The 5 Best Earthquake Insurance Companies of 2021 - Treehugger

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Our Top Picks

Earthquakes are a scary reality of living in some high-risk parts of the country, and they can cause a huge amount of damage to your home—including expensive foundation issues. Basic homeowners policies don't generally cover the consequences of earthquake activity, but earthquake insurance can be purchased to fill this gap. To help you protect yourself, we rounded up the best earthquake insurance options. Here are our top picks.

Who Needs Earthquake Insurance?

Earthquake insurance is especially important for residents of high-risk states like California, but it may also be worth it for residents of Washington and Oregon. What's more, states that aren't traditionally considered high-risk—like Missouri and Illinois—have also been experiencing more earthquake activity than in the past, likely due to things like wastewater disposal in fracking. Check with your insurance agent to see if earthquake coverage is available or recommended in your area. 

How Is Earthquake Insurance Different From Homeowners Insurance?

Traditional homeowners insurance typically excludes damage caused by earthquakes—also referred to as earth movement. This means you're likely to encounter a gap in coverage for the types of damage associated with earthquakes, like a cracked foundation. That said, some carriers offer endorsements for supplemental earthquake coverage so contact your current agent to see if that's an option. 

What Does Earthquake Insurance Cover?

Policies vary, but earthquake insurance generally covers repairs to your house, attached structures, and other outdoor structures as necessitated by earthquake damage. Policies can also cover personal belongings that are damaged as a result of the earthquake and other expenses like hotel bills if your home isn't livable. Even so, there are certain issues that are not covered by earthquake insurance, like fire damage, flooding, vehicle damage, and damage to masonry.

How We Chose the Best Earthquake Insurance Providers

We reviewed earthquake insurance providers based on available coverage, AM Best and BBB ratings, available discounts, online tools, and (where possible) deductibles and coverage amounts. Policy premiums are not typically disclosed, so we made sure that each top provider offers an online quote tool. And, while states like California are at a higher risk for earthquakes than others, we considered the geographic availability of various carriers because other states are seeing an increase in earthquake activity.

Overall, we chose Allstate as the best choice for Treehugger readers because of the breadth of coverage and discounts. What's more, the carrier is extremely well-rated and offers current and prospective policyholders a number of tools that make buying insurance—and decoding it—easier. 

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