Nationwide home insurance review: Superior claims service
Nationwide home insurance features numerous, comprehensive coverage options and high marks for claims satisfaction with J.D. Power. Compare rates & get quotes.
By
Pat HowardPat HowardManaging Editor & Licensed Home Insurance ExpertPat Howard is a licensed insurance expert and former managing editor at Policygenius. Pat has written extensively about the home insurance industry and his insights as a subject matter expert have appeared in several top tier publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, and Reuters. Pat has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Michigan State University.
Edited by
Colin LalleyColin LalleyContent Director, Home & Auto InsuranceColin Lalley is the content director for home and auto insurance at Policygenius, where he's been writing about insurance since 2015. His insights have been featured in Inc. Magazine, Betterment, Chime, Credit Seasame, Zola, and the Council for Disability Awareness.
Expert reviewedExpert reviewedThis article has been reviewed by a member of ourFinancial Review Council to ensure all sources, statistics, and claims meet the highest standard for accurate and unbiased advice.Learn more about oureditorial review process.
Our proprietary ratings methodology takes multiple factors into account, including customer satisfaction, cost, financial strength, and policy offerings. See the “Ratings methodology” section for more details.
4.5
AM Best rating
AM Best is a global credit rating agency that scores the financial strength of insurance companies on a scale from A++ (Superior) to D (Poor).
A+
Cost
Using a mix of internal and external rate data, we grade the cost of each insurance company's premiums on a scale from least expensive ($) to most expensive ($$$$$).
Nationwide stands out for its multiple extended dwelling coverage options and high claims satisfaction ratings, making it a choice insurance option for homeowners in states prone to hurricanes or wildfires. In addition to offering enhanced protection for your home, Nationwide also has an extensive suite of personal property coverage options, such as replacement cost settlements and higher limits on expensive valuables.
Highly rated for claims satisfaction with J.D. Power
Available in most states
Cons
Below-average customer satisfaction and digital experience ratings
Won’t cover Airbnbs or other short-term rentals
Basic coverages offered
Nationwide home insurance policies include these six basic coverages to protect your home, belongings, and liability:
Dwelling: Pays to rebuild or repair the structure of your home, such as the roof, floors, walls, built-in appliances, and any structures attached to the home.
Other structures: Pays to rebuild or repair additional structures on your property that aren’t attached to your home, like a detached garage or gardening shed.
Personal property: Covers the costs of repairing or replacing your personal belongings, such as furniture, clothes, electronics, and other possessions you own.
Loss of use: Helps cover the cost of hotel stays, restaurant meals, pet boarding costs, and other temporary living expenses while your house is being rebuilt or repaired after a covered loss.
Personal liability: Covers medical and legal expenses in the event you’re legally responsible for an accidental injury or property damage.
Medical payments: Pays for guests’ medical expenses if they’re injured in your home, regardless of who is at fault.
Additional coverages offered
You have the option to add up to 14 additional coverages to your Nationwide homeowners insurance policy for an added cost. You can also purchase separate umbrella, earthquake, or flood insurance to fill in important gaps in coverage.
Guaranteed replacement cost: If your home is destroyed by a disaster, this covers 100% of its rebuild cost — regardless of your dwelling coverage limit or the cost. Only available in a select number of states.
Extended replacement cost: Increases your dwelling coverage limit an additional 50% if your home is destroyed and the cost to rebuild exceeds the amount of insurance on your home. In catastrophe-prone states, Nationwide offers up to 100% in extended replacement cost coverage.
Brand new belongings: Covers the cost to repair or replace your personal belongings without deducting depreciation from your claim reimbursement.
All risk protection: Covers your personal belongings from causes of loss that generally aren’t covered under a standard policy, including lost or misplaced items.
Better roof replacement: Replaces your roof with stronger, better roofing materials in the event it’s damaged by a covered peril.
Equipment breakdown: Covers the cost of replacement or repairs if an appliance, home system, or smart home device is damaged due to a mechanical, electrical, or pressure systems breakdown.
Water backup: Covers the cost of repairs if water backs up through your sewer line, drain, or your sump pump overflows.
Service line: Covers the cost of excavation, repairs, or service line replacement in the event your water pipes, electrical wiring, gas lines, or any other underground service lines are damaged.
Protection boost: Increases coverage limits on special classes of property that often have low coverage limits, such as jewelry, silverware, and business property.
Valuables plus: Increases coverage limits on specific expensive valuables with low per-item limits on a standard policy, such as jewelry, watches, electronics, or antiques.
Extended ordinance or law: Provides higher ordinance or law coverage limits to cover the increased cost of construction due to local building codes.
Extended loss assessment: Provides higher loss assessment coverage limits to cover the cost of losses assessed to residents of a home or condo owners association.
Identity theft & cybersecurity coverage: If your identity is stolen, this covers the cost of legal fees, lost wages, and other costs you incur during the recovery process.
Personal injury: Covers legal expenses related to libel and slander, false arrest, malicious prosecution, wrongful eviction, and more.
Nationwide Private Client: A separate Nationwide home insurance product specifically intended for high-net worth homeowners with expensive homes, expensive valuables, and millions of dollars in total assets. Only available to homes with a replacement value of at least $750,000.
Umbrella insurance: If you have a liability claim that exceeds your liability coverage limit, umbrella insurance will kick in to cover the rest of the costs. If the total value of your assets are greater than $500,000 (the maximum liability coverage limit on most home insurance policies) you’ll want to consider a personal umbrella policy.
Flood insurance: Nationwide offers separate flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), the main provider of flood insurance in the U.S.
Earthquake insurance: Customers in California can purchase California Earthquake Authority (CEA) earthquake insurance through Nationwide.
