Farmers reviews and ratings
- Customer satisfaction ratings are mixed.
- Fewer customer complaints than expected for auto and home insurance products.
- Many options to customize home and auto policies.
Farmers Insurance is the fifth-largest home insurer and seventh-largest auto insurer in the country. It offers an array of other insurance products as well as financial products such as mutual funds and annuities.
Farmers auto insurance
Farmers auto insurance earned 4.5 stars out of 5 for overall performance. NerdWallet’s ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula takes into account pricing and discounts, ease of filing a claim, website transparency, financial strength, complaint data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and more.
Based on these ratings, Farmers is among NerdWallet’s Best Car Insurance Companies for 2021.
» MORE: Car insurance quotes: What you need to know
Common types of car insurance coverage
When you’re shopping for car insurance, it’s important to understand what car insurance coverage you want and what you’re required to buy. Most states require car insurance to drive a vehicle, although minimum coverage requirements vary from state to state. This generally includes liability insurance and uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage.
If you want extra protection, you may be interested in full coverage insurance. Full coverage isn’t a specific policy you can buy, but rather a combination of coverage types like liability, collision and comprehensive insurance.
Check out the most common types of car insurance coverage below to see how they work:
| Coverage type | What it pays for | Required? |
|---|---|---|
| Bodily injury and property damage liability | Costs for injuries, deaths or property damage from an accident you caused. | Typically required. |
| Uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage | Medical and property damage costs after an accident with a driver who has insufficient insurance or none at all. | Often required. |
| Collision coverage | Repair expenses from traffic-related accidents, regardless of who's at fault. | A car loan or lease may require it. |
| Comprehensive coverage | Repair costs from events outside your control — including weather events, hitting an animal while driving, theft and vandalism. | A car loan or lease may require it. |
Farmers offers standard coverage choices for auto insurance, in addition to several types of optional coverage, including:
- New car replacement: If your new car is totaled within the first two model years and 24,000 miles of ownership, Farmers pays to replace it with a new one.
- Accident forgiveness: One accident is forgiven, meaning your rate won’t go up if you have one, for every three years you drive without an accident.
- Loss of use: When your car is in the shop or totaled after an accident, Farmers reimburses you for a rental, cabs, rideshares or public transit. Most companies’ coverage only pays for a rental car.
- Customized equipment coverage: If you have custom parts installed in your car, such as chrome rims or a new stereo system, this option expands your policy to cover those parts if they’re stolen or damaged. You must have comprehensive and collision to buy this coverage.
- Original equipment manufacturer (OEM) coverage pays for replacement parts from your car’s manufacturer if you’re in a covered wreck, rather than aftermarket parts, which are cheaper. You must have collision and comprehensive coverage to opt in, and your car’s model must be within 10 years of the current calendar year.
Rideshare insurance: Companies such as Uber or Lyft typically provide limited liability insurance for drivers while the app is on, with full coverage that kicks when you accept a ride and have passengers. Farmers rideshare insurance extends your personal auto policy to fill in the gaps, providing coverage between rides, so you’re always covered during your rideshare job.
» MORE: Rideshare insurance for drivers: Where to buy it, what it covers
Farmers auto insurance discounts vary by state but may include:
- Good driver discount.
- Multi-vehicle discount.
- Multi-policy (bundling) discount.
- Discount for being part of a professional group.
- Good student discount.
- Discount for driving an alternative fuel vehicle.
- Discount for being a homeowner.
- Discounts if your car has certain safety or anti-theft features.
- Teen driver discount.
- Discount for a driver under age 25 in your household.
- Distant student discount for a child at school at least 100 miles away without regular access to your vehicle.
- Discount for paying for your policy in full.
- Electronic payments discount.
- Continuous coverage discount for starting a policy with no recent lapses in auto insurance.
- Discount for completing a driver safety course.
Signal by Farmers is a program that uses a smartphone app to monitor your driving behavior. You’ll receive a 5% policy discount once you download the app and start using it, and at your next policy renewal the discount can increase up to 15% or more based on a driving score calculated by the app. The discount can also decrease based on your driving score, and the program is not available in every state.
» MORE: Compare car insurance rates
Auto insurance buying guide
Before you compare car insurance companies, you’ll need to collect basic information, such as the driving history of everyone on the policy and facts about your car, including safety features and annual mileage driven. You’ll also want to understand which types of coverage you need. For example, do you want only the bare minimum insurance that your state requires, or do you need more extensive coverage, such as gap insurance or rideshare coverage? Check that each company you’re considering has the options you want.
