Home warranties, also known as home appliance insurance policies, offer protection for appliances and home systems when they malfunction. While there are other types of home protection plans, you aren’t able to renew these policies after they expire. With a home warranty, you can continuously protect your home’s essential components and access high quality service technicians without the hassle of vetting contractors on your own.
The service model is simple. You choose the monthly or annual plan that will give you the most peace of mind. If a covered item breaks, you notify your home warranty company. Your home warranty provider will match you with a local, licensed contractor. After you pay the service call fee—a per-visit payment to the contractor—outlined in your contract, the contractor will diagnose and repair your item.
Our team has diligently researched the best home warranty companies and compiled essential information for homeowners interested in covering their appliances and major systems.
All price information is based on a single-family home smaller than 5,000 square feet in Berwyn, Pennsylvania. However, prices can vary—from a few cents to dollars—even for homes in the same zip code, so we recommend requesting a personalized quote from any provider that interests you.
The Top 9 Home Warranty Companies
American Home Shield
Fast Facts:
- State Availability: 49 (all but Alaska)
- Number of Plans: Three
- Service Fee: $75–$125
- Get a Quick Quote: Visit site
Plans
American Home Shield (AHS) offers three plan tiers: ShieldSilver, ShieldGold, and ShieldPlatinum. ShieldSilver covers only built-in home systems, such as your electrical and plumbing. ShieldGold and ShieldPlatinum offer combination coverage for systems and major appliances. You can compare the plans below.
ShieldSilver ($29.99–$44.99 per month): This plan covers your air conditioning, heating unit, ductwork, built-in exhaust, vent, and attic fans, main breaker and fuse panel box, doorbells and chimes, interior electrical lines, ceiling fans, garage door openers, interior plumbing lines, toilets, faucets and valves, whirlpool tub motor and components, and water heaters.
ShieldGold ($39.99–$54.99 per month): This plan covers all of the items in the ShieldSilver plan plus refrigerators, ranges, cooktops, ovens, dishwashers, built-in microwaves, garbage disposals, instant hot/cold water dispensers, washers, and dryers up to $3,000.
ShieldPlatinum ($59.99–$74.99 per month): This plan covers all of the items in the ShieldGold plan plus $1,500 for roof leaks and a discounted annual HVAC tune-up, unlimited AC refrigerant, and up to $1,000 in code upgrades. It also raises the coverage cap (the monetary limit the provider is willing to pay for a covered item) for appliances to $6,000.
Choice Home Warranty
Fast Facts:
- State Availability: 49 (all but Washington)
- Number of Plans: Two
- Service Fee: $85
- Get a Quick Quote: Visit site
Plans
Choice Home Warranty allows homeowners to cover their home’s essentials without paying for items that don’t interest them. Choice offers two plan options: a Basic Plan and a Total Plan.
It’s important to mention that Choice Home Warranty is currently involved in a pending class-action lawsuit, which alleges that the provider failed to uphold its contractual obligations to consumers. However, when we reached out to the company for a comment, a representative informed us that roughly 90% of 1.1 million claims filed in 2021 have been approved.
Basic Plan ($47.68 per month): This plan covers your heating system, water heater, electrical system, plumbing system, plumbing stoppages, oven, range, stove, built-in microwave, cooktop, dishwasher, garbage disposal, ceiling and exhaust fans, ductwork, garage door opener, and whirlpool bathtub.
Total Plan ($55.74 per month): This plan covers all items in the Basic Plan plus your clothes dryer, clothes washer, refrigerator, and air conditioning system.
Liberty Home Guard
Fast Facts:
- State Availability: 48 (all but Washington and Wisconsin)
- Number of Plans: Three
- Service Fee: $65–$125
- Get a Quick Quote: Visit site
Plans
Liberty Home Guard offers three standard plan options: one for appliances, one for systems, and one for a combination of the two. Appliance Guard covers items such as your cooktop and garage door opener, while Systems Guard covers items such as your air conditioning and water heater. Total Home Guard covers all the items in the two basic plans.