Ratings methodology
Price
4.2/5
Nationwide does well on our price rating scale. While its home insurance policies are slightly more expensive than the national average, it offers a long list of discount options to help keep rates down. This includes an average multi-policy discount of 13%, according to our analysis of Nationwide home and auto bundling data.
Customer experience
4.0/5
Nationwide placed 10th out of 19 companies in J.D. Power’s 2022 Home Insurance Study, meaning it’s about average when it comes to customer satisfaction around agent interaction, policy offerings, price, and other factors. Where Nationwide earned high marks on our customer experience rating scale was in claims satisfaction, ranking fifth in J.D. Power’s 2022 Property Claims Satisfaction Study. It also received around 70% fewer customer complaints from 2019 to 2021 compared to other companies of its size, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) National Complaint Index Report. However, it placed second-to-last in J.D. Power’s Insurance Digital Experience Study — an indication that Nationwide has some improvements to make to its web and app experience.
Coverage options
4.4/5
Nationwide is about as good as it gets when it comes to both the quality and number of available coverage options. While its standard home insurance policy provides the same basic protection as other companies, customers can easily upgrade to more comprehensive protection by purchasing any of Nationwide’s 14 available coverage endorsements, such as extended and guaranteed replacement cost, better roof replacement coverage, and more. This is why it scores so well on our coverage options rating scale.
Financial strength
4.0/5
Nationwide scores above-average on our financial strength rating scale. As of December 2022, Nationwide holds down an A+ rating with AM Best, which indicates it has a superior ability to pay out claims in the event of a disaster. It also has a respectable A+ and A1 with Standard & Poor's and Moody’s — slightly below average compared to other major companies, but still an indication that Nationwide is in a good place financially.
How much does Nationwide home insurance cost?
The national average cost of home insurance with Nationwide is $1,966 per year for a policy with $300,000 in dwelling coverage. This makes Nationwide about 4% more expensive than the national average.
However, your own rates will depend on your home’s location and how much coverage you need. Here’s the average yearly cost of Nationwide for five different levels of dwelling coverage:
Dwelling coverage level
Average annual cost
$100,000
$880
$200,000
$1,407
$300,000
$1,966
$400,000
$2,512
$500,000
$3,140
What discounts does Nationwide offer?
Nationwide home insurance comes with a slew of potential discounts to lower your rates even more:
Multi-policy: If you bundle home and auto insurance policies with Nationwide, you can save an average of 13% on premiums.
Smart home: If your home is equipped with a qualifying smart home device, like smart smoke detectors or water leak sensors. Not available in all states.
Home renovation: If you recently renovated your home’s plumbing, heating, cooling, or electrical systems.
Claims-free: If you’ve gone a number of years without filing a home insurance claim.
Roof rating: If your roof is new or constructed with impact resistant roofing materials.
Prior insurance: Based on the number of years you were continuously insured by your previous insurance company.
Home purchase: If you purchased the home within 12 months of your Nationwide policy going active.
Protective devices: If you have burglar alarms, fire alarms, fire sprinklers, or other safety or security devices installed in your home.
Gated community: If you live in a gated community that’s protected at all times by security guards and requires resident cards or key cards to enter.
Compare home insurance quotes from Nationwide and other top insurers
Nationwide home insurance state availability
Nationwide homeowners insurance is available in the following 43 states and Washington DC:
Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
What to expect with Nationwide home insurance
How to get a quote: You can get Nationwide home insurance quotes online through Policygenius, Nationwide’s website, or by calling 1-877-669-6877.
Customer service options: For general questions about Nationwide home insurance or your specific policy, call the number above or visit its helpful frequently asked questions page.
How to file a claim: To file a home insurance claim with Nationwide, you can do so online, through its mobile app, or by calling 1-800-421-3535.
How to cancel your policy: To cancel your Nationwide policy, call your insurance agent directly or call its general customer service line listed above.
Nationwide home insurance in the news
In January 2023, Nationwide ranked No. 7 in a new survey of the most-considered insurers for Americans switching home insurance companies in 2023. (YouGov)
Nationwide vs. other home insurance companies
Compare Nationwide to similar homeowners insurance companies using the table below.
If you’re interested in getting a Nationwide home insurance quote over the phone, or you just have a question related to your policy, you can call and speak to a Nationwide representative at 1-877-669-6877.
Is Nationwide a good insurance company?
Nationwide earned a 4.6 out of 5 with Policygenius, making it one of the top home insurance options in the country. Along with receiving high marks from us, Nationwide also has solid ratings for customer service and claims satisfaction with J.D. Power.
Is Nationwide good with claims?
Nationwide scored an outstanding 878 out of 1,000 in J.D. Power’s 2022 Property Insurance Claims Satisfaction Study, making it one of the top home insurance companies when it comes to customer satisfaction with claim settlement amounts, first notice of loss, claim servicing, and more.
What is Nationwide’s home insurance claims phone number?
If you’d like to file a home insurance claim over the phone with Nationwide, or you’d simply like to check on the status of an existing claim, call 1-800-421-3535.
Pat Howard is a licensed insurance expert and former managing editor at Policygenius. Pat has written extensively about the home insurance industry and his insights as a subject matter expert have appeared in several top tier publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, and Reuters. Pat has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Michigan State University.
Colin Lalley is the content director for home and auto insurance at Policygenius, where he's been writing about insurance since 2015. His insights have been featured in Inc. Magazine, Betterment, Chime, Credit Seasame, Zola, and the Council for Disability Awareness.
Ian Bloom, CFP®, RLP®, is a certified financial planner and a member of the Financial Review Council at Policygenius. Previously, he was a financial advisor at MetLife and MassMutual.
