Safety Insurance
- Gets a low rate of consumer complaints.
- Offers a variety of upgrade options for auto policies, especially in Massachusetts.
- May be cheaper than average, depending on your state.
- Available in only three states.
- Quotes aren't available online.
NerdWallet's take on Safety car insurance
Safety Insurance earned 4.2 out of 5 stars in our analysis for its coverage options and for its low rate of complaints.
Best for: Drivers in New England who feel comfortable working with local independent agents.
Not ideal for: Drivers who want a comprehensive, digital-first experience.
Where Safety car insurance stands out
Coverage offerings. Safety offers the Safety Shield coverage package (as well as the Safety Shield Plus in Massachusetts), and gap insurance for your car’s auto loan or lease.
Low volume of complaints. Safety receives far fewer complaints to state regulators than expected for its size, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
Where Safety auto insurance falls short
Digital experience. You can’t get an auto insurance quote online; you’ll need to speak to an agent to get one. Additionally, you might have to contact an agent if you have detailed questions about your policy, payments or coverage.
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How much does Safety car insurance cost?
Safety offers full coverage car insurance for an average of $110 per month or $1,325 per year, according to our November 2025 analysis — though you may find even cheaper full coverage car insurance depending on where you live, your driving record and your vehicle.
For minimum coverage, which is just as much as your state requires, Safety costs an average of $40 per month or $478 per year, according to our November 2025 analysis. Again, since your rates depend on your personal details, your rates could be different.
It’s a good idea to compare car insurance quotes before buying a policy. This way, you’ll be able to see which insurers in your area offer the best rates for drivers like you.
Safety car insurance rates by age
Your age helps determine your car insurance rates. Teens and young drivers pay the highest rates, but rates tend to get cheaper over time, as long as you maintain a clean driving record.
Young drivers can lower their car insurance rates by joining an existing policy, like a parent's or guardian’s, and taking advantage of discounts aimed at them.
Here are Safety's average car insurance rates for drivers of different ages:
Young drivers. The average cost of Safety car insurance for 20-year-old drivers is $3,003 per year, or $250 per month. The national average is $4,684 per year. Read more about car insurance for young drivers.
Adult drivers. The average cost of Safety car insurance for 40-year-old drivers is $1,322 per year, or $110 per month. The national average cost for 40-year-olds is $2,232 per year.
Senior drivers. The average cost of Safety car insurance for 60-year-old drivers is $1,156 per year, or $96 per month. The national average is $1,988 per year. Read more about car insurance for senior drivers.
- More Safety auto rates by age
Age Company median rate National median rate 20 $3,003 $4,684 30 $1,353 $2,375 35 $1,325 $2,300 40 $1,322 $2,232 50 $1,173 $2,074 60 $1,156 $1,988 70 $1,108 $2,125
Safety car insurance rates by driver profile
Expect your car insurance to get more expensive after an accident or driving violation. You’ll usually pay higher rates than average for a few years, but it depends on your record and details about the incident.
Your credit history is another factor that may affect your insurance rates. In most states, insurers can use your credit-based insurance score to determine your rates.
Below are Safety's average full coverage rates for 35-year-old drivers:
Poor credit. The average cost of Safety car insurance for drivers with poor credit is $1,443 per year, or $120 per month. That’s compared to the national average cost of car insurance for drivers with low credit-based insurance scores, which is $3,850 per year.
(California, Hawaii and Massachusetts doesn't allow insurers to use credit when determining car insurance rates.)
Speeding ticket. The average cost of Safety car insurance after a single ticket is $1,555 per year, or $130 per month. That’s compared to the national average of $2,931 per year. Read more about car insurance after a speeding ticket.
At-fault crash. The average cost of Safety car insurance after an at-fault accident is $2,489 per year, or $207 per month. In comparison, the national average cost of car insurance after an accident is $3,405 per year. Read more about car insurance after an at-fault accident
DUI. The average cost of Safety car insurance after a DUI or DWI is $3,123 per year, or $260 per month. That's compared to the national average for drivers who have gotten a DUI or DWI conviction, which is $4,265 per year. Read more about car insurance after a DUI or DWI.
Safety car insurance discounts
Safety offers a slightly different slate of auto insurance discounts in each of the states where it operates. Depending on where you live, you could save by:
Not having an accident or traffic violation for at least five years.
