Auto insurance consumers are searching for the best car insurance companies in the U.S.
If you’re looking for a list of the best car insurance companies, CarInsurance.com’s top 10 list will help you determine which auto insurance company best suits your needs.
For some, the price may be the most significant consideration for car insurance, while for others, it may be customer satisfaction or claims satisfaction.
What are the 10 best auto insurance companies?
Insure.com surveyed more than 1,750 people about insurance and gathered and analyzed the companies’ rate data, AM Best grades and National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) complaint scores to select the nation’s best auto insurance companies.
Insure.com, which is CarInsurance.com’s sister site, provided the survey results, and CarInsurance.com editors weighed in on the results below.
USAA is excluded because it only provides services to military community members. The General, The Hartford, Liberty Mutual and Safeco were omitted because they don’t offer policy pricing information, which was part of the overall score.
- Erie: 4.7 stars (out of 5)
- Auto-Owners: 4.7 stars (out of 5)
- Travelers: 4.6 stars (out of 5)
- Nationwide: 4.3 stars (out of 5)
- The Auto Club Group: 4.3 stars (out of 5)
- State Farm: 4.3 stars (out of 5)
- Geico: 4.2 stars (out of 5)
- Progressive: 4.1 stars (out of 5)
- American Family: 4.0 stars (out of 5)
- Amica: 3.9 stars (out of 5)
Best car insurance companies by category
Here are the best auto insurance companies for specific situations and needs. This list includes the companies we evaluated beyond the top 10.
- Best for cheapest rates: Erie
- Best for customer satisfaction: Erie
- Best for ease of service: Erie
- Best for policy offerings: Erie
- Best for claims handling: Allstate
- Best digital experience: Geico
- Best discounts: Auto Club of Southern California
- Best military discounts: USAA
- Best for young drivers and teens: Auto Club Group (ACG) – AAA
- Best for college students: Auto Club of Southern California – AAA
- Best for senior drivers: Auto Club of Southern California – AAA
- Best for drivers with tickets: Auto Club Group (ACG) – AAA
- Best for high-risk drivers: Allstate
- Best for auto and home bundling: Travelers
- Most likely to be recommended to others: Erie
- Most trustworthy: Erie
- Best for renewals: Erie
Why you can trust CarInsurance.comThe CarInsurance.com editorial team bases its reporting on data it commissioned Quadrant Information Services to gather on average auto insurance rates for more than 34,000 ZIP codes across the United States. Typically, averages are based on rates for a single, 40-year-old male, with no violations who commutes 12 miles to work each day and has a full-coverage policy with limits of 100/300/100 and a $500 deductible for collision and comprehensive coverage.
The 10 best auto insurance companies
To determine the best auto insurance companies, editors compiled survey results and then ranked the companies based on the survey, third-party data and rate information. In some instances, we did not have an insurer’s rate information and could not rank it, so General, The Hartford, Liberty Mutual and Safeco are omitted below.
Erie
Erie isn’t available everywhere, despite making it to the top of the best car insurance companies list — it sells insurance in Washington, D.C., and 12 states. Erie gets excellent reviews for customer satisfaction and policy offerings. It offers various car insurance coverages, including ATVs, boats, classic cars and golf carts.
Auto-Owners
Auto-Owners Insurance is highly regarded for its affordable premiums and trustworthiness. It secured the second position on the Best Auto Insurance Companies of 2024 list, with 4.65 stars out of 5. The company holds an A++ rating from AM Best and five stars from NAIC.
Travelers
Travelers, at No. 3 in the best auto insurance survey, has been in the business for many years and is one of the biggest insurance companies in the country, with coverage in all 50 states. Travelers’ customers are highly satisfied and would recommend the company to others.
Nationwide
Nationwide is available across the U.S. except for Alaska, Hawaii, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. The company’s premiums are generally more affordable than those of most other companies in our rankings. According to the survey, Nationwide is a great company for high-risk drivers or drivers with traffic tickets on their records.
The Auto Club Group
The Auto Club Group, affiliated with AAA, ranks as one of the top auto insurance providers on the list of the Best Insurance Companies in 2024. It has a high recommendation rate, affordable premiums and an 88% customer renewal rate. Additionally, it received an A+ rating from AM Best, indicating strong financial stability.
State Farm
State Farm ranks sixth on the Best Car Insurance Companies list for 2024, with 4.27 stars out of 5. The company receives high marks for customer satisfaction, ease of service and policy offerings. Additionally, AM Best has awarded State Farm an A++ rating for financial stability.
Geico
Geico car insurance is available nationwide and ranked highly for its claims handling, affordable premiums and digital/online experience, making it No. 7 on our top 10 car insurance companies list.
Progressive
Progressive is eighth on the 2024 Best Car Insurance Companies list, scoring 4.14 out of 5 stars. The company provides services in all states and offers rental car reimbursement, auto roadside assistance and rideshare coverage.
American Family
American Family is ranked ninth in the 2024 survey of the Best Insurance Companies. The company performed well in several categories, such as customer satisfaction, policy offerings and trustworthiness.
Amica
Amica ranks 10th on the Best Car Insurance Companies list. The insurer scores highly for policy offerings and comes highly recommended. Amica has various policies, including home, umbrella, renters and auto insurance.
How to find the best auto insurance company
Each consumer’s needs differ, so it pays to shop around to find the best auto insurance company. Factors that car insurance companies consider when setting rates that are specific to you include:
- Make and model of your cars
- Number of drivers in your household
- Ages and driving experience of the drivers in your household
- Driving records of the drivers in your household
- Types of coverages, limits and deductibles you choose
- Claims history
- The location where vehicles are parked each night
Insurance companies also have underwriting considerations that can affect whether you qualify for preferred rates and coverages. For example, most companies consider the applicant’s credit score (or insurance score). Paying your bills on time and managing your credit can impact your cost of auto insurance.
