The Hartford vs. Travelers: Which Is Best? (2024)

Travelers has an IQ Score of 4.3 out of 5, thanks to solid financial strength and a wide range of coverage and discount offerings.

Theresa Stevens
Theresa Stevens
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  • 6 years experience in the personal financial industry

Theresa is a writer and former financial advisor with experience helping clients solve money challenges. She uses her expertise to clarify complex personal finance concepts.


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Katie Powers
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Katie PowersAuto and Life Insurance Editor
  • Licensed auto and home insurance agent

  • 3+ years experience in insurance and personal finance editing

Katie uses her knowledge and expertise as a licensed property and casualty agent in Massachusetts to help readers understand the complexities of insurance shopping.

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Konstantin Halachev
Data reviewed byKonstantin Halachev
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Konstantin HalachevVice President of Engineering
  • 7+ years experience in data analysis

  • Ph.D. in Computational Biology

Konstantin has led data teams across multiple industries, including insurance, travel, and biology. He’s led Insurify’s engineering team for more than three years.

Updated May 1, 2024

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The Hartford and Travelers are both well-established insurance companies that have been selling insurance products since 1810 and 1864, respectively. Both companies offer various types of auto coverage, such as bodily injury liability, property damage liability, collision, comprehensive, rental car coverage, and gap insurance.

Travelers offers coverage to a wider variety of drivers, while The Hartford sells new policies only to members of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). Before purchasing insurance, it’s important to compare quotes, customer service, discounts, and coverage options to find the best policy for your needs.

Quick Facts
  • The average cost of liability insurance is $114 per month from The Hartford and $89 from Travelers.

  • The Hartford and Travelers offer telematics programs that may help reduce costs.

  • Travelers and The Hartford have similar rankings in the most recent J.D. Power claims satisfaction study, but The Hartford has a higher ranking in J.D. Power’s customer satisfaction study.

The Hartford vs. Travelers: The verdict

Travelers and The Hartford both sell coverage in all 50 states. The Hartford has a better customer satisfaction rating from J.D. Power, but Travelers has lower average rates for most driver types.[1] Both companies offer a wide array of coverage options, though Travelers has a slight edge when it comes to insurance add-ons and discounts.

When shopping for car insurance, it’s important to consider more than just the cost of coverage. You should factor in each company’s customer service reputation, available discounts, available coverages, and more. Here’s how The Hartford and Travelers compare in some key factors.

FactorThe HartfordTravelers
IQ ScoreN/A4.3
Customer satisfaction score3.53.7
Average quote: liability only$114$89
Number of discounts814
Number of states where it operates5050
Disclaimer: Table data sourced from real-time quotes from Insurify's 50-plus partner insurance providers and quote estimates from Quadrant Information Services. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer's unique driver profile.
  • Our editorial team spent 350 hours developing the Insurify Quality (IQ) Score and scoring insurance companies. The IQ Score objectively analyzes and calculates a score for insurers using more than 15 crucial criteria. Criteria are weighted by importance to the consumer — factors such as customer reviews and affordability influence the score more than availability and third-party ratings.

    We rate each company on a 1 to 5 scale based on five categories: financial ratings, customer satisfaction, affordability, customer support and transparency, and availability. We update ratings once a year or as more recent information becomes available.

    • Third-party financial ratings: We use data from AM Best, S&P, Moody's, and more to compare insurance companies’ credit and ability to pay out future claims.
    • Customer satisfaction: To calculate this score, Insurify analyzed more than 20,000 customer reviews across 155 car insurance companies. We also considered third-party ratings from J.D. Power, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, and Trustpilot.
    • Affordability: Our data scientists analyzed more than 90 million real-time auto insurance rates from our partners across the United States, as well as available discounts, to calculate an affordability score.
    • Customer support and transparency: This measures coverage options, ease of claims filing, and the insurer's transparency surrounding discounts, coverages, and claims process.
    • Availability and reach: Insurify identified the number of states in which insurers offer coverage and company size by market share to score availability and reach.

