Nationwide Auto Insurance Review

If you’re looking for a customizable policy with a well-known and financially stable insurance provider, Nationwide could be an excellent choice. The company has nearly 11,000 independent agents across 47 states, but policyholders can also utilize Nationwide’s website and mobile app to purchase coverage, manage payments, and file claims.

Who It’s Best For

• People with bad credit
• Nationwide customers looking to bundle insurance policies
• Teen drivers whose parents are Nationwide customers
• Good drivers

Who It’s Not Best For

• Drivers with accidents or DUI charges on their records
• Drivers in states that Nationwide does not cover: Alaska, Hawaii, and Louisiana
• Motorcyclists

• Bodily injury liability insurance: Body injury liability insurance covers costs related to injuries you cause to the driver and passengers of the other vehicle involved in the accident, plus any injured pedestrians.
• Property damage liability insurance: Like bodily injury liability, property damage liability covers the cost of repairing another person’s property damaged in accidents you caused, such as their vehicle, fence, or yard.
• Collision coverage: Collision coverage pays for damages to your car and personal property regardless of who is found at fault for an accident.
• Comprehensive coverage: Comprehensive insurance covers damage from sources other than a collision, such as vandalism, flooding, or fire.
• Medical payments (MedPay): Medical payments insurance covers medical expenses for you and any passengers in your vehicle if you’re responsible for an accident.
• Personal injury protection (PIP): Personal injury protection insurance covers medical expenses, lost wages, and death benefits for you and your passengers in no-fault states.
• Uninsured motorist/underinsured motorist coverage: Uninsured and underinsured coverage helps pay for damages to your vehicle and your medical expenses if the at-fault driver in an accident doesn’t have sufficient or any coverage.
• Roadside assistance: Nationwide’s roadside assistance coverage offers 24/7 emergency services, like locksmiths, towing, fuel delivery, and tire repair.
• Accident forgiveness: Accident forgiveness coverage helps you avoid paying higher premiums after your first at-fault accident or minor violation.
• Total loss deductible waiver: In the event of a total loss, Nationwide will have the physical damage deductible waived.
• Rental car expense: Nationwide provides access to a rental car and other transportation while your car is in the repair shop after a covered accident.
• Guaranteed asset protection (GAP) insurance: GAP insurance pays the difference between the replacement cost of your vehicle and the amount you owe on it when it is totaled in a covered loss.
• Classic car insurance: Nationwide’s classic car insurance covers antique cars, vintage race cars, collector motorcycles, military vehicles, and even antique tractors.

Nationwide’s average annual premium is $1,555, which is similar to the industry average of $1,553. However, the cost of an insurance policy with Nationwide will depend on a number of factors, like your location, age, car, and driving history, as well as whether you have state minimum liability or full coverage. Consider these examples:

• Liability only: A liability-only policy with Nationwide averages $937 per year for a 30-year-old. This type of car insurance would fall under the minimum coverage for most states.
• Full coverage: A full-coverage policy averages $2,698 for a 50-year-old. Full coverage policies include liability, collision, comprehensive, and medical payments coverage/personal injury protection.
• Teen driver insurance: Adding a teen driver to your Nationwide auto insurance policy costs an average of $2,932 per year.

The best way to determine your monthly and annual costs from Nationwide is to get a car insurance quote from the company.

• Anti-theft: Install anti-theft devices in your vehicle to get a discount.
• Defensive driving: Complete a state-approved defensive driving safety course to receive a discount.
• Easy pay sign-up: Set up automatic payments to receive a one-time discount.
• Good-student discount: Drivers aged 16 to 24 who maintain B averages or better in school are eligible for discounts.
• Multipolicy discount: Bundling two types of Nationwide insurance allows you to receive a discount.
• Safe driver: If you have at least five years of safe driving, you could be eligible for Nationwide’s safe driver discount.
• SmartMiles: You can get up to 10 percent off your monthly premium based on how many miles you drive.¹ SmartMiles has two parts: the base rate and the amount you pay per mile. The base rate stays the same regardless of how many miles you drive. The per-mile rate changes based on how many miles you drive each month. If you drive a lot, your rates will go up; if you drive less, your rates will go down.
• SmartRide: You can get an instant 10 percent discount when you sign up for Nationwide’s SmartRide program. Its accompanying app uses your phone’s accelerometer, gyroscope, and GPS systems to sense your driving. The better you drive, the higher the discount you get (up to 25 percent).
• Vanishing deductibles: You can earn $100 off your deductible for each year without an at-fault accident on your record, for up to five years (or $500).

