Travelers has higher customer satisfaction and lower average premiums than Farmers, making it a better choice for many drivers looking for an affordable car insurer.
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.
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.
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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Travelers and Farmers are two of the largest national car insurance companies, and both companies have ample coverage offerings. But Travelers has a higher AM Best financial strength rating, lower premiums, and a higher Insurify Quality (IQ) Score of 9.0 out of 5. Farmers has a much larger agent network, but both insurance companies offer in-person support from many agents and brokers.
Before you buy a new auto policy, you should compare quotes from multiple insurance companies. Here’s what you need to know about Farmers and Travelers to decide which company is right for you.
Quick Facts
Travelers has received fewer customer complaints than Farmers on the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) complaint index.
The average cost of liability insurance is $109 per month from Farmers and $89 from Travelers.
Farmers and Travelers both have safe driving telematics programs.
Farmers vs. Travelers: The verdict
Travelers charges lower average premiums than Farmers for motorists across many different driving profiles and coverage levels. Compared to Farmers, Travelers also received a lower number of complaints filed with the NAIC and earned higher customer satisfaction rankings in most markets in the J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Auto Insurance Study.[1]
Farmers has more add-on auto insurance products and discounts than Travelers. The company also has more insurance agents and a slightly higher rating for its mobile app in the Apple App Store. Both companies sell quality car insurance, but you may find Travelers is the better option thanks to lower prices and a higher IQ Score.
The table below shows some key differences between Farmers and Travelers that you should consider when looking for a car insurance policy that meets your specific needs.
Factor
▲▼
Farmers
▲▼
Travelers
▲▼
IQ Score
8.3
9.0
J.D. Power customer satisfaction score
802 out of 1,000
806 out of 1,000
Average quote: liability only
$109
$89
Number of discounts
18
14
Number of states where it operates
50
50
Disclaimer: Table data sourced from real-time quotes from Insurify's 50-plus partner insurance providers. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer's unique driver profile.
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 28,000 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.
Farmers
With 4.55% of the personal auto insurance market share in the United States, Farmers is the country’s seventh-largest car insurance company.[2] Farmers received an above-average number of complaints on the NAIC complaint index for a company of its size.
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.
8.3/10
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.
$109/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.
$239/mo
Farmers Insurance sells policies in 42 states, and its more than 30 insurance offerings include auto, home, renters, earthquake, life, business, and pet insurance. Farmers has more than 20 auto insurance discount options, providing many ways drivers can save on premiums. Drivers can qualify for discounts by bundling policies, paying in full, being accident-free for five years, installing anti-theft devices, and taking a defensive driving course, among other things. Farmers also receives fewer customer complaints than the market average with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
Pros
Many auto insurance discounts
Robust roadside assistance program
Offers customized equipment coverage add-on
Cons
Lower customer satisfaction scores from J.D. Power
Tends to have higher premiums than some competitorsNot available in every state
It's been a year and they still haven't updated that my husband has passed away.
Raul - November 23, 2024
Verified
I don't like paying more during my renewal periods! It's really an abuse!
Prices change 2 or 3 times per year.
Brett - November 23, 2024
Verified
I feel like I'm paying too much for just liability insurance
The service is good, but the coverage is a bit high-priced.
…
Travelers
Travelers received a below-average number of complaints with the NAIC for a company of its size. As the eighth-largest U.S. car insurance company, Travelers holds 2.11% of the personal auto market share.
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.
$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.
$191/mo
Travelers is the sixth-largest insurer in the U.S. by market share and has been in business for more than 150 years. The company sells auto, homeowners, renters, flood, pet, and other types of insurance. In addition to standard auto coverages, like liability, collision, and comprehensive coverage, Travelers offers gap insurance, accident forgiveness, new car replacement, and more optional coverages. Drivers can save with numerous discounts, including for bundling policies or insuring a new car. Travelers’ IntelliDrive program rewards policyholders with up to a 30% discount for safe driving.
Pros
Accident forgiveness available
Offers discount for hybrid and electric cars
A++ (Superior) financial strength rating from AM Best
Cons
Rideshare coverage not available in all states
High number of negative customer reviews with the Better Business Bureau
Higher-than-average number of complaints with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners
This is the worst insurance company I've ever dealt with in 20 years. They seem to have no idea what they're doing and their charges are outrageous!
Natalie - November 26, 2024
Verified
Great customer service
Great customer service.
Ellen - November 25, 2024
Verified
Save on Car Insurance
I am looking to renew my car policy as I have moved from N.Y. to Texas.
…
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Farmers Signal vs. Travelers IntelliDrive
Both Travelers and Farmers have a telematics program that you can potentially use to save on auto insurance premiums. You’ll need to install a smartphone app that monitors driving behavior.
Farmers offers an initial discount for signing up for its Signal telematics program. You can save more if you demonstrate safe driving behavior. If you earn a focused driving score above 80%, you can win monthly rewards valued up to $100. The app’s CrashAssist detection also uses sensors to identify accidents, which enables Farmers to send emergency services.
With the Travelers IntelliDrive program, you can earn a premium discount of up to 30% by installing the app to monitor your driving behavior and practicing safe driving habits. IntelliDrive offers crash detection just as Farmers does, but it doesn’t offer any kind of monthly rewards for focused driving.
Good to Know
When you drive, Signal tracks phone usage, hard braking, speeding, time of day, and mileage. Travelers uses similar criteria but also tracks smooth acceleration. Both apps can provide safe drivers with savings opportunities to reduce their overall cost, and both penalize high-risk drivers with higher premiums.
Farmers vs. Travelers: Which is the cheapest?
Travelers car insurance is generally cheaper than coverage from Farmers, according to Insurify rate data. Drivers with a clean record, past driving incidents, or a poor credit history will find that Travelers has more affordable premiums, on average.
But various factors can affect the car insurance rates you’ll pay with each insurer, including your age, driving history, ZIP code, credit score, vehicle type, and whether you own a home or rent.[3]
Getting quotes from both car insurance companies can help you determine how your personalized rates compare so you can find the lowest-cost coverage for your situation. You should also take a closer look at other factors, like customer experience reviews, available insurance services, and claims satisfaction.
Travelers: Cheapest for drivers with a clean driving record
Drivers with a clean record free of accidents or incidents typically pay the lowest rates. On average, Travelers offers cheaper coverage than Farmers for people with clean driving records.