Unlike other providers on this list, Liberty Home Guard has a variable service call fee model, which means that the provider’s service call fee won’t always be the same from customer to customer. Compared to providers with a flexible service call fee model, Liberty Home Guard’s higher service call fees won’t lower your monthly fees. Your assigned fee will instead be determined based on the location of your home, your plan, and any add-on options you select. When we secret-shopped this company, a representative for the company told us that the fee will always fall between $65 and $125.
Appliance Guard ($69.99 per month): This plan covers your clothes washer, clothes dryer, refrigerator with ice maker and display, built-in microwave oven, dishwasher, garbage disposal, range, oven, cooktop, ceiling and exhaust fans, and garage door openers.
Systems Guard ($74.99 per month): This covers your air conditioning system, heating system, ductwork, plumbing system, electrical system, and water heater.
Total Home Guard ($79.99 per month): This combines the two earlier plans into one comprehensive coverage package.
First American Home Warranty
Fast Facts:
- State Availability: 35 (all but Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin)
- Number of Plans: Two
- Service Fee: $100
- Get a Quick Quote: Visit site
Plans
First American Home Warranty offers two plans, both of which cover appliances. The Basic Plan exclusively covers appliances, such as your cooktop and dishwasher. The Premier Plan covers all of those appliances plus eight built-in systems.
Basic Plan ($37 per month): This covers your garbage disposal, dishwasher, oven, range, cooktop, microwave, trash compactor, refrigerator, clothes washer, and clothes dryer.
Premier Plan ($49.50 per month): This plan covers all appliances in the Basic Plan plus essential built-in systems such as your plumbing system, plumbing stoppages, water heater, heating system, ductwork, electrical system, garage door opener, and central vacuum system.
Cinch Home Services
Fast Facts:
- State Availability: 48 (all but Alaska and Hawaii)
- Number of Plans: Three
- Service Fee: $75–$150
- Get a Quick Quote: Visit site
Plans
Like many other providers on this list, Cinch Home Services offers three plan options: an Appliances Plan, a Built-in Systems Plan, and a Complete Home Plan. Compared to other providers, Cinch Home Services covers more items in its packages than its competitors, and all of its plans come with a complimentary water sensor (to detect potentially dangerous or damaging leaks) and a $25 credit you can use for an air conditioning or water filter.
Appliances Plan ($39.99–$55.99 per month): This plan covers your clothes dryer, clothes washer, cooktop, dishwasher, built-in food center, freestanding ice maker, built-in microwave, range, range exhaust hood, refrigerator, built-in trash compactor, and wall oven.
Built-in Systems Plan ($44.99–$62.99 per month): This covers your air conditioning including ductwork, heating including ductwork, attic fans, ceiling fans, central vacuum, doorbell, electrical system, garage door openers, garbage disposal, instant hot/cold water dispenser, plumbing system, smoke detectors, sump pump, toilets, water heater, and whirlpool or jetted tub.
Complete Home Plan ($54.99–$72.99 per month): This plan covers all the items in the two basic plans plus a homeowners insurance deductible reimbursement of up to $500.
Select Home Warranty
Fast Facts:
- State Availability: 46 (all but New Mexico, Nevada, Washington, and Wyoming)
- Number of Plans: Three
- Service Fee: $75
- Get a Quick Quote: Visit site
Plans
Select Home Warranty offers three plans: Bronze Care, Gold Care, and Platinum Care. Bronze Care covers only appliances, including your garbage disposal, cooktop, and refrigerator. Gold Care covers built-in systems exclusively, including your plumbing system and ductwork. Platinum Care combines the two basic plans and adds coverage for garage door openers and ceiling fans.
Bronze Care ($44.42 per month): This plan covers your clothes washer, clothes dryer, garbage disposal, refrigerator, stove, oven, built-in microwave oven, cooktop, and dishwasher
Gold Care ($44.42 per month): This covers your air conditioning system, heating system, plumbing system, electrical system, water heater, and ductwork.
