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Written by:
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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Reviewed by:
Leslie Kasperowicz
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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.

Is Travelers or Nationwide better?

When it comes to auto insurance, Nationwide and Travelers have a lot in common. They both rank highly in customer satisfaction, are competitively priced and offer a wide range of coverage options.  

Travelers stands out for its home and auto bundling discounts, as well as its high rate of recommendations from existing customers. Meanwhile, Nationwide is renowned for its low rates and is a frequent winner in claims satisfaction surveys. 

Keep reading to see how Travelers compares to Nationwide in the top auto insurance companies survey.

Tip iconPros – Travelers vs. Nationwide

Travelers Pros

  • High level of customer satisfaction
  • High renewal rate

Nationwide Pros

  • Very affordable 
  • High marks for claims service

How Travelers and Nationwide score on customer satisfaction

Travelers and Nationwide both have high rates of customer satisfaction, although Travelers came out 12 percentage points ahead of Nationwide in Insure.com’s survey.

Insurance CompanyPercent of customers that are satisfied
Travelers96%
Nationwide84%

Do Travelers and Nationwide customers plan to renew?

Travelers and Nationwide offer similar insurance renewal rates, making them two of the best choices for customers looking to find great value in their policies.

Insurance CompanyPercent of customers who plan to renew with the company
Travelers96%
Nationwide97%

How Travelers and Nationwide score on policy offerings

Travelers and Nationwide are two major insurance providers that offer a wide range of coverage options for individuals and businesses. Both companies provide customers comprehensive coverage, competitive rates and exceptional customer service. 

Insurance CompanyPercent of customers satisfied with the company’s policy offerings
Travelers85%
Nationwide84%

Is Travelers or Nationwide cheaper?

Nationwide offers the most competitive rates for car insurance, regardless of age. Drivers with a ticket will find that Nationwide’s rates are significantly lower than other providers. Plus, Nationwide offers a variety of discounts that make their rates even more affordable. 

Which is cheaper at various ages?

Travelers is a bit more expensive than Nationwide for every age group but not by much.

Annual average car insurance rates for Travelers vs. Nationwide
Insurance CompanyAge 16-19Age 20-24Age 40Age 65
Nationwide$4,634$2,304$1,488$1,410
Geico$4,488$2,111$1,190$1,086

Which is cheaper with a ticket?

Nationwide is cheaper after a ticket as its average increase is 30%, while Travelers increases its rates by 36% for drivers after a ticket.

Annual average car insurance rates after a ticket for Travelers vs. Nationwide
Insurance CompanyAverage Annual RatesAverage Rates After a Ticket$ Increase% Increase
Travelers$1,867$2,545$67836.29%
Nationwide$1,530$1,994$46430.34%

Travelers vs. Nationwide car insurance discounts

In addition to having cheaper rates overall, Nationwide has a better discount – 9% to Travelers’ 6% discount.

Annual discounts for Travelers vs. Nationwide
CompanyPercent Difference
Travelers 5.70%
Nationwide8.77%

Progressive vs. Geico available discounts

Discount Travelers Nationwide
Air BagsYesYes
Anti-Theft DeviceYesYes
Daily CommuteYes
Days Advanced PurchaseYesYes
Days Per Week DrivenYes
Education
Electronic Funds TransferYesYes
Electronic Signature
HomeownerYesYes
Lower Annual MileageYesYes
Loyalty – Years Renewal With CompanyYesYes
Marital StatusYesYes
Multi PolicyYesYes
Paperless/Electornic DocumentsYes
Payment TypeYesYes
Primary UseYesYes
Profession
Purhase Status
Safety DevicesYesYes
TelematicsYes
Vehicle OwnershipYes

Travelers vs. Nationwide: AM Best credit rating 

Travelers, one of the largest insurance companies in the world, has an impressive A++ rating from AM Best, indicating its financial strength and creditworthiness. Nationwide, another one of the largest insurance companies in the world, also has an A+ rating from AM Best, indicating its own financial strength and creditworthiness. Both companies are well-respected in the industry, providing reliable coverage and services to their customers.

Travelers vs. Nationwide: J.D. Power auto claims satisfaction score 

Nationwide and Travelers are two of the leading auto insurance providers in the United States, but when it comes to customer satisfaction with their claims process, they are lagging behind the industry average. Nationwide has a score of 868 from the J.D. Power  2022 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study, while Travelers has a score of 854. Both are below the industry average of 873, indicating room for improvement in both companies’ claims satisfaction ratings. 

FAQ: Travelers vs. Nationwide

Can I buy Travelers car insurance online?

Yes. You can get a quote for a Travelers car insurance policy online.

Can I buy Nationwide car insurance online?

Yes. You can get a quote for a Nationwide car insurance policy online or by calling 1-888-869-5727.

Who should get Travelers car insurance?

Customers whose top priorities are customer satisfaction and their insurer’s ability to pay claims would be well served by Travelers.

Who should get Nationwide car insurance?

Whether looking for basic coverage or comprehensive protection, Nationwide’s rates are unbeatable for all driver profiles.

What other types of insurance does Travelers offer?

Other types of Travelers insurance policies: 

  • Home insurance
  • Renters insurance
  • Condo insurance
  • Umbrella insurance
  • Landlord insurance
  • Jewelry and valuable items coverage
  • Wedding and events insurance
  • Pet insurance
  • Travel insurance

What other types of insurance does Nationwide offer?

Other types of Nationwide insurance policies:

  • Homeowners
  • Renters
  • Condo
  • Boat/personal watercraft
  • Life
  • Long-term care
  • Pet
  • Dental
  • Umbrella
  • Identity theft
  • Specialty health
  • Travel
  • Wedding
  • Flood
  • Business

Resources & Methodology

Sources

J.D. Power. “Insurers Struggle to Manage Expectations in Auto Claims Process as Repair Times Increase, J.D. Power Finds.” Accessed January 2024.

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.

For a number one choice, five points were given; 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 A.M. 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.
Laura Longero

Ask the Insurance Expert

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.

John McCormick

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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.

Leslie Kasperowicz

Ask the Insurance Expert

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.

Nupur Gambhir

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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.

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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.