The Best Car Insurance Companies (2023)

Find out which car insurance company topped The Zebra Customer Satisfaction Survey.

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Ross Martin

Manager, Content Quality

Credentials
  • Licensed Insurance Agent — Property and Casualty

Ross joined The Zebra as a writer and researcher in 2019. As a licensed insurance agent, he specializes in writing insurance content to help shoppers…

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Kristine Lee

Manager, Content and Data

Credentials
  • Licensed Insurance Agent — Property and Casualty

Kristine is a licensed insurance agent who joined The Zebra in 2019 as an in-house content researcher and writer. Before joining The Zebra, she was a…

The Zebra’s Customer Satisfaction Survey

When you're looking for a car insurance policy that fits your budget, it's important to remember that the cheapest option may not be the best. That's why we've created a helpful resource to help you determine which car insurance companies are considered the best by customers and independent reviewers.

The Zebra commissioned a survey of the top car insurance companies in America and ranked them based on feedback from real customers. The companies chosen were based on market share and overall availability to a wide selection of consumers. Our survey focused purely on each company's car insurance offerings.

Key takeaways

  • USAA tops the list yet again for the best large car insurance company
  • Smaller, regional carriers could be a great option, with Shelter Insurance scoring high marks
  • Getting quotes from multiple companies is always recommended

The highest rated car insurance companies

Among the ten largest insurers by market share in the United states, USAA took first place, topping nearly every category, followed by State Farm and American Family Insurance.

First place ribbon
USAA

USAA came out on top of the Zebra’s Customer Satisfaction Survey, topping five of the six categories.

2nd place ribbon
State Farm

State Farm Insurance came in second place overall with a score of 8.71 out of 10.

3rd place ribbon
American Family Insurance

American Family Insurance rounded out the top three insurance companies with an overall score of 8.68. 

Below shows the remaining top 10 large auto insurance carriers. All companies received a rating of at least 8 out of 10.

Rank Company Customer Satisfaction Rating (out of 10)
1st USAA 8.95
2nd State Farm 8.71
3rd American Family 8.68
4th Travelers 8.62
5th Progressive 8.54
6th Nationwide 8.52
7th Allstate 8.49
8th Liberty Mutual 8.45
9th GEICO 8.41
10th Farmers 8.2

The Zebra Customer Satisfaction Survey: Categories

Our survey looked at six customer experience categories:

  • Claims satisfaction
  • Ease of interaction
  • Customer service
  • Willingness to recommend
  • Trust
  • Online satisfaction

Below you'll find the top companies for each of these individual factors. 

Zebra Survey Icon

The Zebra Customer Satisfaction Survey methodology

Findings are based on an online quantitative survey of 4,794 current U.S. auto and home insurance customers, with Census-balanced sampling by age, gender and region. Categories with n=<20 responses are considered insufficient sample size and are not reported. This survey was developed by The Zebra and executed by independent research firm Maru/Blue in 2023.


Best companies: Claims satisfaction

No one wants to have to use their insurance. Still, you want the process to be as seamless as possible when you must. For this section, we asked respondents about their overall satisfaction with how their car insurance claims were handled by their company. Respondents who had not filed a claim with their current insurer did not answer this question. 

The company that came out on top was USAA. State Farm came in a close second, while Erie rounded out the top three. Here is a list of the top five best insurance companies with the highest claims satisfaction scores:

claims satisfaction
Rank Company Customer Satisfaction Rating (out of 10)
1st USAA 8.91
2nd State Farm 8.71
3rd American Family 8.69
4th Progressive 8.65
5th Travelers 8.63

Best companies: Ease of interaction

Communication is a hugely important part of the overall customer experience. This section of the survey asked respondents to rate how easy it was to communicate with their auto insurer. This involved many different types of interactions, including renewing a policy, paying a bill, or simply asking a question. 

