Guardian is reporting today that it will expand its Essentials range, which is designed for clients who want quality cover at a more affordable price, in the coming weeks with the launch of 2 new ‘core’ covers – Critical Illness (CI) Essentials and Combined Life and Critical Illness Essentials.
According to Guardian, the new covers will give advisers more opportunities to recommend Guardian where clients need both value and quality. They sit alongside Guardian’s current enhanced Protection range, offering choice based on client priorities and budgets, without compromising on service or underwriting standards.
Guardian’s 5-star service[1] means clients can secure cover quickly, with average underwriting times of less than 1.5 days so far this year[2].
The launch builds on Life Essentials, introduced in 2024 to support households that need more affordable, good quality cover. It’s designed for more price-conscious clients who don’t need, want, or can’t afford all the enhanced features within the Protection range.
Guardian worked closely with adviser firms to develop Critical Illness Essentials, responding to demand from advisers for a lower-cost alternative to Guardian’s more comprehensive Critical Illness Protection.
Advisers can mix and match the new covers with others across Guardian’s Essentials and Protection ranges, including life cover and income protection, to build solutions tailored to client priorities.
The new covers will go live in the coming weeks.
What makes Critical Illness Essentials stand out?
Key features
Critical Illness Essentials includes many of the signature features advisers expect from Guardian:
- A dual life approach rather than traditional joint life, keeping couples’ cover separate.
- Premium Waiver as standard that pays out after 26 weeks if the policyholder is unable to work due to illness or injury.
- Beneficiary nomination through Payout Planner for the life element of Combined Life and Critical Illness Essentials.
- Optional Children’s Critical Illness Protection can be added at any time.
- Free additional benefits from day one with Guardian Anytime – access to GP24/7, second medical opinions, emotional wellbeing and aches and pains consultations
- No compromise on 5-star service, underwriting or claims experience, including access to Guardian’s HALO claims support service.
- Available within the Protection Menu, alongside existing life, critical illness, and income protection options.
As well as:
35 full payout conditions covered (including terminal illness), plus 4 additional early-stage cancer payout conditions, which is broader than many ‘core’ market alternatives – Carcinoma in situ of the breast, low grade prostate cancer, low grade testicular cancer and ovarian cancer of borderline malignancy. These conditions pay out 30% of the cover amount, or £30,000, whichever is less.
Up to £25,000 of children’s critical illness cover is built in, with the option to add further Children’s Critical Illness Protection if needed.
Total permanent disability available as an optional extra and there’s a built in Lifestyle Promise for smokers which means Guardian may reduce a smoker’s premium if they stop smoking.
There’s immediate cover of up to £300,000 – this is temporary cover that starts as soon as Guardian receives a completed application form.
Hilary Banks, Chief Commercial Officer, Guardian, said: “We’re very excited to announce the imminent launch of our much-awaited Critical Illness Essentials and Combined Life and Critical Illness Essentials.
“Guardian has, and will continue to, set the bar for quality cover and service in the protection market.
“This latest addition to our Essentials range allows us to offer great Guardian cover to clients whose priority is more affordable, high-quality protection. It also means we can now support clients at the more price-sensitive end of the market, while maintaining the quality and service that clients and advisers expect from us.
“Advisers have told us they want to recommend Guardian to more clients, but need a simpler, more affordable option for those on tighter budgets. By working closely with adviser firms, we’ve created exactly that.
“Our new Essentials covers give advisers greater choice and flexibility when supporting their clients”.
[1] Guardian has won 5 stars at the FT Adviser Service Awards 7 years in a row, 2018-2025
[2] Based on cases submitted between 1 January 2026 – 27 May 2026
