Home warranty companies rank among the most complained-about service providers in American consumer markets. Choice Home Warranty landed on USA TODAY’s Most Trusted Brands 2026 list anyway. It placed among 500 finalists from a field of more than 20,000.
The home warranty sector generates $4.6 billion in annual U.S. revenue and has grown at roughly 3.9% per year over the past five years, according to IBISWorld. Growth has come with a persistent record of consumer grievances. The industry has both market momentum and a credibility problem.
CHW’s selection came through a study by Plant-A Insights Group that surveyed more than 23,000 U.S. consumers and reviewed more than 760,000 brand ratings. Five criteria drove the assessment: trust and transparency, reliability, emotional connection, alignment with personal values, and likelihood to purchase. Getting strong scores across all five required consistency. One strong metric doesn’t offset weak performance in the others.
Jim Mostofi, CHW’s chief executive, described the recognition as a reflection of the company’s day-to-day commitment to its customers and what his team works toward every day.
The numbers CHW brings to this recognition are substantial. One million service events annually. More than 2.4 million homes covered. Over 100,000 five-star reviews across Trustpilot, BestCompany, and ConsumerAffairs. The operational footprint behind those figures makes the consumer survey data credible.
A January 2025 survey by This Old House found that 89% of home warranty claims are approved across the industry, a figure better than critics tend to cite. The complicating figure: 75% of denied claims stemmed from consumers misunderstanding their coverage. The trust problem the industry faces is partly about how companies explain what they sell, before any claim is ever filed.
CHW, founded in 2008 and based in Edison, NJ, offers plans from roughly $49 to $58 per month. Recognition from USA TODAY, U.S. News & World Report, and membership in the National Home Service Contract Association place it among the more credentialed operators in a category that doesn’t credential easily.
Third-party recognition with a defined methodology is one of the few purchase signals that’s hard to manufacture. Getting 23,000 consumers to independently rate your brand well across five criteria is a different thing from accumulating platform stars. CHW’s place on the USA TODAY list reflects a credibility bar that 97% of evaluated brands didn’t clear.