Price is an important part of any insurance decision, but there is more to a car insurance company than its premiums. We analyzed rates, but also surveyed more than 9,500 consumers to learn how satisfied they are with their car insurance providers.
That feedback, along with data we analyzed from other sources, helped us identify the top 10 insurers in 2023. Which of them is right for you depends on what you are looking for in a car insurance company.
USAA holds the top spot in our rating of the Best Car Insurance Companies of 2023. The company’s policies, however, are only available to the military community, which includes active-duty personnel, veterans, and their spouses and children.
For those who don’t qualify for a USAA policy, our analysis found that American Family is the best overall option for car insurance. The insurer is No. 2 in our rating of the best car insurance companies and ranks no lower than third in any of the subcategories we researched. State Farm is No. 3 in our overall rating, while Geico and Nationwide are tied at No. 4.
Our rating is intended to help consumers find a policy that suits them based on what they value in an auto insurer. We studied prices to give motorists a rough idea of what insurers charge based on factors such as driving history, age, credit history, and a customer’s desired level of coverage.
We also asked consumers to tell us how these companies perform in categories like customer service, claims handling, and customer loyalty to help drivers choose an insurance experience that’s a good fit for them.
Our rating is a good place to start. But we remind consumers that the best way to choose the right insurance policy is to shop around, learn what multiple insurers have to offer, and compare quotes.
USAA
USAA is the No. 1 insurer in our rating of the Best Car Insurance Companies of 2023. Our results placed the company at No. 1 in many subcategories we looked at, including Customer Service, Most Likely to be Recommended, and Most Likely to Be Renewed. USAA finished second to American Family in the Claims Handling scores and is tied with American Family in the Customer Loyalty subcategory.
The company also finished No. 1 in our rating of Cheap Car Insurance Companies, with low average rates in multiple categories.
USAA car insurance is only available to members of the military community, so most consumers will want to learn more about what other insurers have to offer.
American Family
American Family, which finished No. 2 in our overall rating of the best car insurers with a score of 4.3 out of 5, is at or near the top in most of the subcategories we included. The company is tied for No. 1 in Customer Loyalty and stands alone at the top of the rating for Claims Handling. In all other subcategories, American Family finished either second or third. The company falls squarely in the midrange of insurers in terms of pricing, finishing at No. 5 overall in our rating of Cheap Car Insurance Companies.
American Family showed the biggest improvement in the ratings over last year, moving up eight places to No. 2 overall.
State Farm
State Farm, with a score of 4.2, finished at No. 3 in our rating. The company performed well in all of the subcategories we covered in our ranking, including being rated No. 2 in Best Car Insurance Companies for Seniors. State Farm ties with American Family at No. 2 for Customer Service, and is in a four-way tie at No. 3 in the Claims Handling subcategory.
State Farm’s rates are the third-lowest we found overall, and the company performed well in multiple rate-specific categories, including the cost of insurance for teen drivers and seniors.
It’s one of the cheapest companies on average for drivers after a speeding ticket or an accident, and the cheapest after a DUI.
Geico
Geico, with a score of 4.1, is tied with Nationwide at No. 4 in our rating of the Best Car Insurance Companies of 2023. That’s one spot lower than last year, when the company was in a three-way tie at No. 3. Geico finished in the top half of every subcategory included in our rating, including top-5 scores for Customer Service, Claims Handling, and Customer Loyalty.
It is also one of the cheapest car insurance companies on the list. Geico finished No. 2 overall, behind only USAA, in our rating of Cheap Car Insurance Companies, with affordable rates in a number of categories, including low premiums for teen drivers and for drivers seeking minimum coverage.
Nationwide
-
- Nationwide is tied with Geico at No. 4 in our rating, with an overall score of 4.1. The company is tied at No. 4 in the Customer Service subcategory, tied at No. 3 in the Claims Handling subcategory, and tied at No. 6 for Customer Loyalty. It finished in the top five in the categories of Most Likely to be Recommended and Most Likely to be Renewed.
In our rating of Cheap Car Insurance Companies, Nationwide finished near the middle, at No. 6 overall.
Farmers
Farmers is tied at No. 6 in our overall rating of the Best Car Insurance Companies of 2023, along with Travelers, Allstate, and AAA. The company is tied at No. 4 in our Customer Service subcategory, at No. 3 in Claims Handling, and at No. 6 in the Customer Loyalty subcategory. Farmers finished last in the Most Likely to be Renewed subcategory.
Farmers typically offer some of the highest rates on average in our study and finished ninth in our most recent rating of cheap car insurance companies.
Travelers
Travelers maintain its position from last year in our rating: No. 6, where it’s tied with four other insurers. The highest spot Travelers occupies in any of the subcategories included in our rating is a tie at No. 4 in Customer Service. It finished seventh in Claims Handling, sixth in Customer Loyalty, and last in the Most Likely to be Recommended subcategory.
Travelers have reasonable overall rates, with premiums below the national average in all of the categories we studied, including prices for teen drivers, young adult drivers, and senior drivers, along with the cost of policies following a ticket or DUI.
Allstate
Allstate finished sixth in both Customer Loyalty and Most Likely to be Recommended, the highest spot it occupied in any of our subcategories. It was also rated No. 6 overall among the Best Car Insurance Companies of 2023. In the subcategories of Customer Service, Claims Handling, and Most Likely to be renewed, it placed seventh or lower.
The company is among the most expensive in our rating, with its premiums higher than the national average in each pricing category we studied, including for teen and senior drivers, and for prices after a speeding ticket or an accident. In our rating of cheap car insurance companies, it was No. 10.
AAA
AAA was rated No. 10 in two of our ranking subcategories, Customer Service, and Claims Handling. But the company ties for the No. 4 spot in Customer Loyalty and the No. 5 position in Most Likely to be Renewed. It is also rated No. 6 in Most Likely to be Recommended.
Overall, AAA is the No. 6-rated company (in a four-way tie) in our rating of the Best Car Insurance Companies of 2023.
Sample rates for AAA car insurance were higher than the national average in a number of categories.
Progressive
Progressive is No. 10 in our rating of the best car insurance companies. In the Customer Loyalty subcategory, it finished No. 10. In other subcategories it performed a bit better but was still in the bottom half of the ratings for each. Our analysis has Progressive at No. 8 for Customer Service, No. 7 for Claims Handling, and No. 9 in Most Likely to be Recommended.
Our study also found that Progressive’s rates are higher than the national average in a number of categories.