Here are the five best car insurance companies for ease of interaction:

ease of use medal
Rank Company Customer Satisfaction Rating (out of 10)
1st State Farm 8.97
2nd USAA 8.89
3rd Progressive 8.84
4th Travelers 8.75
5th GEICO 8.75

Best companies: Customer service

The way you are treated by customer service can leave a lasting impression. This section focused on how satisfied customers were with the customer service received from their insurance company. USAA again came out on top with the best customer service score overall. See who rounded out the top five below.

customer service medal
Rank Company Customer Satisfaction Rating (out of 10)
1st USAA 8.98
2nd State Farm 8.91
3rd American Family 8.75
4th Travelers 8.7
5th Progressive 8.66

Best companies: Most likely to recommend 

One of the best indicators of satisfaction with your coverage is whether you would recommend it to friends or family. The following companies were considered the most likely to be recommended to others by current customers.

thumbs up medal
Rank Company Customer Satisfaction Rating (out of 10)
1st USAA 8.96
2nd American Family 8.63
3rd Travelers 8.5
4th Nationwide 8.44
5th State Farm 8.43

Best companies: Most trustworthy

This part of the survey asked if customers perceive their insurance company as trustworthy. The following companies were deemed the most trustworthy among our survey respondents.

Trust medal
Rank Company Customer Satisfaction Rating (out of 10)
1st USAA 9.08
2nd American Family 8.7
3rd Nationwide 8.55
4th State Farm 8.53
5th Travelers 8.5

Best companies: Online satisfaction

Moreso than ever, a company's online presence is a major part of the customer experience. The insurance sector has, on the whole, been slower to embrace technological shifts. However, the following companies have made an impression on customers by providing good online experiences, whether through apps or company websites.

Trophy online
Rank Company Customer Satisfaction Rating (out of 10)
1st USAA 8.98
2nd GEICO 8.89
3rd Progressive 8.83
4th American Family 8.81
5th Travelers 8.78

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Best companies: Insurance bundles

Our customer satisfaction survey included questions regarding home insurance. For the respondents who carried multiple policy types, these are the top carriers for bundling home and auto insurance.

car in front of a house
Rank Company Customer Satisfaction Rating (out of 10)
1st USAA 8.97
2nd American Family 8.9
3rd Travelers 8.73
4th State Farm 8.66
5th Nationwide 8.63
6th Allstate 8.59
7th GEICO 8.58
8th Progressive 8.54
9th Liberty Mutual 8.52
10th Farmers 8.33

Best companies: Mid-sized and smaller

Outside of the top ten largest car insurers by market share, there are a number of other great companies that our respondents ranked. Using the same scale as above, we found these carriers to be the best. 

BEST SMALL, MID-SIZED CARRIERS
Rank Company Customer Satisfaction Rating (out of 10)
1st Shelter 9.01
2nd Erie 8.86
3rd AIG 8.73
4th The Hartford 8.66
5th Alfa Mutual 8.65
6th Metromile 8.63
7th Root 8.6
8th Amica 8.55
9th NJM 8.54
10th Auto Club (AAA) 8.411
11th Auto-Owners 8.36
12th Mapfre 8.32
13th Mercury 8.28
14th Plymouth Rock 8.27
15th Elephant 8.04
16th Safeco 8.0
17th Allied 7.71
18th National General 7.67
19th Kemper 7.66
20th California Casualty 7.64

Best companies by region

Some car insurance companies only serve a small portion of the country. However, this does not mean that they are inferior. In fact, there are a number of smaller carriers that offer top-of-the-line coverage options and exceptional customer service. We've put together a list of some of the best car insurance companies by region, highlighting regional and mid-sized carriers that offer great coverage options. 

This list was created using the same methodology as The Zebra's carrier reviews, incorporating ratings from J.D. Power and the NAIC with coverage options offered. Reference the list below to find the best regional carriers in your part of the country. 

 

Northeast 

Including the following states: CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT

  1. Erie Insurance
  2. New Jersey Manufacturers
  3. Amica 
  4. Arbella
  5. Plymouth Rock

 

Southeast

Including the following states: AL, AR, DE, FL, GA, KY, LA, MD, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV

  1. Farm Bureau Insurance - Tennessee
  2. Erie Insurance
  3. Alfa
  4. Auto-Owners Insurance
  5. North Carolina Farm Bureau

 

Midwest

Including the following states: IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, OH, SD, WI

  1. Auto-Owners Insurance
  2. Shelter Insurance
  3. Indiana Farm Bureau 
  4. Westfield Insurance
  5. Erie Insurance

 

