21st Century Insurance Review: Is 21st Century a Good Insurance Company?

  • With 2.5/5 stars in 2026, 21st Century is a decent insurance company.
  • Read 21st Century reviews, complaints and prices before you buy.
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Renata Balasco

Senior Content Strategist

Renata joined The Zebra in 2020 as a Customer Experience Agent. Since 2021, she has worked as licensed insurance professional and content strategist.…

Credentials
  • Licensed Insurance Agent — Property and Casualty
  • 5 years of experience in the insurance industry
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Ross Martin

Insurance Writer

Ross joined The Zebra as a writer and researcher in 2019. He specialized in writing insurance content to help shoppers make informed decisions.

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  • 5+ years in the Insurance Industry

21st Century insurance: Ratings and reviews

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Rating from The Zebra Question mark icon

Primarily serving drivers in California, 21st Century is a part of the Farmers Insurance Group. 21st Century has excellent financial standing and is competitive in terms of coverage, but may not offer the extra features that go above and beyond to cover your bases. Our review of 21st Century's insurance coverage options and discounts can help you get an idea of the insurance company's offerings and decide if it's the right place to purchase your next policy.

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2.5 stars Rating from The Zebra
Ratings based on price, customer service, coverage, and financial strength.
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Pros
  • Excellent financial strength rating from AM Best

  • Backed by Farmers Insurance Group

Cons
  • Only available in California

  • Poor NAIC rating


Is 21st Century a good insurance company?

The majority of The Zebra's review incorporates how well 21st Century scores in terms of customer service. In order to determine that we looked at the following third-party ratings.

BBB Customer Reviews: 1.05/5

  • 21st Century has a 1.05/5 rating from Better Business Bureau customers[1]

Complaint Index: Above average

  • The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) receives Above average customer complaints for 21st Century[2]

Financial Strength: Excellent/Good

  • 21st Century received an Excellent/Good financial strength rating from A.M. Best for its ability to pay out claims[3]

The Zebra Customer Satisfaction Survey

In addition to third-party ratings, we like to incorporate the results from our own consumer survey where we ranked which auto insurance companies are the best based on feedback from real customers. However, we did not collect a sufficient amount of data on 21st Century for it to be included.


How much does 21st Century auto insurance cost?

Currently, the national average for a 6 month car insurance policy is $1,084, whereas 21st Century is about $802 or roughly 26% cheaper than a typical policy, so a worthy contender for residents of California.

The table below shows how 21st Century auto insurance compares against other top insurers.

Average Monthly Cost by Insurance Carrier

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Company Avg. Monthly Premium
21st Century $140
ALFA $209
Amica Mutual $144
Auto Club $158
GEICO $129
Plymouth Rock $144
Progressive $157
State Farm $131

Source: The Zebra

Similar to any insurance company, pricing for 21st Century auto insurance does vary based on your age and generally will get cheaper the older you get. The table below shows 21st Century's car insurance premiums for different age brackets.

21st Century Costs by Age Group

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Age Group Avg. Monthly Premium
Teens $528
20s $186
60s $140
40s $140
30s $140
50s $140

Source: The Zebra

The Zebra’s Dynamic Insurance Rating Tool data methodology

The Zebra’s Dynamic Insurance Rating Tool for home and auto insurance rates utilizes the latest ZIP code-level rate filings from across the U.S., sourced from Quadrant Information Services and S&P Global. These filings, typically updated annually or biennially by insurers, are verified through Quadrant’s QA process and then integrated into The Zebra’s estimator.

The displayed rates are based on a dynamic home and auto profile designed to reflect the content of the page. This profile is tailored to match specific factors such as age, location, and coverage level, which are adjusted based on the page content to show how these variables can impact premiums.

For a comprehensive understanding, see our detailed methodology.

Discounts offered

The discounts offered by 21st Century are primarily driver-based and don't all necessarily apply to your premium — they may be applicable toward specific coverages or vehicles.

  • Superior driver: If you haven't had any violations or accidents in the past four to five years, this discount may apply to your insurance premium.
  • Multi-car: Like most insurance companies, 21st Century offers a discount for adding more than one car to the same policy.
  • Mature driver: If you're over age 55 and complete a state-approved defensive driving course, you might be eligible for a discounted auto policy.
  • Defensive driver: Complete a DMV-approved driving course to receive this discount.
  • Anti-theft device: Equip your car with an approved GPS-enabled theft recovery device and you can get up to 15% off applied to your comprehensive coverage premium.

