Insurify Quality Score Methodology for Car Insurance Reviews

Insurify reviews car insurance companies based on customer satisfaction scores, financial strength ratings, complaint data, affordability, and coverage offerings.

Courtney Mikulski
Courtney MikulskiSenior Editor, Auto
  • Over 3 years of experience producing content on insurance and personal finance.

  • Key architect of Insurify's quality score.

Courtney's deep knowledge of personal finance goes beyond insurance and includes credit cards, consumer loans, and banking. She loves creating practical content.

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Katie Powers
Edited byKatie Powers
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Katie PowersLicensed P&C Agent, Senior Insurance Editor
  • Licensed auto and home insurance agent

  • 4+ years experience in insurance and personal finance editing

  • NPN: 20564519

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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John Leach
Reviewed byJohn Leach
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John LeachLicensed P&C Agent, Chief Copy Editor
  • Licensed property and casualty insurance agent

  • 10+ years editing experience

  • NPN: 20461358

John is Insurify’s Chief Copy Editor, helping ensure the accuracy and readability of Insurify’s content. He’s a licensed agent specializing in home and car insurance topics.

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Updated

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How Insurify rates car insurance companies

Shopping for car insurance is easier when drivers can compare objective ratings among insurers. To help consumers review the best car insurance companies, Insurify created the Insurify Quality Score (IQ Score). Insurify analyzes 19 criteria, including more than 85,000 verified customer reviews, to rate and review the best auto insurance companies.

The Insurify team groups the criteria into five categories: financial strength ratings, customer satisfaction, cost, customer support and customization, transparency, and availability. The IQ Score uses a 1-to-10 scale to assign a score to insurance companies based on the criteria the team analyzed.

Then, we calculate the average score of each criteria category, assign a weighting, and add the weighted scores to create an Insurify Quality Score for an insurance company. If an insurer doesn’t have data for a particular criterion, we exclude it from the IQ Score calculations.

Insurify currently has Insurify Quality Scores for 47 top U.S car insurance companies. We update data on a rolling basis for criteria that can change frequently, like costs, customer ratings, and complaint data. We update the other criteria that change less frequently, like coverage and discount availability, J.D. Power scores, and financial strength ratings, during full reviews every six months.

You can see the 12 main data sources we use for our Insurify Quality Score criteria and the types of information we pull from each in the table below.

Data Source
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Purpose
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AM BestFinancial strength
Moody’sFinancial strength
S&PFinancial strength
FitchFinancial strength
WeissFinancial strength
J.D. PowerCustomer and claims satisfaction
NAICCustomer complaint data, market share
TrustpilotCustomer satisfaction and experience
Verified user reviewsCustomer satisfaction and experience
Mobile app ratingsCustomer satisfaction and experience
Insurify quote dataAffordability analysis
Auto insurer websitesDiscount availability, coverage customization options, and customer support

Third-party financial strength ratings 

Insurify uses third-party financial strength rating data to score auto insurers. Third-party rating companies independently analyze an insurance company’s financial strength and assign a letter grade to it, with A grades as the best ratings possible.

Insurify uses this data to compare insurance companies’ credit and ability to pay out future claims, which translates to a score of 1 to 5 for that specific criterion. The rating companies Insurify uses for its Insurify Quality Score include AM Best, Moody’s, S&P Global, Fitch, and Weiss.

The table below shows how Insurify breaks down each rating and scores it.

Criteria
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1-2
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3-4
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5-6
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7-8
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9-10
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AM BestC+/C++B-/BB+/B++A-/AA+/A++
Moody’sBelow B1B1/B2/Ba1/Ba2Baa2/Baa3/Baa1/A3/A2/A1/Aa3Aa2/Aaa/Aa1
S&PD or lowerC/CC/CCC/BBB+/BBB-/BBB+/BBBA-/A/A+/AA-AA/AA+/AAA
FitchC or lowerCC/CCCB/BBBBB/A-/AA+/AA/AAA
WeissE ScoresD ScoresC ScoresB ScoresA scores

Customer satisfaction

To score auto insurers on customer satisfaction, Insurify uses ratings from trusted industry experts, customer review sites, and insurer mobile apps. Specifically, Insurify compiles and uses customer satisfaction ratings from J.D. Power, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), Trustpilot, Insurify customer reviews, the Google Play Store, and the Apple App Store.