Southwest

Including the following states: AZ, CO, NM, OK, TX, UT

  1. Texas Farm Bureau
  2. Auto Club of Southern California
  3. CSAA Insurance Group
  4. Country Financial
  5. Auto-Owners Insurance

 

West

Including the following states: AL, CA, HI, ID, MT, NV, OR, WA, WY

  1. Wawanesa
  2. PEMCO
  3. Grange Insurance
  4. CSAA Insurance Group
  5. Country Financial

Other rankings

The Zebra has reviewed both national and regional auto insurance carriers in an effort to aid in your car insurance shopping. We evaluate insurance companies based on a number of factors, including customer complaints, fiscal strength, and reputable third-party reviews. Take a look at the overall scores of the most popular car insurance companies in the country below, and check out a similar ranking for the best home insurance companies.

CAR INSURANCE COMPANY REVIEWS
Insurance company Claims satisfaction (J.D. Power) Customer service (J.D. Power) Financial strength (AM Best) NAIC complaint index
USAA Excellent Above average Superior Excellent
GEICO Average Above average Superior Average
Erie Excellent Above average Superior Very good
Auto-Owners Average Above average Superior Excellent
The Hartford Excellent Below average Excellent Excellent
NJM Not rated Above average Superior Excellent
Cincinnati Not rated Above average Superior Above average
Amica Excellent Excellent Superior Poor
Allstate Average Below average Excellent Excellent
AIG Not rated Below average Excellent Above average
Metromile Not rated Not rated Not rated Below average
Progressive Below average Below average Superior Excellent
Plymouth Rock Not rated Below average Excellent Above average
Travelers Average Below average Superior Above average
Bunker Hill Not rated Not rated Excellent Above average
Chubb Not rated Average Superior Excellent
Noblr Not rated Not rated Not rated Above average
PURE  Not rated Not rated Excellent Above average
State Farm Above average Above average Superior Excellent
American Family Above average Excellent Excellent Average
Farmers Excellent Below average Excellent Below average
Nationwide Average Below average Superior Average
Allied Not rated Not rated Superior Above average
MAPFRE Not rated Not rated Superior Average
21st Century Not rated Not rated Excellent Below average
Elephant Not rated Not rated Excellent Below average
MetLife Not rated Below average Superior Below average
Mercury Not rated Below average Superior Above average
Liberty Mutual Average Below average Superior Average
Safeco Average Below average Excellent Below average
Kemper Poor Not rated Excellent Below average
The General Not rated Not rated Excellent Below average
Esurance Not rated Below average Superior Below average
AAA Below average Below average Superior Average
Foremost Not rated Not rated Excellent Below average
Infinity Not rated Not rated Excellent Below average
Safe Auto Not rated Not rated Good Below average
Commonwealth Casualty Not rated Not rated Not rated Above average
California Casualty Not rated Not rated Good Below average
Hallmark Not rated Not rated Excellent Average
Root Not rated Not rated Not rated Below average
Direct Auto Not rated Not rated Excellent Poor
Stonegate Not rated Not rated Not rated Above average
AssuranceAmerica Not rated Not rated Not rated Poor
Aspire General Not rated Not rated Good Below average
Founders Not rated Not rated Excellent Poor
Good2Go Not rated Not rated Not rated Poor
Falcon Not rated Not rated Not rated Poor

How to choose the best car insurance company

While our survey can give you a broad idea of what to expect from car insurance companies, your experiences and driver profile may differ from our survey respondents. Because of this, it's hugely important to do your own research on how to find the best car insurance company for your needs.

 

Shop around and compare quotes

Get quotes from several companies to see who offers the best price and coverage.

 

Explore coverage options

Not all car insurance companies offer the same coverage options. Going for state-minimum, liability-only coverage will certainly be cheaper, but will also leave you less protected.

 

Read reviews

Third-party reviews (including those of The Zebra) can give you another lens through which to view a car insurance company. Consult review sites such as the Better Business Bureau, NAIC, and J.D. Power to see how others have rated them.

 

Talk to a professional

If you're still unsure about what coverage you need, speak to a licensed professional. The Zebra has an entire agency full of independent insurance agents who can help you find the right balance of affordability and customer service in a policy specially tailored to your needs.

Compare rates from the best car insurance companies!

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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 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.