Sun Life Term Life Insurance review
Best for: Canadians who want a choice between a quick online term, a no-exam simplified plan or a flexible advisor-sold term of up to 40 years.
Go Term: 10, 15, 20, 25 or 30 years; Go Simplified: 10 years.
Go Term: $100,000 to $2 million; Go Simplified: up to $100,000.
Go Simplified: 18 to 69; Evolve ages not on its product page.
Go Term: healthy applicants 41 to 50 may skip exams up to $500,000.
To the policy anniversary nearest age 75; Go plans not listed.
The bottom line
Sun Life sells three term products. Evolve, through an advisor, offers terms from 5 to 40 years, coverage from $50,000 to $25 million and conversion to permanent coverage up to the policy anniversary nearest age 75. Sun Life Go Term lets you apply online for $100,000 to $2 million, with on-the-spot coverage while you wait for approval. Go Simplified skips the medical exam for up to $100,000. All coverage ends at age 85.
Pros & cons
Pros
- Go Term gives on-the-spot coverage while you wait for approval
- Go Simplified asks three health questions and needs no exam
- Evolve terms run anywhere from 5 to 40 years, depending on age
- Evolve lets you apply for more coverage after life events like a new child
- Evolve converts to permanent coverage regardless of health until age 75
Cons
- Go plans don’t list a conversion option
- Coverage ends at age 85 on every Sun Life term product
- Refund window differs across Sun Life pages
- Evolve issue ages aren’t on its product page
Sun Life spans fast online coverage and a highly flexible advisor product. Choose Evolve if conversion or growing coverage matters; the Go plans suit simpler, smaller needs.
Suits you if
- You want temporary coverage while your application is reviewed
- You prefer answering three health questions to an exam
- You expect to add coverage after marriage or children
Look elsewhere if
- You want an online plan you can convert later
- You need coverage that lasts past age 85
Credit Lab Expert
Our detailed review
Sun Life’s three term products
Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada sells term coverage three ways. Sun Life Evolve Term is sold through advisors, with terms from 5 to 40 years depending on the insured person’s age. Sun Life Go Term is applied for online, with terms of 10, 15, 20, 25 or 30 years. Sun Life Go Simplified Term is a 10-year plan with no medical exam. The older SunTerm product no longer appears on Sun Life’s term hub and seems to have been replaced by Evolve. Sun Life also offers a term product for people with Type 1, 2, gestational or pre-diabetes.
Coverage amounts and issue ages
Sun Life lists different limits for each product:
- Evolve: $50,000 minimum and $25 million maximum
- Go Term: $100,000 to $2 million, for Canadian residents aged 18 to 65
- Go Simplified: $50,000, $75,000 or $100,000, up to $100,000 in total, for Canadian residents aged 18 to 69
Medical exams and simplified options
Go Simplified has no medical exam; Sun Life says you answer three questions about your health. Go Term uses health questions, and Sun Life says healthy applicants aged 41 to 50 can skip medical exams for coverage up to $500,000. An exam is needed if you answer yes to a health question or your MIB record flags something, and no-exam limits for other ages are not published. Evolve is underwritten through an advisor, and its exam limits and issue ages are not stated on its product page.
Renewal, conversion and riders
All three products renew to age 85. Evolve renews for the same term length at guaranteed rates until the policy anniversary nearest the insured person’s 85th birthday. Go Term renews automatically for the same term with no health questions, and Go Simplified renews each year after its first 10 years, also with no health questions.
