Best Term Insurance Plans 2025

The Axis Max Life Smart Term Plan Plus (STPP) builds on this foundation. 

Instead of restricting buyers to one structure, it offers six variants that cover almost every profile. These include pure protection, income payout, early return of premium, and even whole-life coverage.

We generally recommend the Level cover (simplest variant) and Smart Cover ( 1.5x cover for the first 15 years, then level cover). 

It is not that Max Life executes each variant better than everyone else. They have included almost everything a customer would reasonably expect, making the plan very versatile in real-world scenarios.

The following feature stack strengthens this versatility.

Cover Continuance: Helps keep the policy active even if a premium is deferred under specific conditions. The premium can be skipped with prior intimation, but must be paid back the following year, along with that year's premium.

Instant Payout: Ensures a portion of the claim amount is released quickly upon intimation.

Waiver of Premium: Protects the coverage if a listed illness or disability occurs and won’t compel you to keep paying your premiums.

Health Management Services: These services, such as network discounts and teleconsultations, are offered under Smart Term Plan Plus and can be availed using the Axis Max life App. 

Despite covering so much ground, STPP remains price-competitive and usually falls in the affordable range for a ₹1 crore cover. This balance of strong features and sensible pricing is what lifts its overall rating. 

On the servicing side, our operational experience with Max Life has been consistently smooth. Digital journeys are clean, support is responsive, and customers rarely go through avoidable back-and-forth.

Our Takeaway: 

A complete and feature-loaded term plan from an insurer that may not be the loudest name in the market but consistently performs where it matters most.

HDFC Life is one of the most recognizable private insurers in the country. The claim numbers are consistently strong, complaint levels are the lowest in the industry, and the servicing network is vast. 

On our side, we have handled multiple HDFC Life claims, and the experience has been structured and professional. There can be some back-and-forth on documents, but the process is predictable, which matters for a long-term contract.

HDFC Life Click 2 Protect Supreme keeps the structure relatively simple. It offers three clear options that cover most use cases

1) Life option (Ditto’s primary recommendation) for straightforward term cover, further classified into level cover and increasing cover (5% p.a or 10% every 5 years up to 100%)

2) Life Plus option that adds an additional accidental death benefit. 

3) Life Goal option (decreasing cover variant), where the cover gradually reduces in line with loans and other liabilities. 

Most buyers can understand these choices without having to decode a long menu of variants. Here are the key features:

Attractive Benefits: C2PS works with the same modern toolkit you see in top plans like Max Life STPP. Waiver of Premium for critical illness & disabilities helps keep the cover going if income takes a hit. 

Additional Offerings: The Life Stage option lets you increase protection when you get married or have children without starting from scratch. 

Payouts: The plan enables nominees to take the death benefit as income rather than a lump sum and includes a critical illness rider covering 60 illnesses for up to 15 years.

Convenience: Premium Break lets you pause premiums and defer for a limited period while keeping the cover active, similar in spirit to cover continuance in other plans.Convenience: P

Active Management: Smart Exit, instant partial payout on claim intimation, and wellness services through the HDFC app sit atop the policy, making it feel actively managed rather than static.

Pricing is usually higher than Max Life for a similar one crore cover. You are paying for the HDFC Life badge. For very price-sensitive buyers, that extra cost may not feel worth it. For someone who already trusts HDFC and likes the Life Goal, increasing the cover, spouse cover, or parent income constructs can still make the premium acceptable.

Our Takeaway: 

Click 2 Protect Supreme is HDFC Life’s version of a feature-rich term plan. It is not the cheapest product in our list, but the combination of solid numbers, clean structure, and a strong brand keeps it firmly at number two.

The eTouch II plan reflects this straightforward approach. It offers three variants that are easy to understand: a Life Shield option for pure term cover, a Life Shield Plus variant that adds accidental death benefit, and a Life Shield ROP version for customers who prefer a return-of-premium structure (not recommended).

On the features front, Bajaj covers the following essentials. 

Key Services: Terminal illness payout is included, inbuilt waiver of premium is available for disabilities and terminal illness, and nominees can opt for income-based claim payouts. 

Premium Flexibility: The Premium Holiday option lets you skip premiums for a limited period while keeping the policy active, and an Early Exit Value is available at older ages, subject to conditions. 

Health Management: The plan offers excellent health management services, such as teleconsultations, discounts, and comprehensive health checkups, under its plans. 

