If you’ve considered quitting since the smoking ban, there’s a little extra incentive of significant savings on the cost of life insurance with typical savings of £2,000 to £3,000.

So it’s not only your health that will benefit but also your bank balance. According to price comparison website Moneysupermarket.com, life insurance premiums for non-smokers are about half the price of those for smokers. For example, life insurance of £100,000 for a 35 year old smoker over 25 years would cost £17.90 a month with Norwich Union. A non-smoking male would only pay £10 a month, saving of almost 45% or £2,370 over the term of the policy. A non-smoker with Liverpool Victoria would pay £3,150 less than a smoker for the same cover.

Head of life insurance at moneysupermarket.com, Emma Walker, commented: “The smoking ban inspired 1.2 million smokers to quit by July 1, so if you’re keen to give up, you should find plenty of support from others in the same position. The huge difference in premium levels between a smoker and a non-smoker means there are also considerable savings to be made simply by shopping around for the cheapest deal to suit your circumstances”.

In order to be classed as a non-smoker and qualify for premium savings, most insurers require you to have not used any tobacco products for a full year. Once you have given up for 12 months though, you should go back to your insurer and ask for non-smoker rates.