Farmers vs. State Farm

Which car insurance do consumers say is best?

Choosing the right auto insurance company can be challenging. Rates vary by driving history, credit score location, and age, and insurers also offer a wide range of auto insurance discounts. A car insurance policy for teen drivers is usually more expensive due to their inexperience, but middle-aged drivers can find more affordable car insurance rates.

State Farm and Farmers Insurance Group are two of the most popular insurance companies in the nation, selling high-quality insurance policies to thousands of customers.

Both offer similar insurance coverage, but some differences make one of them a better choice for your needs. Moreover, both insurance providers have excellent customer satisfaction ratings and strong financial ratings. State Farm has A++, while Farmers Insurance Group has an A rating.

State Farm reigns supreme as the largest car insurance company in the country, controlling more than 18% of the market in 2017. And while Farmers Insurance may not be able to boast quite the same market share, it ranks as the sixth-largest car insurer in the United States with 3.3% of the market.

For those shopping for a car insurance company, State Farm and Farmers Insurance offer many of the same features consumers are looking for. They both have vast agent networks and a variety of insurance products to bundle car insurance with. But which of the two companies have consumers had better experiences with?

Thanks to thousands of car insurance reviews for both companies, we’ve outlined consumer ratings for each company to determine who consumers prefer. You can find company overviews, consumer ratings and company discounts below.

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Jump to: Consumer ratings of Farmers and State Farm

How do Farmers and State Farm car insurance rates compare?

Which car insurance company offers cheaper car insurance rates, Farmers or State Farm? While the rates the companies offer will vary by person and location, we've gathered average national rates to provide a comparison of Farmers and State Farm.

In the table below, compare the average national car insurance rates for Farmers and State Farm for three different driver profiles for males and females. Keep in mind these are only national averages for a certain profile. Your car insurance rates will differ from these depending on where you live, your unique driver profile and your coverages, among other things.

Driver profile	Farmers average rates	State Farm average rates
Male teen	$3,513	$1,967
Male adult	$1,491	$1,418
Male senior	$1,168	$1,062

Driver profile	Farmers average rates	State Farm average rates
Female teen	$3,285	$1,721
Female adult	$1,537	$1,418
Female senior	$1,085	$1,062

To determine the average national rates for male and female drivers for Farmers and State Farm, we created three driver profiles for both males and females and got rates for drivers for each profile. The profiles for male and female drivers were an 18-year-old teen with state minimum coverages and fair credit; a 35-year-old single adult with 100/300/50 liability limits in addition to full coverage with $500 deductibles for collision and comprehensive, a good credit score and one driving violation in the last three years; and a 65-year-old driver with 100/300/50 liability limits in addition to full coverage with $500 deductibles for collision and comprehensive, a good credit score and no driving violations in the last three years. Additionally, we averaged the rates in each state we had data for that company. Rate data is provided by Quadrant Information Services.

Farmers Insurance overview

Farmers Insurance Group, based in Los Angeles, California, operates through a large network of more than 48,000 exclusive and independent agents. In addition to car insurance, Farmers Insurance also sells homeowners, renters, life, business and many other lines of insurance. In fact, one of the ways policyholders can save on their insurance premiums is by insuring multiple products, such as a car and home, with Farmers Insurance.

Similar to many of the nation’s largest car insurers, including State Farm, Farmers Insurance is giving its policyholders a way to prove how good they are as drivers. Farmers Insurance has a program called Signal, which tracks and monitors your driving habits, including your phone use, heavy braking, excessive speed, the number of miles driven and the time of day you drive. Though this program isn’t available in all states (ask a Farmers insurance agent or check the Farmers website to see if you’re eligible), it can be a great way to earn a cheaper car insurance rate.

Farmers Insurance also has optional coverage for drivers who are afraid their rates will jump after an at-fault accident. If you’ve remained accident-free in the past, but have an at-fault accident, Farmers Insurance will forgive one accident for every three years you drive without an accident.

Another add-on coverage that’s growing in popularity is rideshare coverage. While companies such as Uber and Lyft offer some insurance coverage, most insurers exclude personal coverage when you’re driving for a transportation network company (TNC), such as Uber or Lyft. But in order to fill in those gaps, companies like Farmers Insurance have now begun offering rideshare insurance as an optional coverage.

Farmers could be a better option if you've been involved in an at-fault accident, received a speeding violation, reckless driving citation or DUI offense.

Interested in learning more about additional coverage options through Farmers Insurance? You can find a full list of Farmers Insurance’s optional coverages here.

Read Farmers Insurance reveiws

State Farm overview

State Farm, based out of Bloomington, Illinois, is well-known for its vast network of agents. So despite being the largest car insurance company in the country, State Farm still prides itself on a local feel by employing more than 18,000 agents nationwide.

State Farm’s version of Farmers’ Signal program is its Drive Safe and Save discount. By allowing State Farm to track your driving through your mobile device or your vehicle’s OnStar system, you could qualify for a discount of up to 50 percent, according to State Farm. To learn more about car tracking device programs, including State Farm’s Drive Safe and Save, check out our blog.

Like Farmers, State Farm also caters to drivers who drive for companies like Uber or Lyft. Offering a rideshare coverage program, State Farm says that it typically costs about 15 to 20% more than your normal, personal State Farm premium.

State Farm also offers ways for younger drivers to earn savings. In addition to a good student discount, State Farm also has an initiative called the Steer Clear Driver Program. If you’re under the age of 25 and have been accident and violation-free for at least the past three years, you can complete the Steer Clear program to earn a discount. Additional discounts offered by State Farm include discounts for vehicles made in 1994 or later, depending on the loss experience of the vehicle make and model.

Other features offered by State Farm include emergency roadside service which offers mechanical help at the place of breakdown (towing your vehicle to the nearest repair facility, removal of a stuck vehicle, delivery of gas or oil, battery jumpstart, or locksmith services).

You can learn more about the program by visiting State Farm's website.

Read State Farm reveiws