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Last updated: February 5, 2024

Farmers Auto Insurance Review

Here is the complete auto insurance review of Farmers’ rates, discounts, and policies.

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Farmers has served more than 10 million households and nearly 20 million individual customers in its almost 100-year existence. It’s the ninth-largest provider in the country, offering coverage for auto, property, life, and businesses, among others. With several discounts, robust full coverage, and niche insurance plans like specialized commercial auto insurance for contractors, Farmers provides a thorough set of options that apply to several types of drivers.

Key Takeaways

Farmers is one of the largest, oldest, and most reliable providers in the country. Its average annual rate is $1,878, lower than the annual average of approximately $2,000. Whether you’re looking for basic auto insurance coverage, specialized coverage for construction vehicles, rideshare coverage, or coverage for your sports vehicles, Farmers has a plan for you.

Who It’s Best For

  • People who want full coverage
  • Contractors who need commercial auto insurance
  • Food truck owners
  • Affinity members

Who It’s Not Best For

  • Anyone living in the following states:
    • Alaska
    • Delaware
    • Hawaii
    • Maine
    • New Hampshire
    • Rhode Island
    • Vermont
    • Washington, D.C.
    • West Virginia
  • People looking for the most affordable option

Pros and Cons of Farmers Auto Insurance

Pros

  • Excellent J.D. Power Customer Satisfaction Index rating: J.D. Power gave Farmers an 862 out of 1,000, which is the second-highest rating out of all large auto insurance providers.

  • Excellent commercial auto options: Farmers offers excellent policies for various commercial auto needs, including food trucks and contractors. Its commercial auto packages allow you to increase limits on food spoilage, equipment breakdowns, and construction vehicle costs.

  • Excellent customer service rating: The National Association of Insurance Commissioners scored Farmers a 0.73 on its Customer Complaint Index, which means customers complain to Farmers at significantly lower rates than to competitors.1

  • Robust custom-parts coverage: If you enjoy personalizing your car with custom parts, Farmers has unique coverage options for custom wheels, spare parts coverage, and infotainment systems.

Cons

  • Limited availability: Farmers does not offer coverage in every state. People living in the following states/district must look elsewhere for their auto insurance needs:

    • Alaska
    • Delaware
    •  Hawaii
    • Maine
    • New Hampshire
    • Rhode Island
    •  Vermont
    • Washington, D.C.
    • West Virginia
  • No gap insurance: Gap insurance will help you pay the difference between the cash value of your car and the unpaid loan/lease balance that you owe. Although Farmers doesn’t offer gap insurance, you can still gain gap insurance from a dealership or another provider.

NOTE:

Want to make sure you have gap insurance? Check out the best gap insurance.

What Does Farmers Cover?

  • Bodily injury liability: Bodily injury liability coverage covers any injuries or deaths that you cause with your vehicle. Every state requires bodily injury liability except Florida, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Virginia.
  • Property damage liability: Like bodily injury liability, most states require property damage liability coverage, which provides you with coverage for damages that you cause to someone else’s car or their property (such as their house, fence, or garage). Bodily injury and property damage coverage make up liability coverage.
  • Collision: Collision insurance helps cover incidents where you collide with another vehicle/stationary object (such as a street light or fence) or someone crashes into your car, parked or moving. Although no state requires collision coverage, we recommend adding it, since liability coverage only covers the other party.
  • Comprehensive: Comprehensive coverage reimburses you for thefts and damages that don’t result from collisions, such as falling trees, fires, rocks, potholes, and natural disasters. Collision and comprehensive coverage are part of full coverage insurance, while insurance products like roadside assistance, accident forgiveness, and personal property protection are extra.
  • Medical payments: Medical payments coverage covers any medical bills that you or your passengers incur in an accident. Medical payments coverage is only required in 15 states, but we recommend it for the added protection it provides you and your passengers.
  • Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage: If you get into a collision with someone who is uninsured or underinsured, this coverage reimburses you if they’re at fault. This is a good option for hit-and-run situations, as well.
  • Towing and roadside coverage: Farmers will provide you with 24/7 roadside assistance if your car is undrivable. Roadside coverage helps pay for towing, locksmith services, jump starts, tire changes, and other minor repairs.
  • Rental car reimbursement: Rental car reimbursement will cover the cost of renting a vehicle for up to 30 days while your car is being repaired. Farmers can handle the billing arrangements with select dealerships for you.
  • Loss of use: Sometimes offered as a part of rental car reimbursement, loss of use coverage will reimburse you for transportation costs, like taxi or public transportation fares, while your car is being repaired under a covered claim.
  • Customized equipment: Customized equipment insurance covers the cost of repairs or replacement for aftermarket equipment like custom wheels or infotainment systems (available on any vehicle insured with collision and comprehensive coverage).
  • New car replacement: New car replacement will cover the cost of replacing your car with a new one of the same make and model. Farmers offers this coverage only if your car is totaled within the first two model years and has less than 24,000 miles.
  • Rideshare coverage: Rideshare companies provide insurance only after you’ve accepted a ride or while you’re transporting a passenger, not in between rides. Your personal insurance may not cover you during the window in between rides (also known as period one) either, because you’re technically working as a contractor. If you get into an accident while your rideshare app is on and you’re waiting for a request, you might be liable to pay for the damages/injuries without any help from a provider.

