Note: Farmers Insurance Group acquired the MetLife Auto & Home business from MetLife. Please see the Farmers auto insurance page.
Some people find great comfort in the tried and true things of life. If you are looking for a car insurance company with an excellent customer service reputation and strong finances, MetLife car insurance might be the right choice.
The company offers most of the standard auto insurance protections you would expect with any insurer, plus a few additional perks.
However, before you purchase a policy, make sure you are aware of a recent change.
The Farmers Insurance Group has acquired the MetLife Auto & Home business. That means the MetLife companies have no affiliation with MetLife Auto & Home.
You may wonder, “Is MetLife Insurance good?” Reading the MetLife auto insurance reviews, like this one, can help you determine if this is the right insurer for you.
MetLife highlights include:
- Strong customer ratings for claims service
- Stable finances
- Perks that can help you save money including enrolling in the My Journey program
MetLife auto insurance coverage options
How does MetLife insurance work? Pretty much the same as insurance from any company.
MetLife offers the standard coverages you would expect from any auto insurance company. Those break down into:
Liability coverage: This insurance protects you if you are at fault for injuries or property damage to someone else.
For example, you are covered if you crash into a car and injure the driver. You also are covered if you drive into and damage someone’s car, mailbox or fence.
Collision and comprehensive coverage: Collision coverage protects you if your car crashes into another vehicle or object, regardless of who is at fault. Other damages to your car that result from driving it — such as those caused by a rollover — also are covered.
Comprehensive coverage protects you when damage to your car is the result of something other than a collision. This might include theft, vandalism, fire, flood and hail.
Medical payments coverage. After an accident, this coverage reimburses you for the cost of doctors, hospitals and funeral expenses as they apply to you, members of your household and passengers.
Coverage also extends to situations where you are permitted to drive another person’s vehicle and get into an accident — or if a car hits you or a family member as pedestrians.
In addition to these standard coverages, MetLife also offers other types of coverages. These include:
Uninsured motorists coverage: This reimburses the cost of damages and injuries that occur after an accident with an uninsured or hit-and-run driver.
Uninsured motorists coverage extends to situations where an uninsured driver strikes you or family members as pedestrians. The coverage reimburses damages beyond the amount of coverage the uninsured driver carries.
Rental car coverage: If you rent a car and get into an accident, you are covered for rental income the company loses while the car is being repaired.
The coverage also helps with claim handling expenses and reimburses you for any decrease in the market value of the rental due to the accident (except in North Carolina) and expenses related to the accident, such as towing and storage.
New car replacement: Drivers who total a new car within the first year of the purchase or the first 15,000 miles (whichever comes first) can get it repaired or replaced with a new car. There is no deduction for depreciation.
Major parts replacement: Except in North Carolina, drivers are eligible for the replacement of some major parts — including tires, brakes and batteries — regardless of the condition of the part or its depreciated value at the time of the accident.
No deductible on glass repairs: The deductible is waived on repairs for a windshield that is chipped or cracked.
Legal defense costs: Coverage of legal fees is available in the event you are sued, and MetLife reimburses policyholders for up to $200 per day for lost wages when they attend a hearing or trial at the company’s request.
Lease or loan gap coverage: If your car is a total loss after an accident, this coverage promises enough funding to pay off your vehicle’s lease or loan.
MetLife car insurance discounts
Auto insurance discounts can help drive down the cost of insurance. Each auto insurer has its own list of price breaks it offers to customers who qualify. So, it helps to shop and compare auto insurance providers so you can find the insurer that offers the right discounts for your situation.
Discounts at MetLife include:
- Good driver rewards
- Automated payment discounts
- Multi-product and policy savings – MetLife says bundling coverage saves policyholders an average of $906 annually
MetLife offers other discounts to drivers depending on where they work and the associations to which they belong. These discounts average 15%.
MetLife discounts may not be available in all states.
You can also save by using the MetLife My Journey program. If you enroll in this program, you download an app that monitors your driving habits. MetLife will then reward you with discounts tied to your good driving behavior.
MetLife says My Journey can help detect unsafe driving habits and so that you can correct them, potentially reducing the chances of an accident occurring.
When you enroll in the program, you will receive a one-time discount of up to 25% on your auto insurance. After your driving has been monitored, you can earn an adjusted discount of up to 30%, depending on your safe driving score.
The My Journey program lasts for six months, but the My Journey discount lasts long as the driver remains on the policy.
Currently, the My Journey program is available in nearly two dozen states.
Where is MetLife auto insurance available
MetLife car insurance is available in all 50 states.
MetLife financial stability ratings
MetLife reviews by experts reveal that the company earns excellent financial stability ratings. A.M. Best rates the company A+, meaning it has “superior” financial stability.
Standard & Poor’s MetLife rating is an AA-, meaning “very strong.” Moody’s rates it Aa3, or “high quality.”
MetLife customer reviews and complaints
Is MetLife a good insurance company? By and large, customers seem to think so.
MetLife consumer complaints scored a 1 on the National Association of Insurance Commissioners Complaint Index. That is about average.
The NAIC Complaint Index is always 1, meaning a company that scores a 2 would have a complaint index twice as high as expected in its market.
MetLife was not included in the J.D. Power 2020 U.S. Auto Insurance Study.
MetLife car insurance claims
MetLife scored well in the J.D. Power 2020 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study. MetLife insurance reviews from policyholders helped the company earn a Customer Satisfaction Index rating of 886 (out of 1,000). That was fifth-best among the 24 companies J.D. Power ranked.
The J.D. Power rankings are based on the experience of auto insurance customers who settled a claim in the previous six months and then were surveyed about their experience. Customers were asked to offer their perceptions of insurer performance “throughout the entire claims experience, from first notice of loss through the repair and delivery of their vehicle or settlement of a total loss,” J.D. Power says.
MetLife says you can file an auto claim on any day of the year and at any time. To do so, call 1-800-854-6011. You also can file a claim using the MetLife mobile app.
Use eService to file an online auto glass claim or towing claim.
To check your claim status, MetLife recommends using Twitter. Include your name, policy number and ZIP when messaging MetLife on Twitter @MetLifeCares.
MetLife website and apps
The MetLife app is available for both iPhone and Android. Customers can use this app to file a claim or make a premium payment on any of their policies, including their auto insurance.
When filing a claim, you can record the details of your accident, attach photos and submit the claim all from the app.
You can turn to the app to get an overview of your policy and to pay your premium by credit card, debit card or check.
You can also use the MetLife website to learn more about the coverage the insurer offers and to get a MetLife car insurance quote.
Who is MetLife car insurance a good option for
If you want to purchase car insurance from a stable, standard insurer, a MetLife policy might be right for you. MetLife ratings are excellent for claims service and get high marks for financial stability.
MetLife also can be a good choice for policyholders who have good driving habits and want to use the My Journey program to lower their costs.
The verdict: Is MetLife worth it
MetLife is a large insurer with stable finances and a solid record of superior customer service. No one insurance company is perfect for every driver. The best way to find the right insurance company is to shop and compare rates.
But odds are good that MetLife will be a top candidate among the insurers you consider.
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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
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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 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.