Safeway Insurance Review: Is Safeway a Good Insurance Company?

  • With 2.1/5 stars in 2025, Safeway is a below-average insurance company.
  • Read Safeway reviews, complaints and prices before you buy.
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Beth Swanson

Insurance Analyst

Beth joined The Zebra in 2022 as an Associate Content Strategist. A licensed insurance agent, she specializes in creating clear, accessible content t…

Credentials
  • Licensed Insurance Agent — Property and Casualty
  • Associate in Insurance
  • Professional Risk Consultant
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Kristine Lee

Insurance Analyst

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…

Credentials
  • Licensed Insurance Agent — Property and Casualty
  • 6+ 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.

Ross h…

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  • 5+ years in the Insurance Industry

Safeway Insurance: Ratings and reviews

2.1 100% filled Star icon 100% filled Star icon 10.000000000000009% filled Star icon 0% filled Star icon 0% filled Star icon

Rating from The Zebra Question mark icon

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.

100% filled Star icon 100% filled Star icon 10.000000000000009% filled Star icon 0% filled Star icon 0% filled Star icon
2.1 stars Rating from The Zebra
Ratings based on price, customer service, coverage, and financial strength.
Get a Quote at Safeway
Pros
  • Policies available in only 11 states

  • Industry experience for over 60 years

  • Online payment ability

Cons
  • Policies available in only 11 states

  • Only offers auto insurance

  • 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 $1,084, whereas Safeway is about $1,334 or roughly 23% 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.

Average Monthly Cost by Insurance Carrier

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. 

The table below shows Safeway's car insurance premiums for different age brackets. 

Safeway Costs by Age Group

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.


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 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.


Safeway insurance: Frequently asked questions

Safety Insurance is a good choice for drivers in AL, AZ, AR, CA, CO, GA, IL, LA, MS, NM, TN, and TX, especially those with less-than-perfect records, due to its competitive pricing for basic auto insurance coverage. However, those living outside the states they serve, seeking higher levels of coverage, or prioritizing a streamlined claims process should shop elsewhere.

Safeway Insurance specializes in non-standard auto insurance, catering to drivers who might have challenges obtaining insurance elsewhere, such as those with a less-than-perfect driving record. However, they also sell traditional policies.

Safeway Insurance is available in AL, AZ, AR, CA, CO, GA, IL, LA, MS, NM, TN, and TX.

While not rated by J.D. Power for claims satisfaction, Safeway is rated highly by A.M. Best for financial strength, an indicator of a company's ability to pay out claims.

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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.