Top 10 Worst Car Insurance Companies in 2021

The number of car insurance providers grows larger every year, with nearly 6,000 auto insurance carriers in the US as of this writing. As more carriers enter the market, each promising lower rates, or payments based on your good driving behavior, it can be an overwhelming prospect to pick out who is going to be providing you with coverage.

Yet Consumer Reports states that in all actuality, insurers judge you less on driving habits, and much more so on socioeconomic factors, including your credit history, and even your TV provider. These increasingly complicated pricing mechanisms have resulted in almost a “complete lack of transparency”, and mean that “terrific” discounts often come at the expense of getting the coverage you really need when there is a serious accident.

Why It’s Important To Compare Car Insurance Providers

Everyone who drives is legally obligated to buy car insurance (unless you live in New Hampshire), and who you choose to insure your vehicle can become a critical matter when you’re involved in a significant automobile accident. Medical bills, rehabilitation costs, and lost wages can run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, and your insurance company will be the ones responsible for those payments.

As New Jersey personal injury attorneys we’ve had to deal firsthand with the shady practices and low-balling that these companies engage in almost every time we represent clients for car accidents or roll overs.

When you’re recovering from a life threatening accident, the last thing you want to do is spend time fighting with your insurance company for payments. So if you want to get the best coverage for the least amount of money, it’s important to shop around for an insurance provider. The list below is compiled from two different consumer advocate organizations that are nationally recognized, and can help you narrow down the prospective choices for your auto insurance carrier.

Consumer Reports Worst Car Insurance Companies

Consumer Reports is a nonprofit organization that advocates for consumers and conducts research into products and companies. They interview consumers about the level of satisfaction they have with premiums, claims, service, and policy review with their car insurance. Then they compile a comprehensive list of companies across the country, with individual ratings for each metric.

Here are the worst car insurance companies in the nation according to Consumer Reports, with number 1 being the worst:

• Liberty Mutual Insurance Companies
• Kemper PC Companies
• Esurance Property and Casualty Insurance Company
• Nationwide Group
• Metlife Auto & Home Group
• Horace Mann Insurance Group
• Allstate Insurance Group
• National General Companies
• Farmers Insurance Group
• MAPFRE North America

J.D. Power’s Worst Car Insurance Companies

In order to compile a more thorough consumer guide, we also consulted J.D. Power’s 2021 U.S. Auto-Insurance Study. J.D. Power is a marketing research company that conducts surveys on customer satisfaction and product quality. This was their 22nd year conducting the Auto-Insurance Study, measuring customer satisfaction. J.D. Power uses five factors to measure customer satisfaction: billing process and policy information, interaction, policy offerings, price, and claims.

• Nationwide: received the lowest rating for satisfaction, receiving 846 points out of a possible 1000
• Progressive: received the second lowest rating, scoring 856 out of 1000
• Travelers: received the third lowest rating, with only 860 out of 1000
• Farmers: was the fourth on the list, scoring 868 out of 1000
• Geico: was ranked the fifth lowest, receiving 869 points out of 1000

J.D. Power ranked NJM Insurance Co. highest in their list for the Mid-Atlantic region, which includes Philadelphia and NJ. Consumer reports lists USAA group as their highest rated group nationally, and NJM as their second highest rated group nationally.

Factors in Choosing a Car Insurance Carrier

Price isn’t the only factor you should take into consideration when choosing auto insurance. Communication, customer satisfaction, the company’s reputation, and coverage limits are all important things to think about when making your choice.

The bottom line unfortunately is that insurance companies are for-profit organizations and will always put their own profits above your needs as a customer. If you have been involved in a serious auto accident, you want someone in your corner that will prioritize your recovery and interests. Richard Hollawell is an experienced personal injury attorney, but more importantly, worked as an insurance adjuster for years. As an insider, Richard Hollawell knows all the tricks insurance adjusters will use to prevent you from getting what you deserve, and will fight to get you the compensation you need to recover from your accident. To receive your free consultation, call our office today at 1-800-681-3550 or use the contact form here.

Interested in hearing how these companies performed in 2020 and 2019?

Check out the results from 2019 and 2020 below!  We’ve kept these listings live so visitors can better understand trends over longer periods of time.

Consumer Reports Worst Car Insurance Companies 2020

Consumer Reports is a nonprofit organization that advocates for consumers and conducts research into products and companies. In their most recent survey of auto-insurance companies, they asked over 90,352 consumers about the level of satisfaction they had with premiums, claims, service, and policy review with their car insurance.

