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ICICI Lombard Elevate vs HDFC ERGO Optima Secure Plus (2026)
ICICI Lombard Elevate vs HDFC ERGO Optima Secure Plus, compared on room rent, bonus, restoration, maternity, chronic illness cover and claim record.
Elevate or Optima Secure Plus: which should you buy?
HDFC ERGO Optima Secure Plus is the stronger base plan, with no room rent cap, double cover from day one, a bonus with no ceiling and consumables included. ICICI Lombard Elevate is the more flexible one, with no stated maximum sum insured and optional maternity, worldwide treatment and 30-day cover for six chronic conditions. The two insurers' claim records sit far apart.
HDFC ERGO settles 97.8% of claims and draws 8.3 complaints per 10,000 claims; ICICI Lombard settles 87.6% and draws 16.6 (IRDAI data, weighted average of the last three financial years, latest available as of March 2026).
Premiums depend on your age, city and cover, so this page compares what each plan pays for rather than a price. A quote for both plans on the same cover is the only fair way to compare cost.
How do Elevate and Optima Secure Plus compare, feature by feature?
Elevate and Optima Secure Plus both have no disease sub-limits and no standard co-payment. They differ sharply on room rent, day-one cover, bonus growth and consumables, and on which options each one sells.
| Feature | ICICI Lombard Elevate | HDFC ERGO Optima Secure Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Claim settlement ratio | 87.6% | 97.8% |
| Complaints per 10,000 claims | 16.6 | 8.3 |
| Sum insured | From ₹5 lakh, no maximum stated | ₹10 lakh to ₹2 crore (10, 15, 20, 25, 50, 100 and 200 lakh) |
| Entry age | From 6 years, with a proposer aged 18 or over; no practical maximum | Adults 18 and above, no maximum |
| Children | 91 days to 5 years on a floater only; can stay on a floater to 30 | 91 days to 25 years; own policy at 26 with continuity |
| Room rent | Single private AC room; a higher room cuts the associated costs proportionately | No cap |
| Disease sub-limits | None in the base cover | None |
| Co-payment | None as standard | None |
| Day-one cover boost | – | 2X the base sum insured (Secure Benefit) |
| Yearly bonus | Loyalty Bonus: 20% a year up to 100%, not reduced by a claim | Infinite Benefit: 100% a year with no ceiling, regardless of claims |
| Restoration | Reset: unlimited, up to 100% of base, for any illness; not on the first claim of the policy year | Unlimited automatic restoration in a policy year |
| Pre and post-hospitalisation | 90 and 180 days | 60 and 180 days |
| Consumables | Paid add-on (Claim Protector) | Built in (Protect Benefit) |
| Pre-existing disease wait | 36 months; 24 or 12 with an option; 30 days for six declared conditions with Jumpstart | 36 months; ABCD Chronic Care covers four conditions from day 31 |
| Specific illness wait | 24 months; 12 with an option | 24 months |
| Maternity | Add-on: up to 10% of sum insured, capped at ₹1 lakh, with newborn cover and first-year vaccinations available alongside; 24-month wait | Parenthood add-on: ₹50,000 to ₹2 lakh, up to two deliveries and two IVF cycles; 2-year wait; newborn cover not included |
Plan features from each plan's prospectus (Elevate UIN ICIHLIP25048V042425; Optima Secure Plus as filed under my: Optima Secure), as recorded in nyvo's policy database. Claim and complaint ratios: IRDAI data, weighted average of the last three financial years, latest available as of March 2026.
Where is Optima Secure Plus the better choice?
Optima Secure Plus suits a buyer who wants the most cover from the base plan with little to add, from the insurer with the stronger claim record of the two.
- The stronger claim record. HDFC ERGO settles 97.8% of claims and draws 8.3 complaints per 10,000 claims, against 87.6% and 16.6 for ICICI Lombard (IRDAI data, weighted average of the last three financial years, latest available as of March 2026).
- No room rent cap. Any room category, with no proportionate deduction on the rest of the bill.
- Double cover from day one. The Secure Benefit makes ₹10 lakh behave as ₹20 lakh from the start, at no extra premium.
- A bonus with no ceiling. The Infinite Benefit adds 100% of base cover every year, regardless of claims. Elevate's base bonus stops at 100% after five years.
- Consumables included, through the built-in Protect Benefit.
- Unlimited restoration. Optima Secure Plus restores cover without limit in a policy year, for the same illness as well as a different one; Elevate's Reset also refills without limit but does not apply to the first claim of each policy year.
