COMPANY HIGHLIGHTS

State Farm is another large, affordable insurer with an excellent customer service reputation. In fact, it has a lower complaint rate than GEICO and may even be a cheaper option depending on where you live. You can save even more on your monthly bill by bundling with State Farm’s home insurance.

State Farm does not offer much in the way of unique coverages: you’ll mostly find standard car insurance coverages and common add-ons such as roadside assistance and rental car expense coverage. Although it offers few unique perks, you’re more likely to get good value with State Farm than most other major insurers. State Farm does offer rideshare insurance — coverage not available from all companies — making it a great choice for those who work for Uber or Lyft.

Like GEICO, State Farm doesn’t offer new car replacement coverage, so it may not be the best option for those with brand new cars who are worried about getting value back if they get into an accident soon after their car purchase.

Because insurance is regulated at a state level, MoneyGeek ranked the best car insurance in each state based on local pricing and regional J.D. Power scores. Excluding USAA, which is not available to most drivers, GEICO most frequently ranked as the best insurer in a state (24 times). State Farm, which ranked as the best insurer in 10 states, came in second. Erie is also an excellent option if you’re in one of the 12 states it does business.

Click on your state to learn more about the best car insurance company where you live. It’s crucial to compare auto insurance products and quotes based on where you live because insurers may offer different rates, coverages and features across state lines.

Car insurance companies use specific driver characteristics to calculate their rates. Companies may offer coverages that make them better for drivers with particular traits. Credit score, driving history and age are three of the most significant factors used to determine rates.

We’ve provided our recommendations for the best car insurance companies for young drivers, drivers with poor credit and drivers with an accident on their records, all of whom are typically charged higher rates than the average driver.

THE BEST CAR INSURANCE COMPANIES BY DRIVER PROFILE

Best for Customer Service: Auto-Owners Insurance

Best for Drivers on a Budget: GEICO

Best for Young Drivers: Allstate

Best for Military Members: USAA

Best for New Cars: Allstate

Best for High-Risk Drivers: State Farm

Best for Low Mileage: Metromile

Best for Unique Coverages: Liberty Mutual

If price is not as important for you as ensuring you’re going to get the best possible service when you need to file a claim, MoneyGeek found that Auto-Owners Insurance has the best combination of high satisfaction and low complaints. Using just these factors, Auto-Owners is the best insurer in 10 out of 50 states, more than any other company.

COMPANY HIGHLIGHTS

Evaluations from J.D. Power indicate Auto-Owners Insurance has high customer satisfaction in the states where it’s available. It also has a low customer complaint rate, as measured by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Additionally, Auto-Owners offers new car replacement coverage as an add-on. If you buy this, you won’t have to worry that your new car loses value as soon as you drive it off the lot.

Auto-Owners also ranks well for affordability and offers all the major discounts offered by most other insurers. Overall, it’s an excellent option — the only downside is that it’s available in just 26 states.

If you’re on a budget and want to purchase the minimum car insurance required in your state with good customer service, MoneyGeek recommends GEICO.

COMPANY HIGHLIGHTS

If you weigh the cost of a minimum coverage policy while still accounting for customer service, GEICO won 29 of 50 states, according to MoneyGeek’s scoring system. A minimum coverage policy with GEICO costs an average of $513 per year while still providing its policyholders with a solid service experience.

Those looking to save even more with GEICO can take advantage of its discounts, especially if you want to save by bundling with home insurance or adding multiple cars to your policy. Drivers with anti-theft and passive restraint safety systems, such as airbags, will save even more. Finally, military members or those part of specific professional organizations or government entities may be available for even more discounts.

COMPANY HIGHLIGHTS

Adding teens or students to a car insurance policy can be extremely expensive. MoneyGeek found that Allstate strikes a blend of affordability and quality, with average premiums and a low rate of complaints.

Allstate is an excellent option if you’re letting your teen drive your new car. If you add new car replacement coverage, you can replace your vehicle with a completely new model after an accident, as long as the model is two years old or less. And, if you add accident forgiveness, you won’t have to worry about your insurance rates increasing after your teen’s first accident.

Low mileage discounts are relatively rare and tend to be quite minor. If you barely drive, the best way to save may be with a pay-per-mile insurance company such as Metromile. MoneyGeek found that pay-per-mile insurance can be worth it if you only tend to drive a few miles per day.

Best Auto Insurance Company for Unique Coverages: Liberty Mutual

At the end of the day, many car insurance companies offer coverages required by state law and little more. But some car insurance companies go the extra mile to offer extra coverages that tailor to unique drivers and situations. MoneyGeek found that Liberty Mutual has eight coverages that are rarely or only occasionally offered by other companies.

Steps to Find the Best Car Insurance Company

Browse our reviews to find claims and user satisfaction ratings to get a sense for how policyholders feel about a given company. You can also check your state’s department of insurance website to see how many complaints have been lodged about a company. we highly recommends starting with our recommendations for the top companies in your state.

Once you’ve narrowed down a list of companies that have quality service, you should go get a quote from that company. Our rankings for the cheapest companies are a great guide as to which companies are most affordable on average, but the cheapest for you may be different because of your unique driver characteristics. Be sure to incorporate all possible discounts into your quote.

