Best Home Warranty Companies in California (2025)

American Home Shield (AHS) is a good choice for owners of older homes since it covers preexisting conditions you can’t detect during a visual inspection or a test, such as turning an appliance on and off. The company’s other perks include member discounts on maintenance, housecleaning, and other services.

AHS’s top plan, ShieldPlatinum, offers roof-leak protection, which most other companies offer as an add-on for an extra fee. This is a type of coverage that over 43% of the Californians we surveyed in 2024 added to their policies. However, AHS has pricey service fees, which you owe each time a technician visits your home for a repair, and its top-tier plan has the highest premiums among the providers on our list.

AHS offers three home warranty plans: ShieldSilver, ShieldGold, and ShieldPlatinum.

• ShieldSilver ($30–$40): This plan covers major systems—air conditioning, heating, electrical, and plumbing—but it doesn’t cover appliances.
• ShieldGold ($50–$60): A middle-tier plan that covers 23 systems and appliances, including HVAC, clothes washers and dryers, ranges, and water heaters.
• ShieldPlatinum ($80–$90): The company’s most comprehensive plan, which includes the same coverage as ShieldGold, plus benefits including roof-leak repairs and HVAC tuneups.

You can read an AHS sample contract for more detail about the company’s coverage. AHS covers all parts of most systems and appliances included in each plan, offering some of the best coverage out of our top providers for California. For example, some companies, such as Liberty Home Guard, don’t cover dishwasher racks or drawers, but AHS covers the entire appliance. AHS also offers generous coverage for heating and air conditioning systems, with limits up to $5,000 per year.

You can choose to pay premiums monthly or yearly, but we didn’t find any added benefits, such as free months of service, for paying the entire cost upfront. The company offers two service call fee options of $100 or $125 that you’ll owe for each repair appointment. If you choose the lower service fee, you’ll pay a higher monthly rate and vice versa.

American Home Shield offers six add-on customizations for your plan:

• Roof-leak repair (included at no additional cost in the ShieldPlatinum plan)
• Electronics
• Pool and built-in spa
• Guest units (under 750 square feet)
• Septic pump
• Well pump

One of our team members filed a claim with AHS for a leaky bathroom pipe. He submitted his claim using the company’s online portal and received text and email confirmations immediately afterward. A service technician contacted him within the hour to schedule a next-day repair. The technician completed the repair in two hours and only charged the service-call fee.

To file a claim with AHS, call 800-858-1922 or log into your account portal. In the account portal, you can select the item or system that needs a repair and then schedule an appointment time.

If you’re looking for comprehensive coverage at a low price, we recommend considering Choice Home Warranty. Note that Choice issues plans through Home Service Club of California in the state, so you may see both company names on Choice’s website and service agreements. Choice offers two combination plans that cover various appliances and systems at affordable rates. The company also offers coverage limits of up to $3,000 for most covered systems and appliances. 

However, Choice Home Warranty has faced lawsuits, including one for alleged consumer fraud in Arizona.

Choice Home Warranty, unlike other companies on this list, offers just two service plans: Basic and Total. Here’s an overview of Choice’s service plans:

• Basic ($47): The lower-tier plan covers most appliances and systems, excluding your AC, washer, dryer, and refrigerator.
• Total ($55): The comprehensive plan includes everything in the Basic plan and adds coverage for your AC, washer, dryer, and refrigerator.

The company’s sample agreement for California outlines a $3,000 coverage limit for most appliances and systems. Choice offers a monthly or yearly payment option, but the company charges an additional $2.50 per month if you choose to make monthly payments. There’s a flat $100 service fee for all claims.

Choice offers 10 add-on coverage options that range in price from $3.33 to $15 per month. Most add-ons have $500 coverage limits but this may vary by item. Here’s a sample of Choice’s add-ons:

• Pool and spa
• Limited roof leak
• Second refrigerator
• Well pump
• Sump pump

Choice previously offered a 60-day workmanship guarantee, meaning that if you had further issues with your claim, the company would arrange repairs at no additional cost. Now, however, the company’s user agreement says the guarantee is just 30 days. We confirmed this with a phone representative.

Our team member purchased a five-year Choice Home Warranty plan for both her rental houses and her home in North Carolina. Overall, she has been unimpressed with the company, of which she has been a customer for two years. When she first moved into her home, her AC, refrigerator, and freezer didn’t work. It took the company two weeks to send contractors out, despite her calling every day.

She has made several claims for her rental properties and gotten mixed results. Sometimes, contractors came out and fixed the issue promptly. But our tester said that at other times, technicians collected a service fee, diagnosed the problem, and then left or refused to fix the issue because they said Choice wouldn’t pay them enough for the job to make it worth it.

First American Home Warranty could offer a good choice if you need coverage for high-end appliances—its top plan includes up to $7,000 in coverage for some appliances and unlimited coverage for washers and dryers. The company also offers seven add-on options that let you enhance its three plans, including pool and spa coverage, a benefit for owners of customized homes in California.

First American Home Warranty offers three plan options: Starter, Essential, and Premium. Here’s an overview of the company’s home warranty plans:

• Starter Plan ($42–$47): This plan covers some systems and appliances, including your heating, but excludes your AC, water heater, and washer and dryer.  
• Essential Plan ($57–$62): This plan covers additional appliances and systems, including the washer and dryer and air conditioning.
• Premium Plan ($77–$82): The highest-tier plan provides everything in the Starter and Essential plans, plus higher limits for appliances and coverage for more components.

