Safeway Insurance Review
- With 2.1/5 stars in 2024, Safeway is a below-average insurance company.
- Read Safeway reviews, complaints and prices before you buy.
Safeway Insurance: Ratings and reviews
Safeway Insurance has been offering auto insurance to consumers since 1959. It is the largest privately held, family-owned insurance company in the United States. While its stature and longevity in the business give it some clout, it's crucial for potential customers to assess whether its offerings meet their individual needs. Safeway currently operates in 11 states and does not offer insurance products other than auto coverage.
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Policies available in only 11 states
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Industry experience for over 60 years
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Online payment ability
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Policies available in only 11 states
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Only offers auto insurance
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May be more expensive than its competitors
Is Safeway a good insurance company?
The majority of The Zebra's review incorporates how well Safeway scores in terms of customer service. In order to determine that we looked at the following third-party ratings.
Customer Satisfaction: 1/5
- Better Business Bureau rated Safeway as 1/5 in overall auto customer satisfaction[1]
Complaint Index: Above average
- The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) receives Above average customer complaints for Safeway[2]
Financial Strength: Excellent/Good
- Safeway received an Excellent/Good financial strength rating from A.M. Best for its ability to pay out claims[3]
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 Safeway for it to be included.
How much does Safeway insurance cost?
Currently, the national average for a 6 month car insurance policy is $1093, whereas Safeway is about $1087 or roughly 24% more expensive than which means it isn't one of the cheapest auto insurance options available. However, depending on your individual rating factors it may still be a good option. These factors include things like your driving record, location, and vehicle type. It's recommended to gather personalized quotes for the most accurate pricing, but Safeway may be a great option.
The table below shows how Safeway auto insurance compares against other top insurers.
Updating data...
| Company | Avg. Monthly Premium |
|---|---|
| USAA | $114 |
| GEICO | $129 |
| American Family | $131 |
| State Farm | $131 |
| Farmers | $149 |
| Progressive | $157 |
| Safeway | $181 |
| Allstate | $201 |
Source: The Zebra
As with most carriers, pricing for Safeway auto insurance will vary based on your age and generally will get cheaper the older you get.Â
The table below shows Safeway's car insurance premiums for different age brackets.Â
Updating data...
| Age Group | Avg. Monthly Premium |
|---|---|
| Teens | $430 |
| 20s | $239 |
| 30s | $177 |
| 60s | $163 |
| 40s | $161 |
| 50s | $152 |
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
Safeway offers a reasonable range of auto insurance discounts including multi-car, anti-theft device, defensive driver, good student, homeowner, and pay-in-full discounts. However, the exact discounts available might differ by state and the level of savings they provide is not explicitly disclosed, making it difficult for potential customers to evaluate how much they might save compared to other insurance providers.
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What types of coverage does Safeway offer?
Safeway provides standard auto insurance coverages like liability, collision, comprehensive, uninsured/underinsured motorist, and medical payments. They also offer rental car reimbursement and roadside assistance. However, it lacks some of the more comprehensive and unique coverages provided by some larger national carriers. This might limit the attractiveness of customers seeking more tailored or expansive protection options.
Although Safeway's website isn't as robust and detailed as those of larger carriers, you can learn more about the company's auto insurance offerings here.
Locations
Safeway Insurance Company believes in personalized service with insurance coverage, and they've got 3,000 offices around the country so you can find the right agent and the right coverage for your individual needs. They only write policies in 12 states, currently, so check to see if your state is on the list:
- Alabama
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Louisiana
- Mississippi
- New Mexico
- Tennessee
- Texas
Find your closest Safeway's insurance office location here.
Safeway insurance review: Summary
Safeway Insurance offers basic auto insurance coverage and has competitive pricing, especially for drivers with less-than-perfect records. However, potential customers may want to weigh the value of its pricing against reported concerns with the claims process and lack of certain coverages. As always, consumers should seek quotes from multiple providers and carefully review policy terms before deciding.
Methodology — how The Zebra reviews insurance companies
The team of insurance experts at The Zebra considers the company's standing in five main categories to come up with an overall rating. These metrics are weighted according to importance and are detailed below:
- Price (20%): Using the base profile detailed below, we compared the company's average rate with the national average. If it surpassed this average, we gave a lower rating; if it fell below, we awarded a higher rating.
- Coverage (20%): The highest-scoring companies offer a variety of coverage options, including bundling options, roadside assistance, telematics, beyond-basic coverage levels, and a variety of other coverage types.
- Customer service (30%): We averaged ratings from JD Power, the NAIC complaint index to come up with a rating for the company's customer service. In instances when a company is not rated, we may use alternative rating agencies such as the Better Business Bureau and Trust Pilot.
- Financial strength (10%): We use AM Best to determine a company's financial standing. In some cases when a company is not rated by AM Best, we may use an alternative measure such as Demotech.
- The Zebra's Customer Satisfaction Survey (20%): The Zebra conducts an annual survey measuring customer satisfaction for many of the top insurance companies with the goal of ranking both the best auto insurance companies and best home insurance companies. Read more below.
For our auto insurance review, we analyzed more than 83 million insurance rates spanning every U.S. ZIP code using a sample user profile: a 30-year-old single male driver with a Honda Accord, good credit and full coverage at these levels:
- $50,000 per person/$100,000 per incident for bodily injury liability
- $50,000 per incident for property damage liability
- $500 deductibles for collision and comprehensive coverage
For our home insurance review, rates are based on a sample user profile: a 45-year-old married homeowner living in a 2,500-square-foot single-story home built in 2011 with these coverage levels:
- $200,000 for the dwelling
- $20,000 for other structures
- $100,000 for personal property
- $100,000 for personal liability
- $1,000 deductible
These sample premiums are dynamic and automatically refresh whenever the newest data is made available.
To generate pricing for particular rating factors, we adjusted this profile based on common pricing factors used by major car insurance companies. These factors include credit score, coverage level and others.
For The Zebra's Customer Satisfaction Survey, findings are based on an online quantitative survey of 4,134 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.
Safeway insurance: Frequently asked questions
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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.