Read a full list of 21st Century's auto insurance discounts here. 

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What types of coverage does 21st Century offer?

Standard coverage options like collision, comprehensive, liability, underinsured and uninsured motorist, medical payments, bodily injury, and property damage can be expected from a 21st Century car insurance policy, in addition to 24/7 roadside assistance, which is automatically included. Below, we detail some additional features you can opt-in for your coverage.

  • Waiver of collision deductible - The collision deductible is waived in the event your collision coverage kicks in to cover an accident with an uninsured motorist.
  • Rental reimbursement - If you get in an accident and your car is out of commission for over 24 hours while it's being repaired, 21st Century will cover rental car expenses up to $30 per day for 30 days (with a maximum sum limit of $900). This limit can be upgraded to $50 per day for up to 30 days.
  • Additional/customized equipment - If you have customized parts not originally included by the manufacturer that enhance the performance or aesthetics of your car, you might want to opt for this additional coverage. 

For more information on these coverages, read here.


21st Century insurance review: Summary

If you're a driver in California who needs new car insurance, 21st Century might be a good option if you don't need extra bells and whistles to bolster your policy — the traditional collision, comprehensive, and liability coverage are all offered by 21st Century, and its excellent financial health should ensure your claims are fulfilled.

However, you should always shop around for quotes when you're looking for a new car insurance policy. After all, switching insurance companies when it comes time to renew doesn't affect your premium, so it's always in your favor to look elsewhere if you feel you're paying too much. We can help you look for the best rates instantly — enter your ZIP code below and see for yourself how much you can save by comparing quotes from 21st Century and dozens of other auto insurance companies.

Methodology — how The Zebra reviews insurance companies

The team of insurance experts at The Zebra evaluates companies by focusing on customer experience first, with an emphasis on service quality, reliability, and ease of interaction. Unlike previous models, pricing is not scored but is instead presented separately as context for comparison.

Each category has been scored using a combination of our internal customer satisfaction survey results and published scores from reputable organizations such as AM Best and J.D. Power.

  • Service Accessibility & Support Quality (25%): This category measures how easy it is to get help when needed, evaluating factors such as support channel availability (phone, chat, in-person, app), response times, agent knowledge, service hours, and language accessibility.
  • Claims Experience (25%): This category assesses how smoothly the claims process works, considering ease of filing (online, app, or phone), transparency and communication, processing times, and fairness in dispute resolution.
  • Digital Experience & Policy Management (25%): This category evaluates the convenience of managing your policy: this includes mobile app usability, website experience, account management, digital document access, self-service options, and platform integrations
  • Trust & Reliability (25%): This category looks at a company’s overall reliability, measuring financial strength, market stability, regulatory history, communication transparency, and consistency in policy terms.

Price context: Pricing varies significantly based on individual circumstances and risk factors. Customers can evaluate cost-effectiveness based on their specific situation and the service quality scores provided.


21st Century insurance: Frequently asked questions

21st Century is a good option for drivers in California seeking no-frills car insurance coverage from a company whose excellent financial health ensures they are able to pay out claims. However, it's exclusive to California, and its NAIC rating is less favorable.

While 21st Century Insurance is owned by Farmers Insurance Group, they operate separately.

21st Century Insurance offers auto insurance in California.

Farmers Insurance Group bought 21st Century insurance in 2009.

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About The Zebra

The Zebra is not an insurance company. We publish data-backed, expert-reviewed resources to help consumers make more informed insurance decisions.

  • The Zebra’s insurance content is written and reviewed for accuracy by licensed insurance agents.
  • The Zebra’s insurance editorial content is not subject to review or alteration by insurance companies or partners.
  • The Zebra’s editorial team operates independently of the company’s partnerships and commercialization interests, publishing unbiased information for consumer benefit.
  • The auto insurance rates published on The Zebra’s pages are based on a comprehensive analysis of car insurance pricing data, evaluating more than 83 million insurance rates from across the United States.