Notably, Insurify gathered, authenticated, and analyzed more than 85,000 internal customer reviews across 75 car insurance companies to help determine satisfaction of verified customers. Insurify collects reviews from people who successfully compare quotes using our website.

In each customer satisfaction category, insurers earn a score between 1 and 10 that corresponds to the Insurify scoring system below. If a company doesn’t have a particular rating from one or more of the six customer satisfaction criteria, we simply score and weigh it using the remaining criteria.

Criteria
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1-2
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3-4
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5-6
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7-8
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9-10
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J.D. Power 2025 Customer SatisfactionBelow 600600–630631–660661–680681+
J.D. Power 2025 Auto Property Claims SatisfactionBelow 665665–684685–704705–724725+
NAIC3.01 and more2.01–3.01.11–2.00.90–1.10Less than 0.90
TrustpilotLess than 33.0–3.493.5–3.994.0–4.494.5 and more
Insurify customer reviewsLess than 22.0–2.492.5–2.993.0–3.493.5 and more
Average mobile app ratingLess than 33.0–3.493.5–3.994.0–4.494.5 and more

Affordability

As a digital insurance agency licensed in all U.S. states and Washington, D.C., Insurify has access to more than 250 million real-time verified auto insurance quotes from our partner insurers.

The car insurance data collected includes coverage analysis and details on drivers’ vehicles, driving records, and demographic information. Insurify data scientists use this data to compile the car insurance quotes, statistics, and data visualizations displayed on our pages, offering drivers insight into how companies price premiums.

We update this data on our pages and in our internal Insurify Quality Scores monthly.

The lower an insurance company’s average premiums for liability-only and full-coverage car insurance, the higher its Insurify Quality Score for this category. Additionally, in calculating the score, Insurify includes the number of discounts insurers advertise. More advertised discounts translate to a higher score, as drivers can find more ways to save on their car insurance.

The table below shows how Insurify uses this information to rate insurers based on affordability.

Criteria
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1-2
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3-4
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5-6
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7-8
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9-10
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Average Monthly Quote: Full CoverageMore than $350$250–$350$201–$250$156–$200$155 and less
Average Monthly Quote: Liability OnlyMore than $250$191–$250$161–$190$121–$160$120 and less
Advertised discounts3 or less4–56–78–910+

Customer support and transparency

Insurify believes it’s important for drivers to have as many coverage options as possible when buying car insurance.

The Insurify Quality Score measures how many coverages, in addition to liability insurance, companies offer to drivers. We look to see if insurers offer standard collision and comprehensive coverage, as well as add-ons like windshield coverage, gap coverage, roadside assistance, accident forgiveness, and more.

Transparency is key when shopping for car insurance, which is why Insurify considers what information is available to drivers on insurers’ websites.

Here are four main points Insurify looks for when rating transparency:

  • Coverage options = 1 point

  • Contact information = 1 point

  • State availability = 1 point

  • Potential discounts = 1 point

The more information an insurer makes available to consumers, the higher Insurify rates its transparency.

Furthermore, when it’s time to file a claim, Insurify considers how many avenues drivers have to start the process. If an insurer has mobile, desktop, and phone claims filing, it will score a 10 in this criterion because it’s more convenient for drivers to file a claim. 

Here’s how Insurify scores insurers for its criteria.

Criteria
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1-2
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3-4
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5-6
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7-8
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9-10
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CustomizationNone (liability only available)1 coverage option2–3 coverage options4–5 coverage options6 or more coverages
Transparency01 point2 points3 points4 points
Filing claimsOnly desktopOnly phoneDesktop and phone (no mobile option)Mobile and phone (no desktop option)Mobile, phone, and desktop

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 more states an insurer offers coverage in, the higher it will score in the availability criterion. In some cases, smaller, regional companies that serve a specific geographic area don’t earn a score for availability.