The Hartford

The Hartford is a well-known insurance company that offers car insurance coverage to AARP members nationwide. In terms of customer satisfaction, The Hartford has an above-average customer satisfaction ranking in multiple regions in J.D. Power’s 2023 U.S. Auto Insurance Study.

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IQ Score
The Insurify Quality (IQ) Score uses more than 15 criteria to objectively rate insurance companies on a one-to-five scale. The Insurify editorial team researches insurer data to determine the final scores.
JD Power
J.D. Power data measures overall customer satisfaction and claims satisfaction based on a 1,000-point scale.
837
Liability Only
Liability-only insurance, sometimes called minimum-coverage insurance, pays for bodily injury and property damage to others in an accident the policyholder causes. It does not pay for the insured’s own damages.
$114/mo
Full Coverage
Full-coverage car insurance generally includes liability, collision, and comprehensive coverage, and may include other optional coverages such as uninsured motorist coverage. Collision covers a policyholder’s repair or replacement costs in case of an accident. Comprehensive covers damages caused by non-accident events. The average quote displayed here reflects policies with the following coverage limits: $50,000 bodily injury liability per person; $100,000 bodily injury liability per accident; $50,00 property damage liability per accident; $1,000 collision deductible; and a $1,000 comprehensive deductible.
$179/mo

Read our The Hartford review
David - April 20, 2024
Verified

Excellent

They've been able to help me when needed.

Walter - April 18, 2024
Verified

I'm a Great Driver. Lower My Rates Please

The Hartford has always treated me fairly, providing good service at a good price. However, in the last two years, they've raised my rates by 100%, despite the fact that I've never made a claim, had an accident, received a DWI, or even a ticket. I have a perfect record, so I don't understand why my rates have increased so drastically. I understand that they need to account for high-risk drivers, but it seems unfair to penalize those of us with a perfect record. A 100% increase in 2 years seems almost illegal.

Helen - April 16, 2024
Verified

Had to Leave Due to High Rates

I enjoyed being with Hartford, but they increased their prices significantly. I can't afford that. Due to inflation, I can't manage to pay their bills. So, I had no choice but to leave. I thought that with Hartford, you get the AARP and your rates go down. However, that's not what happened.

Travelers

With 2.14% of the personal auto insurance market share, Travelers is the ninth-largest insurer in the United States and sells coverage nationwide.[2] Travelers has a below-average number of customer complaints filed with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) for a company of its size.

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IQ Score
The Insurify Quality (IQ) Score uses more than 15 criteria to objectively rate insurance companies on a one-to-five scale. The Insurify editorial team researches insurer data to determine the final scores.
4.3
JD Power
J.D. Power data measures overall customer satisfaction and claims satisfaction based on a 1,000-point scale.
829
Liability Only
Liability-only insurance, sometimes called minimum-coverage insurance, pays for bodily injury and property damage to others in an accident the policyholder causes. It does not pay for the insured’s own damages.
$89/mo
Full Coverage
Full-coverage car insurance generally includes liability, collision, and comprehensive coverage, and may include other optional coverages such as uninsured motorist coverage. Collision covers a policyholder’s repair or replacement costs in case of an accident. Comprehensive covers damages caused by non-accident events. The average quote displayed here reflects policies with the following coverage limits: $50,000 bodily injury liability per person; $100,000 bodily injury liability per accident; $50,00 property damage liability per accident; $1,000 collision deductible; and a $1,000 comprehensive deductible.
$196/mo

Travelers has been in business for more than 165 years. Today, the company sells auto insurance, homeowners, renters, flood, pet, and other types of insurance. In addition to liability and full-coverage car insurance, Travelers offers gap insurance, rental car reimbursement, roadside assistance, rideshare insurance, new car replacement coverage, and more. Policyholders can save with a number of discounts, including for bundling multiple policies, safe driving, paying in full, student discounts, and more. Travelers has fewer complaints than expected with the National Association of Insurance Commissioner’s Consumer Complaints Index. A.M. Best gives the company an A++ for financial strength.

