Nationwide Homeowners Insurance Review 2024
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Nationwide
Coverage options
Discounts
NAIC complaints
Nationwide
Coverage options
Discounts
NAIC complaints
Why trust NerdWallet
Nationwide home insurance review
Nationwide homeowners insurance earned 4.5 out of 5 stars for overall performance. One of the 10 largest U.S. home insurers, Nationwide stands out for including coverage in its homeowners policies that might cost you extra elsewhere. Nationwide home insurance is available in most states and offers plenty of opportunities for discounts.
Where Nationwide home insurance stands out
Ways to save. Nationwide offers so many potential discounts that homeowners will likely qualify for at least one.
Number of coverage options. There are many ways to customize your policy with Nationwide, whether you’re looking for just the basics or a more comprehensive package.
Where Nationwide home insurance falls short
High rates. Nationwide’s average annual premium is higher than the national average, according to NerdWallet’s rate analysis.
Not available in Alaska, Hawaii, Louisiana or Oklahoma. Homeowners in these states will need to look for other insurers.
Why Nationwide home insurance is worth a look
State availability
Nationwide sells homeowners insurance in Washington, D.C., and every state except Alaska, Hawaii, Louisiana and Oklahoma.
Nationwide home insurance coverage
You can customize your homeowners policy with numerous add-ons, but below are the types of coverage that generally come standard:
Type of coverage | What it does |
---|---|
Pays to repair or rebuild the structure of your home. | |
Covers damage to unattached structures such as sheds or fences. | |
Pays to repair or replace personal belongings such as furniture or clothing. | |
Pays for hotel stays, restaurant meals or other expenses if you have to live elsewhere while your home undergoes covered repairs. | |
Covers legal expenses and damages if you're responsible for injuries to other people or their property. | |
Covers injuries to guests in your home, regardless of fault. |
For more details, see What Does Homeowners Insurance Cover?
A Nationwide homeowners policy includes the standard coverage you’d expect as well as insurance that other companies often charge extra for. For instance, you may be able to get ordinance or law coverage for no additional cost; this pays to bring your house up to building codes during rebuilding or repairs after a claim, up to your policy limit.
A Nationwide home insurance policy also covers losses up to $500 due to unauthorized credit or debit transactions, forged checks or counterfeit money. You can upgrade to $10,000 worth of coverage.
Depending on where you live and which policy you have, you may be able to add the following features:
Extended replacement cost coverage, which increases your dwelling coverage limit in case it costs more than expected to rebuild your home after a covered disaster.
Brand New Belongings, which pays enough to restore damaged belongings or replace them with new items. (A default homeowners policy covers older items for only their depreciated value.) Learn more about actual cash value vs. replacement cost.
Better Roof Replacement, which pays to rebuild your roof with stronger materials if it’s damaged for a covered reason.
Identity theft coverage to monitor your personal data and help with resolution if your identity is stolen.
Additional valuables coverage for jewelry, art and other high-value belongings.
Water backup coverage for damage due to an overflowing sump pump or a backed-up drain.
Service line coverage, which pays for damage, excavation costs, additional living costs and other expenses that arise from needing to repair or replace underground service lines.
Other optional coverage types may be available.
What Nationwide home insurance doesn't cover
Standard Nationwide homeowners insurance policies don’t cover damage due to:
Landslides.
Backed-up sewers or drains.
Lack of maintenance.
Nationwide offers optional coverage for some of these scenarios.
Nationwide home insurance rates
The average cost of Nationwide home insurance is $2,270 per year, according to a NerdWallet rate analysis. That's more expensive than the national average of $1,915 per year. It's also above the average rates of some of Nationwide's large national competitors.
Company | Average annual rate |
---|---|
$1,815 | |
$1,935 | |
$2,010 | |
$2,205 | |
$2,270 | |
$2,415 | |
USAA* | $1,875 |
*USAA homeowners insurance is available only to active-duty military members, veterans and their families. |
The sample rates above are for 40-year-old homeowners with good credit, a $1,000 deductible, $300,000 in dwelling coverage and $300,000 in liability insurance. Your rates will be different.
Discounts
Nationwide offers a variety of ways to save on your homeowners insurance depending on where you live, including discounts for:
Bundling homeowners and auto insurance with Nationwide.
Purchasing your home within the past 12 months.
Remaining claims-free.
Having a newer roof made out of qualifying materials.