Where does Elevate pull ahead?
Elevate suits a buyer who needs flexibility the base Optima Secure Plus does not offer: very large cover, maternity with newborn cover, treatment abroad, or fast cover for a chronic condition.
- No stated maximum sum insured in the prospectus, where Optima Secure Plus stops at ₹2 crore; confirm the amount on your quote.
- Maternity with newborn cover available. Elevate's maternity add-on can be taken with newborn cover and first-year vaccinations; the Optima Secure Plus Parenthood add-on does not include newborn cover.
- Worldwide Cover. An add-on for planned and emergency treatment anywhere in the world, including the USA and Canada, up to the sum insured capped at ₹3 crore, cashless only, after a two-year wait.
- Jumpstart. Cuts the pre-existing wait to 30 days for asthma, diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, obesity and coronary artery disease with an angioplasty more than a year ago, if you declared them and the insurer accepted them.
- Longer pre-hospitalisation, 90 days against 60.
- An NRI Advantage discount of up to 25% on the base cover premium, with proof of overseas residence at every renewal.
What should you check before buying either plan?
ICICI Lombard Elevate
- Diabetes, hypertension and cardiac conditions carry their own 90-day wait unless you declare them as pre-existing when you apply and the insurer accepts them. Declare everything.
- The base plan caps room rent at a single private AC room. The Room Modifier add-on removes the cap.
- The Loyalty Bonus adds only 20% a year, so cover takes five unbroken years to double. Power Booster raises it to 100% a year for extra premium.
- Consumables need Claim Protector, and the Network Advantage discount brings a 20% co-payment at non-network hospitals.
HDFC ERGO Optima Secure Plus
- Maternity needs the Parenthood add-on, which carries its own two-year wait and does not include newborn cover.
- Routine doctor consultations are not covered unless you add Optima Wellbeing.
- There is no step-count or wellness discount on renewal.
- Compare quotes on the same cover and options: the case for Optima Secure Plus rests on how fast its cover grows rather than on price.
Which plan should you choose?
Choose Optima Secure Plus if you want the stronger claim record of the two, a room of your choice without deductions, and cover that doubles on day one and keeps growing.
Choose Elevate if you want a sum insured above ₹2 crore (its prospectus states no maximum, so confirm the amount on your quote), plan a child and want newborn cover with the maternity benefit, want cover for treatment abroad, or have a declared chronic condition that Jumpstart covers after a 30-day wait.
Deciding between the two? A nyvo advisor can quote both with the options you actually need and show what the room rent cap would mean at the hospitals near you. Book a free call. It costs you nothing; here is how nyvo is paid.
FAQs
Does Elevate have a room rent limit?
Yes. The base cover entitles you to a single private air-conditioned room. Take a higher category and a proportionate share of the associated medical expenses is deducted, not just the difference in room rent. The Room Modifier add-on removes the restriction. Optima Secure Plus has no room rent cap.
Which plan grows the sum insured faster?
Optima Secure Plus. It doubles base cover from day one and adds 100% of base cover every year with no ceiling, whether or not you claim. Elevate's Loyalty Bonus adds 20% a year up to 100%, unless you buy the Power Booster add-on, which adds 100% a year irrespective of a claim.
Which plan is better for maternity?
It depends on what you need covered. Elevate's maternity add-on pays up to 10% of the sum insured, capped at ₹1 lakh, with newborn cover and first-year vaccinations available alongside, after a 24-month wait that can be cut to 12. Optima Secure Plus's Parenthood add-on pays ₹50,000 to ₹2 lakh, covers up to two IVF cycles and carries a two-year wait, but does not include newborn cover.
I have diabetes. Which plan should I consider?
Both have an option. Elevate's Jumpstart cuts the pre-existing wait to 30 days for diabetes and five other conditions, provided you declare them and the insurer accepts them. Optima Secure Plus's ABCD Chronic Care covers asthma, blood pressure, cholesterol and Type 2 diabetes managed on oral medication from day 31, for up to three of the four.
Which insurer has the better claim record?
HDFC ERGO. It settles 97.8% of claims and draws 8.3 complaints per 10,000 claims, against ICICI Lombard's 87.6% and 16.6 (IRDAI data, weighted average of the last three financial years, latest available as of March 2026).
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16+ years in financial services. Former investment banker at Bank of America, Kotak Investment Banking, and SBICaps, and ex-CFO of slice. Founder of nyvo and Principal Officer - IRDAI Certified.
