Commonwealth Car Insurance Review: Costs and Ratings (2023)

A simple online search for car insurance returns results for countless insurers. One such insurer is Commonwealth Casualty Company, a small regional company headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona.

J.D. Power, A.M. Best, and other third-party services don’t provide a rating for Commonwealth Casualty, likely due to the company’s limited reach. As such, it’s hard to get an accurate read on the insurer’s stability and performance.

Here’s what you need to know about Commonwealth car insurance as you review your auto insurance options.

What is Commonwealth car insurance?

Commonwealth Casualty Company formed  in 2010, and it provides auto, homeowners, and renters insurance policies. The company emphasizes charity work as a core value of its mission, partnering with Habitat for Humanity, the Special Olympics, St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance, and others. Nearly 100% of Commonwealth Casualty’s employees volunteer with various community-based service organizations, according to the company’s website.

How does Commonwealth Casualty auto insurance work?

Commonwealth Casualty appears to follow the agency model. While you can get a quote online, you can’t buy a policy on its website. Instead, you must enter your ZIP code to find contact information for agents nearby, who can help you sign up for car insurance.

When setting your policy rates or renewing your auto policy, Commonwealth reviews your claims history and performs a soft inquiry of your credit from consumer-reporting agencies.

Commonwealth car insurance coverage

Commonwealth offers full-coverage auto insurance, which includes the following:

• Collision coverage: This coverage pays for damage to your vehicle if you’re at fault for an accident. Collision coverage protects you from paying completely out of pocket to repair or replace your vehicle. It’s optional but may be required if you’re financing or leasing your car.

• Comprehensive coverage: Comprehensive coverage pays for non-collision damages like theft, vandalism, fire, and other covered events.

• Bodily injury liability coverage: This type of car insurance covers the medical costs for others who suffer injuries in an accident you cause.

• Property damage liability coverage: Property damage liability covers damage to another person’s property resulting from an accident you cause.

• Uninsured motorist property damage (UMPD): Similar to uninsured motorist bodily injury, this coverage helps you pay for damage to your vehicle if it’s hit by an uninsured motorist or a hit-and-run driver.

• Uninsured motorist bodily injury: Approximately one in eight drivers doesn’t carry insurance.^[1] Uninsured motorist bodily injury insurance covers your and your passengers’ injuries that an uninsured driver causes.

• Medical payments (MedPay): This insurance option covers medical bills for injuries you and your passengers sustain.

• Rental vehicle reimbursement: Rental reimbursement pays for your rental car while your vehicle is being repaired for accident damages. Your reimbursement options with Commonwealth are $20 or $30 a day for up to 30 days.

Supplemental packages include the following:

• Roadside assistance: This optional program can help you in a variety of roadside emergencies. For example, it can cover the cost of a locksmith if you lock your keys inside your car or towing your car if your vehicle is inoperable or unsafe to drive.

• Accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D): This coverage option covers death and life-altering injuries resulting from an accident. For example, the policy pays out if an accident causes your death or a covered injury, such as losing a limb.

How to get a Commonwealth car insurance quote

Getting a quote from Commonwealth is a simple process you can complete in one of three ways:

• Get an online quote. Visit Commonwealth Casualty’s website. Near the top of the homepage, click the “Get a Quote” button and follow the prompts. Enter some basic information about yourself, your vehicle, and the coverage options you desire. Upon completion, you’ll receive a quote for your monthly premiums.

• Contact an agent directly. An agent can work with you to explain your options and design a policy that suits your needs. You can call Commonwealth directly at 1-877-603-1310 or find an agent on its site by entering your address or ZIP code to view a list of the agents nearest you.

• Use a quote-comparison platform like Insurify. Insurify allows you to quickly compare auto insurance rates for Commonwealth Casualty with up to 200 other companies, all in one place.

Learn More: The 10 Best Car Insurance Companies

Commonwealth car insurance cost by state

Car insurance costs vary as insurers value factors like your age, driving record, and vehicle type differently. Another factor auto insurers consider is your location, specifically the state and ZIP code where you live.^[2] 

Here are the average car insurance quotes in the states where Commonwealth operates:

Commonwealth auto insurance rates by driving history

Car insurance companies take your driving history into account when setting your premium rates.^[2] You may be able to qualify for a safe driving discount by improving your record.

Commonwealth car insurance cost by age

Insurance companies understand that younger drivers with less driving experience are statistically more likely to be involved in auto accidents.^[2] As such, insurers typically charge higher premiums for their younger policyholders, and rates generally decrease as you age. Here’s how Commonwealth Casualty’s average monthly rates may change as drivers get older:

See Also: Compare Car Insurance by Age and Gender

Commonwealth car insurance discounts

It’s wise to ask your insurance agent for your discount options to reduce the cost of your premiums. Unfortunately, Commonwealth Casualty doesn’t advertise many discounts, except for the following:

• Safe driver discount: The company calls this discount vanishing deductibles, in which you can subtract $100 from your deductible every year you don’t file a claim, for up to $500 off your deductible.

