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If you prefer managing your auto insurance policy completely online, consider insurance from Toggle.
I’ve been reviewing auto insurance companies for a long time, so when I came across a company I hadn’t heard of before called Toggle, I was intrigued. It turns out Toggle is Farmer’s latest brand, and many 21st Century customers are being migrated to it. For everyone else, Toggle is available in just 14 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin. The company has no local agents. Rather, the entire process, from buying to managing your policy, takes place on its website or via its call center. Is it the right insurance company for you? Let’s decide together.
When it comes to insurance, there’s no one-size-fits-all. If you’re not sure where to start, check out our top picks for the best auto insurance companies.
Quick online quotes
Discounts for bundling auto and renters insurance
Lower than average annual premiums
Only available in 14 states
Does not offer non-owner insurance, rideshare coverage, or SR-22s
Toggle auto insurance caters to a younger demographic who prefer to make transactions online, rather than speak on the phone in order to buy and manage their auto insurance. Its rates tend to be cheaper-than-average, and it offers a number of customizable add-ons with renters insurance, its primary insurance product.
However, Toggle does not sell non-owner insurance, nor does it offer rideshare coverage or file SR-22s. Additionally, it’s only available in 14 states, disqualifying it for most U.S. residents.
Toggle costs an average of $1,779 per year, 8 percent lower than the national average of $1,924. However, it’s slightly higher than average when it comes to minimum coverage, with an average annual price of $678 compared to $547.
But many factors impact the cost of auto insurance, so your quotes may be lower or higher based on your vehicle, driving history, mailing address, and more.
Many factors impact the cost of auto insurance, so your quotes may be lower or higher based on your vehicle, driving history, mailing address, and more. For example, when I got a quote from Toggle using an address in Bakersfield, California, my rate was $3,280 per year, much higher than the average.
Company | Average annual premium for full coverage | Average annual premium for minimum coverage |
---|---|---|
National Average | $1,924 | $547 |
AAA | $2,211 | $894 |
Allstate | $2,639 | $597 |
American Family | $1,785 | $713 |
Erie | $1,495 | $483 |
Farmers | $2,320 | $634 |
GEICO | $1,572 | $413 |
Nationwide | $1,805 | $613 |
Progressive | $1,891 | $481 |
State Farm | $1,697 | $482 |
Toggle | $1,779 | $678 |
USAA | $1,322 | $356 |
When I got my quote from Toggle, it automatically applied three discounts: superior driver, good driver, and anti-theft. I know that the anti-theft was due to my car’s anti-theft technology, but I’m not exactly sure what the difference is between a good versus a superior driver. However, I have to assume I got that discount for my clean driving record, with no at-fault accidents or tickets in the past five years (and as a result, no claims).
You can also save with Toggle by being a homeowner, owning a car with an Automatic Emergency Braking system, or bundling your auto and renters policy.
I’m from Pennsylvania, where Toggle does not sell policies, so to get a quote, I put in an address in Bakersfield, California.
This was probably the quickest quote process I’ve ever seen. Toggle automatically picked up my driving history from my name and address, and within seconds I was filling in my vehicle and getting a quote. Once I had the quote, I could adjust limits and add coverages to see how it would affect the price. With Toggle, I could also call a number, although it’s clear that the website directs most people to get quotes online. Still, that’s an option if you don’t want to go through the computer.
However, if you prefer talking to an actual human in person, I would check out Farmers, Toggle’s more traditional parent company, which has local offices throughout the country.
Toggle offers the standard car insurance coverages: bodily injury and property damage liability, uninsured/underinsured motorist, collision, comprehensive, additional equipment, and rental reimbursement/alternative transportation coverage. It also includes roadside assistance with each policy.
So what’s missing? Toggle doesn’t offer non-owner insurance, SR-22s, or rideshare coverage. Non-owner insurance is a good idea if you frequently borrow or rent cars, including carshares like Zipcar. An SR-22 is a form required after certain serious driving offenses, like DUIs, proving that drivers meet state-mandated insurance requirements. Rideshare coverage is essential for drivers who work with companies like Uber or Lyft to cover gaps in their personal auto policies. If you need any of these specialized coverages, you’ll need to explore other insurers that cater to those specific needs.
Note that Toggle is only available in 14 states, as of writing. These are:
Toggle also offers renters insurance — in fact, this is its primary insurance product — and I could have gotten a discount for bundling renters and auto. Some landlords require basic renters insurance, but there are also two higher tiers for more coverage, like an expensive laptop or piece of jewelry. There is also an add-on for pets, because who knows when your dog will damage the carpet.
Renters insurance is much cheaper than auto insurance; I got quoted for as little as $5 a month.