    That’s where rideshare coverage comes in. If you drive for a rideshare service like Uber or Lyft, rideshare coverage will fill the insurance gap that neither your personal insurance nor your personal insurance will cover.

What Will My Auto Insurance Rate Be?

The average cost of car insurance with Farmers is $1,878, which is lower than the national annual average of approximately $2,000.

Your rates may be higher or lower than the average based on where you live, your driving history, your credit score, and other factors that insurers consider. Someone with a clean driving record will pay less in insurance costs, as they are less likely to file a claim. Requirements for coverage and limits also depend on where you live. The best way to get your auto insurance rate would be to speak directly with an agent.

Farmers Car Insurance Discounts

  • Automatic payments: Set up automatic payments through an electronic funds transfer and you could be eligible for a discount.
  • Away-at-school discount: If one of your kids is at least 100 miles away at school and doesn’t have access to a Farmers-insured car, you could be eligible for this discount.
  • Good student discount: High school and college students who maintain B averages, are in the top 20 percent of their class, or get on the Dean’s List/Honor Roll, are eligible for a good student discount.
  • Homeowner discount: Homeowners earn a discount, regardless of which provider insures their homes.
  • Multiline discount: Couple your Farmers auto policy with at least one other policy (such as home, life, or umbrella) and you could earn a discount.
  • Multivehicle discount: Insuring multiple cars with Farmers could earn you a discount.
  • New car discount: Insuring a new car or a car that is less than three years old could qualify you for a new car discount.
  • Safe driver discount: Sign up for Farmers’ Signal app and you can earn a discount and additional rewards by driving safely. The app will track your driving habits, generate a score, and process your savings. If you drive unsafely, however, your premiums could increase.
  • Safe driver history discount: If you don’t rack up any points for bodily injury claims you caused involving another driver, you could earn a discount.

Farmers Customer Service

You can reach out to a Farmers customer service representative through the mobile app, online portal, Farmers’ FAQ page (https://www.farmers.com/faq/auto/), or by telephone at 888-327-6335.

Mobile Apps and Online Features

Here’s the full list of what you can do with the app and web portal:

  • Report a claim.
  • Request roadside assistance.
  • Request a quote.
  • Live chat with or send messages to your agent.
  • Pay bills and manage your payment options.
  • View digital proof of insurance.
  • Enroll in paperless insurance.
  • Receive notifications about important policy changes or updates, like changes to the status of your claims.

The Farmers Mobile app has a 4.8 rating in the Apple Store and a 4.6 rating in the Google Play store.

You can also manage your safe driver tracking program through the Signal App, which has a 4.2 rating in the Google Play store and a 4.8 in the Apple Store. Signal is a smartphone app that tracks your driving habits by monitoring your speed, braking tendencies, phone use while driving, and other driving metrics.

