Is Foremost Insurance a reputable company?

Foremost has been offering auto insurance for 65 years, and the business is licensed to operate nationwide, so it’s a legitimate insurer. But it has received a higher-than-average number of complaints with the NAIC, which suggests some customers haven’t had positive experiences with the company.

Is Foremost Insurance pulling out of Florida?

No. Foremost is a subsidiary of the Farmers Insurance Group, and Farmers is pulling out of Florida. But Foremost will continue to sell policies in the Sunshine State.

Who owns Foremost Insurance?

The Farmers Insurance Group acquired Foremost in 2000. It’s a subsidiary of the Farmers Casualty Insurance Company.

What are the main differences between Erie and Foremost insurance?

Erie offers more affordable average premiums than Foremost and has a lower number of complaints with the NAIC. But Erie offers coverage in only 12 states, while Foremost covers drivers nationwide.

Erie vs. Foremost: Which Is the Best? (2024)

Name: Car Insurance
Brand: Erie Insurance
Price: 49 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.1 (132 reviews)

The verdict
Erie
Foremost
Telematics
Which is the cheapest?
Compare coverages
Compare discounts
FAQs

The verdict
Erie
Foremost
Telematics
Which is the cheapest?
Compare coverages
Compare discounts
FAQs

Erie Insurance Group is the 12th-largest insurer in the United States. It operates in only 12 states, but the company consistently earns top marks for customer service in the states where it operates.^[1]

Foremost Insurance Company is a subsidiary of Farmers Insurance, and it operates in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.^[2] But the insurer has received an above-average number of complaints, and its coverage costs are more than Erie’s on average.

When deciding between Erie and Foremost, it’s important to consider the big picture, including rates, discounts, policies offered, restrictions on eligibility, customer service, coverage options, and limits. Here’s what you need to know about Erie and Foremost so you can find the best policy for your needs.

Quick Facts

Foremost specializes in coverage for high-risk drivers, while Erie offers more traditional coverage.
Auto insurance premiums are much lower from Erie than Foremost, on average.
Erie offers a telematics program, while Foremost doesn’t.

Erie vs. Foremost: The verdict

Erie’s average premiums are far lower than Foremost’s, coming in at less than half the cost. The insurer also received a below-average number of complaints with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) compared with an above-average number for Foremost.^[3] Its affordable rates and top marks for customer service from clients make Erie the better choice if you live in one of the states where it’s available.

Foremost is known for covering high-risk drivers. People with poor credit history or a DUI may find Foremost to be a better option than Erie.

The table below provides a detailed comparison between Erie and Foremost, including their Insurify Quality (IQ) Score, third-party ratings, and average liability rates.

Factor ▲▼	Erie ▲▼	Foremost ▲▼
IQ Score	9.0	7.4
J.D. Power customer satisfaction score	856 out of 1,000	Not Ranked
Average quote: liability only	$49	$117
Number of discounts	9	10
Number of states where it operates	12	50

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.

How Insurify rates insurance companies
Our editorial team spent more than 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. The team weighted criteria 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 10 scale based on five categories: financial ratings, customer satisfaction, affordability, customer support and transparency, and availability. Insurify updates ratings once a year or as more recent information becomes available.
- Third-party financial ratings: Insurify uses 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 55,000 customer reviews across 155 car insurance companies. We also consider 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 U.S., 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 scores availability and reach by identifying the number of states in which insurers offer coverage and company size by market share.

Erie

Erie offers coverage in 12 states but has received favorable reviews, and it charges affordable premiums. Erie also boasts a below-average number of consumer complaints on the NAIC complaint index and the highest ratings of any insurer in several markets in J.D. Power’s 2023 U.S. Auto Insurance Study.

Erie Insurance

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User Reviews	3.9
IQ Score The Insurify Quality (IQ) Score uses more than 15 criteria to objectively rate insurance companies on a one-to-ten scale. The Insurify editorial team researches insurer data to determine the final scores.	9.0/10
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.	$49/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.	$93/mo

Overview

For nearly 100 years, Erie Insurance has been selling auto coverage. The company operates in 12 states and Washington, D.C., and also offers more than two dozen types of insurance, including home, life, and business insurance. A.M. Best gives Erie an A+ rating for financial stability and credit strength. The company has a lower-than-expected number of complaints with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners Customer Complaint Index, and ranks third in overall customer satisfaction according to J.D. Power rankings. The company also has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.

Pros and cons

Pros

Excellent BBB, J.D. Power, and A.M. Best ratings
Competitive rates for teenagers and drivers with speeding tickets

Cons

Available in only 12 states
Customers can’t buy a policy or file a claim online

Reviews (132)

Lacy - December 11, 2024

Verified

They were okay, I guess

They're okay, I guess. They wouldn't sell me full coverage because my car had just a couple of dents, but I still thought it looked good.

