Best of the worst auto insurance companies?

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homercles337

Diamond Member
Dec 29, 2004
6,345
3
71
I have always believed in you get what you pay for, so when i got a car (after being car-free for 6 years) i decided State Farm was going to be my insurance company. I also have renters insurance with them, so it seemed reasonable. I got the quote from them and it was lowest of the other top-tier companies, so i started the policy and paid for 6 months. A couple weeks later, i got a bill indicating that they "misquoted" me and that i would have to pay an additional $50/month (which means my monthly rate would increase from $117 to $167 on their cheapest plan). So, i think i am going to go with one of the cheap auto insurance companies, but this has me wondering, which company is the best of the worst? Geico? Progressive? Esurance? Others?

UPDATE: I went with Progressive and my premium dropped by 46%.
 
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Jeff7

Jeff7

Lifer
Jan 4, 2001
41,599
19
81
See if they really want your business - if you haven't done so already, tell them that you'll cancel all of your policies with them and find another provider unless they honor their original quote. :)


(StateFarm customer here, so I've got nothing on other companies. I've had no issues with them in the 12 years I've been with them, though I've also had no claims with them either.)
 
J

JackBurton

Lifer
Jul 18, 2000
15,993
14
81
I canceled my State Farm policy PRONTO when they sent me a quote for my new car. I was with them for 22+ years and paid my premiums like clock work. But when they quoted me 50% MORE than what Progressive offered and for less coverage, they lost my business. They tried to give me, "but we offer great customer service." And I just responded, "you sure don't give me 50% better customers service."

The facts are, when you get into an accident, you pick the place where you want your vehicle repaired. So why are you paying more for the same coverage. I had an accident with my brand new car and Progressive took care of it. I was actually really surprised at the level of service they gave me. I'd definitely recommend them.
 
F

Ferzerp

Diamond Member
Oct 12, 1999
6,438
107
106
What are you people who have to pay more than $115 a month driving anyway? Geez. I drive a $50k 470 hp car and don't even pay $110 a month with farm bureau.
 
J

JackBurton

Lifer
Jul 18, 2000
15,993
14
81
Ferzerp said:
What are you people who have to pay more than $115 a month driving anyway? Geez. I drive a $50k 470 hp car and don't even pay $110 a month with farm bureau.
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Take into consideration age and your driving record plays a big part in insurance premiums. Also, there may be more than one car covered.
 
H

homercles337

Diamond Member
Dec 29, 2004
6,345
3
71
Ferzerp said:
What are you people who have to pay more than $115 a month driving anyway? Geez. I drive a $50k 470 hp car and don't even pay $110 a month with farm bureau.
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I live downtown (in a high crime city, car is in secured garage though) and have not had auto insurance for 6 years (ZipCar, WeCar, and rentals took care of that). The agents i have talked to said these are the two major contributing factors. I get all kinds of "good driver, bundled, and olde-tymer" discounts too. Not having auto insurance for 6 years is the real killer for me.
 
Meghan54

Meghan54

Lifer
Oct 18, 2009
11,528
5,045
136
JackBurton said:
Take into consideration age and your driving record plays a big part in insurance premiums. Also, there may be more than one car covered.
Click to expand...




Plus amounts of ins. (100k, 300k is much cheaper than 300k, 500k), deductibles ($1k ded. is much cheaper than say, $250 ded.), type carried (Having comprehensive and collision obviously costs more than not having them), location (some areas of the country are much more expensive than others for same coverage), etc.
 
jlee

jlee

Lifer
Sep 12, 2001
48,511
219
106
I have no issue with Progressive - have been with them since 2005 and I don't plan on switching anytime soon.
 
J

JackBurton

Lifer
Jul 18, 2000
15,993
14
81
Meghan54 said:
Plus amounts of ins. (100k, 300k is much cheaper than 300k, 500k), deductibles ($1k ded. is much cheaper than say, $250 ded.), type carried (Having comprehensive and collision obviously costs more than not having them), location (some areas of the country are much more expensive than others for same coverage), etc.
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Yes, that too. :)
 
T2urtle

T2urtle

Diamond Member
Oct 18, 2004
3,432
3
81
certain cars are priced differently.

State farm was by far the cheapest for my g35 and about average for the maxima. Oddly enough my sv650 was not even with all the discounts, homeowners and multiple car discount , they were very pricey. Nationwide had them beat

TapaTalking
 
9

96Firebird

Diamond Member
Nov 8, 2010
5,712
316
126
I'm hoping Geico doesn't try to do this bait and switch with me... I recently signed up with them for my new (to me) car. 2002 Trans Am, full coverage, $100k/$200k, $100k/$200k uninsured, $500 deductible, 23yr old driver with an at-fault accident and 1 speeding ticket still on record. They quoted me $416 for 6 months, so I called to make sure everything was correct. They ran my license, got the VIN for the car, and said everything looked right so I went with it. My old roommate (who is an insurance agent, quoted me $2200 for a year) said to take it, and that my good credit score (712 is good?) probably helped me out.