Insuring more than one vehicle.
Buying more than one insurance product from Safety.
Earning at least a “B” grade point average in school.
Being insured with Safety for multiple years.
Having a student who attends school at least 100 miles away and keeps their car at home.
Having your policy issued electronically.
Taking a crash-prevention course.
Safety also recommends letting an agent know after a big change in your life, as you could qualify for a discount or cheaper car insurance. For example, if one of your kids goes off to school and will no longer drive regularly, you could earn a discount.
The cheapest auto insurance that you can get is usually the minimum amount of coverage a state requires to drive. But this kind of policy may not provide enough insurance to fully cover you after a serious accident. We recommend getting more coverage if you can afford it.
Safety car insurance coverage
Safety’s full coverage car insurance includes the standard types of coverage offered by most insurers:
- Liability insurance
Liability car insurance pays for others’ injuries or property damage you cause in a car accident, up to your auto policy limits. There are two types:
Bodily injury liability covers others’ medical expenses after an accident where you are at fault.
Property damage liability covers the repair costs to other vehicles, fences, mailboxes or buildings from an accident.
Is it required? Yes. Every state, except for Virginia and remote parts of Alaska, requires drivers to have a minimum amount of liability car insurance in order to drive legally.
- Personal injury protection
Also known as "no-fault insurance," PIP covers your own injuries and medical expenses after a crash, regardless of who's at fault, up to your policy limits. Depending on your state, PIP could also help pay for:
Lost wages if you're unable to work due to your injuries from a car accident.
Services you can't perform because of an accident, such as house cleaning or child care.
Funeral costs if an injury from an accident leads to death.
A small death benefit as a cash payout.
Is it required? Personal injury protection is required in the following states: Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Oregon and Utah.
- Medical payments coverage
Medical payments coverage, or MedPay, helps pay for your medical expenses or funeral costs after a car accident, no matter who's at fault, up to your policy limits. It also pays for medical bills if you or one of your family members is hit by a car while on foot, riding a bike or traveling as a passenger in someone else’s car.
Is it required? MedPay is required in Maine and New Hampshire, and can be purchased as an optional add-on in most other states. In a few states, MedPay can't be purchased because personal injury protection is required.
- Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage
Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage pays out if you're in an accident where the at-fault driver has no liability car insurance, or not enough to cover your injuries or property damage. It can also be used to pay for your passengers’ and household family members’ injuries.
Is it required? Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage is required in Washington, D.C., and the following states: Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
- Collision insurance
Collision insurance reimburses you to fix or replace your car if you crash into another car or object. It can also pay for hit-and-runs, rollovers and damage caused by uninsured or underinsured drivers.
Collision insurance becomes less useful the older your car is. That's because it reimburses you for repairs only up to the actual cash value of your car, minus your deductible.
Is it required? Collision insurance isn't mandatory in any state, but most lenders require it if you finance or lease your car. And when you buy collision insurance, you'll likely have to also get comprehensive insurance, which pays for damage to your car from non-traffic-related causes.
- Comprehensive insurance
Comprehensive insurance reimburses you to fix or replace your car after non-traffic-related causes, such as:
Weather events, like hail, floods or tornadoes.
Falling objects, such as tree limbs.
Fire or explosions.
Hitting an animal.
Car theft and broken windows.
Earthquakes.
Vandalism or civil disobedience, such as a riot.
Comprehensive insurance becomes less useful the older your car is. That's because it reimburses you for repairs only up to the actual cash value of your car, minus your deductible.
Is it required? Comprehensive insurance isn't mandatory in any state, but most lenders require it if you finance or lease your car. And when you buy comprehensive insurance, you'll likely have to also get collision insurance, which pays for damage to your car from traffic-related causes.
Optional coverage
Besides the basic types of car insurance, Safety offers the Safety Shield and Safety Shield Plus coverage packages. Safety Shield Plus is only available in Massachusetts.
Safety Shield. The coverage in this package varies depending on your state, but it may include glass coverage, a waiver of your policy’s collision deductible, guaranteed replacement cost for your car, emergency road travel expenses (or supplemental towing and labor in Massachusetts) and coverage for personal belongings.
Who might need it? Two notable features of the Safety Shield package are guaranteed replacement cost coverage and emergency travel expenses.