Here are the worst car insurance companies in the nation according to Consumer Reports, with number 1 being the worst:

1. Esurance Property and Casualty Insurance Company
2. Nationwide Group
3. Liberty Mutual Insurance Companies
4. Allstate Insurance Group
5. Kemper PC Companies
6. Metlife Auto & Home Group
7. Farmers Insurance Group
8. Horace Mann Insurance Group
9. Hanover Insurance Group Property & Casualty Companies
10. National General Companies

J.D. Power’s Worst Car Insurance Companies 2020

In order to compile a more thorough consumer guide, we also consulted J.D. Power’s 2020 U.S. Auto-Insurance Study. J.D. Power is a marketing research company that conducts surveys on customer satisfaction and product quality. This was their 21st year conducting the  Auto-Insurance Study, which compiled responses from over 40,123 car insurance customers. They used five factors to measure customer satisfaction: billing process and policy information, interaction, policy offerings, price, and claims. 

J.D. Power conducts their auto insurance survey by region, so we’ve also included a detailed look at the Mid-Atlantic region which includes Pennsylvania and New Jersey. This first list shows their findings for the worst insurance company in each region showing their score on a scale of 1000:

• California – Kemper, 784
• Central – Safeco, 812
• Florida – Safeco, 780
• Mid-Atlantic – Allstate, 812
• New England – MAPFRE, 786
• New York – Progressive, 825
• North Central – Michigan Farm Bureau, 800
• Northwest – American Family, 785
• Southeast – Metlife, 821
• Southwest – Nationwide, 786
• Texas – Auto Club of Southern California, 803

Worst Car Insurance in New Jersey and Pennsylvania 2020

For our clients in the Mid-Atlantic region, Allstate fared the worst with a score of 812. The five other lowest-ranked insurance companies were:

• Liberty Mutual, 816
• The Hartford, 824
• Farmers, 826
• Plymouth Rock Assurance, 827
• Progressive, 828

When making a decision on which auto insurance company will work best for you, you’ll want to think about more than just the price. Customer satisfaction, communication, and the company’s reputation are all factors you’ll want to take into consideration. If a car insurance company puts their profit above your needs as a customer, you should look for a different option. 

Insurance companies put on a friendly face in their advertisements, but remember that they are for-profit companies, and their bottom line is always going to come first. If you’ve been in an automobile accident, you need someone who will prioritize your interests. Richard Hollawell is an experienced personal injury attorney that previously worked as an insurance adjuster. Because of his years of legal and insurance experience he knows the tricks insurance adjusters will use to prevent you from getting what you deserve. Call at 1-800-681-3550 or use the contact form for a free consultation today.

Interested in the 2019 Results?

Below are the list of 2019’s worst car insurance companies.

Consumer Reports Worst Car Insurance Companies 2019

Consumer Reports is a nonprofit organization that conducts consumer advocacy and research. In their 2019 survey of auto-insurance companies, they asked over 23,000 consumers about the level of satisfaction they had with claims process, cost, and overall experience with their car insurance.

Here are the worst car insurance companies in the nation according to the magazine Consumer Reports with number 1 being the worst:

1. MAPFRE North America Group
2. MetLife Auto & Home Group
3. Mercury General Group
4. Progressive Insurance Group
5. Liberty Mutual Insurance Companies
6. Nationwide Group
7. Allstate
8. Farmers Insurance
9. Berkshire Hathaway Insurance Group (GEICO)
10. State Farm

J.D. Power’s Worst Car Insurance Companies 2019

In order to compile a more thorough consumer guide, we also consulted J.D. Power’s 2019 U.S. Auto-Insurance Study. J.D. Power is a marketing research company that conducts customer surveys on customer satisfaction and product quality. This was the 20th year they conducted Auto-Insurance Study using five factors to measure customer satisfaction: interaction, policy offerings, price, billing policy, and claims. These are their results based on the responses of over 42,000 car insurance customers.

We’ve decided to show two different lists because J.D. Power conducts their auto insurance survey by region. This list shows their findings for the worst insurance company in each region showing their score on a scale of 1000:

• California – Kemper, 778
• Central – Nationwide, 807
• Florida – Safeco, 798
• Mid-Atlantic – Allstate, 816
• New England – MetLife, 794
• New York – Progressive, 815
• North Central – Safeco, 788
• Northwest – Nationwide, 765
• Southeast – Liberty Mutual, 809
• Southwest – Nationwide, 775
• Texas – Liberty Mutual, 802

Worst Car Insurance in New Jersey 2019

For our clients in the Mid-Atlantic region Allstate fared the worst with a score of 816 on a 1,000-point scale and a 2 star rating. Liberty Mutual and CSAA were tied for second-worst just below that with a score of 817. The five other lowest-ranked insurance companies were:

• Travelers 821
• Nationwide 822
• Plymouth Rock Assurance 826
• Farmers 826
• Progressive 828