Platinum Care ($49.83 per month): This covers all the built-in systems and appliances in the two basic plans plus garage door openers and ceiling fans.
America’s 1st Choice Home Club
Fast Facts:
- State Availability: 49 (all but Hawaii)
- Number of Plans: Four
- Service Fee: $75–$125
- Get a Quick Quote: Visit site
Plans
America’s 1st Choice Home Club (AFC Home Club) offers four plan options, including two basic plans and two combo plans. The Silver Plan covers just appliances, while the Systems Plan covers just systems. The Gold Plan and Platinum Plan cover a combination of major home systems and appliances, including your refrigerator and dishwasher.
Silver Plan ($39.42–$45 per month): This plan covers your washing machine and dryer, kitchen refrigerator, oven, range, cooktop, stove, dishwasher, garbage disposal, and garage door opener.
Systems Plan ($47.83–$53.42 per month): This plan covers your water heater, air conditioning system, heating system, electrical system, plumbing system, and ductwork.
Gold Plan ($56.25–$61.92 per month): This combines the coverage of the two earlier plans.
Platinum Plan ($61.92–$67.50 per month): This top-tier plan covers all the items in the Gold Plan plus coverage for plumbing stoppages, faucets, ice makers, and built-in microwaves.
HomeServe
Fast Facts:
- State Availability: 48 (all but Alaska and Hawaii)
- Number of Plans: 18
- Service Fee: $100
- Get a Quick Quote: Visit site
Plans
Unlike other home warranty providers featured on this list, HomeServe offers plans based on your utility provider and location. For this reason, the number and type of HomeServe’s plan offerings will vary considerably from home to home even within the same state. The below plan information is based on a single-family home located in Berwyn, Pennsylvania.
Two of HomeServe’s plans cover appliances. You can compare the plans below:
TotalHome Warranty Appliances ($48.33 per month): This plan covers your refrigerator, clothes washer, clothes dryer, range, dishwasher, built-in microwave, trash compactor, and garage door opener up to $1,500 per appliance.
TotalHome Warranty Combo ($58.33 per month): This more comprehensive plan covers all the items in the TotalHome Warranty Appliances plan plus your interior plumbing, interior electrical line, cooling system, heating system, water heater repair, heat pump, ductwork, garbage disposal, attic and ceiling fans, doorbell systems, and central vacuum.
If you’re interested in the other types of plans offered by HomeServe, you can read about them below:
Electrical Surge $1,000 Coverage ($3.99 per month): This plan covers electrical surges up to $1,000. You can request multiple service calls up to $1,000.
Gas Line Plus ($4.99 per month): This covers your interior gas line, interior gas restoration, exterior gas line, and exterior gas line restoration up to $8,000.
Water Heater Repair ($6.99 per month): This covers water heater repairs up to $850.
Exterior Water Service Line Coverage ($7.95 per month): It covers your exterior water service line and exterior water service line restoration up to $7,000.
Water Heater Repair and Replacement ($8.99 per month): This covers water heater replacements and repairs up to $1,500.
Interior Electrical Line Coverage ($11.99 per month): This covers your interior electrical line up to $1,000.
Exterior Sewer/Septic Line Coverage ($12.98 per month): This covers your exterior sewer/septic line and exterior sewer/septic line restoration up to $10,000.
Cooling System Coverage ($12.99 per month): This covers your cooling system up to $1,500.
Heating System Coverage ($12.99 per month): This covers your heating system up to $1,500.
Exterior Pipe Plan ($15.99 per month): This covers your exterior water service line, exterior weather service line restoration, exterior sewer/septic line, and sewer/septic line restoration up to $10,000.
Interior Plumbing and Drainage System Coverage ($18.99 per month): This covers interior plumbing and interior drainage up to $2,000.
Heating and Cooling Plan ($19.99 per month): This covers your heating and cooling system up to $10,000.
Home Plumbing and Drainage Coverage ($21.98 per month): This covers your exterior sewer/septic line, exterior sewer/septic line restoration, interior plumbing, interior drainage, and drain cleaning up to $12,000.
