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We love car insurance. Or, more accurately: We love helping you find the best car insurance and the best cheap auto insurance companies. And thanks to seven years’ worth of research and reviews, we’re pretty familiar with the industry’s big players. Below, we share our ratings for the top 22 car insurance companies in the U.S. (listed according to our own Reviews.com rating). Combined, these companies insure just under 80% of the nation’s drivers — so odds are you’ll be looking at at least a few of them in your search.
Top 22 Auto Insurance Providers
| Providers | Reviews.com Average Rating | Financial Strength Ratings in AM Best | NAIC Complaint Index | J.D. Power Customer Satisfaction Score | Customer Support | Coverage Options | Online Resources | Affordability Score (Discounts) | Featured on Reviews.com |
| Amica | 5/5 | A+ | 1.02 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | ★$ |
| American Family | 4.6/5 | A | 0.52 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | $ |
| Country Financial | 4.4/5 | A+ | 0.28 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 3/5 | n/a |
| USAA | 4.4/5 | A++ | n/a | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 3/5 | ★ |
| State Farm | 4.4/5 | A++ | 0.69 | 3/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | ★ |
| Liberty Mutual | 4.4/5 | A | 5.5 | 3/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | ★ |
| Progressive | 4.4/5 | A+ | 0.95 | 3/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | ★ |
| Esurance | 4.4/5 | A+ | 1.3 | 2.5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | n/a |
| National General | 4.4/5 | A- | n/a | 2/5 | 3/5 | 5/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | n/a |
| GEICO | 4.2/5 | A++ | 0.81 | 3/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 3/5 | ★$ |
| Travelers | 4.2/5 | A++ | 10.25 | 3/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | n/a |
| Auto-Owners | 4.2/5 | A++ | 0.46 | 3/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 2/5 | $ |
| Safeco | 4.2/5 | A | 1.57 | 3/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | n/a |
| AllState | 4.2/5 | A+ | 1.09 | 3/5 | 4/5 | 4/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | n/a |
| Nationwide | 4/5 | A+ | 0.43 | 3/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 3/5 | $ |
| Farmers | 4/5 | A | 0.86 | 3/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 2/5 | $ |
| Automobile Club Group | 4/5 | A- | n/a | 3/5 | 3/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | n/a |
| MAPFRE Insurance | 4/5 | A | 7.4 | 2/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | n/a |
| The Hartford | 3.8/5 | A+ | n/a | 3/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 2/5 | n/a |
| CSAA Insurance Group | 3.75/5 | A- | 1.24 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | n/a | n/a |
| Erie | 3.6/5 | A+ | 1.25 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 3/5 | ★$ |
| MetLife | 3.6/5 | A+ | 1.49 | 3/5 | 4/5 | 3/5 | 5/5 | 2/5 | n/a |
(Data as of 08/21/2020)
★= Included in Reviews.com’s 7 Best Car Insurance companies.
$= Included in Reviews.com’s 7 Best Cheap Auto Insurance companies.
What Do These Ratings Mean?
You’ve probably noticed that financial strength scores are about as discernible as alphabet soup. AM Best uses its rating system to judge the strength of a company’s financial holdings and assets. The short of it is these ratings determine a provider’s ability to pay out claims and fulfill their duty to you, the policyholder. Much like a school grading scale, you want straight As, which means that the provider can handle your claims better.
Another important factor we considered was the complaint ratio of each company, as tracked by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. This score gives insight into actual policyholder sentiments toward their policy provider. The baseline complaint index is set at 1.00, so a company with a complaint ratio of 10.25 like Travelers, for example, has received ten times the national market average of complaints annually.
Our Car Insurance Rating System
Our rating system incorporates scores of official agencies like the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, as well as consumer-based survey groups like J.D. Power. We’ve also evaluated financial stability and reliability and added it to the equation. We’ve collated the data from these sources to create our own overall Reviews.com score. To generate that score, we’ve created an average score from factors such as customer support, coverage options, online resources and affordability. We’ve shared the numbers to show you the various ways we analyze the major players in the insurance industry.
Financial strength rating
An insurer’s financial strength rating (FSR) indicates the stability and reliability of its financials. Companies with an excellent FSR (A and above) have solid backing and can be counted on to pay claims of any size. Plus, they’re considered extremely credit-worthy, meaning that if the economy takes a downturn or a large-scale disaster causes many insurance claims at once, these companies are least likely to go under. We used the score from one of the largest financial rating agencies, AM Best, which focuses exclusively on insurance.
NAIC Ratings
The complaint ratios come from the latest ratings and reports released by the NAIC, giving you the most up-to-date information. In case we couldn’t get a hold of the most current number, you’ll find an “n/a” on the list. Companies with a lower complaint ratio mean you’ll be less likely to deal with poor customer service and needless hassles. Essentially, they give more than just cursory insight into the brands you’re entrusting your car with, so you can make a more informed decision for your situation.
Customer satisfaction ratings
There’s no real way to test an insurer’s coverage or claims process before buying — to do so would be insurance fraud. But what we can do is learn from other customers’ experiences. Did they find customer service to be responsive and helpful? Were they given the resources they needed to build a strong policy? Were claims paid fairly and on time?
We considered two separate sources: J.D. Power’s regional auto insurance study, which measures satisfaction with customer support, coverage options, price, and billing across various U.S regions; and J.D Power’s claim satisfaction survey, which rates companies on customer’s claims experiences.
Featured on Reviews.com
Companies with a “★” on the table above under the Feature on Reviews.com column are our top picks for best auto insurance companies. The companies that have a “$” in this column are featured in our review of the best cheap auto insurance companies. In both cases, this means they’ve passed rigorous standards for financial strength and policy offerings and have standout coverage or discount options that set them apart. To learn more about what makes each company unique, click the star or the dollar icon.
Next Steps
How does car insurance work, anyway?
There’s a lot that goes into building a strong car insurance policy and choosing the right provider. For a crash course in auto insurance and tips about shopping around, check out our car insurance buyers’ guide.
How can I save money on my car insurance?
Discounts are a good place to start, but there are plenty of other ways to save on your car insurance. See our guide to cheap car insurance for pointers and expert advice about the smartest, safest ways to cut costs on your policy.
Where can I find more information about specific companies?
You can learn more about coverage options, discounts, and standout features from the top auto insurance companies in our review of nationwide car insurance companies. You’ll also find in-depth reviews of individual providers and state-by-state car insurance reviews.
Where can I compare rates?
Get started on your shopping with our car insurance quote tool, which will point you toward popular providers in your ZIP code and help you start comparing rates.
I want even more insight into the insurance industry.
Check out Reviews.com’s millennial auto insurance report, where we break down some of the most key factors that affect millennials when purchasing auto insurance.
About the Authors
Nina Rodríguez-Quirós is a feature writer for Reviews.com. Over the last year, she has covered insurance providers, claims handling, coverage and more. She has been featured in Allconnect.com and holds a Master’s Degree in Theory and Research of Communications from the University of Puerto Rico. Her favorite review is Millennials and Auto Insurance.
