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After being a loyal USAA customer for over 20 years (with two cars and house insurance), I’m currently shopping around because they’ve become a “complete mess”. When my car was totaled by an at-fault driver, dealing with the other driver’s insurance was “incredibly easier” than with USAA, which lacked a central point of contact and had slow, passive-aggressive communication.
As someone who used to be in the insurance industry, I can tell you that the big names like USAA, Geico, AAA, Travelers, Mercury, and Liberty Mutual generally treat their customers quite similarly. While you might hear about bad experiences, these companies are usually pretty good. However, be wary of budget carriers like The General, as their low prices often come with minimal coverage and subpar customer service.
Having been a Geico customer, I recently saw my 6-month premium jump significantly after the first term, from $530 per month to upwards of $700 per month, even with a pristine driving record. When I shopped around, other companies quoted me even higher, over $1,000 per month, which made Geico still the cheapest of the bunch for me, despite the huge increase.
From my experience working in collision repair for almost 20 years, I’d advise staying away from State Farm, Allstate, and Liberty Mutual. We often have to balance bill their policyholders because these carriers won’t pay for manufacturer-required repairs. Their response time for repair correspondence can also be quite long, sometimes 2-3 weeks, leaving your car sitting.
As someone in my early twenties shopping for insurance, Progressive was the most affordable option for me, and I haven’t had any issues with claims. When I was looking, some companies defaulted to much higher liability coverage, like $250,000/$500,000, while others started at the state minimum. It’s important to compare similar coverage levels when you’re shopping around.
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