CNA vs Nationwide: How Do They Compare for General Liability Insurance?

CNA identifies claims professionals and risk-control support tailored to industries. Nationwide describes medical expenses, attorney fees, and damages for covered claims, with product and completed-operations liability available by endorsement. 4,8

CNA Small Business Insurance: Products, Agents and Service

CNA directs small-business buyers to independent agents and describes CNA Connect as a businessowners policy for more than 600 small-business classes. Issuer and availability vary by policy and state, so confirm both in a quote. 1,2,3

Read the CNA profile

Read the CNA General Liability Insurance page

What Is Nationwide?

Nationwide’s commercial catalogue includes common small-business policies and separate specialty products. A catalogue listing does not establish eligibility or policy terms; confirm the issuing company and coverage for your state and business. 5,6,7

Read the Nationwide profile

Read the Nationwide General Liability Insurance page

What Is General Liability Insurance?

General liability can protect your business when a customer or visitor claims you caused injury or damaged their property. It suits businesses serving customers or working on their premises; your own building, tools and stock need property coverage. 9,10,11

Read the full coverage guide

Key Differences in General Liability Insurance

Core Description and Optional Product Liability

CNA describes GL as addressing amounts a business may owe for covered third-party bodily injury or property damage. Nationwide’s overview names medical expenses, attorney fees, and damages for covered liability claims, then calls out product and completed-operations liability as an endorsement option. If you sell products or finish jobs at customer sites, ask Nationwide whether that option is included and price it separately if needed; CNA’s overview does not specify those categories. 4 8

Support and Access

CNA describes industry-specific underwriting and risk-control support plus claims professionals, and identifies programs for smaller firms through large companies. Nationwide says most businesses may be potential buyers and directs applicants to an agent or quote request. CNA publishes more detail about line support, while Nationwide’s page describes a broad eligibility audience and agent route. A company size alone does not confirm underwriting fit with either option. 4 8

What to Confirm in General Liability Insurance Quotes

  • Ask Nationwide whether products and completed operations are in the base quote or an endorsement, with what limits. 8
  • Ask CNA for the applicable form, limits, and assigned claims and risk-control contacts. 4

CNA and Nationwide Review Scores for 2026

These averages can combine ratings for different products, locations, and customer groups, including approximate BBB grade conversions. Read each review for the sources, scope, and calculation.

CNA Review Score

9.0/ 10

Review Score

1 rated source

Customer feedback on CNA is mixed and hard to compare. NerdWallet gave it 4.5 out of 5 for manufacturers, while Trustpilot shows about 1.4 out of 5 from 49 mostly self-selected reviews.[1][5]

Read CNA reviews

Nationwide Review Score

7.8/ 10

Review Score

4 rated sources

Experts like Nationwide more than customers do. NerdWallet gives it 4.5 out of 5 for business insurance, while small-business customers on ConsumerAffairs give it 2.5 out of 5 from 19 reviews.[1][10]

Read Nationwide reviews

CNA vs Nationwide General Liability Insurance Compared

CNA vs Nationwide: General Liability Insurance: documented features by provider

CriteriaCNA Commercial General LiabilityNationwide general liability (official overview)
Role in This Line

Confirm in your quote.

Nationwide describes offering general liability for the audience stated on the cited product page. 8Company-reported. general liability marketed by nationwide; scope is limited to the cited official product overview and described audience. This is not a policy form or a universal eligibility statement.

Who It’s For

CNA identifies GL solutions for smaller companies, mid-sized firms and large firms. 4Company-reported. Entity: CNA brand; issuing CNA subsidiary may vary by product/state Product: United States commercial insurance Jurisdiction: United States Research source scope: US commercial GL Claim limitation: Company-reported; policy wording, underwriting and jurisdiction-specific availability control.

Most businesses are identified as potential buyers; the source directs businesses to an agent to confirm their specific need. 8Company-reported. general liability marketed by nationwide; scope is limited to the cited official product overview and described audience. This is not a policy form or a universal eligibility statement.

Coverage Features

CNA Commercial General Liability addresses amounts a business may owe third parties for covered bodily injury or property damage. 4Company-reported. Entity: CNA brand; issuing CNA subsidiary may vary by product/state Product: United States commercial insurance Jurisdiction: United States Research source scope: US commercial GL Claim limitation: Company-reported; policy wording, underwriting and jurisdiction-specific availability control.

