Home warranty companies have a trust problem. The sector generates $4.6 billion in annual U.S. revenue, according to IBISWorld, and has spent years building that business against a backdrop of consumer complaints about denied claims, hidden exclusions, and slow service windows. Earning credibility in that environment takes more than good marketing.
Choice Home Warranty made USA TODAY’s Most Trusted Brands 2026 list in April 2026. The study was run by Plant-A Insights Group. It surveyed more than 23,000 U.S. consumers. It analyzed more than 760,000 brand reviews. From a starting field of 20,000-plus brands, 500 made the final list. CHW was among them.
Scale matters here. CHW handles roughly one million service events per year. More than 2.4 million homes carry its coverage. Five-star reviews on consumer platforms number more than 100,000. That volume of customer interaction creates real exposure. Every disputed claim is a potential credibility hit, which makes the trust signal from 23,000 independent consumers more credible than a curated sample would be.
The evaluation criteria covered five areas: trust and transparency, reliability, emotional connection, alignment with personal values, and likelihood to purchase. Getting through all five filters from a pool of 20,000-plus brands put CHW among roughly 2.5% of the original contenders.
CEO Jim Mostofi said the recognition captures what CHW’s team works toward each day and reflects the company’s commitment to its customers.
A January 2025 survey by This Old House found that 89% of home warranty claims were approved, a figure better than the category’s reputation suggests. About 75% of denied claims traced to consumers misunderstanding their coverage terms. The trust deficit is partly a policy problem and partly a communication one.
Renewals represent close to 60% of home warranty market activity, according to Maximize Market Research. Customers who stay past the first year tend to stay. Building a renewal-driven business requires getting claims right consistently, which is exactly what the trust study’s reliability and transparency criteria try to measure.
CHW is recognized by U.S. News & World Report and carries positive ratings across Trustpilot, BestCompany, and ConsumerAffairs. It’s a member of the National Home Service Contract Association. Founded in 2008 in Edison, NJ, the company offers a Basic Plan at roughly $49 per month and a Total Plan at around $58. Both cover systems and appliances that homeowners insurance typically excludes.
In a market where skepticism is rational and well-earned, a trust designation with a rigorous independent methodology is one of the few signals that cuts through. CHW’s inclusion means it cleared a bar that 97% of evaluated brands didn’t.