Let’s take the lowest-tier plan, which includes a deductible of up to $500 and a liability limit of $100,000. I could have customized my policy, adding coverage for:
In general, I think it makes sense to increase your coverage above the minimum. It usually doesn’t add too much to your premiums, and in the event of a worst case scenario, like a fire, the expense of replacing your belongings adds up quickly.
Once I chose the limits I wanted for each category, I had a few add-ons to choose from:
According to an April 2024 study from Dollar Sprout, nearly seven in 10 U.S. adults report having a side hustle, and millennials account for 55 percent of that group.1
Since Farmers owns Toggle, for the majority of third-party ratings I had to rely on data for Farmers, not Toggle specifically. Regardless, for the most part Toggle/Farmers did not do great when it came to customer satisfaction. It has a high rate of complaints with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) — nearly 9 times higher than expected for a company of its size — and a below average score on J.D. Power’s customer satisfaction survey. However, it did perform well when it came to its financial outlook, meaning that the company is creditworthy and should be able to reliably pay out claims.
Category | Toggle/Farmers |
---|---|
J.D. Power Customer Satisfaction (Farmers) | 617 out of 1,000 in California (average was 637)
624 out of 1,000 in Texas (average was 645)2 |
AM Best (Toggle) | A (excellent)3 |
National Association of Insurance Commissioners (Toggle) | 8.93 (nearly 9 times more complaints than expected for a company of its size)4 |
Moody’s (Farmers) | Stable outlook5 |
Standard and Poor’s (Farmers) | A |
Poor customer service may be a natural result of a company that operates online primarily, with some over-the-phone service and no local offices. So if customer service is a priority of yours, I’d say Toggle is probably not for you.
With Toggle, I could file a claim on the website. However, if I couldn’t figure that out, I could also use the chatbot, contact the company through an email form, or call Toggle at (855) 864-1530. There is no app, so that’s not an option.
Toggle is too new to be included in the 2024 CRASH Network report, but Farmers got a C- rating, ranking 70 out of 88 overall and number five of the top 10 largest insurers. However, Farmers performed above average in J.D. Power’s 2024 Claims Satisfaction Study, with a score of 706 out of 1,000 points (the study average was 697). That puts it above competitors like Progressive, Safeco, and GEICO.
Source | Toggle/Farmers Score |
---|---|
CRASH Network Insurer Report Card | C-, 70th out of 88 insurers6 |
J.D. Power Claims Satisfaction Study | 706 out of 1,000 (above average)7 |
So just how long does a claim take with Toggle? The answer depends on its severity. For example, an accident with injuries will take longer to settle than an accident with property damage-only. Additionally, it depends on the cooperation of all the involved parties. Once you submit a claim, a claims representative will reach out to you as soon as they can, either by phone or email—your preference. It could take as little as a few days, in the least severe scenarios.
Considering it operates mostly online, strangely Toggle does not have a mobile application. Rather, I handled everything about my policy online, from getting a quote and onwards. The website, while well-designed with a quick quotes process, is lacking any solid information about coverages or discounts, beyond the bare minimum. To find out my options, I actually had to get a quote, a smart business move on Toggle’s part, if not a bit frustrating for the customer.
These are the factors we take into consideration when reviewing insurance companies.
Toggle is a real insurance company that is owned by Farmer’s insurance and has been in business since 2018. As of April 2024, it has an A rating from AM Best.
Farmers Insurance Company owns Toggle insurance.
For 21st Century customers outside of California, 21st Century is now Toggle insurance, although nothing about your policy should change. However, if you live in California, your policy will remain with 21st Century.
Toggle insurance has been around since 2018, although initially, it only sold renters insurance and not auto.
DollarSprout Side Hustle Report 2024: Side Hustle Statistics and Industry Overview. DollarSprout. (2024, Apr 4).
https://dollarsprout.com/side-hustle-statistics/
Trust Emerges as Top Driver of Customer Satisfaction with Auto Insurance as Prices Continue to Surge, J.D. Power Finds. J.D. Power. (2024, Jun 11).
https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2024-us-auto-insurance-study
Toggle Insurance Company. AM Best. (2023, Jun 23).
https://ratings.ambest.com/DisclosurePDF.aspx?AMBNum=11109
Results by Complaint Index. NAIC. (2024).
https://content.naic.org/cis_refined_results.htm?TABLEAU=CIS_COMPLAINTS&COCODE=44245&:refresh
Farmers Insurance Group. MOODY’s. (2024).
https://www.moodys.com/credit-ratings/Farmers-Insurance-Group-credit-rating-600015480/reports
Top Rated U.S. Car Insurance Companies for 2024. Crash Network. (2024)
https://www.crashnetwork.com/irc/
Auto Insurance Repair Cycle Times Improve but Price Increases Take a Toll, J.D. Power Finds. J.D. Power. (2024, Oct 29).
https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2024-us-auto-claims-satisfaction-study