AARP/The Hartford Insurance Review 2024

AARP members age 50 and older will most benefit from getting car insurance from The Hartford, as they can take advantage of the 10 percent discount. You may not be aware that, technically, anyone 18 and older can join AARP. However, the car insurance discount is available only to AARP members 50 and older, which I learned after completing the online quote process. Still, if you’re in the age range, The Hartford is one of the best auto insurance companies for seniors.

That being said, this offer still won’t be for everybody. The Hartford is not available to new customers in California and Florida, for example. Additionally, not everyone will see a cheaper rate from The Hartford, even with the AARP discount. The average annual cost of insurance from The Hartford is $2,316, well above the national average of $1,924.

AARP/The Hartford insurance costs an average of $2,316 per year, 20 percent higher than the national average for full coverage car insurance. For minimum coverage, it costs an average of $735 per year, which is still 34 percent higher than the national average.

However, the difference was less stark for drivers with a DUI. While The Hartford charges an average of $3,520 per year, that’s only 6 percent above the national average of $3,328. And for people with an at-fault accident, The Hartford costs an annual average of $3,258, 16 percent above the national average. In every category, The Hartford is more costly than average, but you’ll have to get a quote to see what it’ll cost you specifically.

Compare The Hartford’s Rates

Rates by Driver Profile

Let’s say I’m older than 50. There are many ways I could save with AARP/The Hartford in addition to the 10 percent discount. One, I could bundle my home and auto insurance, saving up to 12 percent on auto and up to 20 percent on home, condo, or renters insurance. I could take a defensive driving course for a discount that will continue for three years, or I could join the TrueLane Program, The Hartford’s usage-based insurance.

With TrueLane, I would save 12 percent just for signing up and up to 25 percent based on my driving habits. That’s pretty good, considering the usual sign-up discount for this type of program is 10 percent. All I would have to do is download the TrueLane app, and it would record every time I drive, scoring me on my rate of acceleration, my phone usage while driving, my turning, my braking, and my speeds. For safe drivers, this program could save you a lot of money. Learn more about safe driving for older adults.

Beyond that, here is a complete list of all the discounts available from The Hartford:

• Bundling home and auto insurance
• Paying policy in full
• Getting an online quote
• Having a car with anti-lock brakes or multiple airbags
• Driving a hybrid or electric vehicle

To start my quote, all I had to do was enter my ZIP code and basic information like my name; date of birth; home address; whether I rent or own; my vehicle information, including the year, make, and model; and other information, like whether I financed or leased my car, if it’s new or used, and how I use it (for pleasure, business, or even to farm). Throughout the process, The Hartford offered a phone number I could call, but I chose to finish the quote online.

Next, I filled out some information about my driving history, gender, and marital status, but it wasn’t until I got to the end that AARP told me I wasn’t eligible, being under 50. I wish it had told me earlier, especially as my birth date was one of the first things I filled out. In general, the process was a little slow, with several wait times for buffering, so it wasn’t the most frictionless quote I’ve ever gotten. However, at least it linked me to some other options like Progressive and Experian. Or, if I was still interested in The Hartford, I could have gone to its website directly and started the quote process over again, without going through AARP.

AARP/The Hartford offers the standard car insurance coverages: liability insurance, including property damage and bodily injury liability; collision insurance; comprehensive coverage; medical payments coverage/personal injury protection; and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. But the company goes beyond these basic coverages with some additional coverage types:

• Car towing coverage: If you need your vehicle towed, this coverage will help cover the cost. The Hartford also offers full roadside assistance through RESCUE 1-800, which includes not only towing but also fuel and flat-tire changes, jump-starts, and lockout services.
• Full glass coverage: If your mirrors, windows, or headlights are damaged, you’ll be able to get the repairs done without paying a collision or comprehensive deductible first.
• Gap insurance: Typically required by lease or finance companies, gap insurance covers the remainder on a loan/lease if you total your car. This ensures that you won’t owe any money on a car you can’t drive.
• Personal umbrella insurance: Personal umbrella insurance would apply if a covered loss exceeded my liability limits. Think of it as an umbrella protecting you on a rainy day.
• Rental car insurance: Not to be confused with rental car reimbursement below, rental car insurance coverage is liability coverage for a rental car. That means you won’t get swindled into buying more car insurance at the rental desk (I’ve been there before).
• Rental car reimbursement coverage: Lastly, rental reimbursement pays for a rental car if your car is in the shop under a covered comprehensive or collision claim.

Finally, The AARP program from The Hartford also offers accident forgiveness, available to those with a clean driving record for the past five years. It means your rates won’t go up after a collision, avoiding a three- to five-year price hike.

For the most part, The Hartford has positive customer and financial strength ratings. In fact, in J.D. Power’s 2023 U.S. Auto Insurance Study, customers in the Northwest ranked it the highest for the second year in a row.¹

Additionally, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ Complaint Index, the company received fewer-than-average complaints — about 75 percent of the complaints it should receive for a company of its size.² Financial strength ratings were high across the board, meaning The Hartford is likely to pay claims in a timely manner.

There are a few easy ways to file a claim with AARP/The Hartford. I could do it online, either on the company’s website or its main mobile app, or I could call a number — pretty standard options. The length of time a claim resolution can take varies, but expect it to take around 30 days, or more if there were injuries or deaths involved.

According to the 2023 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study from J.D. Power, The Hartford is average, with a score of 877 out of 1,000, just one point below the national average.

On the CRASH Network’s 2024 Auto Insurer Report Card, The Hartford got a C, or a numerical score of 582. To compare, the national average is 657, and none of the country’s 10 largest insurers was above that. Smaller insurers, like the North Carolina Farm Bureau and Alfa Mutual, topped the list, but most of them are available in only a handful of states.⁶

Aside from the quote process, which had a bit of buffering, I had no trouble navigating The Hartford’s website and getting information about the AARP program. There are also two mobile apps: Auto & Home at The Hartford, which let me view an insurance ID card, pay bills, change my auto policy, and track claims all from my phone; and TrueLane by The Hartford, which would track my driving and give me a discount for safe driving habits.

Surprisingly, customers rated the TrueLane app higher than the main The Hartford app, which many Android users took issue with. Some users said The Hartford app was laggy and crashed frequently, with many “Something went wrong” errors. Aside from that, reviews were generally positive, citing the apps as useful and convenient.

I assess insurance companies based on their pricing, coverages, customer experiences, claims handling, third-party ratings, customer reviews, websites, and apps. I am looking for companies with affordable prices, but of course, they can’t sacrifice coverage. I’m also looking for companies with an easy quotes process and swift claims handling, whether that occurs online or over the phone. Finally, I look at industry ratings from sources like J.D. Power, the CRASH Network, Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s, and the NAIC, to name a few. By combining my personal experience with a company with the experiences of other customers as well as more objective, third-party data, I can confidently make recommendations as to whom each company would be ideal for.