The same French Bulldog in California: why the ranking changes

The dog from the Florida case moves to Los Angeles before he is insured. Everything else stays the same: a male French Bulldog enrolled before his first birthday, ZIP 90001, no annual limit, a $1,000 deductible, 90% reimbursement, 15 years with one insurer. Every price comes from the rate tables each insurer filed in California. Discounts are left out; monthly payment fees are in.

At approved rates Lemonade is the cheapest at $32,610, with Trupanion next at $35,228. Pumpkin, Spot and ASPCA cost the same, $48,134 each. MetLife is the most expensive at $103,536. But add any yearly increase and Trupanion moves to first place: $59,017 against Lemonade’s $63,187 at +7% a year, and $74,620 against $84,201 at +10%. In Florida the same dog costs $81,645 at Pumpkin. Pets Best, the cheapest in Florida, is not in our California data.

Why the ranking differs

The regulator cuts requests. In California an insurer can change its rates only after the Department of Insurance approves them, and the Department often allows less than the insurer asks for:

• Independence American asked for +13.9% on accident and illness cover for its V4 program and got at most +12.0%, although its own calculation called for +21.4% (25-613);
• Trupanion asked for +28.1% and got +19.0% (25-2461);
• Fetch asked for +13.4% and got +12.9% (25-2417);
• MetLife asked for +40.0% and got +36.9% (25-2234).

Lemonade’s California rates are older still. Its latest rate filing, 23-3248 (+16.6% requested, +14.0% approved), has been in force since 24 November 2024, and the Department lists no later one. Lemonade is cheapest here partly because its rates are 16 to 20 months older: the other brands in the table have rates in force from March to August 2026. In Florida Lemonade raised its rates by 22.0% in 2026.

No tenure factor at Independence American in California. The California V4 rate manual (25-613) has no tenure factor and no surcharge for claims. In Florida, tenure adds about 3% a year. The age factor stays at 0.668 up to age three and peaks at 2.942 from fourteen. The premium rises from $121.66 a month in the first year to $529.00 at fourteen. In Florida, Pumpkin rises from $164.01 to $1,006.84 over the same years. California also has one base rate for all three brands ($133.18 in territory 1), so Pumpkin, Spot and ASPCA cost exactly the same here. In Florida the base rates differ by sales channel. A transition rule limits how much the premium on the base product can rise at renewal: no more than 60% over three renewals.

Fetch’s territory factor. Fetch’s California manual has its own territory table. ZIP 90001 falls in territory 3 with a factor of 1.726, while the countrywide manual gives territory 3 a factor of 0.852 (25-2417). For this ZIP that doubles the price. Fetch starts low, at $126.08 a month, but its age curve has no cap and reaches $998.35 at fourteen. The price assumes the dog never had a claim paid. Fetch lowers the premium at renewal if there were no claims (0.95, 0.90, then 0.85) and raises it to between 1.15 and 2.20 after claims.

MetLife’s channel factor. MetLife sets the price by how you buy the policy. Buy directly from MetLife Pet and the channel factor is 1.184. Buy through an employer, after adopting from a partner shelter, or through other channels, and it is 1.000 (25-2234). The area factor for ZIPs starting with 900 is 1.132. The manual also divides the price by 1 − 0.34 to cover expenses and profit. The first-year premium is $272.77 a month. MetLife sells unlimited cover only to dogs enrolled at 0 to 11. The filing does not say whether a dog enrolled young keeps it after twelve. We assume it does.

Trupanion locks the enrollment age. For a dog under one the age factor is 0.817 (25-2461), and it does not change with birthdays. At approved rates Trupanion charges the same $195.71 a month for all 15 years. In the increase columns, the yearly percentage is added to a flat price; at every other brand it is added to a price that already rises with age. That is why Trupanion wins as soon as we assume any increase at all.

The catch is the size of its increases. In California Trupanion raised its rates by 12.6% in 2023, 28.9% in 2024, 31.7% in 2025 and 19.0% in 2026. That averages about 23% a year, more than even the 15% column. Our price also leaves out two add-ons. The manual adds Recovery and Complementary Care to every new policy unless the owner declines it (×1.211 for dogs). The Pet Owner Assistance Package costs $4.95 a month.

Embrace is a proposal. Embrace’s California prices come from a rate manual the company has filed but the Department has not yet approved (26-812, +29.7% requested). In it, the age factor at enrollment is multiplied by a tenure factor, with a claims-history factor on top. The price assumes a dog with no claims.

What this case shows

The same dog, the same plan, and a different winner. A ranking from another state, or a countrywide “best pet insurance” list, tells you almost nothing about your price. Read your own state’s filings: how to read a rate filing shows how. And check how often an insurer raises its rates and by how much: see laws by state.

Sources

• California Department of Insurance (WARFF) files: 25-613 (Independence American, V4: Pumpkin, Spot, ASPCA; manual CA_20260326, effective 1 August 2026), 25-2461 (American Pet Insurance Company, Trupanion; effective 19 July 2026), 25-2417 (AXIS Insurance Company, Fetch; effective 7 July 2026), 25-2234 (Metropolitan General, MetLife; effective 26 March 2026), 23-3248 (Lemonade Insurance Company; effective 24 November 2024), 26-812 (American Modern Home, Embrace; filed, not approved).
• Florida comparison: OIR file 26-024273 (Independence American, V4).
• State page: California. Brand pages: Trupanion, Lemonade, Pumpkin, Fetch, MetLife, Embrace.