The company’s sample contract details coverage caps for major systems and appliances, including $1,500 for major systems. The Starter and Essential plans have a $3,500 limit for appliances, which the Premium Plan increases to $7,000. The highest-tier plan also has a $1,000 cap for ductwork and limited roof leaks.

You can pay your premium monthly or annually, and paying annually saves you $2 per month in handling fees. The company has two service call fee options of $100 or $125. 

First American offers seven add-on coverage options:

• Additional refrigerators
• HVAC tuneup
• Pool and spa equipment
• Roof leaks (included with the Premium Plan)
• Septic system
• Well pump
• Water softener

Our team member who tested First American Home Warranty submitted an online claim for a faulty garage door opener. After 30 minutes, he received a text confirmation with the technician’s information. Half an hour later, the technician reached out to schedule a repair. The repair took less than 30 minutes to complete, and our tester’s only out-of-pocket cost was the service-call fee.

Liberty Home Guard (LHG) is a solid choice if you need customizable home warranty coverage—the company offers 36 add-on options. This is significantly more options than other companies in our review. Plus, the company offers three plans, including systems- and appliance-only coverage, plus a comprehensive combination plan. LHG also rewards you for prepaying for your plan annually with two free months of service, or you can earn up to six free months by prepaying five years of service.

However, LHG’s coverage isn’t as complete as competitors such as American Home Shield. For example, LHG extends lower coverage limits for some systems, such as electrical and plumbing, and has multiple exclusions for both its appliance and systems protection.

Liberty Home Guard offers an appliance-only plan and a systems-only plan, as well as a comprehensive plan with both types of coverage. Here’s a rundown of Liberty Home Guard’s coverage plans:

• Appliance Guard ($55): This plan covers most appliances, including your clothes washer and dryer, kitchen refrigerator, range, dishwasher, and garage door opener.
• Systems Guard ($60): This plan covers major home systems including AC, heating, water heater, ductwork, plumbing, and electrical systems.
• Total Home Guard ($65): The highest plan provides both appliance and systems coverage.

The company’s sample contract details coverage limits—generally up to $2,000 for appliances and systems, with the exception of plumbing and electrical, which have $500 limits. You can customize your contract with up to three dozen additional types of coverage, but doing so will increase your monthly cost. Service fees run from $65–$125 and depend on your location, plan, and add-ons.

LHG offers 36 add-ons, each with $500 coverage limits. We’ve listed a few options below but recommend visiting the company’s website for a full list of available add-ons. 

• Limited roof-leak repair
• Pool and spa
• Electronics
• Pro-series appliances
• Lawn sprinkler system
• Well pump

One of our in-house testers signed up for a LHG plan to see how it works. She thought the online sign-up process was easy and felt clear on what she was paying upfront. She also appreciated the peace of mind a home warranty plan offered, especially after having a dishwasher leak last year. 

Our tester’s one regret was not signing up for more coverage. Six months into her plan, her water heater broke, which wasn’t covered by her plan. Additionally, LHG called her repeatedly during her first week of coverage to try to get her to upgrade, which she didn‘t appreciate.

We recommend Cinch Home Warranty if you want coverage for items that other plans don’t typically cover, such as built-in food centers or freestanding ice makers. The company also covers a longer list of appliances and systems than competitors on this list, such as range exhaust hoods, ceiling fans, and built-in trash compactors and attic fans. Plus, Cinch has a 180-day workmanship guarantee, whereas the industry standard is 30 days, and covers items with unknown preexisting issues.

Cinch offers an appliance-only plan, a systems-only plan, and a plan with combined coverage. Here’s an overview of what each plan covers:

• Appliances ($31–$41): This plan covers major appliances including your washer, dryer, cooktop, dishwasher, range, exhaust hood, refrigerator, and built-in microwave.
• Built-In Systems ($36–$48): The systems plan covers air conditioning, ductwork, attic vent fans, ceiling fans, electrical, garage door openers, plumbing, heating, toilets, and water heaters.
• Complete Home ($45–$56): A complete plan that covers the appliances and built-in systems listed above, plus includes a reimbursement of up to $500 for your homeowners insurance deductible.

We reviewed a sample contract for Cinch’s combined-coverage plan and found relatively low limits of $2,000 for appliances and $1,000 for most systems. However, the company covers up to $1,500 for up to two air conditioning units. Cinch offers service fee options that range from $100–$150. 

Cinch offers 10 optional add-ons for your home warranty plan, including: 

• Outside water, sewer, or gas line
• Septic system
• Swimming pool and spa
• Well pump

Our team member filed a claim with Cinch for a dishwasher that wasn’t cleaning properly. He used the company’s online portal to file his claim on a Thursday, and said the company quickly found a contractor who made an appointment for the following Tuesday. When the contractor arrived, they didn’t speak English as a first language and used Google Translate to communicate.

Our team member reported that the contractor used Youtube videos to diagnose the problem before ordering a missing part. Our tester also said the contractor yelled to get his attention (he was working from home and in a meeting) rather than texting his phone. She came back the following week and repaired the dishwasher. Our team member only paid the original service fee for the repair.