Pros
  • Accident forgiveness available

  • Robust coverage selections and discount offerings

Cons
  • Rideshare coverage only available in Colorado and Illinois

  • High number of negative customer reviews with the Better Business Bureau

Read our Travelers review
Raymond Gary - April 21, 2024
Verified

Disappointed with the Outcome

We had a very minor collision while waiting at a traffic light. The vehicle in front of us claimed we crept forward. Since there was very little damage (none to our car), we submitted the claim. To our surprise, we found that the other driver reported $3000 worth of damage to the rear of his car, with the only visible damage being a cracked piece of chrome trim at the base of the hatch. We called Travelers immediately, warning them that it was a scam. They seemed indifferent and said they would pay the claim. This could be one of the reasons why insurance rates are so expensive.

Willard - April 13, 2024
Verified

No

Too expensive.

Jeffrey - March 23, 2024
Verified

Excellent

Fast.

The Hartford FleetAhead vs. Travelers IntelliDrive

Travelers customers can save up to 30% with the IntelliDrive program. IntelliDrive is a 90-day program that tracks certain driving habits, such as speed, distractions, and the time of day you’re on the road. The IntelliDrive mobile app has built-in crash detection so it can trace your location and send help if necessary.

The Hartford offers a telematics program called FleetAhead specifically for businesses. The FleetAhead program offers several benefits, including decreasing costs and improving the safety of fleet operations. FleetAhead allows companies to collect real-time operator data and track specific driving habits, such as speeding and acceleration.

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The Hartford vs. Travelers: Which is the cheapest?

Liability coverage from Travelers is cheaper than The Hartford for all driver types on average, according to Insurify data. But full coverage is more expensive.

The Hartford’s national monthly average for liability insurance is $114, while Travelers’ average price for the same coverage is $89. Travelers has more expensive full-coverage insurance, with an average monthly rate of $196. The average cost of full coverage from The Hartford is $179 per month.

But exact car insurance prices depend on a variety of factors, such as your age, driving record, credit history, and ZIP code.[3]

Travelers: Cheapest for drivers with a clean driving record

Travelers offers cheaper average rates for liability-only insurance than The Hartford for people with a clean driving record. People with a driving history free of incidents earn some of the lowest rates.

Driver TypeThe HartfordTravelers
Clean driving record$114$89
Disclaimer: Table data sourced from real-time quotes from Insurify's 50-plus partner insurance providers and quote estimates from Quadrant Information Services. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer's unique driver profile.

Travelers: Cheapest for drivers with a speeding ticket

Travelers has cheaper liability insurance for drivers with a past speeding ticket on their record. Having an incident like a speeding ticket on your record will typically increase your insurance costs.

Driver TypeThe HartfordTravelers
Drivers with a speeding ticket$183$106
Disclaimer: Table data sourced from real-time quotes from Insurify's 50-plus partner insurance providers and quote estimates from Quadrant Information Services. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer's unique driver profile.

Travelers: Cheapest for teen drivers

Teen drivers in the U.S. can earn lower liability insurance rates from Travelers than The Hartford. On average, teenagers pay the highest insurance rates by age due to a lack of driving experience and a higher risk of accidents.

Driver TypeThe HartfordTravelers
18-year-old$246$164
Disclaimer: Table data sourced from real-time quotes from Insurify's 50-plus partner insurance providers and quote estimates from Quadrant Information Services. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer's unique driver profile.

Travelers: Cheapest for senior drivers

Travelers offers slightly cheaper rates for senior drivers than The Hartford does.

Driver TypeThe HartfordTravelers
Senior drivers$69$67
Disclaimer: Table data sourced from real-time quotes from Insurify's 50-plus partner insurance providers and quote estimates from Quadrant Information Services. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer's unique driver profile.

Travelers: Cheapest for drivers with bad credit

Travelers offers cheaper average rates than The Hartford for drivers with bad credit. People with poor credit typically pay higher insurance rates than people with good credit history.

Driver TypeThe HartfordTravelers
Drivers with bad credit$149$98
Disclaimer: Table data sourced from real-time quotes from Insurify's 50-plus partner insurance providers and quote estimates from Quadrant Information Services. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer's unique driver profile.