Scoring companies by their market share allows Insurify to account for how much of the auto insurance market each company controls. A higher market share percentage correlates to a higher score for this criterion. For each criterion, companies earn a score between 1 and 10.

Criteria
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1-2
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3-4
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5-6
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7-8
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9-10
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AvailabilityFewer than 10 states10–19 states20–29 states30–39 states40 or more states
Market shareNot listed0.01%–0.49%0.50%–0.99%1%–9.99%More than 10%

How to read IQ Scores

Insurify Quality Scores are on a 1-to-10 scale. The higher the ranking, the better. So, an insurance company with a 6.4 scores lower on our overall criteria than one with a 9.8 IQ Score.

The car insurance companies below have the highest Insurify Quality Scores of the 47 we’ve scored.

Insurance Company
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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-ten scale. The Insurify editorial team researches insurer data to determine the final scores.
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State Farm9.3
American Family9.3
GEICO9.2
USAA9.1
NJM9.0
COUNTRY FinancialN/A
Progressive8.7
Allstate8.9
Travelers8.5
Liberty Mutual8.4
  • 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.

Why Insurify created the IQ Score

The Insurify Quality Score provides insurance shoppers with insights from a detailed and quantified methodology for generating insurer ratings. The IQ Score improves Insurify’s car insurance reviews and helps readers choose the best car insurance company for their situation.

As you compare insurance companies, Insurify hopes you use the Insurify Quality Score as a factor in your final decision, whether you’re buying insurance for the first time or switching to a new insurer.

IQ Score FAQs

Learn more about how Insurify Quality Scores work below.

  • What is a good IQ Score?

    The higher a company’s score, the better. IQ Scores are on a 10-point scale, and the highest-ranking companies have scores of 9 or higher.

  • How does Insurify calculate insurance company ratings?

    Insurify uses 19 specific criteria to calculate each company’s Insurify Quality Score. These criteria fall under the larger categories of financial strength ratings, customer satisfaction, affordability, customer support and transparency, and availability. To determine a company’s Insurify Quality Score, Insurify calculates the average score for each category, assigns a weight, and adds up the weighted scores for the final score.

  • What ratings should you look at when comparing insurance companies?

    It’s always a good idea to consider ratings from verified customers, third-party ratings from organizations like J.D. Power, and financial strength ratings. You should also look into average insurance costs, coverage and discount availability, mobile app ratings, and more.

Courtney Mikulski
Written byCourtney MikulskiSenior Editor, Auto
Courtney Mikulski
Courtney MikulskiSenior Editor, Auto
  • Over 3 years of experience producing content on insurance and personal finance.

  • Key architect of Insurify's quality score.

Courtney's deep knowledge of personal finance goes beyond insurance and includes credit cards, consumer loans, and banking. She loves creating practical content.

Featured in

media logomedia logo

Courtney's deep knowledge of personal finance goes beyond insurance and includes credit cards, consumer loans, and banking. She loves creating practical content.

Katie Powers
Edited byKatie PowersLicensed P&C Agent, Senior Insurance Editor
Photo of an Insurify author
Katie PowersLicensed P&C Agent, Senior Insurance Editor
  • Licensed auto and home insurance agent

  • 4+ years experience in insurance and personal finance editing

  • NPN: 20564519

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

Featured in

media logomedia logo
John Leach
Reviewed byJohn LeachLicensed P&C Agent, Chief Copy Editor
Photo of an Insurify author
John LeachLicensed P&C Agent, Chief Copy Editor
  • Licensed property and casualty insurance agent

  • 10+ years editing experience

  • NPN: 20461358

John is Insurify’s Chief Copy Editor, helping ensure the accuracy and readability of Insurify’s content. He’s a licensed agent specializing in home and car insurance topics.

Featured in

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