I've had State Farm for over 20 years now, and their rates have been what I considered decent until this go around when the bill almost doubled from $300 a half to $500 a half. I have no tickets in 20+ years, am over 40 and have had no claims in 5+ years (the one claim I've ever filed after my ex was involvrd in an accident.) I keep low deductibles ($100/$250) and have good to above average credit.

I've been seriously considering switching to a new company but don't know how good any other companies really are since I've been with SF my entire adult life. I received a quote from USAA and it was actually higher than SF and Geico ($200 less than SF.) Does anyone have any experience with Geico, Progressive or Allstate? Reading reviews online show they are rated well but I wanted some 1st hand knowledge before I decide whether to switch or not. My payment is due on Feb 28th so I have a few days to decide if I will switch or not.

Thank you in advance for feedback.

We have had GEICO all over the US for the past 10+ years. We can't find anyone who can beat the price.

I have no clue if it is any good, as we haven't filed a claim. Could be when they are needed the nightmare will begin.

I’ve had Grange for about four years now. It creeped up this year. Was $453 every six months now it’s $463. My sister’s my agent, I will have to ask her. My home insurance is through Grange also.

No claims. Last non line of duty crash was six years ago and the other person’s insurance took care of everything.

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Does anyone have any experience with Geico, Progressive or Allstate?

Geico for 9 years. The premiums have gone up a little, but only slightly (~$50 for 6 months), even with two tickets in a week in 2012. One claim for a rear-ender in 2010. The other guy hit me, but they recovered and paid me my deductible. Another claim for a cracked windshield in 2016. No experience with Progressive. Allstate was good, but 25 years ago.

My guess is they'll all probably be going up as they try to keep ahead of the multiple millions in claims payments to people who lost everything in the hurricanes and floods last year.

In my opinion you can't go wrong with any of the major names - pick the one with the lowest rate.

I used to do my own insurance shopping. It was a pain in the ass, and time consuming.

Then, the manager of the credit union branch where I did my banking ("credit unioning?") left and went out on her own, as an independent insurance agent. She shops the market for me, does a great job, and has saved me significant time and $$ on family auto, homeowner, and business vehicle insurance.

My suggestion: find a good independent agent and let her / him do the work for you.

Consider AMICA.

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I've had State Farm for over 20 years now, and their rates have been what I considered decent until this go around when the bill almost doubled from $300 a half to $500 a half.

I have never tried this with insurance, but is it possible that if you tell them you want to cancel and why, they might try to keep your business? Especially if you have an agent you deal with in person. He or she won't want to lose your business either.

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Originally posted by Chowser:
I’ve had Grange for about four years now. It creeped up this year. Was $453 every six months now it’s $463. My sister’s my agent, I will have to ask her. My home insurance is through Grange also.

No claims. Last non line of duty crash was six years ago and the other person’s insurance took care of everything.

I've had Grange forever. Changing out, they are getting too high. Ask your sister to quote something else. And shop elsewhere. I'm not suggesting you leave your sister, just get some comps.

We’ve been on the victim end of two hit and run accidents the last 2.5 years. Ours went up a little over $100 per six month for two cars. We not pay $700 every six months total for six cars. USAA for us.

Consider raising your deductibles. $500 or $1000 can save you quite a bit in premiums.

I have Farm Bureau. And no matter who you choose in Michigan, you are screwed. Highest rates in the nation. I was a long time State Farm customer and they did me dirty too.

Agreed, your deductibles are too low in the insurance world’s eyes.

I was with USAA for many years, they got crazy expensive after we moved to FL. Then I switched to State Farm, used a local agent here. It was much less than USAA. When I added a 2003 Honda Civic to our coverage, it cost an additional $120 a month. $120/month for a 15 year old Civic?

That made me shop around and I ended up at Progressive. Great thing about them is you get a discount if you pay 6 months up front. I think I'm around $50/month for it. But then again, it seems our rates are higher in FL probably due to the number of people, weather and especially tourists driving around the Orlando area.

I have had Liberty Mutual for many years. I don't know how they are at paying claims, but they are Johnny Quick about cashing my premium checks.

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Originally posted by Fenris:
I have had Liberty Mutual for many years. I don't know how they are at paying claims, but they are Johnny Quick about cashing my premium checks.

They all do that.

Work in the industry on the commercial side. Renewal rates with most carriers have been going up 20% or more. Auto rates have been unprofitable for several years.
Reasons include higher repair costs, higher frequency of claims due to distracted driving etc.

One issue that is never seen in these frequent discussions of car insurance is what coverages you are getting for the price, and what is actually covered.

Auto insurance policies are not fungible. Even if the stated amounts of maximum and deductibles are the same, the coverage details can vary considerably in the details within each type of coverage. There may be some states that require a specified policy form, all identical in the state. AFAIK, in Texas, and Whackyland, there is no standard policy form that all insurers in the state must use.

So not only are you comparing apples and oranges in a price only comparison, you may be comparing apples and pork bellies.

If you're someone like me driving older vehicles and don't have full coverage (i.e. collision), the value of insurance has decreased.

Why? There are now more drivers without a license and/or insurance. Someone may hit you, the police come, they admit fault, get a ticket, you exchange insurance info, and a day later you find out their insurance is expired. Or they don't speak english or an address, so the police let them go. Without collision, your insurance is no help and you pay for the repairs.

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Originally posted by egregore: I have never tried this with insurance, but is it possible that if you tell them you want to cancel and why, they might try to keep your business? Especially if you have an agent you deal with in person. He or she won't want to lose your business either.

I was actually thinking about doing this. Our agent and my mom have been friends for over 50 years since they were in the church choir together.

This morning I've checked Liberty Mutual and Allstate and they, like USAA, were actually higher than my newest SF quote.

So far Geico has the best rate and Progressive's website keeps timing out on the last page prior to giving me a quote. I'm not a big fan of having a huge deductible but will try that and see what happens.