Home Comfort Plan ($29.99 per month): This plan covers your interior gas line, exterior gas line, cooling system, heating system, and water heater repair up to $10,000.
Complete Plumbing Plan ($41.99 per month): This plan covers your exterior water service line, exterior sewer/septic line, exterior sewer/septic line restoration, interior plumbing, interior drainage, drain cleaning, interior gas line, exterior gas line, and water heater repair up to $10,000.
Interior Protection Plan ($55.99 per month): This plan covers your interior plumbing, interior drainage, interior gas line, exterior gas line, interior electrical line, cooling system, heating system, and water heater repair up to $10,000.
Priority Home Warranty
Fast Facts:
- State Availability: 23 (not available in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming)
- Number of Plans: Three
- Service Fee: $70
- Get a Quick Quote: Visit site
Plans
Priority Home Warranty offers three packages, two basic plans and one combo plan. Systems Home Care covers built-in systems, while Appliances Home Care covers appliances only, and Total Home Care bundles the coverage of those two plans into one comprehensive combo package.
Priority Home Warranty was named in the cease and desist order. While we believe it’s important that customers know about it, we believe that Priority’s positive customer reviews on websites such as Trustpilot speak to the company’s positive reputation for customer satisfaction.
Systems Home Care ($43.75 per month): This plan covers your air conditioning system, heating system, electrical system, plumbing system, plumbing stoppages, water heater, whirlpool bathtub, and ductwork..
Appliances Home Care ($43.75 per month): This covers your clothes washer, clothes dryer, kitchen refrigerator, built-in microwave, dishwasher, garbage disposal, oven, range, stove, cooktop, ceiling, and exhaust fans.
Total Home Care ($55 per month): This plan covers a total of 20 items, combining the coverage of the two basic plans above.
Our Recommendation
After extensively researching the home warranty industry, comparing the offerings of dozens of providers, reading thousands of customer reviews, and speaking with customer service representatives, we have determined that all the providers on this list are worthy considerations for home appliance insurance.
American Home Shield has remained an industry leader for more than 50 years by offering generous coverage caps on appliances, which can be particularly advantageous for a homeowner with pro-series or high-end appliances that may exceed the coverage caps of competitors. Similarly, Liberty Home Guard is one of the only providers in the industry to offer add-on upgrades for pro-series appliances, which are often excluded from competitor policies.
If it’s more important for you to choose a home warranty policy that covers a larger suite of appliances than its competitors, Cinch Home Services is an excellent option due to its coverage of freestanding ice makers and range hoods along with the traditional collection of kitchen and laundry appliances.
Is Home Appliance Insurance Worth It?
With regular use, appliances can break down unexpectedly due to wear and tear, which can create significant inconvenience if, for example, you’re hosting a party and counting on the dishwasher. A home warranty is a convenient way to access high-quality and prompt home repairs when you need them most, making it worth the cost for many homeowners.
We recently conducted a survey of 1,000 homeowners. Nearly 50% of respondents found a contractor to work on their home through online research. If you’re a busy person, travel often, or would rather spend your time elsewhere, a home warranty can streamline this research process for you. With a home warranty, you have an on-call claims center at your disposal to quickly place a service request over the phone or through a convenient online portal.
What Does Home Appliance Insurance Cover?
Home appliance insurance covers your home’s appliances when they break down due to everyday use. Home warranties do not typically cover accidental damage, pre-existing conditions, improper modification and installation, or mismatched systems. They also don’t cover items that break down due to insufficient maintenance.
The most commonly covered appliances include:
- Refrigerators
- Dishwashers
- Cooktops
- Ranges/ovens/stoves
- Built-in trash compactors
- Clothes washer and dryer
- Built-in microwaves
Types of Home Protection Plans
There are three main types of home protection plans, all of which offer some degree of coverage for your home appliances. These plans include home warranties, also known as home appliance insurance, homeowners insurance, and manufacturer’s warranties.