Installing smoke detectors, fire alarms, burglar alarms or other protective devices.
Having been continuously insured by another carrier.
Living in a gated community.
Having select smart-home technology.
Homeowners may also receive a renovation credit for updating plumbing, heating, cooling or electrical systems.
Consumer complaints
Nationwide had fewer than the expected number of complaints to state regulators relative to its size for home insurance, according to three years’ worth of data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
Consumer experience
Website: It’s easy to manage your homeowners policy on the Nationwide website, where you can pay bills, get quotes, and file and track claims. The site’s learning center features articles on a variety of home insurance topics.
App: On Nationwide’s mobile app, available for iOS and Android, you can view policy info, file claims, pay bills and enroll in autopay.
Claims: You can file a Nationwide home insurance claim online, on the Nationwide mobile app or by calling 800-421-3535. Nationwide will assign an adjuster who will help you through the process from there. For advice, see how to file a home insurance claim.
Customer service: You can reach out to your local agent or call 877-669-6877 for help. Customer service staff is available weekdays between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. ET. Plus, there's a chatbot on the Nationwide site that can answer basic questions.
Nationwide home insurance vs. competitors
Nationwide home insurance vs. Allstate
Insurer | ||
---|---|---|
Star rating | ||
Policy highlight | Offers some coverage standard that other companies charge extra for. | Widely available across the U.S. with lots of ways to customize your policy. |
Bottom line | Two of the largest home insurers in the U.S., Nationwide and Allstate both offer robust websites and plenty of coverage options. However, Nationwide receives fewer consumer complaints than expected for an insurer of its size, while Allstate receives about the average number. |
Nationwide home insurance vs. Geico
Insurer | ||
---|---|---|
Star rating | Not rated | |
Policy highlight | Offers some coverage standard that other companies charge extra for. | Sells homeowners insurance through third parties. |
Bottom line | Nationwide sells its own policies while Geico offers policies from third parties. The coverage and discounts you get from Geico will depend on which insurer it pairs you with, and if you have a claim, you’ll need to file with the third-party company. |
How we rate homeowners insurance
NerdWallet’s star ratings reward companies for consumer-first features and practices. We evaluate factors such as financial strength, consumer complaints, coverage, discounts and customer experience.
In our research, we analyzed:
More than 270 million homeowners insurance rates.
More than 50 insurance companies.
Nearly 200 homeowner profiles.
View our complete homeowners insurance rating methodology.
Methodology
Homeowners insurance star ratings methodology
NerdWallet’s homeowners insurance ratings reward companies for customer-first features and practices. Ratings are based on weighted averages of scores in several categories, including financial strength, consumer complaints, coverage, discounts and online experience. These ratings are a guide, but we encourage you to shop around and compare several insurance quotes to find the best rate for you. NerdWallet does not receive compensation for any reviews.
Here’s how we weighted each category to come up with our list of the best home insurance companies:
Consumer complaints (30%).
Financial strength (30%).
Coverage (20%).
Consumer experience (10%).
Discounts (10%).
Read our full ratings methodology for home insurance.
Insurer complaints methodology
NerdWallet examined complaints received by state insurance regulators and reported to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners in 2021-2023. To assess how insurers compare to one another, the NAIC calculates a complaint index each year for each subsidiary, measuring its share of total complaints relative to its size, or share of total premiums in the industry. To evaluate a company’s complaint history, NerdWallet calculated a similar index for each insurer, weighted by market shares of each subsidiary, over the three-year period. NerdWallet conducts its data analysis and reaches conclusions independently and without the endorsement of the NAIC. Ratios are determined separately for auto, home (including renters and condo) and life insurance.
Homeowners insurance rates methodology
NerdWallet calculated median rates for 40-year-old homeowners from various insurance companies in every ZIP code across the U.S. All rates are rounded to the nearest $5.
Sample homeowners were nonsmokers with good credit living in a single-family, two-story home built in 1984. They had a $1,000 deductible and the following coverage limits:
$300,000 in dwelling coverage.
$30,000 in other structures coverage.
$150,000 in personal property coverage.
$60,000 in loss of use coverage.
$300,000 in liability coverage.
$1,000 in medical payments coverage.
We made minor changes to the sample policy in cases where rates for the above coverage limits or deductibles weren’t available.
These are sample rates generated through Quadrant Information Services. Your own rates will be different.
In This Review . . .