Compare coverages: The Hartford vs. Travelers

The Hartford and Travelers offer similar auto insurance products, including personal liability, property damage, uninsured motorist, collision, and comprehensive coverage. The main difference between the two insurers is that The Hartford offers car insurance only to AARP members older than 50, while Travelers sells coverage to all types of drivers.

For drivers who want broader protection, both The Hartford and Travelers offer optional coverages to choose from, such as gap insurance and rental car coverage. Travelers has a few more add-ons than The Hartford, including new-car replacement and accident forgiveness coverage. Review the additional coverage options The Hartford and Travelers offer in the table below.

Keep in mind that coverage availability may vary by state. Contact your insurance agent to learn more about coverage options in your area.

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Compare discounts: The Hartford vs. Travelers

Both Travelers and The Hartford offer a range of discounts, including multi-policy, paid-in-full, and defensive driver course discounts. With a good student and student away at school discount, Travelers offers more ways for families with young drivers to save. The Hartford offers a 10% savings to its members just for being an AARP member.

The Hartford and Travelers offer a similar number of discounts. Here are the discounts each company offers. Specifics may vary by state.

DiscountThe HartfordTravelers
Clean driving recordYesYes
Defensive driving courseYesYes
Multi-policyYesYes
Multi-carNoYes
Low mileageNoYes
Telematics (safe driving app)YesYes
Anti-theft deviceNoNo
New carNoYes
Military/affiliationYesYes
Good studentNoYes
LoyaltyNoYes
Auto payNoYes
Student away at schoolNoYes
HomeownerNoYes
Alternative fuelYesYes

The Hartford vs. Travelers FAQs

Identifying the right car insurance company for you can feel challenging. The following information should answer your remaining questions about The Hartford and Travelers.

  • Is The Hartford the same as Travelers?

    No. The Hartford and Travelers are separate insurance companies. Both companies sell quality coverage throughout the country, though Travelers has a higher market share than The Hartford.

  • Is Travelers good about paying claims?

    Yes. Travelers has a good track record of paying claims compared to other insurance companies. Travelers earned a score of 871 out of 1,000 in J.D. Power’s 2023 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study. And the company has an AM Best financial strength rating of A++ (Superior).

  • Does The Hartford have a good reputation?

    Yes. The Hartford has a good reputation in the insurance industry, as evident in its ratings, including an A+ (Superior) financial strength rating from AM Best and above-average customer satisfaction ratings in multiple regions in J.D. Power’s 2023 Auto Insurance Study.

  • What are the main differences between The Hartford and Travelers insurance policies?

    The main difference between The Hartford and Travelers insurance policies is availability. The Hartford is primarily available to AARP members, while Travelers sells policies to a wide variety of people, including young drivers and senior drivers.

Sources

  1. J.D. Power. "Auto Insurance Customer Satisfaction Plummets as Rates Continue to Surge, J.D. Power Finds."
  2. National Association of Insurance Commissioners. "2023 Property and Casualty Market Share."
  3. Insurance Information Institute. "https://www.iii.org/article/what-determines-price-my-auto-insurance-policy."
Theresa Stevens
Theresa Stevens

Theresa Stevens is a personal finance writer based in Boston, Massachusetts. Her work has been featured in Forbes Advisor, Bankrate, and more. As a former financial advisor, she has first-hand experience helping people solve their money challenges. When she's not writing, you'll find her trying out new karaoke spots or planning her next trip abroad.

Katie Powers
Edited byKatie PowersAuto and Life Insurance Editor
Photo of an Insurify author
Katie PowersAuto and Life Insurance Editor
  • Licensed auto and home insurance agent

  • 3+ years experience in insurance and personal finance editing

Katie uses her knowledge and expertise as a licensed property and casualty agent in Massachusetts to help readers understand the complexities of insurance shopping.

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Konstantin Halachev
Data reviewed byKonstantin HalachevVice President of Engineering
Headshot of Konstantin Halachev, VP of Engineering at Insurify
Konstantin HalachevVice President of Engineering
  • 7+ years experience in data analysis

  • Ph.D. in Computational Biology

Konstantin has led data teams across multiple industries, including insurance, travel, and biology. He’s led Insurify’s engineering team for more than three years.

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