Make Sure the Company Has Coverages You Want

Almost all insurance companies will offer you the core car insurance coverages, such as liability insurance and comprehensive and collision insurance. But if you want a car insurance company that offers additional benefits, like roadside assistance or accident forgiveness, you should be certain that it’s part of your policy package.

If you’re risk-averse, you might want to check an insurer’s financial strength rating. In the unlikely event an insurer goes bankrupt, it may be unable to pay your claim. The industry standard for financial strength ratings is A.M. Best. Companies with an A+ or A++ from A.M. Best are the most secure.

You can take many steps to determine which insurance company has the best customer service for you.

Examine our claims and customer satisfaction ratings.

Read our in-depth reviews of insurance companies.

Read market research from authoritative sources such as J.D. Power.

Look up customer complaint ratings on the website of your state department of insurance or of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

MoneyGeek’s claims and customer satisfaction ratings incorporate J.D. Power data to score insurance companies against each other, so you can easily see how they score out of a maximum of five points for each category. And our MoneyGeek scores incorporate all other factors you should consider while shopping so that you get the full picture of how a company stacks up.

If you want to do your own research, J.D. Power releases an overall auto insurance satisfaction study and a claims satisfaction study each year. And if you want to dig deep into the data, your state department of insurance website has public data on how much consumers complain about insurance companies in your state. Insurers with lower complaint rates are more likely to have a strong service experience.

Once you’ve narrowed down the companies with strong customer service reputations, you should compare quotes among them. Insurance companies use a variety of factors to calculate your rate. As a result, you could find that two companies have very similar customer service reputations but quote you at vastly different rates.

You should also make sure that your quotes incorporate all available discounts, as these can have a sizable effect on what you pay. For instance, one insurance company may offer more discounts for car safety features, so drivers with a lot of safety technology may get a comparably cheaper quote. Discounts usually come in four forms: driving record discounts, driver profile discounts, policy discounts and car safety discounts.

Driving record: Discounts for having a clean driving record, driving infrequently or taking driver safety courses.

Driver profile: Discounts for achievements outside of driving, such as students who get good grades, or for membership of professional or government organizations.

Policy: Discounts for bundling with other insurance policies or for how you pay for your policy, such as paying for the full six months ahead of time.

Vehicle: Discounts for safety devices on your car, such as anti-theft technology or anti-lock brakes.

When you are confident you’re only getting quotes from quality insurers, you can save money by buying a policy from the company that offers you the best cheap quotes.

Almost all insurance companies will offer the following core coverages:

Bodily injury liability insurance

Property damage liability insurance

Collision and comprehensive insurance (also called full coverage)

Personal injury protection or medical payments coverage

Uninsured or underinsured motorist insurance for both bodily injury and property damage

If you’re looking for additional coverages — such as accident forgiveness, mechanical breakdown insurance or rideshare insurance — you should make sure a company offers it in your state before comparing quotes. Most major companies offer similar types of coverage, but there are some unique differences among them.

Finally, ensure that the company responsible for your policy is financially stable. Our MoneyGeek score incorporates financial strength ratings from AM Best, which measures companies’ ability to meet insurance obligations.

Most major insurance companies have excellent or superior ratings from AM Best. But if you’re shopping with a more local or regional insurer, check their financial strength rating before purchasing a policy. If you’re risk-averse and want to avoid the small chance that problems with your insurance company could affect your claims, it may be best to stick with a company in top-tier financial condition.

Although most states require vehicle owners to carry insurance, not everyone can get it, at least not through the regular channels. Because of their past driving records, some people may be unable to obtain insurance from a private company. Others may simply not be able to afford it. In these cases, there may be state programs available to help.

State-Sponsored Auto Insurance Programs for High-Risk Drivers

While some companies offer individual car insurance policies to high-risk drivers, many prefer not to. Instead, states require all insurance companies to participate in a program that pools these kinds of drivers. These pools are created to share the possible losses of insuring high-risk drivers; companies participate in proportion to the amount of business they do in the state. If your driving record is spotty, this program may help you obtain coverage. Your premiums are likely to be very high. Check with your state insurance department to learn more.

Low-Cost Insurance Programs

Some states, including California, Hawaii and New Jersey, provide affordable public insurance to people who can’t afford to buy a private company’s car insurance policy. These programs are designed to discourage uninsured motorists from taking to the road, which is a distressingly common occurrence. To qualify, vehicle owners must meet income-eligibility requirements. For further information, check with your state insurance department.

Frequently Asked Questions About Car Insurance

It’s not easy to find a car insurance company that’s a perfect match for your situation. However, with a few minutes of research you can ensure you’re on the right track. Here are some of the most common questions posed by those looking for quality car insurance.

Who has the best Auto Insurance in your state ?

Not every insurance company writes policies in all 50 states. And some insurers may price policies differently or provide different coverages, depending on where you live. When you look for the best car insurance in your state by state, get your own quotes and look into the customer service reputations of local insurers using our MoneyGeek scores or with your state department of insurance.

Yes. Many insurance companies with strong ratings for claims service and overall customer satisfaction also offer some of the most affordable rates on average.

How can you find the best car Insurance for you ?