Home Appliance Insurance Versus Manufacturer’s Warranty
As the name suggests, a manufacturer’s warranty is provided by an item’s manufacturer. A manufacturer’s warranty can be valid for anywhere from one year to 10 years after the original purchase date, but unlike home warranties that can cover multiple systems and appliances, a manufacturer’s warranty applies only to a single appliance.
Unlike a home warranty, you can’t renew your manufacturer’s warranty without purchasing a separate extended warranty. All necessary repairs that happen outside of the warranty period will be the sole responsibility of the homeowner.
Home Appliance Insurance Versus Homeowners Insurance
Though carrying a homeowners insurance policy is not legally required, it is mandated by many mortgage lenders. It’s a prudent investment for any homeowner that wants to protect themselves against liability for injuries that occur on their property, structural and property damage, and theft.
However, homeowners insurance only covers incidents that are considered a perilous event—a tree crashing through your window during a windstorm, for example. Unlike a home warranty, it won’t cover essential items that break down due to normal wear and tear.
Are Home Warranty Companies Trustworthy?
While there are dozens of trustworthy home warranty companies to choose from, it can be helpful to know the red flags to look for when vetting a company for yourself. A reputable home warranty provider will typically have an accessible service contract for you to read before you enroll in a plan to give you peace of mind and clarity on what to expect.
If this agreement is difficult to find or the terms within the agreement are unclear, this could constitute a red flag. Similarly, if you have a hard time reaching a customer service representative or the claims process isn’t explicit, you may want to consider another provider.
With that said, the home warranty industry isn’t regulated in the same way as the insurance industry, and every state has its own rules. For this reason, it’s not uncommon for cease and desist orders and other legal matters to arise. While we agree that all legal matters should be disclosed to consumers, we don’t believe that a cease and desist order or lawsuit is inherently troubling or indicative of the trustworthiness of a provider on its own.
How to Choose a Home Warranty
Because every homeowner will have their own unique needs, it’s important to do your research into what each provider offers. Providers’ offerings will vary depending on the size of your home and your home’s location, so it’s important to confirm that a provider is able to meet your needs before moving ahead.
Here are some helpful tips for choosing a home warranty:
- See what plans are available to you. If you’ve made it to the end of this roundup, you already have a good idea of the leaders in the home warranty industry. From here, you can review each company’s offerings and see if anything specific appeals to your home’s needs.
- Request a quote from as many providers as possible. You can confirm the pricing, plan options, and additional coverage options available to you by requesting a quote. It’s a good idea to request a number of different quotes so that you can see how each company compares to its competitors.
- Read the service contract thoroughly and ask questions. After you’ve narrowed down your options, the most important step is reading the service contract, or terms and conditions, of each provider. This document will explain the policy’s coverage limits and exclusions, which will help you avoid future misunderstandings and denied claims. If anything is unclear to you, it’s a good idea to call the company directly to ask for clarification before making your final decision.
Do Home Warranties Cover Old Appliances?
Home warranties don’t typically exclude appliances based on age, but age can be factored into the replacement value. For example, a 20-year-old refrigerator may be eligible for a minor repair and parts replacement, but you may not be eligible for the full replacement cost if a repair isn’t possible.
In these cases, the home warranty provider will consider the depreciated value of the appliance and issue you a check for that amount to apply to the cost of your new appliance.
How We Chose the Top Home Warranty Providers
Our team reviewed and researched dozens of home warranty providers, thoroughly analyzed sample agreements, and identified customer pain points based on customer-review analysis and interviews with industry experts.
During this process, we determined that the most critical aspects of a home warranty company include available service plans and add-ons, depth of coverage, plan cost, industry reputation, customer support infrastructure, and additional features. We also focused on the ability to choose your own contractor; upgrade your coverage package; transfer your plan to another owner; and cover roof leaks, high-end appliance brands, ceiling and exhaust fans, and faucets and fixtures.
Our research supported that plan coverage should carry the most weight, with customer support as the second-most important factor. Industry reputation, plan availability, and additional features were rated equally. Therefore, we determined that price range, while worth considering, should not be the primary basis for choosing a home warranty provider for your home’s needs.