Car insurance has gone from being an annoying monthly bill to a crippling expenditure that makes me question if I want to own a car. Headlines across the country have reported on the unprecedented explosion in insurance premiums over the past few years, so if you’re paying out the nose for coverage you want to be sure you are covered by a good company. In a turn of events that is best described by one of my favorite catchphrases, I was Disappointed But Not Surprised to learn that the big name companies land at the top of the list of worst car insurance companies. Even the company that I use ranks concerningly high on the list.
To establish this ranking, Consumer Reports issued a national survey of over 40,000 policy holders earlier this year and ranked 36 car insurance providers based on the responses. The highest scoring providers offered the best service with the most competitive monthly premiums, so the companies on this list scored the lowest in service and monthly premium pricing. Each company is scored out of five possible points for seven factors. The seven factors are premiums, claims, coverage, policy clarity, help and advice, policy review, and service.
The premiums score reflects customer satisfaction with the price of premiums, and claims scores are customer satisfaction with the handling of claims. Coverage scores reflect customer satisfaction with the breadth of coverage, and policy clarity scores reflect the clarity if policy coverage and prices. Help and advice scores reflect satisfaction with proactive advice, policy review scores reflect satisfaction with thoroughness of policy review, and service scores reflect satisfaction with non-claims customer service.
Keep in mind that your experience may vary, and external conditions like your local weather patterns and traffic conditions still impact your rates. Click here to see Consumer Reports’ car insurance buying guide.