MetLife Insurance Review 2020

MetLife may be best known for selling insurance policies through workplaces, but the company also offers auto, home, dental and other types of insurance to individuals. Policies are sold by a network of agents across the nation.

For home and auto, MetLife offers several coverage options that will pay the full cost of replacing damaged property, policies can share a single deductible, and, in many cases, policies include identity theft protection for no additional cost.

MetLife auto insurance

MetLife auto insurance earned 3.5 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.

In addition to the standard car insurance options, MetLife offers:

New car replacement. This option repairs or replaces your car with a new one if you total your car within the first 15,000 miles or within one year of purchasing it (whichever comes first).

Major parts replacement. If you’re in an accident, this option will pay to replace major parts like tires and brakes regardless of their level of wear and tear. It’s not available in all states.

Deductible savings benefit. You can earn $50 each year you don’t make a claim, up to $250, to use toward lowering the deductible if you do make a claim. It’s not available in all states, and drivers in New York must first pay a required minimum deductible.

Usage-based insurance. The My Journey program, available in 10 states, tracks and scores your driving through a device you install in your car. You get an initial discount of up to 10% for enrolling. At renewal time you can earn a discount of up to 30% for safe driving.

MetLife’s auto insurance discounts include:

• Good driver discount.
• Discount for taking an approved defensive driving course.
• Multi-policy discount.
• Good student discount.

» MORE: Compare car insurance rates

MetLife homeowners insurance

Homeowners insurance policies from MetLife include the standard coverages, and customers can also opt for:

Replacement cost coverage will pay what’s necessary to rebuild a destroyed home, even if it costs more than the house was insured for.

Contents replacement coverage will pay to replace personal property without reducing the payout for depreciation. It’s not available in all states.

For buyers who bundle home and auto coverage, MetLife offers combination policies with a single deductible in most states.

Home insurance discounts include:

• Membership in certain groups or employment with certain employers. Ask if your group or employer makes you eligible.
• Fire or theft prevention systems, such as smoke detectors and deadbolt locks. Discount varies by state.
• Bundling auto and home insurance from MetLife.

MetLife life insurance

Life insurance from MetLife is available only through a workplace.

In 2017, MetLife spun off its U.S. individual life insurance and annuity business to a separate company, Brighthouse Financial, which offers permanent and term life insurance and annuities.

» MORE: Brighthouse Financial review

MetLife complaints and customer satisfaction

MetLife had close to the expected number of complaints to state regulators relative to its size for auto insurance, according three years’ worth of data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. It had fewer than the expected number of complaints relative to its size for home and individual life insurance.

Across the board, MetLife’s customer satisfaction ratings are average or lower.

More about MetLife

Website: MetLife’s website features question-and-answer sections about its insurance products and general how-to articles on insurance, wellness and money matters. You can get auto insurance quotes online.

MetLife’s main mobile phone app lets you submit car accident claims, view auto and home insurance policy summaries, pay auto and home insurance bills and more.

The My Journey app tracks driving for MetLife’s usage-based car insurance program. The app provides driving scores for each trip, considering factors such as mileage, speeding, hard braking and distracted driving with a phone.

The MetLife Infinity app lets you upload photos, videos and documents to share with loved ones now or later.

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.

Methodology: Insurer complaints

NerdWallet examined complaints received by state insurance regulators and reported to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners in 2016-2018. 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 and life insurance.