Insuring your pet is a good way to shield yourself from high vet bills due to your pet’s illness or injury. When it comes to dog breeds, different breeds incur different dog insurance premiums because some dogs are more prone to health problems than others.

With some policies, conditions common to particular breeds may be excluded from cover, so if you have a dog breed that is prone to a particular type of problem (such as hip dysplasia) be certain that you carefully read over the terms and conditions of any policy you consider buying.

Sainsbury’s Finance did a survey in November 2010 of which breeds are the most expensive and least expensive to insure. The top three most expensive dog breeds in terms of insurance costs are Daschunds, Chow Chows, and Italian Spinones. Pedigreed dogs are generally more expensive to insure because they are at a higher risk for hereditary ailments.

The five purebred breeds that are cheapest to insure are Yorkshire Terriers (Terriers in general are inexpensive to insure.), Greyhounds, Whippets, Alaskan Malamutes, and Canadian Eskimo dogs.

Crossbreeds (like Cockapoos and Labradoodles) generally cost less than pure breeds to insure. But your best bet for cheap dog insurance is by going with a “designer original” (a.k.a. “mongrel”) dog. Statistically, mixed breeds live longer, and are healthier than pure breeds, cost less to acquire, and in many cases result in an animal being saved from euthanasia (the same holds true for cats).

Generally speaking, small dogs (with the exception of Daschunds) cost less to insure than large dogs, and mixed breeds cost less than pure breeds. So if you have a small mixed breed dog, your pet insurance premiums will be among the lowest, and if you have a large purebred dog, you’ll generally pay the highest premiums.

Another factor, in addition to breed, that will make a difference to your premiums is your Postcode. If you live in Central London, you’ll likely pay more than twice as much in pet insurance premiums than if you live in Plymouth, for example. Even insuring a young, short-haired tabby cat in London can be as expensive as insuring a car!

One way of keeping pet insurance costs in line is to compare policies online. With some insurers, you may be able to lower your premiums by increasing your excess (the first part of any claim you make that you must pay) to the highest you’re willing to pay. You must make sure that you compare policies on a like-for-like basis rather than just on price. The terms and conditions of policies vary from one insurer to another, as do exclusions based on the breed and age of your pet.