• Multi-policy discount: If you buy a renters or homeowners insurance policy with your auto insurance policy from Commonwealth Casualty, you can get a discount.

Commonwealth Casualty insurance bundling options

Commonwealth offers more than just car insurance; you can also purchase its homeowners or renters insurance. Like many insurers, Commonwealth Casualty has a bundling discount when you combine your Commonwealth homeowners or renters insurance with a Commonwealth auto insurance policy. Unfortunately, the company’s website doesn’t provide specifics about the discount, so you may need to speak with an agent for further details.

Read More: Bundle Home and Auto Insurance: Save with Discounts

Commonwealth Casualty reviews and ratings

Commonwealth provides auto insurance in Arizona, Ohio, and Texas. Perhaps due to its smaller size, third-party companies such as A.M. Best, Standard and Poor’s, and J.D. Power haven’t rated it.

The company does have a poor Complaint Index Score of 5.16 in 2021 from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).^[3] The industry standard for complaints equals 1.0, so any score higher than 1.0 means the company received more complaints than expected. Conversely, scores below 1.0 indicate a lower volume of complaints compared to the competition.

Commonwealth Casualty customer reviews

Most insurance companies receive a mix of positive and negative reviews, and Commonwealth is no exception. Here’s what Commonwealth policyholders have had to say about the insurer:

Commonwealth Casualty ratings

Many rating agencies, including companies like Shopper Approved, Sitejabber, and Trustpilot, haven’t rated Commonwealth Casualty. Here are user review ratings found on other platforms.

• NAIC: Complaint Index Score 5.16

• Better Business Bureau: A+ grade; 100% Business Response Rate

• Facebook: Rating 2.6 out of 5 stars with 51 reviews

• Google: Rating 3.9 out of 5 stars with 854 reviews

Commonwealth Casualty vs. other insurance providers

The auto insurance market is highly saturated, with no shortage of options to choose from. Understanding how Commonwealth Casualty stacks up against the competition can help you determine whether the provider is the best option for you.

Commonwealth Casualty vs. USAA

Commonwealth Casualty has limited reach, only offering insurance in Arizona, Ohio, and Texas. Similarly, while USAA offers insurance products across the country, it’s only available to active and retired armed forces members and their families. If you have access to USAA’s products, it’s a solid option for its high customer service and financial strength ratings.

USAA’s average monthly premium for full-coverage insurance is $152 and for liability-only coverage is $106, compared to Commonwealth Casualty’s $322 for full coverage and $146 for liability-only monthly premiums.

Commonwealth Casualty vs. State Farm

State Farm is the largest auto insurer by market share, operating in all 50 states and providing a broad portfolio of coverage types for your car, home, life, health, business, and more.

State Farm’s coverage comes with average monthly premiums of $175 and $125 for full and liability-only coverage, respectively. By contrast, Commonwealth’s monthly premiums average $322 and $141 for those same coverages.

While Commonwealth’s discounts appear to be limited to its multi-policy and safe-driving discounts, State Farm offers several discounts for vehicle safety and for installing passive restraint and anti-theft systems. State Farm also offers a Drive Safe & Save discount of up to $30 to reward safe drivers. Additionally, young drivers under 25 may qualify for the Steer Clear program, which helps them improve their driving skills and save money by driving safely.

Commonwealth Casualty vs. Travelers

Travelers gives its policyholders the option to file a claim through its MyTravelers app. That means you can file a claim directly from the scene of an accident while the details of the incident are fresh in your mind. Unfortunately, it appears that Commonwealth Casualty doesn’t offer an app.

Travelers also offer 12 discounts, which is more than you’ll find with most insurers. The average premium for an auto insurance policy is $172 for full coverage and $131 for liability only. For its part, Commonwealth’s coverage will run you $322 and $141, respectively, for similar coverage.

Commonwealth Casualty pros and cons

As with any insurance product, you should balance the price versus the advantages and disadvantages of a policy to determine if it’s the best option for you.

Filing an auto insurance claim with Commonwealth Insurance

An auto insurance claim is when you contact your insurance provider to receive compensation for losses or damages from a covered event, such as a car accident. If the event is covered under the terms of your policy, your insurer will get an estimation of the damage and pay out the claim, up to the lesser of the cost to repair or replace your vehicle, or your policy limit, minus your deductible.

The company’s website doesn’t appear to offer a way to file claims online, and there’s no mobile app either. To file a claim with Commonwealth Insurance, you need to contact your local agent by calling 1-877-603-1310.

See More: Why Do Car Insurance Companies Deny Claims?

Commonwealth Casualty FAQs