When comparing rates among insurers, make sure each is offering the same coverage limits and deductibles. You may not want to decide based on price alone. Look at how many consumer complaints each company has, as high numbers can be a red flag about the quality of service you might receive.
Depending on which company you choose, you may be able to buy insurance online, over the phone or through an agent. For more guidance, see how to get car insurance.
Farmers home insurance
Farmers homeowners insurance starts with three basic packages — Standard, Enhanced and Premier — but each has customizable limits for standard options. Standard policies include the typical homeowners coverages and are designed for new homeowners, while Enhanced and Premier policies have perks more established homeowners might appreciate.
The company calls them Farmers Smart Plan Home policies, and regardless of which level you choose, each includes:
- Claim forgiveness, which waives the surcharge if you go five or more years without filing a claim.
- Declining deductibles: Each year your policy is in force, Farmers takes $50 off your deductible.
- Cosmetic damage repair, which is included when you file a claim for functional damage.
There are other individual options you can add to any Farmers homeowners policy, if they are available in your state:
- Identity Shield: This feature includes identity theft coverage and assistance replacing documents.
- Eco-Rebuild: Receive up to $25,000 for extra costs to repair, replace or rebuild your home with environmentally friendly materials after you file a claim.
- Contents replacement coverage: When an item in your home is damaged or destroyed, you receive reimbursement for the value of a new one.
Farmers homeowners discounts vary by state but may include:
- Discounts for recent heating, electrical or plumbing upgrades.
- Newer home discount.
- Roofing materials discount for installing impact-resistant roof.
- Several home safety discounts for installing or having items like burglar alarms, fire alarms, fortified windows and more.
- Nonsmoking discount.
- Discount for being part of a professional group.
- Multi-policy discount.
- Claim-free discount.
» MORE: Home insurance quotes: What you need to know
Farmers complaints and customer satisfaction
Farmers had fewer than the expected number of complaints to state regulators for auto and home insurance relative to its size, according to three years’ worth of data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
Customer satisfaction ratings for Farmers are mixed.
| 2020 J.D. Power study | Farmers ranks ... |
|---|---|
| Auto insurance shopping | Below average |
| Auto insurance claims satisfaction | Better than average |
| Home insurance | Below average |
| Property insurance claims | Better than average |
» MORE: Farmers renters insurance review
More about Farmers Insurance
Website: You can connect with an agent, get a quote, report and track claims and pay your bill on the Farmers site. You’ll find ample resources to help with your claim, as well as a checklist of what to do in a car accident.
Mobile app: You can pay your insurance bill, update payment options, get your agent’s contact information, view your policy details and get access to your digital insurance ID cards when you need proof of insurance. You can also report claims and request roadside assistance.
Farmers life insurance
Farmers offers term, whole and universal life insurance policies. To learn more about these options, see our Farmers life insurance review.
| Other types of insurance from Farmers | |
|---|---|
| Renters insurance | Off-road vehicle insurance |
| Landlord/rental property insurance | Boat insurance |
| Umbrella insurance | Personal watercraft insurance |
| Business insurance | Travel trailer insurance |
| Motorcycle insurance | Motorhome or RV insurance |
| Pet insurance (from a third-party company) | 5th wheel trailer insurance |
Recap: Farmers Insurance pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Many coverage options for home and auto insurance | Mixed scores for customer satisfaction |
| Fewer complaints than expected, relative to its size | |
| Lots of discounts available |
Auto insurance ratings methodology
NerdWallet’s auto insurance ratings reward companies for customer-first features and practices. Ratings are based on weighted averages of scores in several categories, including financial strength, consumer complaints, website transparency and affordability. Using our editorial discretion, we also consider customer satisfaction surveys. These ratings are a guide, but we encourage you to shop around and compare several insurance quotes to find the best rate for you. NerdWallet does not receive compensation for any reviews. Read our editorial guidelines.
Insurer complaints methodology
NerdWallet examined complaints received by state insurance regulators and reported to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners in 2018-2020. To assess how insurers compare to one another, the NAIC calculates a complaint index each year for each subsidiary, measuring its share of total complaints relative to its size, or share of total premiums in the industry. To evaluate a company’s complaint history, NerdWallet calculated a similar index for each insurer, weighted by market shares of each subsidiary, over the three-year period. Ratios are determined separately for auto, home (including renters and condo) and life insurance.