Nationwide offers auto and motorcycle insurance in 47 states. It does not cover Alaska, Louisiana, or Hawaii.

While Nationwide has local agents across the U.S., the company’s corporate customer service team is available over the phone (1-800-882-2822), by email (https://www.nationwide.com/personal/contact/online-form), and by mail:

• One Nationwide Plaza
• Columbus, Ohio 43215-2220

Nationwide’s app, Nationwide Mobile, has a rating of 4.4 out of five stars from iOS users and 4.3 stars from Android users. On Nationwide Mobile, you can do the following:

• Make a payment
• File a claim with Nationwide
• Report an incident
• Review policy documents and insurance cards (proof of insurance)
• Request roadside assistance
• Get a quote

Nationwide’s SmartRide app, which tracks your driving behavior and offers discounts for safe habits, has a rating of 4.5 out of five stars from both iOS and Android users.

• Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating: Nationwide has an A+ rating and accreditation from the BBB as of January 2023.²
• BBB customer rating: While Nationwide’s BBB rating is high, its customer rating is only 1.16 out of five stars. Although 232 BBB complaints from the past three years may seem like a lot, Nationwide customer reviews on the BBB website encompass all of the insurer’s offerings, not just car insurance.
• J.D. Power U.S. Auto Insurance Study: The 2022 J.D. Power U.S. Auto Insurance Study looked at customer satisfaction with auto insurance companies across 11 geographic regions. Nationwide had a score of 868 out of 1,000, which is slightly lower than the national average score of 873 out of 1,000.³
• NAIC Complaint Index Score: The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) index measures how many complaints are filed versus how many insurance premiums are written; the lower the score, the better. As of January 2023, Nationwide had an overall NAIC Complaint Index Score of 0.65, which means it has received fewer complaints than the average car insurance provider.⁴

• 1926: Nationwide began as a small mutual auto insurance company called Farm Bureau Mutual Automobile Insurance Co.
• 1955: Farm Bureau Mutual changed its name to Nationwide to reflect its aim to sell insurance coast to coast.
• 1963: Nationwide was the first insurance company to support a national seat belt law, even offering additional medical benefits to policyholders wearing seat belts at the time of accidents.⁵
• 1969: The company first used the Nationwide jingle (“Nationwide is on your side”), and it quickly became one of the most recognizable advertisements in history.⁶
• 1995: Nationwide opened the first full-time corporate blood donation center in the American Red Cross system.
• 2009: Nationwide became the first insurance company to launch a mobile app for customers.
• 2023: Over its 96 years in business, Nationwide has grown into one of the biggest insurance companies in the world, selling policies for vehicles, homes, businesses, and more.

In addition to car insurance, Nationwide offers the following policies:

• ATV
• Boat and personal watercraft
• Business
• Condo
• Dental
• Homeowners
• Identity theft
• Life
• Motorcycle
• Pet
• Renters
• RV
• Scooter and moped
• Snowmobile
• Travel
• Umbrella

You can cancel a Nationwide policy by contacting your local agent or by calling 1-877-669-6877. You’ll receive a full refund for any unused premiums.

Nationwide insurance is a good option — for those who can afford it. Nationwide’s car insurance rates average $1,555 a year, which is on a par with the industry average of $1,553.

However, our research found that comparable car insurance companies tend to have cheaper annual rates. For example, State Farm’s average annual rate is $1,419, and GEICO’s is even lower, at $1,148. If you’re looking for car insurance on a budget, compare multiple companies.

While Nationwide is more expensive, on average, than competitors such as State Farm or GEICO, we were impressed by its good ratings for customer satisfaction from third-party companies like J.D. Power (868 out of 1,000) and the BBB (A+ rating). Compared with the industry average J.D Power ranking of 873 out of 1,000 points, Nationwide scored slightly lower, at 868. While its slightly lower-than-average rating is not terrible, Nationwide scored lower than both State Farm (874) and GEICO (882).

Nationwide’s average customer review rating on the BBB website is low (1.16 out of five possible stars), but most insurance companies have low customer ratings on that site, as people mostly go there to complain. For example, GEICO has an average rating of 1.14 out of five stars, and State Farm is only marginally higher, at 1.17 out of five stars. Most Nationwide reviewers cited high premiums, independent agents who are difficult to reach, or general unhelpfulness with the claims process.

Conversely, Nationwide had an overall NAIC Complaint Index Score of 0.65, which means it has received fewer complaints than the average car insurance provider. GEICO, by comparison, has a score of 1.33, meaning it has more complaints than the average provider.