The 15 worst car insurance companies, according to Consumer Reports
Martin the GEICO gecko seen during ACM Party For A Cause at Ascend Amphitheater on August 24, 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee. Photo: Erika Goldring (Getty Images)
Car insurance has gone from being an annoying monthly bill to a crippling expenditure that makes me question if I want to own a car. Headlines across the country have reported on the unprecedented explosion in insurance premiums over the past few years, so if you’re paying out the nose for coverage you want to be sure you are covered by a good company . In a turn of events that is best described by one of my favorite catchphrases, I was Disappointed But Not Surprised to learn that the big name companies land at the top of the list of worst car insurance companies. Even the company that I use ranks concerningly high on the list.
To establish this ranking, Consumer Reports issued a national survey of over 40,000 policy holders earlier this year and ranked 36 car insurance providers based on the responses. The highest scoring providers offered the best service with the most competitive monthly premiums, so the companies on this list scored the lowest in service and monthly premium pricing. Each company is scored out of five possible points for seven factors. The seven factors are premiums, claims, coverage, policy clarity, help and advice, policy review, and service.
The premiums score reflects customer satisfaction with the price of premiums, and claims scores are customer satisfaction with the handling of claims. Coverage scores reflect customer satisfaction with the breadth of coverage, and policy clarity scores reflect the clarity if policy coverage and prices. Help and advice scores reflect satisfaction with proactive advice, policy review scores reflect satisfaction with thoroughness of policy review, and service scores reflect satisfaction with non-claims customer service.
Keep in mind that your experience may vary, and external conditions like your local weather patterns and traffic conditions still impact your rates. Click here to see Consumer Reports’ car insurance buying guide .
Chubb INA Group is a global insurance group that offers both standard car insurance and classic car insurance. As with all of the insurers on this list, it scored a poor 1 out of 5 possible points for premiums, and it scored 2 points for help and advice and for policy review. It got a respectable score of 4 out of 5 for claims satisfaction, though, so not the worst choice. Overall it scored a 46 out of 100 possible points.
Photo: Hartford Insurance Group
Despite being around since the year 1810, Hartford Insurance only scored a 45 out of 100 possible points in customer satisfaction. It also scored a good 4 out of 5 points for claims satisfaction, but just 1 point for its premiums and 2 for help and advice.
What a name for an insurance company. With an overall satisfaction score of 44 points out of 100, American Family Insurance received middling scores across the board aside from premiums.
Joey Logano, driver of the #22 AAA Insurance Ford, drives during practice for the NASCAR Cup Series AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Texas Motor Speedway on April 13, 2024 in Fort Worth, Texas. Photo: Jonathan Bachman (Getty Images)
Despite having amazing roadside service plans, AAA fell behind in customer satisfaction in this survey. It scored 43 out of 100 which is actually the same score as the next two companies. AAA fell short in help and advice and service scores.
Are you in good hands? Allstate scored the same as AAA at 43 out of 100. Customers were reasonably satisfied across the board, except for premium pricing, of course.
Photo: Travelers Investor Relations
Travelers Group received the same score as Allstate and AAA at 43 out of 100. This study showed that Travelers struggled in help and advice rankings.
In this handout image provided by the Volvo Ocean Race, MAPFRE sail close to the fans watching in the Race Village during the start of Leg 7 from Newport to Lisbon on May 17, 2015 in Newport, Rhode Island. Photo: Maria Muina / MAPFRE (Getty Images)
I have never heard of MAPFRE, but it turns out it’s a global insurance group doing business in over 100 countries across five continents. Customers hated MAPFRE’s service though, scoring it at just 1 out of 5. Overall MAPFRE scored 42 out of 100, the same as the next company on the list.
Martin the GEICO gecko seen during ACM Party For A Cause at Ascend Amphitheater on August 24, 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee. Photo: Erika Goldring (Getty Images)
GEICO received a 1 out of 5 for premiums cost as every company did on this list, and I can attest to this as a GEICO customer. It also scored poorly in proactive advice rankings, and earned a 42 out of 100.
Ryan Newman, driver of the #6 Progressive Insurance Ford, drives during the NASCAR Cup Series Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on June 07, 2020 in Hampton, Georgia. Photo: Chris Graythen (Getty Images)
I guess Progressive’s it-girl Flo doesn’t do much to help with customer satisfaction. Progressive’s scores didn’t stand out in any areas aside from premiums cost, but it scored just 41 out of 100.
Alexa Glatch reaches for a shot from Nadia Petrova of Russia as a line judge ducks during day five of the Mercury Insurance Open Presented By Tri-City Medical at La Costa Resort & Spa on July 18, 2012 in Carlsbad, California. Petrova won 6-4 6-3. Photo: Stephen Dunn (Getty Images)
Mercury received a satisfaction score of 40 out of 100, with demerits assigned to its service scores and premiums score. My family uses Mercury insurance but whenever I have gotten quotes from Mercury they’ve been astronomically overpriced.
American judoka Kayla Harrison, the 2012 Olympic gold medalist performs a judo demonstration with Team USA partner Liberty Mutual Insurance on April 26, 2016 in New York City. Photo: Ed Mulholland (Getty Images)
Liberty Mutual scored 39 out of 100 in overall satisfaction. Customers gave it just 2 out of 5 points in coverage, help and advice, policy review, and service. Despite this, it scored the same overall as the next insurer on the list.
State Auto insurance (not State Farm) is a part of Liberty Mutual, so it now makes sense how the two companies received the same low satisfaction scores. State only got a 2 out of 5 on service, but overall scored the same as its parent company at 39 out of 100.
Kasey Kahne, driver of the #5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet, crosses the finish line to win the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motorspeedway on July 23, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Photo: Tim Bradbury (Getty Images)
Farmers Insurance has been around since 1928 and yet received just 38 out of 100 for overall customer satisfaction in this survey. It received just 2 out of 5 in coverage, help and advice, policy review, and service. Farmers got the same overall score as the next company on the list.
I have never heard of Kemper insurance but now I know to stay away given its low scores in this survey. It received an overall score of 38 out of 100, but scored 2 out of 5 in coverage, policy clarity, help and advice, and service. Despite the low score, the worst scoring company in this survey scored lower by a comparably significant margin.
Plymouth Rock sank like a rock to the bottom of the customer satisfaction ranking, receiving just 31 out of 100 possible points. It only offers coverage in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. It is the only company on this list to earn just 2 out of 5 points in customer satisfaction in the handling of claims, which is arguably the most important pillar of car insurance.
A version of this article originally appeared on Jalopnik .
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