Pricing: For a standard one crore cover, eTouch II is usually among the more affordable options in the market. Even with the accidental benefit variant, premiums remain competitive. 

There are a few limitations. Bajaj doesn’t have the same brand heft as HDFC or ICICI. The feature depth is slightly lower than that of our top two picks. But for most real-world needs, the combination of a stable insurer, smooth onboarding, and competitive pricing is more than sufficient.

Our Takeaway: 

Bajaj eTouch II is a clean, good-value term plan from an insurer with solid fundamentals. It keeps things simple, remains competitively priced, and performs reliably, which is why it ranks third on our list.

ICICI Prudential is one of the most familiar names in the private life insurance space. The brand has scale, wide distribution, and a battle-tested digital infrastructure. From our side, most proposal journeys move quickly, and medicals are arranged without friction. We do see occasional delays, but they are resolved soon. 

The big issue for the brand is that complaint levels are slightly higher than those of the top private insurers. None of this makes ICICI unreliable, but it explains why the overall rating falls slightly behind the top three.

Having said that, iProtect Smart Plus is a balanced product. Most customers can choose without having to navigate a long list of variants, which keeps the decision process comfortable. Here are its key features: 

Simple Structure: The structure is simple and easy to understand. You get a Life option for basic term cover, a Life Plus option that adds accidental death benefit, and a Life Rebalance option (not live currently). 

Comprehensive Services: iProtect follows the modern template used by most leading plans. You can increase coverage for marriage, childbirth, or home loans through Life Stage Protection. 

Premium Flexibility: Smart Exit lets you walk away with premiums back after a point if you no longer want the policy. Premium Break offers a limited payment pause after you have paid regularly for a set period. Instant payout on claim intimation is available for higher covers. 

Once again, the product may not be as versatile as the top pick here, but it works for most people.

Pricing is usually in the mid-range. It is not as competitive as Bajaj or Max Life for a one crore profile, but it is not prohibitively expensive either. Many buyers choose iProtect for the brand comfort rather than for an absolute premium advantage. 

That positioning is fairly accurate. You get a strong franchise, decent digital journeys, and a straightforward set of options. 

Our Takeaway: 

ICICI iProtect Smart Plus is a reliable, mainstream term plan from a widely trusted insurer. It keeps the structure simple, offers all the essential features, and delivers a smooth digital experience. It sits amongst the very top of our list because of slightly higher complaint levels, but for someone who prefers staying with a large, familiar brand, it remains a sensible and reassuring choice.

Aditya Birla Sun Life is a steady private insurer with strong scale, good claim numbers, and full digital servicing. They are not a Ditto partner, but our limited interactions have been smooth, and the overall metrics inspire confidence.

They sit just below the absolute top tier because of slightly lower ASR and a smaller on-ground franchise compared to names like HDFC or Max. Super Term Plan, however, is more distinctive than it first appears.

The structure is straightforward with three options: a level cover, an increasing cover, and a return-of-premium version. Most families can map themselves to one of these without confusion.

Where the plan genuinely stands out is the inbuilt Accelerated Critical Illness benefit. This covers a wide range of illnesses and is included in the contract rather than as a separate rider you bolt on.

You do pay an additional premium for it, but the structure is often more affordable than buying a standalone CI rider from most competitors. It also fits neatly into the policy: if a listed illness is diagnosed, up to 50 percent of the death sum assured is paid out (capped at ₹ 50 Lakhs)

Other features cover the essentials well.

Key Benefits: Terminal illness payout is built in. Accidental total and permanent disability results in an automatic waiver of premiums (if the rider is opted).

Life stage Flexibility: This specifically applies to marriage, children, or home purchases (via loan). Cover continuance allows you to defer premiums for up to twelve months under specific rules.

Early Exit Value: It is available in particular age and tenure bands, and the plan includes a small advance payout on claim intimation within one working day.

These features put it on par with the top 4 plans on this list. Pricing is usually competitive for a one crore profile, and once you factor in the inbuilt ACI structure, the value proposition becomes even stronger.

Our Takeaway: ABSLI Super Term Plan is a well-rounded, quietly distinctive product. The inbuilt critical illness benefit and competitive pricing give it a clear edge for customers who want illness and death cover in a single contract. Aditya Birla lacks the brand pull of the top two, but as a complete, good-value package, it earns its place in the top five.