Nationwide Business Insurance Review 2023: Cost, Pros & Cons

Nationwide is a leading insurer for buying small business insurance. A Fortune 100 company, it is one of the largest and oldest insurance and financial services providers in the United States, founded in 1926. It provides commercial insurance to half a million small businesses across the country, and offers a variety of other products and services.

Nationwide Insurance offers personal auto, business, agricultural business (agribusiness), home, life, and pet insurance and insures more than 500,000 small businesses. You can start a quote online but will need to purchase the policy over the phone or work with a local agent to get insurance.

Nationwide’s customers enjoy a broad range of online services, including:

Recurring payments
Text reminders
ID cards
Policy information
Submit and track a claim

Overview of Nationwide Insurance

Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company and affiliated companies, commonly shortened to Nationwide, is a group of large U.S. insurance and financial services companies based in Columbus, Ohio. The company also operates regional headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona; Des Moines, Iowa and San Antonio, Texas.

Nationwide currently has approximately 25,000 employees, and is ranked No. 83 in the 2023 Fortune 500 list. It currently ranks 21 in Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For”.

The company’s business insurance offerings include everything from standard policies to specialized coverage for specific industries such as construction, retail, food and beverage, and more. It may be a good fit for businesses that need specialized business insurance coverage, including fidelity bonds and surety bonds.

Nationwide business insurance types

Nationwide offers a wide range of business insurance products, which is helpful for small businesses looking to bundle several types of insurance.

Business owner’s policy

A business owner’s policy (BOP) combines several major components of insurance in one convenient package. Nationwide’s standard BOP includes basic business liability, commercial property, business income and equipment breakdown insurance. Each of these products can be purchased separately as well.

Nationwide recommends a BOP if some or all of the following criteria apply to you:

You have fewer than 100 employees and less than $5 million in sales.
Your business is located outside of your home.
You have property or equipment you need to protect.
You want to protect investments you’ve made in your business.

Nationwide offers customized BOPs for several industries that share common risks:

Auto
Food
Office
Retail
Service
Wholesale

Commercial property insurance

Nationwide commercial property insurance protects your physical place of business in the event of damage or loss. A commercial property policy through Nationwide will cover your building, inventory, furniture and equipment, as well as any signage, storage sheds, landscaping and fences.

Your commercial property coverage may also extend to property owned by others, depending on the event and the policy.

Commercial property insurance typically excludes certain events, such as broken glass or damage from earthquakes. It is included in a BOP but also can be purchased as a stand-alone product.

If you want protection from these risks as well, you can upgrade your basic Nationwide commercial property insurance policy.

Business liability insurance

Business liability insurance, also called general liability insurance, is a standard component of a BOP and protects you if you’re liable for someone’s medical expenses, attorney fees or damage when your company is at fault.

If you want to purchase business liability insurance as a standalone product, Nationwide offers several basic plans customized for various industries. Additional commercial liability insurance options are called endorsements and can be added to your basic policy to provide the coverage you need.

Note that most business liability policies do not include employee injuries, vehicle-related incidents or intentional acts of harm, which fall under separate categories of insurance coverage.

Business income insurance

Business income insurance, also called business interruption insurance, protects your finances when your business operations are disrupted by circumstances out of your control. This type of policy can help you cover lost business income, payroll, taxes, loan and mortgage payments, temporary expenses such as overtime pay or relocation costs, and more.

Business income insurance is included in Nationwide BOPs and can also be purchased separately. However, the company does not cover undocumented income, closures from power lines, losses from partial closures and any losses that are not covered under property insurance. This also includes floods or earthquakes.

Commercial auto insurance

Commercial auto policies are similar to consumer auto coverage, with up to five standard components: liability insurance, medical coverage, comprehensive, collision, and uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage.

Business owners who purchase commercial auto insurance through Nationwide can also add the following options:

Roadside assistance.
New vehicle replacement cost coverage.
Hired auto physical damage with loss of use coverage, which covers vehicles you lease or rent.
Auto loan or lease coverage.
Expanded towing range coverage, as well as jump-starts and minor roadside repairs.
Rental reimbursement.
Medical payments or personal injury protection coverage.

Equipment breakdown insurance

Nationwide includes equipment breakdown insurance as a standard component of a BOP. This type of coverage protects you when you can’t use the tools that help you operate your business. Your equipment breakdown insurance can help pay for repairs or replacements, the cost of replacing any spoiled materials or goods, and other expenses that arise as a result of covered breakdowns.

As with the other types of coverage within Nationwide’s standard BOP, equipment breakdown insurance can also be purchased as an individual product.

Other coverage options

Beyond the essential coverage options listed above, Nationwide also offers the following products:

Workers’ compensation insurance, which is required in many states if you have employees and contractors.
Employment practices liability insurance, which can protect you against employee lawsuits.
Cyber liability for protection if your digital data is compromised in a cyber breach.
Errors and omissions insurance is a type of professional liability insurance, and it can protect you in cases of negligence or copyright infringement.
Umbrella insurance, or personal liability insurance, serves as a fail-safe when your other coverage runs out. For example, if you are responsible for paying a $1 million claim but your business liability insurance covers only $500,000, your umbrella policy could cover the remaining $500,000.
Inland marine insurance protects goods you transport across land.
Accounts receivable insurance protects you from any expenses related to unpaid payments from your customers, as well as any damaged accounts receivable records.
Builder’s risk insurance protects your construction projects from start to finish.