Bret - December 9, 2024

Verified

Average

Good, but just too expensive.

Sarah - November 27, 2024

Verified

Been with Eire for Approximately 12 Years, but Recent Increases are Just Too Much

My biggest and only complaint is that the rate increases are becoming more than I can handle.

…

Foremost

Foremost typically charges higher premiums and has a higher-than-average number of consumer complaints with the NAIC. But it has a wider range of availability than Erie. Foremost also specializes in offering coverage to high-risk drivers and clients with poor credit, who might otherwise struggle to find coverage.

Foremost

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User Reviews	2.7
IQ Score The Insurify Quality (IQ) Score uses more than 15 criteria to objectively rate insurance companies on a one-to-ten scale. The Insurify editorial team researches insurer data to determine the final scores.	7.4/10
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.	$117/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.	$268/mo

Overview

Founded in 1952, Foremost is a member of the Farmers Insurance Group and operates in all 50 states. Foremost offers car insurance through its partnership with Bristol West. In addition to car insurance, Foremost offers home insurance, classic car coverage, motorcycle insurance, and more. Its range of insurance products allow Foremost to offer discounts for multiple policies with the insurer, multiple cars, paperless billing, and more. Foremost has an A.M. Best rating of A for financial strength and credit, but more than five times the expected number of complaints in the National Association of Insurance Commissioners Customer Complaint Index.

Pros and cons

Pros

Covers a wide variety of vehicles
Coverage available for high-risk drivers

Cons

Poor A.M. Best ratings
Company website gives no information on the company’s history or affiliations

Reviews (12)

Erie YourTurn telematics program

Erie’s YourTurn is a mobile app that monitors driving behavior to see how safe you are behind the wheel. You’ll receive a score based on two weeks of data that takes into account factors such as smoothness of driving, speed traveled, and driver distraction.

Erie also allows you to earn monetary rewards if you have a high driver safety score. But Erie doesn’t adjust your premiums based on your performance on YourTurn, so it won’t directly affect your insurance rates.

Foremost doesn’t offer a telematics program, so if this is a feature you want in an insurance company, Erie would be a better choice.

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4.8/5

Erie vs. Foremost: Which is the cheapest?

Erie charges much lower premiums than Foremost, on average. Erie charges $49 for liability coverage and $93 for full coverage, while Foremost averages $117 for liability only and $268 for full coverage.

Erie’s costs are also competitive with the national average of $105 per month for liability insurance.

But it’s important to remember that insurers price policies based on each driver’s unique profile. Factors that affect your quote include your location, driving record, gender, credit history, and more.

In the sections that follow, you’ll see how rates fluctuate based on different driver profiles.

Erie: Cheapest for drivers with a clean driving record

Erie Insurance has much lower average premiums for drivers with a clean record than Foremost. Erie is a good option for drivers looking for an affordable rate.

Driver Type	Erie	Foremost
Clean driving record	$49	$117

Erie: Cheapest for drivers with a speeding ticket

Erie’s average premiums for drivers with a speeding ticket are much less than Foremost’s, as you can see in the table below.

Driver Type	Erie	Foremost
Drivers with a speeding ticket	$62	$163

Erie: Cheapest for teen drivers

Teen drivers pay the highest car insurance rates due to a lack of experience behind the wheel. But Erie offers lower rates for teen drivers than Foremost.

Driver Type	Erie	Foremost
18-year-old	$82	$218

Erie: Cheapest for drivers with bad credit

Erie’s average premiums for drivers with bad credit are considerably lower than Foremost’s, as the table shows.

Driver Type	Erie	Foremost
Drivers with bad credit	$79	$140

Erie: Cheapest for senior drivers

Most senior drivers will find Erie’s rates to be much lower than Foremost’s.

Driver Type	Erie	Foremost
Senior drivers	$35	$90

Compare coverages: Erie vs. Foremost

Both Erie and Foremost offer standard coverage options, such as bodily injury liability, property damage liability, uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, collision coverage, and comprehensive coverage.

But Erie offers many unique options most insurers, including Foremost, don’t offer. With Erie’s coverage for pets and personal items in your vehicle, as well as locksmith coverage, you’ll be protected from many losses that would otherwise come out of your pocket. Here, you can see the coverage options available from each insurer.

Coverage ▲▼	Erie ▲▼	Foremost ▲▼
Pet coverage	Yes	No
Personal item coverage	Yes	No
Locksmith service	Yes	No
Gap insurance	Yes	Yes
Rideshare insurance	Yes	Yes
Rental reimbursement	Yes	Yes

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Compare discounts: Erie vs. Foremost

Both Erie and Foremost offer many opportunities to save, but Foremost offers a few more discounts than Erie does, including a good student discount and special savings for being a homeowner.

