Should Foremost be your first choice?
Foremost Insurance Co., which got its start as America’s first mobile-home insurer, is more than 70 years old and is part of the Farmers Insurance Group. Foremost acts as both an agency and a broker. It sells its own Foremost Signature Auto car insurance policies, as well as auto insurance from Bristol West, a Farmers-owned provider that specializes in high-risk drivers. Keep reading to learn more about what you can expect from Foremost auto insurance.
Looking for the lowest rates around? Check out the best cheap auto insurance.
Rideshare coverage: Rideshare driving is a growing industry, and rideshare drivers require special insurance, which not all car insurance companies offer. Foremost’s rideshare coverage protects rideshare drivers while they’re waiting for rides or driving to pickup destinations.
Rideshare coverage: Rideshare driving is a growing industry, and rideshare drivers require special insurance, which not all car insurance companies offer. Foremost’s rideshare coverage protects rideshare drivers while they’re waiting for rides or driving to pickup destinations.
Plenty of bundling options: Foremost offers a variety of insurance options beyond car insurance, including insurance for many types of homes, RVs, watercraft, and off-road vehicles. Because Foremost is a member of the Farmers Insurance Group, you can also get life insurance and pet insurance through related companies and save.
A more expensive option: Our analysis found that Foremost auto insurance has an average annual cost of $2,897 per year, which is more than twice the national average of $1,070.47. Before you rule out Foremost based on cost, however, keep in mind that your cost may be significantly lower if you’re a low-risk driver.
Low BBB customer review score: Consumer ratings on the Better Business Bureau page for Foremost’s parent company, Farmers Insurance Group, give the company a 1.33-star (out of 5) rating averaged from more than 260 consumer reviews. While this is a combined rating for Farmers Insurance and all the companies it owns, some reviewers who mentioned Foremost auto insurance reported difficulty getting in touch with the company and dissatisfaction with long claims processes.
Foremost has its own car insurance offering, called Foremost Signature Auto. The table below offers more information about the different coverage levels of Foremost Signature Auto:
Insurance coverage type | Value Plus | Enhanced Plus | GrandProtect |
---|---|---|---|
Auto extra | Available | Included | Included |
Child safety seat replacement reimbursement | Undisclosed | Undisclosed | Undisclosed |
Collision and comprehensive | Included | Included | Included |
Diminishing deductible | Available | Included | Included |
Liability | Included | Included | Included |
Local delivery | Available | Available | Available |
New-vehicle replacement | Available | Available | Included |
Personal injury | Included | Included | Included |
Rental car damage coverage | Undisclosed | Undisclosed | Undisclosed |
Rental car reimbursement | Available | Available | Available |
Replacement cost for special parts | Undisclosed | Undisclosed | Undisclosed |
Rideshare | Available | Available | Available |
Roadside assistance | Available | Available | Included |
Safety glass deductible waiver | Available | Available | Available |
Towing/roadside assistance | Undisclosed | Undisclosed | Undisclosed |
Transportation reimbursement | Undisclosed | Undisclosed | Undisclosed |
Uninsured motorists | Included | Included | Included |
Windshield repair | Undisclosed | Undisclosed | Undisclosed |
Worldwide liability | Available | Available | Included |
Learn more about the Foremost Signature Auto coverage options below:
Our AutoInsurance.com market analysis found that the average annual cost for Foremost auto insurance is $2,897 per year. This means that Foremost’s average cost is significantly higher than the average annual price for car insurance of $1,070.47.
Because Foremost operates as both an insurance agent and a broker, this average cost is not necessarily reflective of all of Foremost’s insurance options. If you are not a high-risk driver, you may qualify for the company’s more affordable policies.
Foremost auto insurance is available in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
If you’re an existing Foremost customer, contact customer service through your My Foremost account desktop portal or through the Foremost Insurance Mobile app. In addition to these resources, Foremost offers multiple ways to get in contact with customer service.
To file a claim or check the status of an existing claim:
To pay bills:
Contact the policy services department:
Foremost offers an online customer portal called My Foremost. This portal allows the company’s policyholders to manage their policies, pay bills, and set up autopay and paperless communication preferences to receive a discount, among other options.
The company also offers a mobile app named Foremost Insurance Mobile for both iOS and Android devices. The app was first released in 2021, making Foremost a relatively new participant in the world of on-the-go availability. Both apps allow policyholders to review bills and make payments, review policies, file claims and check their statuses, and request roadside assistance. Users can also find the contact information for their agents and view and share their policy ID cards.
In the Apple App Store, the Foremost app has an average rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars based on 43 reviews. In the Google Play store, the app is rated 3.7 out of 5 stars based on 104 user ratings. Some of the negative reviews in the Google Play store describe the app crashing shortly after login, though Foremost released a bug-fixing update in October 2022.
Foremost Insurance Co. has been in business for more than seven decades. In the 1940s and 1950s, mobile homes, a new innovation at the time, were becoming increasingly popular in the United States. Entrepreneurs Edward J. Frey, Richard E. Riebel, and Edward L. Stoddard founded Foremost Insurance Co. in 1950 to provide the first insurance policies for Americans living in mobile homes.
The company’s specialty in mobile homes during this era led it to work with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to develop the first building codes for mobile homes. Over the next few decades, Foremost grew and began to offer insurance for other recreational vehicles, such as boats, motorcycles, and motor homes.
Farmers Insurance Group acquired Foremost Insurance Co. in 2000. In 2007, Farmers Insurance Group acquired Bristol West, which had been in the auto insurance business since 1973.
Auto insurance:
Home insurance:
RV insurance:
Other vehicle insurance:
To cancel your Foremost auto insurance policy, call the policy services department at 800-237-2060 toll-free Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 10 p.m. ET or Saturday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET.
Foremost’s customer service representatives will help you determine if you owe a cancellation fee or are owed a refund on payments you’ve already made.
If you are already a Foremost auto insurance customer and you buy a new car, you have up to 30 days to add the new vehicle to your policy.
No, Foremost itself does not sell life insurance, but Foremost customers can save by bundling their auto insurance with life insurance from Farmers Insurance, Foremost’s parent company.
No, MetLife does not own Farmers. In 2021, Farmers bought MetLife Auto and Home.
Foremost Insurance Company. Better Business Bureau. (2022).
https://www.bbb.org/us/mi/caledonia/profile/insurance-companies/foremost-insurance-company-0654-88372269
Foremost Insurance Co Grand Rapids, MI. AM Best. (2022).
https://ratings.ambest.com/DisclosurePDF.aspx?AMBNum=2189