The app will do the tracking for you automatically, let you know how safely or unsafely you drive, offer tips on how to improve, and determine the savings (or increases) you’ll earn on your premiums.

Third-Party Ratings

  • J.D. Power Index: The 2022 J.D. Power U.S. Insurance Shopping Study gave Farmers an 862 out of 1,000 in customer satisfaction, the second-highest score among large car insurance providers.
  • Better Business Bureau rating: Farmers has an A rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB), the second-highest possible BBB rating. Farmer’s BBB score is a reflection of how many customers complain to Farmers, how well Farmers handles the complaints, and how transparent Farmers is in its business practices.2
  • AM Best financial strength rating: As recently as June 2022, AM Best gave Farmers an A (Excellent) rating for its financial strength and stability, which is the second-highest possible score an insurance provider can earn. Financial strength is important because insurance companies rely on maintaining their credit strength in order to pay for claims and provide your insurance benefits, like rental reimbursement or roadside assistance.
  • National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC): The NAIC gave Farmers a complaint score of 0.73, which is about 25 percent lower than the expected complaint mean of 1.0. This score measures the volume of complaints a company receives in comparison to the industry standard. The lower the score, the better. Farmers scored significantly lower than many of its top competitors, including GEICO (1.92) and State Farm (1.18).

Company History

Farmer started from a small, one-room Los Angeles office in 1928, one year before the Great Depression. Founders John C. Tyler and Thomas E. Leavey started the company by providing cheap coverage to – you guessed it – farmers and their farming vehicles.

In the 1930s, Farmers became the first insurance provider to offer comprehensive insurance after an earthquake hit Los Angeles. This was one of many earthquakes and natural disasters Farmers would respond to in its nearly 100-year history.

Today, Farmers serves 20 million customers with over 48,000 agents and 21,000 employees. It’s the seventh-largest auto insurance provider, it has its own training facilities for agents and employees, and it maintains some of t

Other Insurance Farmers Provides

  • Property insurance: Homeowners, renters, condo, landlord, vacation home, mobile home
  • Business insurance: Commercial auto, cyber, general liability, workers’ compensation, business insurance, commercial property
  • Life insurance: Life insurance, term life, whole life, universal life, accidental death
  • Miscellaneous: Umbrella, pet, flood, rideshare, financial products

Cancellation Policy

Farmer does not have any cancellation or early termination fees. Cancel your Farmers insurance by sending a request through the Contact Us form on Farmers.com (https://www.farmers.com/contact-us/send-message/), talking to your agent, or calling Farmers at 1-888-327-6335.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the Farmers insurance guy in Farmers’ commercials?

Actor J. K. Simmons is the notable actor in Farmers’ commercials. Simmons has made hundreds of cinematic appearances and has received several awards/nominations from the Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, and others.

How can I qualify for Farmers’ senior defensive driving course?

Depending on what state you’re in, you must be either 55 or 65 years or older to qualify for the defensive driving course discount. You must also show Farmers a certificate of completion from a Department of Motor Vehicles-approved course.

How do I find a local Farmers agent?

  1. Use the Farmers agent-finder tool on its website. Access the tool here: https://agents.farmers.com/?_ga=2.39564835.165568743.1668640610-325876393.1664919214.
  2. Search by location and  enter your city and state or zip, or search by name and state if you already know your agent’s name.
  3. Click Search.
  4. View the agents’ ratings, addresses, phone numbers, languages spoken, and contact information.
  5. Filter by languages spoken and insurance products for more refined results.

Are Farmers and Allstate the same?

No, Farmers and Allstate are not the same. They are separate, unrelated companies. The Zurich Insurance Group owns Farmers Insurance, while Allstate is a publicly held company.

Citations

  1. Results By Complaint Code NAIC. (2022).
    https://content.naic.org/cis_refined_results.htm?TABLEAU=CIS_CODE&COCODE=21628&:refresh

  2. Farmers Insurance Business Profile. Better Business Bureau. (2023).
    https://www.bbb.org/us/ca/woodland-hills/profile/insurance-companies/farmers-insurance-1216-18605