You can see a collection of the discounts each insurer offers in the table below.

Discount ▲▼	Erie ▲▼	Foremost ▲▼
Clean driving record	Yes	Yes
Defensive driving course	Yes	Yes
Multi-policy	Yes	Yes
Multi-car	Yes	Yes
Low mileage	No	No
Telematics (safe-driving app)	Yes (but it offers rewards, not discounts)	No
Anti-theft device	Yes	Yes
New car	No	No
Military/affiliation	No	No
Good student	No	Yes
Loyalty	Yes	No
Auto pay	No	No
Student away at school	Yes	Yes
Homeowner	No	Yes
Accident forgiveness	Yes	No

Erie vs. Foremost FAQs

Still have questions about Erie and Foremost? Here are some more details about these two insurers so you can decide which one best meets your specific needs.

Is Foremost Insurance a reputable company?
Foremost has been offering auto insurance for 65 years, and the business is licensed to operate nationwide, so it’s a legitimate insurer. But it has received a higher-than-average number of complaints with the NAIC, which suggests some customers haven’t had positive experiences with the company.
Is Foremost Insurance pulling out of Florida?
No. Foremost is a subsidiary of the Farmers Insurance Group, and Farmers is pulling out of Florida. But Foremost will continue to sell policies in the Sunshine State.^[4]
Who owns Foremost Insurance?
The Farmers Insurance Group acquired Foremost in 2000. It’s a subsidiary of the Farmers Casualty Insurance Company.
What are the main differences between Erie and Foremost insurance?
Erie offers more affordable average premiums than Foremost and has a lower number of complaints with the NAIC. But Erie offers coverage in only 12 states, while Foremost covers drivers nationwide.

Methodology

Insurify data scientists analyzed more than 90 million quotes served to car insurance applicants in Insurify’s proprietary database to calculate the premium averages displayed on this page. These premiums are real quotes that come directly from Insurify’s 50+ partner insurance companies in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Quote averages represent the median price for a quote across the given coverage level, driver subset, and geographic area.

Unless otherwise specified, quoted rates reflect the average cost for drivers between 20 and 70 years old with a clean driving record and average or better credit (a credit score of 600 or higher).

Liability-only premium averages correspond to policies with the following coverage limits:

Bodily injury limits between state-minimum rates and $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident
Property damage limits between $10,000 and $50,000
No additional coverage

Full-coverage premium averages correspond to the same bodily injury and property damage limits in addition to:

Comprehensive coverage with a $1,000 deductible
Collision coverage with a $1,000 deductible

Quotes for Allstate, Farmers, GEICO, State Farm, and USAA are estimates based on Quadrant Information Services’ database of auto insurance rates.

Sources

Erieinsurance.com. "Erie Indemnity Reports Full Year and Fourth Quarter 2023 Results."
Foremost. "About Foremost Insurance."
Naic.org. "Consumer Insurance Refined Search Results."
Fearnow Insurance Inc. "Home Insurers Are Pulling Out of Florida, Here is What You Need to Know."

Christy Rakoczy

Christy Rakoczy has been a personal finance and insurance writer for over a decade. Her work has been published on USA Today, MSN, Yahoo Finance, Credit Karma, Forbes Advisor, and more. Christy has a JD from UCLA School of Law and previously worked as a data analyst for Blue Cross and as a paralegal studies instructor before transitioning to writing full time.

Christy has been a contributor at Insurify since August 2023.

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Edited bySara GetmanAssociate Editor

Sara GetmanAssociate Editor

Sara Getman is an Associate Editor at Insurify and has been with the company since 2022. Prior to joining Insurify, Sara completed her undergraduate degree in English Literature at Simmons University in Boston. At Simmons, she was the Editor-in-Chief for Sidelines Magazine (a literary and art publication), and wrote creative non-fiction.

Outside of work, Sara is an avid reader, and loves rock climbing, yoga, and crocheting.

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Data reviewed byKonstantin HalachevVP of Engineering & Data Science

Konstantin HalachevVP of Engineering & Data Science

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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Table of contents

Table of contentsCompare quotes

Erie vs. Foremost: The verdict

Erie

Erie Insurance

Foremost

Foremost

Erie YourTurn telematics program

Find Cheap Car Insurance for You

Erie vs. Foremost: Which is the cheapest?

Erie: Cheapest for drivers with a clean driving record

Erie: Cheapest for drivers with a speeding ticket

Erie: Cheapest for teen drivers

Erie: Cheapest for drivers with bad credit

Erie: Cheapest for senior drivers

Compare coverages: Erie vs. Foremost

Shop for Car Insurance Online

Compare discounts: Erie vs. Foremost

Erie vs. Foremost FAQs

Methodology

Sources

Compare Car Insurance Quotes Instantly

Table of contents