Term Insurance

Aviva Saral Jeevan Bima: Features, Cover & Eligibility

Moushmi Kaur

Written by Moushmi Kaur

Insurance Writer

Gaurav Bhat

Reviewed by Gaurav Bhat

IRDAI-Certified Expert at Ditto

SP0738578124

Certified
Aviva Saral Jeevan Bima: Features, Cover & Eligibility

Overview

Aviva Life Insurance offers Aviva Saral Jeevan Bima, a standard individual, non-linked, non-participating pure-risk term insurance plan that provides basic financial protection to the nominee if the policyholder dies during the policy term.

Key Highlights

  • Coverage: The plan offers ₹5 lakh to ₹25 lakh in cover, in ₹50,000 increments.
  • Policy Term: The policy term ranges from 5 to 40 years, with a maximum maturity age of 70 years.
  • Eligibility: The plan is available to individuals aged 18 to 65 years as of their last birthday.
  • Premium Payment Term: Policyholders can choose between regular pay, limited pay for 5 or 10 years, or single pay.
  • Waiting Period: A 45-day waiting period applies from the commencement of risk. Accidental death is covered during this period, while death from other causes results in a refund of premiums paid.
  • Maturity Benefit: The plan does not provide a maturity benefit if the policyholder survives the entire policy term.

Choosing a term insurance plan can be challenging, especially when comparing similar products from different insurers. IRDAI introduced the Saral Jeevan Bima framework to standardize key aspects of basic term insurance, making these plans easier to understand and compare.

This guide examines Aviva Saral Jeevan Bima, covering its eligibility, premium rates, death benefit, waiting period, and other important policy terms. It also looks at the insurer's performance metrics and the plan's key limitations.

What Is Aviva Saral Jeevan Bima?

Saral Jeevan Bima is a standardized pure-term life insurance product introduced by IRDAI to make basic life insurance easier to understand and compare. The product follows common rules for key aspects such as the sum assured, policy term, waiting period, and death benefit. IRDAI mandated life insurers to offer this standardized product, with the core features remaining consistent across insurers.

Aviva Saral Jeevan Bima (UIN: 122N135V01) is Aviva Life Insurance's version of this standardized product. It is an individual, non-linked, non-participating pure-risk term insurance plan that provides financial protection to the policyholder's nominee during the policy term.

The policyholder pays premiums to keep the cover active. If the policyholder passes away during the policy term, the nominee receives the applicable death benefit. Since it is a pure-term plan, there is no investment component or maturity payout if the policyholder survives the policy term.

For a broader comparison of the standardized product across insurers, read our guide to Saral Jeevan Bima Yojana.

Aviva Saral Jeevan Bima: IRDAI Standard Rules, Eligibility, and Key Features

IRDAI Standard Rules

The key provisions include:

    • Sum Assured: ₹5 lakh to ₹25 lakh, in multiples of ₹50,000.
    • Policy Term: 5 to 40 years.
    • Waiting Period: 45 days from the commencement of risk. Accidental death during this period is covered, while death from other causes results in a refund of premiums paid, excluding taxes.
    • Death Benefit: For regular or limited pay, the death benefit is the highest of the sum assured, 10 times the annualized premium, or 105% of premiums paid. For single pay, it is the higher of the sum assured or 125% of the single premium.
    • Maturity Benefit: There is no maturity benefit if the policyholder survives the policy term.

Eligibility

The plan is available to individuals who meet the specified age and payment requirements:

    • Entry Age: 18 to 65 years based on the policyholder's last birthday.
    • Maximum Maturity Age: 70 years.
    • Premium Payment Options: Single pay, limited pay for 5 or 10 years, or regular pay.
    • Premium Payment Frequency: Depending on the chosen payment option, premiums can be paid yearly, half-yearly, or monthly.
    • Grace Period: 15 days for monthly premiums and 30 days for yearly or half-yearly premiums.

Key Features

    • Plan Type: Individual, non-linked, non-participating, pure-risk life insurance plan.
    • Policy Loan: No policy loan is available under the plan.
    • Revival: A lapsed policy can be revived within five years from the first unpaid premium, subject to the applicable policy terms.
    • Surrender or Cancellation Value: Regular pay policies do not offer a surrender value. Eligible single pay and limited pay policies may receive a cancellation value as per the policy terms.
    • Suicide Exclusion: If the policyholder dies by suicide within 12 months of policy commencement or revival, the applicable benefit is subject to the policy's suicide exclusion terms.

Aviva Saral Jeevan Bima Sample Premium Comparison by Age and Cover

This illustration assumes a salaried, non-smoking male from Delhi (pincode: 110010) seeking level term cover until age 65. First-year discounts are excluded. Actual premiums may vary based on age, medical profile, underwriting, and other factors. For a rough estimate, you can use the Aviva calculator.

