renewing cover.