Is This the Best Car Insurance Company?

A little-known car insurance company gets the highest marks from policyholders, while a much bigger and better-recognized insurer grabs the No. 2 slot, according to Clearsurance’s annual ranking of the 10 best auto insurers.

The latest Clearsurance survey is based on more than 39,000 insurance policy reviews collected last year.

The reviews come from consumers across all 50 states, 44 percent of whom have had at least one claim with their insurer.

The insurance website uses these reviews to rank car insurance companies for its annual list. Each company receives a “Clearsurance score,” based on factors such as:

• Overall consumer rating
• Rating for customer service
• How likely consumers are to recommend and renew with the company

The 10 best auto insurers according to consumers

There are multiple ways to evaluate a car insurance company, but perhaps none is as insightful as the reviews of regular folks.

However, one drawback of polling consumers is that you might not be eligible for a policy from those companies. In fact, you might not even have heard of the best-ranked companies.

That’s likely the case with Clearsurance’s top-ranked company. And while you’ve likely heard of the No. 2 insurer, it sells policies only to a select group of people.

The No. 3 ranked insurer is one of a few on the list that is widely available, though.

Here are all 10 companies that made the cut this year, with companies serving a limited market clearly identified:

1. New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Co. (Clearsurance score: 4.7) — only in New Jersey and Pennsylvania
2. USAA (4.69) — only for military members and their families
3. Amica Mutual Insurance Co. (4.51)
4. Shelter Mutual Insurance Co. (4.49) — only in 18 states
5. Erie Insurance Group (4.48) — only in 12 states
6. Auto-Owners Insurance Group (4.45) — only in 26 states
7. AAA (4.34)
8. The Hartford (4.33)
9. Geico (4.28)
10. American Family Insurance (4.27)

Finding the right auto insurer for you

As helpful as consumer reviews might be, they are hardly the only factor to consider when shopping for a car insurance policy — or shopping around for a better car insurance rate.

For more insurance shopping pointers, check out:

• “The Complete Guide to Getting the Best Possible Deal on Car Insurance“
• “9 Ways to Drive Down Your Auto Insurance Rates“

Which car insurance company do you consider the best — or the worst, for that matter — based on your own experience? Let us know why by commenting below or on our Facebook page.