Best-Of Awards 2026 Methodologies

Best Pet Insurance for Comprehensive Coverage

How we picked the companies to evaluate:

NerdWallet started with a list of the 33 members of the North American Pet Health Insurance Association, whose membership provides more than 99% of all pet insurance policies in the United States and Canada. We then narrowed the list to include only companies that sell pet insurance directly to consumers in the United States. Some of the providers are NerdWallet partners, but this did not influence our selection of the winner.

How we chose the winner:

NerdWallet rated the pet insurers using an in-depth analysis that compared the scope of each company’s coverage, the flexibility of its plans and its consumer experience. We created a short list of insurers with a NerdWallet star rating of at least 4.5, and then selected the winner based on its scope of coverage score in our rubric.

Our scope of coverage score included factors such as the availability of wellness and accident-only plans, whether the company sells policies for animals besides cats and dogs, and whether the company covers any pre-existing conditions. It also looked at coverage availability for specific conditions and services such as dental illness, behavioral issues and complementary therapies.

In the event of a tie, we directly compare the insurer’s customer experience score in NerdWallet’s 2026 star rating rubric for pet insurance. The customer experience score takes into account consumer-friendly features such as live consumer support chat and 24-hour vet helplines. The company with the higher customer experience score wins.

How we verified our data:

NerdWallet writers and editors confirmed policy details and other key features on each company’s website. They also sent detailed questions to reviewed companies for clarification.


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