Methodology for rating car insurance companies

Not every car insurance company offers the perks or customer experience you may prioritize in choosing an insurer. To help you drill down which insurers meet your needs best, our editors objectively analyze the top car insurance companies in the US, from big brands to local insurers and online apps.

We consider customer service, coverage offering, benefits and perks available and the companies financial strength across the insurers’ website and six reputable rating agencies. We create an overall rank for each insurer to give you an idea of which insurer could be right for you. But the best way to compare insurers in-depth is to read our car insurance reviews of the top insurers on your list.

Our ratings

We rate insurance companies using a system of one to five stars.

★★★★★ 5/5 — Excellent

★★★★★ 4/5 — Good

★★★★★ 3/5 — Average

★★★★★ 2/5 — Subpar

★★★★★ 1/5 — Poor

How we rate customer service

The quality of an insurer’s customer support and claims experience can be a deal-breaker for your overall satisfaction with the company you choose. Customer service is the most heavily weighted factor in our star rating, with four times as much impact on the final score. We measure customer service ratings across three trusted rating and review agencies.

J.D. Power

J.D. Power conducts its own research through surveys that determine customers’ overall satisfaction with their car insurer’s price, billing, claims and customer support. J.D. Power uses the results of the survey to award each insurer a score based on a 1,000 point scale. We tallied the most recent J.D. Power ratings for each company, and here’s how we break down those scores in our finder rating.

★★★★★ 5/5 — A score of 1,000 points from J.D. Power

★★★★★ 4/5 — A score of 800 – 999 points from J.D. Power

★★★★★ 3/5 — A score of 600 – 799 points from J.D. Power

★★★★★ 2/5 — A score of 400 – 599 points from J.D. Power

★★★★★ 1/5 — A score of 0 to 399 points from J.D. Power

Better Business Bureau rating

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) gives insurance companies ratings to identify how a business is likely to interact with its customers, taking into account customer complaints and how the insurer resolves each complaint. The BBB assigns letter ratings from its highest rating of A++ to its lowest rating of an F. Here’s how we weigh BBB ratings in our finder rating:

★★★★★ 5/5 — A BBB rating of A or A+

★★★★★ 4/5 — A BBB rating of A- or B+

★★★★★ 3/5 — A BBB rating of B or B-

★★★★★ 2/5 — A BBB rating of C or C+

★★★★★ 1/5 — A BBB rating of C- or below

Trust pilot

Trust pilot awards companies a star rating based on customer satisfaction by weighing customer reviews over time. The final average star rating is based on a five-star scale where older reviews hold less weight, and the more reviews a company has plays into their overall star rating. Our Finder rating weighs trust pilot star ratings as follows:

★★★★★ 5/5 — A trust pilot star rating of 4.5 to 5

★★★★★ 4/5 — A trust pilot star rating of 3.5 to 4.4

★★★★★ 3/5 — A trust pilot star rating of 2.5 to 3.4

★★★★★ 2/5 — A trust pilot star rating of 1.5 to 2.4

★★★★★ 1/5 — A trust pilot star rating of 0 to 1.4

NAIC complaint index

The NAIC complaint index uses a 0 and above point scale to show how a company’s number of complaints compares to other companies of its size and industry. The average number of complaints renders a 1.00, if an insurer’s score is lower than 1.00, it means the company receives less than the average number of complaints. If a company scores higher than 1.00 it means it receives more than the average number of complaints. Here’s how we weigh the NAIC complaint index in our star rating:

★★★★★ 5/5 — A complaint index of 0 to 0.40

★★★★★ 4/5 — A complaint index of 0.50 to 0.90

★★★★★ 3/5 — A complaint index of 1.00 to 1.40

★★★★★ 2/5 — A complaint index of 1.50 to 1.90

★★★★★ 1/5 — A complaint index of 2.00 and above

How we rate coverage and benefits

A company that offers all of the basic coverages plus notable add-ons means you’ll have the full range of coverage options to be able to customize your policy. Fewer options mean less flexibility in building out your policy to fit your needs. The more coverage and benefits offered, the higher our rating. We compared a company’s coverage offering across these 10 car insurance coverages and add-ons:

Here’s how our star rating weighs coverage and benefits offered:

★★★★★ 5/5 — 9 to 10 coverage and/or benefits offered

★★★★★ 4/5 — 7 to 8 coverage and/or benefits offered

★★★★★ 3/5 — 5 to 6 coverage and/or benefits offered

★★★★★ 2/5 — 3 to 4 coverage and/or benefits offered

★★★★★ 1/5 — 1 to 2 coverages and/or benefits offered

How we rate financial strength

AM Best rates companies’ financial strength based on factors such as their balance sheet, business profile, management style and overall financial performance. AM Best awards insurers a letter rating with A++ being the highest possible rating, and D being the lowest possible rating. We pulled AM Best financial strength ratings to determine a company’s financial standing and its ability to pay out claims in the foreseeable future. Here’s how our star rating weighs AM Best ratings:

★★★★★ 5/5 — A++ and A+

★★★★★ 4/5 — A , A- or B++

★★★★★ 3/5 — B

★★★★★ 2/5 —

★★★★★ 1/5 —

Written by

Megan B. Shepherd

Editor, Loans & Insurance

Megan B. Shepherd is a personal finance editor at Finder where she helps people navigate the financial world of loans. Her personal finance expertise has been featured on Forbes, Nasdaq, MediaFeed, Fox News, Time, Reviews.com, and carinsurance.com, adding invaluable information related to personal loans, financial strategies and smart borrowing tactics. Megan graduated from the University of Texas at Dallas with a BS in Business Administration with an entrepreneurial focus. She's worked as a certified financial adviser and has earned certificates of completion from A.D. Banker & Company. See full bio

Megan B.'s expertise

Megan B. has written 32 Finder guides across topics including:

• Personal loans, business loans and home loans
• Underwriting guidelines
• Life, disability, car, health, accident, critical illness, dental and vision insurance
• Policy comparison