Understanding your priorities for car insurance, such as customer service, and putting that together with average prices, gives you a place to start your comparison-shopping journey.
Understanding what coverage you need is also an essential part of the puzzle. Ensure your needs are handled by getting the type of insurance coverage you need from a provider within your budget.
You’re in the driver’s seat when reviewing the best car insurance companies. Researching how others were treated can help you feel more confident when you pick the best auto insurance company.
And remember, what fits your needs best today may change in a year or even six months, so continue to shop around at renewal time or when you have a significant life event, such as getting married. If your circumstances change, the insurance that works for you today may not work for you tomorrow.
How to get the best car insurance for you
Buying as much car insurance as you can afford is the safest way to ensure sufficient coverage that won’t leave you financially at risk.
Minimum coverage insurance policies are rarely recommended. That’s because even a minor accident can cause damage that exceeds that of minimum coverage insurance policies, leaving you to pay the difference.
If you aim to get the best cheap car insurance rather than just the state-required minimum required coverage when shopping for an auto insurance policy, consider the following tips.
Buy enough property damage liability and bodily injury coverage
You are held responsible for the costs of injuries and damage you do to others after an accident. Liability insurance covers that to a point. A property owner needs bodily injury liability coverage to protect their assets — including their home– if they injure another driver.
Buy enough property damage liability insurance to replace the car you hit. Liability coverage is required to drive legally in most states. Bodily injury liability and property damage liability limits vary by state.
Consider additional car insurance coverage
- Uninsured and underinsured motorist bodily injury coverage can protect you in the case of a collision with an uninsured driver.
- Gap insurance is a good option if you owe more on a loan than the car is worth.
- Rental car reimbursement might be handy if your family has only one car but unnecessary if you have a spare car to use if yours is out of commission.
- A personal umbrella policy provides liability coverage over and above your auto and homeowners liability coverage. It offers protection from large and potentially devastating liability judgments.
- Towing and labor might be a waste on a newer car with a warranty and road service plan, but roadside assistance may be a lifesaver if you have an older car.
Final thoughts on the best car insurance companies
Ultimately, the best car insurance company for you is the one that meets your needs for price, customer service, user experience and discounts.
Explore our comprehensive guide on insurance company ratings
Resources & Methodology
Methodology
Insure.com, which is CarInsurance.com’s sister site, surveyed more than 1,500 insurance consumers (1,080 people with auto insurance). Online market research company Slice MR conducted the survey.
Respondents were asked to name their auto insurer and grade it in the following categories – customer satisfaction, ease of service and policy offerings. The percentage of respondents who said they were satisfied or very satisfied with their insurer is presented in the results.
Respondents ranked their insurer’s top three attributes out of more than a dozen presented – including claims satisfaction, digital experience, discounts, military discounts, best for young drivers and teens, best for college students, best for senior drivers, best for drivers with a ticket, best for high-risk drivers and best for auto/home bundling.
Five points were given for a number one choice; for a second choice, three points; and for a third choice, a single point. The total points for each choice – first, second and third – were then divided by the number of each company’s customers who responded to that survey question to create a percentage. Those percentages are presented in the results as survey scores.
Respondents were then asked if they would recommend their auto insurer to someone else and whether they would renew with their company. The percentage who said yes is presented in the results.
Finally, respondents were given the statement “I trust my insurance company” and asked if they strongly agreed, agreed, disagreed or strongly disagreed with it. The percentage of those who said they agreed or strongly agreed is presented in the results.
The editors compiled the survey results and then selected – based on the number of survey responses – the top companies for further evaluation.
They then collected National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ complaint data, which ranks a company by the number of customer complaints it receives, and AM Best data, which measures financial strength.
They also collected insurance rate data from Quadrant Information Services.
With the help of Prof. David Marlett, Ph.D., Managing Director of the Brantley Risk and Insurance Center at Appalachian State University, the editors created a rating system to determine which insurance companies were best in each sector.
For auto insurers, we took the following and gave each a weight.
- Survey: 40% of the total score (10% customer satisfaction, 10% recommended, 10% renewal rate and 10% claims handling)
- Annual premium: 20% of total score
- AM Best: 25% of total score
- NAIC: 15% of total score
- Each insurer was awarded from 1 to 5 stars. No insurer in our star ranking received less than 1 star and 5 stars was the most any insurer could receive.
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Laura Longero
Executive Editor
Laura is an award-winning editor with experience in content and communications covering auto insurance and personal finance. She has written for several media outlets, including the USA Today Network. She most recently worked in the public sector for the Nevada Department of Transportation.
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John McCormick
Editorial Director
John is the editorial director for CarInsurance.com, Insurance.com and Insure.com. Before joining QuinStreet, John was a deputy editor at The Wall Street Journal and had been an editor and reporter at a number of other media outlets where he covered insurance, personal finance, and technology.
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Leslie Kasperowicz
Managing Editor
Leslie Kasperowicz is an insurance educator and content creation professional with nearly two decades of experience first directly in the insurance industry at Farmers Insurance and then as a writer, researcher, and educator for insurance shoppers writing for sites like ExpertInsuranceReviews.com and InsuranceHotline.com and managing content, now at CarInsurance.com.
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Nupur Gambhir
Managing Editor
Nupur Gambhir is a content editor and licensed life, health, and disability insurance expert. She has extensive experience bringing brands to life and has built award-nominated campaigns for travel and tech. Her insurance expertise has been featured in Bloomberg News, Forbes Advisor, CNET, Fortune, Slate, Real Simple, Lifehacker, The Financial Gym, and the end-of-life planning service.