Bristol West Auto Insurance Review

Bristol West is a member of Farmers Insurance Group, one of the country’s largest insurers of vehicles, homes, and small businesses. Bristol West offers coverage for drivers in challenging situations, including those with poor driving records, poor or no credit, or traffic violations.

Who it’s best for:

• Drivers classified as high-risk, including drivers with low credit scores, no histories of insurance, DUIs, or multiple traffic violations on their records.
• People who prefer working with insurance agents or brokers directly.

Who it’s not best for:

• Good drivers who are looking for the cheapest rates.
• People who want good student discounts.

Pros and Cons of Bristol West Auto Insurance

• Liability: Liability coverage helps cover the cost of another driver’s property and bodily injury expenses if you are found at fault in an accident. You can choose the amount of bodily injury and property damage coverage.
• Medical payments: Bristol West’s medical payments coverage will pay for your medical care due to a car accident up to $10,000.
• Uninsured/underinsured motorist: Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage covers your out-of-pocket expenses when you get into an accident with someone who lacks insurance or has insufficient coverage.
• Comprehensive: Comprehensive coverage assists with physical damage from events that are out of your control, like theft, vandalism, or weather.
• Collision: Collision insurance helps cover damage that occurs when your vehicle collides with another car or object. No state requires collision insurance, but we recommend it. It will cover damages after a crash regardless of fault (but not for events such as weather and vandalism).
• Towing and roadside assistance: Bristol West will take care of the cost of towing or roadside assistance as it applies to each disablement on a covered vehicle, subject to a maximum per policy.
• Rental reimbursement: Bristol West will reimburse you up to $50 per day for up to 30 days if you need a rental car after a covered loss.
• Permissive user coverage: Drivers with permission to use your vehicle are covered under your vehicle’s insurance.
• $500 trailer physical damage: Bristol West provides liability coverage for a trailer you own that is attached to a covered vehicle.
• Rideshare: Rideshare coverage extends your auto policy limits and coverage if you use your car while working for a rideshare company, like Uber Eats.

Your auto insurance premium from Bristol West will depend on your driving record, age, gender, mailing address, and vehicle’s make and model. Bristol West’s average annual cost is $2,910.

• Multipolicy: Bristol West offers a discount if you buy multiple policies from Bristol West, Farmers, or Foremost Insurance.
• Automatic payments: Sign up for automatic payments to receive a discount on your auto insurance premium.
• Paperless billing: Bristol West provides a discount if you go paperless for policy documents and bills.
• Good driving record: Bristol West can help you get a discount on your premium if you maintain a good driving record.

Bristol West auto insurance policies are available to customers in 43 states. Visit the company’s website to find an agent or broker in your area.

Contact Bristol West by phone, fax, text, or mail.

Bristol West has a 24/7 phone pay and billing line. The customer service line is available weekdays from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. local time. Enroll in text alerts to receive payment reminders and missed-payment alerts on your mobile device.

Bristol West also has flexible billing and payment plan options. Look online to enroll in direct deposit or to find another payment solution.

Bristol West provides easy and secure access to policy information through the company’s website and mobile app. The Bristol West mobile app is rated 4.6 out of 5 stars by iOS users and 3.8 out of 5 stars by Android users. Here are some of the available features:

• Review bills, make payments, and manage payment methods.
• Enroll in the direct debit/electronic funds transfer (EFT) program.
• File claims and track progress.
• Access ID cards for your auto policies.
• View policy information.
• Find contact information for your agent.

• Better Business Bureau rating: While Bristol West is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB), its parent company, Farmers Insurance, has an A rating from the BBB. Farmers Insurance has been accredited since 1951.
• BBB customer rating: Farmers Insurance/Bristol West’s BBB customer rating is 1.35.¹ Low BBB customer ratings are pretty typical for insurance companies. We found complaints against Bristol West that included difficulty canceling or receiving refunds for auto and life insurance policies, difficulty accessing rental reimbursement coverage, and slow response to claims.

Bristol West was established in Florida in 1973 as a private passenger automobile insurance carrier for Florida residents. The company has since expanded its reach to 43 states. Bristol West is a member of Farmers Insurance Group, one of the largest property and casualty insurer groups in the United States.²

Farmers Insurance owns Bristol West. Bristol West agents and independent brokers can help you access other types of policies through the Farmers group of insurance companies. Bristol West provides the following types of insurance in certain states:

• Commercial auto insurance
• Non-owner insurance
• Rental car coverage

Bristol West recommends contacting your agent or broker if you want to cancel your policy. However, you can also call Bristol West for cancellation options. Please note that Bristol West will cancel your policy for nonpayment of your premium.