Nationwide business insurance: Pros and cons

Pros

A wide variety of coverage types is available, including surety and fidelity bonds and fleet coverage for commercial vehicles.
Fewer complaints than expected were filed with state regulators about general liability and commercial auto insurance from 2018 to 2021, according to a Nerd Wallet analysis.
Online quotes are available.

Cons

Can’t purchase a policy online.
You have to call Nationwide or your agent to request a certificate of insurance or add an additional insured.

How much does Nationwide business insurance cost?

There is no explicit pricing information on Nationwide’s website. This is most likely because each business is different, and there are a number of considerations to take into account when quoting a price for your insurance premiums.

Some of these considerations include:

Location. Different areas face different risks. Crime rates and seasonal weather patterns are among the factors that may affect your premium. Plus, businesses with a physical location will have different coverage needs than an online business.
Type of business. Some industries are more hazardous than others. Businesses in the construction industry pose more risk to an insurer than a florist, for instance, which can result in higher premiums.
Claims history. Policyholders who have no previous claims may be quoted lower premiums than those who have made several claims in the last few years.
Coverage needs. Factors like the value of the business assets or property you want to protect will have an impact. For example, a business that relies on more expensive equipment and stores a year’s worth of inventory on its premises will pay more for commercial property insurance than a business that only has one or two pieces of standard machinery and houses three months’ inventory.

How to get a Nationwide business insurance policy

Signing up for a Nationwide insurance policy is relatively straightforward. You can either call Nationwide at 888-490-1549, or use the tool on its website to generate a customized quote in less than 30 minutes.

You’ll need to provide the following details for an accurate insurance quote:

Basic information about your business, including your annual sales receipts.
If applicable, construction details on any buildings you own including age, material and square footage.
Details on any prior insurance claims your company may have made.
Employee information, as well as the number of workers you have on staff. In some states, you may also need to provide information on contractors who may be eligible for workers’ compensation.
For commercial auto or fleet insurance, you will need to list your vehicle types, vehicle identification numbers and the names of any drivers.

While you can start the process by requesting a quote online, ultimately, you’ll need to work with an agent to purchase a policy:

Contact Nationwide. Go to Nationwide’s website and head to the business section to start your quote online, or call to speak with a representative. You can also schedule a call when it’s convenient for you.
Fill out the online form. To request a quote online, fill out the required information, like the coverages you need, your contact information, and other details about your business.
Provide additional information. Once you submit your form, an agent will contact you to review the details you submitted and may ask for additional information in order to provide you with a detailed quote.
Review quote. Once you receive the formal quote from Nationwide, look over the fine print. Check that the policy includes the exact kinds of coverage you expect to receive and whether the pricing looks fair to you. If you have any questions or concerns about anything you see, address it with your Nationwide agent.
Finalize policy. If you like the quote, you can proceed with finalizing the policy by submitting the necessary payment and waiting for your agreed policy start date.

How to file a claim with Nationwide

You can file a claim online with Nationwide. You can also call the insurance company or contact your agent. To file a claim, follow these steps:

Compile necessary documentation: It’s best to file a claim as soon as the incident occurs. Before doing so, you’ll need certain information to be able to file a claim successfully and to help speed up the process. You’ll need contact information for parties involved in the claim, the date of the incident, the type of loss, policy details, and any documentation of the loss or injury.
Contact Nationwide: You can submit your information online after logging into your account, by calling Nationwide, or contacting your agent.
Wait for next steps: A claims professional from Nationwide will contact you to address any of your questions and work with you to handle your claim. They’ll guide you through the process and may need to schedule a time for an adjuster to conduct an evaluation on-site. In most cases, you’ll be contacted the day you submit your claim.
Review findings: After assessing your claim, the documentation you submitted, and your policy coverage, Nationwide will make a decision on the appropriate type of payment. Work with the claims professional to ensure the claim outcome is one that you agree to.

Should you purchase Nationwide business insurance?

Insurance policies vary from company to company and from provider to provider. As with all vendors, it’s a good idea to collect quotes from several insurance providers and evaluate the estimates that make the most sense for your business.

You may want to consider going with Nationwide if several or all of the following characteristics are true of your company:

Your business needs bonding services. Nationwide sells surety bonds and fidelity bonds, which are important components of construction business insurance and cleaning business insurance.
You want to get a quote online. Nationwide policies are sold by independent agents around the country, but you can get a quote online on your own.
You want to negotiate a multiple-policy discount. Nationwide offers virtually every type of business insurance, which may make it a good fit for businesses with broad insurance needs.

Nationwide Business Insurance Review 2023: Cost, Pros & Cons

Overview of Nationwide Insurance