Overview of Farmers car insurance

Farmers Insurance started in 1928 with a focus on insuring vehicles for rural farmers. Today, the company insures more than 10 million households across the country, totaling more than 19 million policies in force.

While Farmers started out with a focus on farmers’ vehicles, the company has expanded tremendously. Car Insurance may still be the company’s main focus, but you can also utilize Farmers for a wide range of vehicle coverages, property insurance, business insurance and even financial products.

Is Farmers car insurance good?

Across every driver profile we analyzed, Farmers car insurance rates are more expensive than the national average. Whether you’re a good driver, a driver with a history of accidents or tickets or a driver with poor credit, you can expect to pay high prices for full coverage auto insurance from Farmers.

• Good drivers will pay an average of $2,381 a year or nearly $200 a month for a Farmers car insurance policy. That’s about 15% more than the average cost across all the car insurance companies we reviewed.

• Young (18 to 25) and senior (60 to 80) drivers also have notably high rates. The former can expect to pay $5,420 a year (more than $450 a month) while senior drivers pay an average of $2,612 a year — a consistent 15% more than the national average for drivers in this age group.

• Parents about to add a 16-year-old driver to their policy may want to switch to another provider if they have Farmers currently. Adding a new teen driver increases the annual premium by $3,780 a year, on average.

Farmers insurance rates may be high, but the provider sells some of the most customizable policies on the market.

On top of that, Farmers Insurance receives a low level of customer complaints, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). Companies like USAA and Geico generate customer complaints more frequently.

Farmers compared to other car insurance companies

Farmers is among the most expensive car insurance companies we analyzed. Good drivers can expect to pay $2,381 a year for full coverage. Drivers of the same profile can save over $750 with similar coverage from Auto-Owners — or even more at USAA, if they’re eligible.

Farmers car insurance discounts

Farmers Insurance offers an abundance of car insurance discounts to help you lower your rate, particularly if you’re a good driver.

Discounts range from multi-car and multi-policy (bundling auto and home insurance) to military, paperless and alternative fuel discounts (in California only).

Students and young drivers can qualify for a number of discounts as well, including the youthful driver discount and the good student discount.

With the usage-based Signal app, drivers can lower their premiums for safe driving (and be entered to win a drawing for rewards up to $100 every month if they have focused driving scores of 80% or higher). Additionally, the Signal app and discount are not available in Florida, California, Hawaii, New York or South Carolina.

Here are Farmers insurance discounts you may be eligible for, depending on where you live:

• Affinity.
• Alternative fuel.
• Anti-theft.
• Antilock brakes.
• Daytime running lights.
• Distant student.
• EFT.
• E-policy.
• Good payer.
• Good student.
• Homeowner.
• Homing device.
• Mature driver/defensive driver/senior driver.
• Multi-car.
• Multi-policy.
• On your own.
• Passive restraint.
• Pay in full.
• Safe driver.
• Shared family car.
• Signal.
• VIN etching.
• Youthful driver.
• ePolicy.

Types of car insurance offered by Farmers

Farmers has one of the most exhaustive lists of car insurance offerings across all the providers we analyzed. Here are the coverages you can add to your Farmers policy:

• Accident forgiveness.
• Collision and comprehensive coverage.
• Guaranteed Value insurance.
• Liability insurance.
• Loss of use insurance (covers transportation while your car is being repaired).
• Medical payments.
• New car replacement coverage.
• Nonowners insurance.
• Personal injury protection (PIP).
• Personal umbrella insurance.
• Rental car reimbursement.
• Rideshare insurance.
• SR-22.
• Towing and roadside service.
• Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage.
• Usage-based insurance.

Farmers lacks gap insurance, but you can purchase Guaranteed Value, which will pay you an agreed-upon amount if your car is totaled. Farmers says this is a popular choice for drivers of classic cars.

And regardless of your safe driving, Farmers doesn’t offer a vanishing deductible.

Other car insurance coverages offered by Farmers

Farmers offers a number of additional coverages, many of which are tailored to drivers of collector cars such as classic and collector car insurance. Here are some of the other, more unique coverages available through Farmers:

• Customized equipment insurance: Covers repairs to aftermarket equipment for cars that have collision and comprehensive coverage.
• Glass deductible buyback: Low $100 deductible for windshield and glass repair/replacement.
• Full windshield and glass coverage: $0 deductible for windshield and glass repair/replacement.
• Spare parts coverage: Popular with classic and collector car owners; covers the cost of spare parts, up to $750.
• Original equipment manufacturer (OEM) coverage: Ensures that covered repairs use genuine OEM parts for proper fit and function on cars that are up to 10 years old.

Other insurance products offered by Farmers

Farmers sells more than just car insurance policies. Here’s a list of the other coverages that Farmers offers:

• ATV and off-road vehicle insurance.
• Accidental death insurance.
• Boat and watercraft insurance.
• Business general liability insurance.
• Business insurance.
• Commercial car insurance.
• Commercial property insurance.
• Condo insurance.
• Earthquake insurance.
• Fifth wheel insurance.
• Flood insurance.
• Homeowners insurance.
• Landlord insurance.
• Life insurance (term, whole and universal).
• Manufactured and mobile home insurance.
• Motorcycle insurance.
• Pet insurance.
• RV and motorhome insurance.
• Recreational vehicle insurance (includes ATVs and snowmobiles).
• Renters insurance.
• Rideshare insurance.
• Travel trailer insurance.
• Umbrella insurance.
• Vacant home insurance.
• Vacation home insurance.
• Workers’ compensation insurance.

Farmers also offers a few financial solutions including mutual funds, IRAs, college savings plans and annuities.

Farmers car insurance reviews

How do customers rate the insurer in Farmers car insurance reviews? Farmers receives fewer customer complaints than the industry average, according to the NAIC.

Competitors such as Geico and USAA receive complaints more regularly, though Farmers trails behind providers like Allstate and State Farm.

Methodology

Our insurance experts evaluated top car insurance companies in the nation to determine which offer the best auto insurance based on average rates, coverage features, collision claims process and consumer complaints. 

Each car insurance company was eligible for up to 100 points, based on its performance in the following key categories:

Cost: 50 points. We analyzed rates from Quadrant Information Services based on seven driver profiles for a policy with 100/300/100 in liability coverage, uninsured motorist coverage and comprehensive and collision coverage. We awarded up to 50 points based on insurers’ average rates for: 

• Drivers in various age groups.
• Drivers with bad credit. 
• Good drivers.
• Drivers with infractions, such as speeding tickets, an accident or a DUI on their record. 

Consumer complaints: 30 points. We collected complaint data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), which shows the volume of car insurance consumer complaints against each company. When a consumer lodges a complaint to their state’s department of insurance — often about an insurance company’s claims process, delays, denials or settlements — these complaints are logged and tracked.

Car insurance coverage features: 15 points. Car insurance policy features can help make coverage more affordable both before and after an accident or covered incident. We evaluated car insurance policies offered by each insurer and awarded points to insurers that offered these valuable benefits:

• Accident forgiveness (5 points).
• New car replacement (5 points). 
• Vanishing deductible (5 points). 

SR-22 availability: 5 points. After a major traffic violation, some drivers must provide proof that they have the type and amount of coverage required by their state. Proof of coverage is obtained through an SR-22 filing, but not all insurers offer SR-22. Insurance companies that offer SR-22s were awarded points.