Not sure how good Geico is, but hopefully I never have to deal with them.
 
CrackRabbit

CrackRabbit

Lifer
Mar 30, 2001
16,641
58
91
I've had good experiences with Progressive and AAA California.
Had ok experiences with Ameriprise through Costco, until the screwed up my billing and then wanted to force me to pay for my entire term at once because of their mistake.
I wouldn't insure my car with Geico if you held a gun to my head, extremely bad experiences with them.
 
SpatiallyAware

SpatiallyAware

Lifer
Sep 7, 2009
12,960
3
0
If state farm doesn't want you as a customer they are notorious for raising your rates.

It's just business, and doesn't make them a bad company.
 
AstroManLuca

AstroManLuca

Lifer
Jun 24, 2004
15,628
5
81
I had State Farm for a long time but upon getting married and putting two people on the same policy, their rates went up by a lot vs. Progressive. I ended up switching to Progressive and I only pay $460 per 6 months for full coverage on two cars. In fact the cost is about the same as what it was for just one car on State Farm (although most of the time I was with State Farm, I was unmarried and under 25).
 
H

homercles337

Diamond Member
Dec 29, 2004
6,345
3
71
SpatiallyAware said:
If state farm doesn't want you as a customer they are notorious for raising your rates.

It's just business, and doesn't make them a bad company.
Click to expand...

I have heard that some insurance companies will charge crazy rates in order to lower their risk for a given area. Maybe i am in one of those areas?
 
bruceb

bruceb

Diamond Member
Aug 20, 2004
8,874
111
106
I had State Farm for many years, but their rates got insane. That said, the claims I had against them were handled well. Can't speak about Progressive, and as to Esurance, I think they are owned by Allstate. I currently have my car with MetLife Auto and have not needed any claims. In the future I may stay with them or maybe go with the AARP through the Hartford (they claim very good rates)
 
J

JackBurton

Lifer
Jul 18, 2000
15,993
14
81
homercles337 said:
I have heard that some insurance companies will charge crazy rates in order to lower their risk for a given area. Maybe i am in one of those areas?
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I'm not sure about you, but I was as perfect of a customer as you get. Always paid on time, and I believe I only had one claim with them in my 22 years with them. My dad had the same problem with them, and he was with them for even longer with SEVERAL cars insured through them. We had the discount they give (I believe it is a good drivers discount) but even with that they were still 50% higher than Progressive. When I gave them the quote Progressive gave me, the agent said, "I don't know how they are giving you that rate." Well, if they can't figure it out, that's not my problem.
 
Abel007

Abel007

Platinum Member
Jun 12, 2001
2,169
0
76
Insurance companies DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOU unless you are a NEW customer. It pays to shop your insurance every 6 to 12 months for everything you have insurance on! Loyalty to these companies is just robbing you of your hard earned money.

Check out standard companies for the best rates possible. They typically require you to have a fairly clean driving record and good credit. Here are a few that I have personally and professionally worked with for several years. Obviously, rates will depend on so many factors that there is not just "One for all." Good luck on your hunt and remember to ALWAYS SHOP AROUND!

http://www.amica.com
http://www.nationwide.com
http://www.foremost.com
http://www.thehartford.com

Also, if you must, Progressive is a solid company. Geico, The General, Esurance, are all non or sub standard companies that write as many policies as possible. They do not really care about your driving record and credit as much, but they just might offer you the cheapest insurance. You will be sacrificing something with each. Customer service, response time, addon features (like loss of use, accidental death, med pay) Check them all out. Insurance is a soft hit on your credit so there will be no harm in it.
 
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AstroManLuca

AstroManLuca

Lifer
Jun 24, 2004
15,628
5
81
JackBurton said:
I'm not sure about you, but I was as perfect of a customer as you get. Always paid on time, and I believe I only had one claim with them in my 22 years with them. My dad had the same problem with them, and he was with them for even longer with SEVERAL cars insured through them. We had the discount they give (I believe it is a good drivers discount) but even with that they were still 50% higher than Progressive. When I gave them the quote Progressive gave me, the agent said, "I don't know how they are giving you that rate." Well, if they can't figure it out, that's not my problem.
Click to expand...

Funny, my agent said the EXACT SAME THING to me when I called up to cancel.
 
SpatiallyAware

SpatiallyAware

Lifer
Sep 7, 2009
12,960
3
0
JackBurton said:
I'm not sure about you, but I was as perfect of a customer as you get. Always paid on time, and I believe I only had one claim with them in my 22 years with them. My dad had the same problem with them, and he was with them for even longer with SEVERAL cars insured through them. We had the discount they give (I believe it is a good drivers discount) but even with that they were still 50% higher than Progressive. When I gave them the quote Progressive gave me, the agent said, "I don't know how they are giving you that rate." Well, if they can't figure it out, that's not my problem.
Click to expand...


State farm also tends to care a lot about your credit.
 
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