Evolve offers guaranteed conversion to permanent insurance, regardless of health, occupation or lifestyle, until the policy anniversary nearest age 75, and its term length can be changed within the first seven years. After the first year, insured people aged 18 to 60 can apply to increase coverage after marriage, a new child, a 20% income increase or a new or larger mortgage, by up to 50% of coverage to $1 million, with health questions. Joint first-to-die Evolve policies pay the base amount twice if both insured people die within 90 days. Sun Life does not list conversion for the Go plans. Evolve riders:
- Child term insurance benefit
- Total disability waiver benefit
- Guaranteed insurability benefit
- Accidental death benefit
- Owner waiver disability benefit
- Business value protection benefit
How to apply
Go Term is applied for online. Sun Life’s hub describes Go Simplified as a plan you apply for quickly over the phone, while its FAQ mentions an online application. Evolve goes through an advisor. Go plans offer separate add-on Express Critical Illness and Accidental Death Insurance, and a terminal illness benefit can advance 50% of coverage, to a maximum of $100,000, at Sun Life’s discretion. Sun Life’s pages disagree on the refund window: the Go Term page says 10 days, while the term FAQ and Go Simplified page say 30 days, so confirm it in your contract.
Other term life insurance we review
- BMO Term Life InsuranceTerms: 10, 15, 20, 25 or 30 years
- Canada Life Term Life InsuranceTerms: 5 to 50 years (My Term)
- Canada Protection Plan Term Life InsuranceTerms: 10, 20, 25 or 30 years
- Desjardins Term Life InsuranceTerms: 10 to 30 years, or to 65
- Empire Life Term Life InsuranceTerms: 10 to 30 years, or ART
- Equitable Term Life InsuranceTerms: 10, 20 or 30/65 years
- Humania Term Life InsuranceTerms: T10 to T30, T80, T100
- iA Financial Group Term Life InsuranceTerms: 10 to 40 years
- Manulife CoverMe Term Life InsuranceTerms: 10 or 20 years
- Manulife Family Term Life InsuranceTerms: 10, 20, to 65 or to 100
- PolicyMe Term Life InsuranceTerms: 10 to 30 years
- RBC Term Life InsuranceTerms: Any length, 10 to 40 years
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I convert Sun Life Go Term to permanent coverage?
Sun Life does not list a conversion option for Go Term or Go Simplified, and says conversion is available for select term plans. Evolve, sold through advisors, converts to permanent insurance regardless of health until the policy anniversary nearest age 75.
Does Sun Life Go Term need a medical exam?
Sometimes. Sun Life says healthy applicants aged 41 to 50 can skip medical exams for up to $500,000 of coverage, but an exam is needed if you answer yes to a health question or your MIB record flags something. Limits for other ages are not published.
How much coverage can I get with Sun Life Go Simplified Term?
Sun Life offers $50,000, $75,000 or $100,000 of Go Simplified coverage, with up to $100,000 in total. It is open to Canadian residents aged 18 to 69 and asks three health questions instead of an exam.
Can I increase Sun Life Evolve coverage after having a baby?
Yes. After the first year, Evolve lets insured people aged 18 to 60 apply for more coverage after a new child, marriage, a 20% income increase or a new or larger mortgage. The increase is up to 50% of coverage to $1 million, and health questions apply.
When does Sun Life term life coverage end?
Sun Life says coverage expires at age 85 on all its term products. Evolve renews at guaranteed rates until the policy anniversary nearest the insured person’s 85th birthday.
How does Sun Life Evolve joint coverage work if both people die?
On joint first-to-die Evolve policies, Sun Life pays the base amount twice if both insured people die within 90 days. If only one dies, the survivor can buy replacement coverage within 90 days without medical evidence.
Does Sun Life offer term life insurance for people with diabetes?
Yes. Sun Life lists a term product for people with Type 1, 2, gestational or pre-diabetes. Our research does not cover its limits or terms, so check the details with Sun Life.
How long do I have to cancel Sun Life Go Term for a refund?
Sun Life’s pages disagree. The Go Term page says you get a full refund within the first 10 days, while the term FAQ and Go Simplified page say 30 days. Check the window in your policy contract.
Sources
Features come from the insurer’s own site, checked October 14, 2026. Coverage is decided by the policy wording, not this summary: read it, and answer every medical question accurately. We don’t show premiums because they depend on your age, health and coverage. See our methodology.