AgeAviva Saral Jeevan Bima (₹25 Lakh) CoverAviva 3D Term Plan Platinum (₹25 Lakh) CoverAviva 3D Term Plan Platinum (₹50 Lakh) CoverAviva 3D Term Plan Platinum (₹1 Crore) Cover
25 ₹8,950₹4,369₹5,821₹9,633
30₹10,775₹5,124₹6,915₹10,099
35₹13,725₹6,272₹8,578₹14,513
40₹16,400₹7,925₹10,980₹18,746

Key Insights: Pricing comparison shows that Aviva Saral Jeevan Bima is significantly more expensive than Aviva’s flagship 3D Term Plan Platinum despite offering a much lower ₹25 lakh cover.

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Aviva Life: Performance Metrics

Metric (Average FY 2024-26)Aviva LifeIndustry Average
Claim Settlement Ratio99.08%99.00% (Mean)
Amount Settlement Ratio (Average FY 2023-25)98.82%94.83% (Mean)
Annual Business Volume (In Crore)₹331.13₹3,778.58 (Median)
Volume of Complaints (Per 10,000 Claims)82.8813.10 (Median)
Solvency Ratio1.88x2.00x (Median)
Annual Death Claims Paid (In Crore)₹106.14₹237.24 (Median) 

Note: The table figures represent the insurer's overall performance. The data is sourced from Aviva Life public disclosures and IRDAI annual reports. You can explore the Ditto Data Lab for more insurer metrics.

Pros & Cons of Aviva Saral Jeevan Bima

ProsCons
The plan follows a standardized structure with ₹5 lakh to ₹25 lakh of cover and policy terms of 5 to 40 years.The ₹25 lakh maximum sum assured may be insufficient for individuals with substantial financial responsibilities.
Policyholders can choose single pay, limited pay for 5 or 10 years, or regular pay, offering flexibility in premium payment.The plan lacks several modern features, including terminal illness benefits, health management services, life-stage cover increases, and premium break options.
Premiums can be paid yearly, half-yearly, monthly, or as a single premium, depending on the chosen premium payment option.The plan lacks key rider benefits such as critical illness, waiver of premium, and total and permanent disability cover.
A 45-day waiting period applies from the commencement of risk for non-accidental deaths, while flagship term plans from life insurers do not have this waiting period.

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Conclusion

Multiple premium payment options and coverage of up to ₹25 lakh make Aviva Saral Jeevan Bima a straightforward term insurance product. However, its higher pricing, limited sum assured, no rider options, and lack of modern features make the plan fairly basic.

Since Saral Jeevan Bima is an IRDAI-mandated standard product, insurers have limited flexibility to differentiate it. Therefore, the more relevant factors when evaluating Aviva’s offering are its premium, underwriting, and insurer-level performance.

If you prefer Aviva and are eligible for its flagship 3D Term Plan Platinum, you can consider that option instead. Alternatively, compare flagship term plans from larger, established insurers. 

Aviva’s claim settlement ratio is above the industry mean, but its smaller business scale and higher complaint levels than the industry benchmark are worth considering alongside its claims performance.

Therefore, if you want stronger overall insurer fundamentals, consider the best term insurance plans from established insurers like Axis Max Life and HDFC Life.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the maximum life cover available under Aviva Saral Jeevan Bima?

Aviva Saral Jeevan Bima offers a minimum death sum assured of ₹5 lakh and a maximum of ₹25 lakh, in multiples of ₹50,000. The actual sum assured is subject to Aviva's board-approved underwriting policy. 

Is Aviva Saral Jeevan Bima different from the Saral Jeevan Bima sold by LIC, SBI Life, or HDFC Life?

Aviva Saral Jeevan Bima follows the standardized Saral Jeevan Bima structure. However, premiums, underwriting decisions, and insurer-specific customer support can differ. 

What is the 45-day waiting period in Aviva Saral Jeevan Bima, and does it apply to accidental death?

A 45-day waiting period applies from the commencement of risk. During this period, only accidental death is covered under the applicable death benefit. For death from causes other than an accident, 100% of premiums received, excluding taxes, is payable instead of the sum assured. 

Can I buy Aviva Saral Jeevan Bima without income proof or educational qualification checks?

Saral Jeevan Bima usually has relaxed income and educational eligibility criteria compared to insurers’ flagship plans, but you can confirm the exact requirements directly with the insurer.

Does Aviva Saral Jeevan Bima pay anything back if I survive the policy term?

No. No maturity benefit is payable if the policyholder survives until the stipulated maturity date. As a pure-risk life insurance plan, it provides protection during the policy term rather than a maturity payout.

Can I add a critical illness or accidental death rider to Aviva Saral Jeevan Bima?

IRDAI guidelines allow insurers to offer accident-based riders with Saral Jeevan Bima. However, Aviva currently does not offer any riders with this plan. Therefore, policyholders cannot add a critical illness or accidental death rider to their Aviva Saral Jeevan Bima policy.

Is ₹25 lakh of Saral Jeevan Bima cover enough, or should I buy a regular term plan instead?

Aviva Saral Jeevan Bima caps the death benefit at ₹25 lakh. Whether this is enough depends on your income, liabilities, dependents, and existing assets. If you need higher coverage, use Ditto’s term insurance cover calculator to estimate your requirement and compare it with regular term plans offering higher sum assured options.

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