Best Pet Insurance of 2027
Eight insurers, four test pets — a two-year-old Labrador, a seven-year-old French Bulldog, a three-year-old domestic shorthair cat and a nine-year-old mixed-breed dog — quoted from the same ZIP codes at 80% reimbursement with a $500 deductible. We read every policy document for what is covered, what is capped and how a pre-existing condition is defined, then scored price, claims handling and extras. Not insurance advice.
Embrace (Accident & illness + optional wellness) - Covers exam fees and dental illness, shrinks your deductible $50 for every claim-free year, and will re-cover a curable condition after twelve clear months Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Exam fees, dental illness, behavioural therapy and prescription food all included
- Healthy Pet Deductible drops your deductible $50 each claim-free year
- Orthopaedic wait waived after an exam and a short questionnaire
Healthy Paws (Accident & illness, one plan) - One simple plan with no annual, lifetime or per-condition payout limit — the policy that does not run out when the bill is large Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- No annual or lifetime cap — the catastrophic claim is the one that matters and this is where it pays
- Hereditary and congenital conditions covered
- Claims processed in about two days on published figures; photo upload in the app
ASPCA Pet Health Insurance (Complete Coverage) - Covers exam fees, dental illness, behavioural treatment and microchipping, insures horses too, and re-covers curable conditions after a clear year Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Exam fees, dental disease, behavioural therapy and microchipping in the base policy
- No upper age limit; horses insurable too
- Single 14-day waiting period with no long orthopaedic exclusion
Pets Best (Accident & illness, three tiers) - Three coverage tiers, an unlimited option, a three-day accident wait and direct deposit — the flexible middle of the market Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- No upper age limit — one of the few that will still enrol a senior pet
- Three-day accident waiting period, the shortest here
- Unlimited annual payout available on the Elite tier
Trupanion (90% reimbursement, per-condition deductible) - Pays the clinic directly at checkout in thousands of US hospitals, reimburses 90% with no payout limit, and charges the deductible once per condition rather than every year Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Direct payment to the vet means you never front a $7,000 surgery
- Per-condition deductible: pay it once for a chronic condition, not every renewal year
- 90% reimbursement with no annual or lifetime cap
Figo (Accident & illness, 100% option) - The only insurer here offering 100% reimbursement, with a one-day accident wait and a pet cloud app that holds records and vet chat Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- 100% reimbursement is available — no other insurer in the test offers it
- One-day accident waiting period
- Pet Cloud app stores records, finds vets and includes 24/7 vet chat
Lemonade Pet (Accident & illness + add-ons) - The cheapest quotes in our test, an app that settles simple claims in minutes, and bundling discounts with renters or car insurance Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Cheapest monthly premium on three of our four test pets
- Simple claims paid in minutes through the app
- Bundle discount with Lemonade renters, home or car insurance
Nationwide Pet Insurance (Whole Pet with Wellness / Avian & Exotic) - The only major US insurer that covers birds, reptiles and small mammals — and one of the few whose top plan includes wellness in the same policy Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Covers birds, rabbits, reptiles, ferrets and other exotics — almost nobody else does
- Whole Pet with Wellness rolls routine care into one policy
- Backed by one of the largest US insurers
What separates the best pet insurance picks?
Price is the first split. Lemonade Pet quotes $32 a month, Pets Best $38, Figo $40, Healthy Paws $43, ASPCA Pet Health Insurance $45, Embrace $47, Nationwide Pet Insurance $62 and Trupanion $68. The cheap end is not automatically the better deal: on Lemonade, exam fees, dental and behavioural cover are paid add-ons, and Pets Best puts exam fees and dental on the Plus tier or higher.
Coverage is the second split. Healthy Paws has no annual or lifetime cap, and Trupanion pairs 90% reimbursement with no annual or lifetime cap plus a per-condition deductible you pay once for a chronic condition. Embrace runs annual limits from $5,000 to $30,000, ASPCA tops out at $10,000, and Pets Best offers unlimited annual payout on the Elite tier. Figo is the only insurer here with 100% reimbursement available.
Waiting periods decide how fast cover starts. Figo has a one-day accident wait, Pets Best three days, and ASPCA a single 14-day wait with no long orthopaedic exclusion. Healthy Paws has a twelve-month wait for hip dysplasia, permanent for pets enrolled after age six; Figo and Lemonade both carry a six-month orthopaedic wait, and Pets Best a six-month cruciate wait.
What should you check before buying pet insurance?
Our scoring puts 30 points on what is covered, 20 each on limits and exclusions, price and claims, and 10 on wellness and extras. Read a sample policy against those headings before you pay.
- Exam fees and dental: included in Embrace and ASPCA, paid add-ons on Lemonade and Figo, and absent from Healthy Paws and Trupanion.
- Caps: check the annual limit, not just the monthly premium.
- Payout speed: Healthy Paws processes claims in about two days on published figures, Lemonade settles simple claims in minutes through the app, and Trupanion pays the clinic directly at checkout in thousands of US hospitals.
- Age at enrolment: ASPCA and Pets Best have no upper age limit; Healthy Paws makes the hip dysplasia exclusion permanent for pets enrolled after age six.
- Deductible mechanics: Embrace drops your deductible $50 each claim-free year, and Trupanion charges it once per condition.
If the big bill is your worry
Healthy Paws and Trupanion both remove the annual and lifetime cap. Trupanion also pays the vet directly, which matters if you cannot front a $7,000 surgery.
If you want routine costs inside the policy
Embrace and ASPCA include exam fees, dental illness and behavioural cover in the base policy. Nationwide's Whole Pet with Wellness rolls routine care into one policy.
If you are insuring a senior or an exotic
ASPCA and Pets Best have no upper age limit. Nationwide covers birds, rabbits, reptiles, ferrets and other exotics, and insures horses through ASPCA.
If the monthly premium leads
Lemonade is cheapest on three of our four test pets and bundles with renters, home or car insurance. Figo is the pick if you want 100% reimbursement and a one-day accident wait.
For a large emergency bill, Healthy Paws and Trupanion are the picks with no annual or lifetime cap, and Trupanion pays the clinic directly. Embrace and ASPCA suit owners who want exam fees, dental illness and behavioural cover in the base policy. Lemonade is the cheapest quote on three of our four test pets, while Nationwide is the one to look at for birds, rabbits, reptiles and ferrets.
Questions about best pet insurance of 2027
*Scores: What is covered 30 · Limits & exclusions 20 · Price 20 · Claims & payout 20 · Wellness & extras 10; score = Σ ÷ 10. Prices shown were checked on the date beside each and may change. Affiliate links are added only after a score is locked and can never change it. How we rank.