The cited product page describes medical expenses, attorney fees, and damages for covered liability claims, with product and completed-operations liability available as an endorsement option. Marketing description only; actual coverage, exclusions, conditions, limits, and availability depend on the issued policy and jurisdiction. 8Company-reported. general liability marketed by nationwide; scope is limited to the cited official product overview and described audience. This is not a policy form or a universal eligibility statement.

Limits and Retentions

Confirm in your quote.

The cited overview does not set a universal limit or retention for this line. Ask for the proposed policy form, limits, retentions, exclusions, and conditions in the quote. 8Not publicly disclosed. Only the cited marketing page was reviewed for published limit and retention information; no policy-form entitlement is inferred.

Risk Services

CNA describes industry-specific underwriting/risk-control support and claims professionals for the GL line. 4Company-reported. Entity: CNA brand; issuing CNA subsidiary may vary by product/state Product: United States commercial insurance Jurisdiction: United States Research source scope: US commercial GL Claim limitation: Company-reported; policy wording, underwriting and jurisdiction-specific availability control.

Confirm in your quote.

How to Apply

Confirm in your quote.

The page directs prospective customers to contact an agent or request a quote. The page does not establish a quote, bind, or coverage-effective timeline. 8Company-reported. general liability marketed by nationwide; scope is limited to the cited official product overview and described audience. This is not a policy form or a universal eligibility statement.

Related Pages for CNA vs Nationwide General Liability Insurance

General Liability Insurance Pages for CNA and Nationwide

Other Coverage Lines Compared for CNA vs Nationwide

Other General Liability Insurance Provider Comparisons

Sources for CNA vs Nationwide General Liability Insurance

Sources About CNA

  1. Insurance for Small Businesses. CNA; Insurance for Small Businesses, lines 38-50 and 65-67 (CNA Central and agent route); lines 79-106 (product and stated appetite lists); page footer line 132 (CNA registered service mark). Accessed 2026-09-28.
  2. CNA Connect Small Businessowners Policy (BOP) | CNA Insurance. CNA; CNA Connect; coverages, product range, services. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  3. General Disclaimer. CNA; General Disclaimer paragraphs 1 and 5 (HTML lines 24 and 28): CNA describes Continental Casualty Company and its relevant affiliates; references to CNA may include one or more CCC affiliates; each particular policy/product/service is the responsibility only of the specific CNA company that issues or supplies it. Footer line 57 identifies CNA Financial Corporation as trademark registrant. Re-read 2026-09-29. Accessed 2026-09-29.
  4. Commercial General Liability Insurance | CNA Insurance. CNA; Commercial General Liability; customer sizes, coverage, teams. Accessed 2026-09-28.

Sources About Nationwide

  1. Small Business Insurance. Nationwide; Small business products and solutions, lines 185–214: BOP, workers’ compensation, commercial auto, umbrella, EPLI, cyber and surety; purchase guidance lines 235–247. Accessed 2026-09-29.
  2. Small Business Insurance Solutions for Agents. Nationwide; Specialized small commercial solutions: BOP, auto, workers’ compensation, cyber, EPLI, umbrella, inland marine and professional liability; page states appetite varies by state, lines 129–163, 191–193. Accessed 2026-09-29.
  3. Terms and Conditions for Nationwide.com. Nationwide; P&C products not offered by all companies/states; policy/declarations control; NMI and affiliates may underwrite; each underwriter responsible for own products, lines 358–368 and 391–394. Accessed 2026-09-29.
  4. General Liability Insurance – Nationwide. Nationwide; General liability overview; covered expenses and endorsements; product and completed-operations liability. Accessed 2026-09-30.

Sources for the General Liability Insurance Guide

  1. Commercial general liability insurance. Insurance Information Institute; Coverage A; Coverage B; Coverage C; Purchasing commercial general liability insurance. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  2. Commercial Insurance Guide. California Department of Insurance; Commercial General Liability; Commercial Automobile; What Should I Expect from a Broker-Agent?; How Are Commercial Policies Rated? Accessed 2026-09-16.
  3. Commercial General Liability Coverage Form. ISO; specimen hosted by Hiscox; I.A pp.1–5; I.B pp.6–7; I.C pp.7–8; Supplementary Payments p.8; II pp.9–10; III p.10; IV pp.10–12. Accessed 2026-09-16.

Updated . Spot, a product of Tools for Enlightenment, publishes this research and works in the commercial insurance market. The comparison applies the same criteria to both providers. Editorial policy. To suggest a correction, contact Spot with the page URL and supporting source.

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