The first of these may come in handy if you drive a new car and want to be sure you could replace it after an accident. Travel expenses coverage could be valuable if you often take trips far away from home.
Safety Shield Plus. Available only in Massachusetts, this includes everything in the Safety Shield package plus accident forgiveness, additional coverage for your personal items, seat belt coverage, bail bonds and coverage for pets injured in an accident.
Who might need it? If you live in Massachusetts, you may want to consider upgrading to the Safety Shield Plus coverage package, particularly for the accident forgiveness feature. It could help you avoid a potentially costly rate increase after your first at-fault accident.
Make sure that upgrading works within your budget. You should also make sure you don’t already have coverage for your property or pet through another policy, so you don’t pay higher rates for coverage that you don’t need.
Gap coverage. This optional add-on pays the difference between your car’s value and the balance on your lease or loan if your car is totaled or stolen.
Who might need it? If you have an auto loan or drive a lease, you may be required to have gap insurance. It could be worth having even if it’s not required, especially if you have a long-term auto loan that could hold value a lot longer than your car.
When shopping for car insurance, it's important to understand what coverage you want and what you’re required to buy. Most states require a minimum amount of car insurance to drive a vehicle, but if you can afford it, we recommend getting full coverage insurance.
Safety’s usage-based program
Drive with Safety is the insurer’s usage-based car insurance program. By signing up and downloading the Drive with Safety app, you agree to share details about your braking, speeding, cornering, acceleration and phone use. You could qualify for a discount of up to 5%.
Usage-based programs could be worth it if you’re typically a good driver and can qualify for a sizable discount. But if you’re wary about sharing real-time information about your driving with your insurance company, you might not want to sign up.
Is Safety Insurance a good insurance company?
Safety Insurance scored fairly well compared to some insurance companies we studied. Safety is well rated for its customer experience and offers a variety of coverage options to shoppers, even though its digital experience lacks some of the quality and features, like online quotes, that other insurance companies have.
Complaints: Safety Insurance has received far fewer complaints to state regulators than expected for its size, according to data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
See what you could save on car insurance
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More information about Safety car insurance
Customer service: You can file a claim 24/7 by calling 800-951-2100. If you’re in Massachusetts or New Hampshire, you can also reach customer service at that number. (If you’re in another state, call 617-951-0600 instead.) Customer service representatives are available Monday through Friday, from 8:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET.
Website: Users can log in to their accounts and file claims through the Safety Insurance website, but there’s no way to get an online quote. The information about coverage on the site is not as robust as it could be. But Safety’s website does have an agent search tool, info about discounts and answers to some frequently asked questions.
App: Safety’s mobile app lets you file a claim, find an agent, view your insurance card, pay your bill and manage your account.
Other Safety insurance reviews
How we review auto insurance companies
Our editorial team considers these factors when reviewing auto insurance companies:
- Financial strength
We use AM Best ratings to confirm an insurer’s long-term financial stability and ability to pay claims. NerdWallet does not recommend companies with a rating lower than a B.
- Complaints
These ratings are based on complaints to state regulators relative to a company’s size, according to three years’ worth of data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. The best auto insurance companies have fewer than the expected number of complaints.
- Ease of use
This category looks at how easily consumers can interact with an insurer through its mobile app and website. This includes how much coverage information is offered online, whether a user can start and track a claim online and get a quote and mobile app scores based on the Apple and Google Play store ratings.
- Discounts
We look at the kind of discounts a company offers and the total number of discounts available.
Read our full auto insurance methodology.
We nerd out on car insurance
Our goal is to give you what you need to make smart decisions about your car insurance.
Here’s why you can trust NerdWallet:
We do our homework. We regularly evaluate and review many of the insurance companies we write about. And all of our content is fact-checked before publication. This means the star ratings you see on our reviews are accurate and up-to-date.
We analyze the data. We update our average car insurance rates every month. To do that, we analyze more than 500 million rates from across the country. These rates are provided by Quadrant Information Services.
We are unbiased. NerdWallet’s content is never influenced by our business partners and advertisers. Learn more about how we write in our editorial guidelines.
Frequently asked questions
What is the claims phone number for Safety?
What is the claims phone number for Safety?
To report a claim, call Safety Insurance 24 hours a day, toll-free at 800-951-2100.
How do I get a Safety auto insurance quote?
How do I get a Safety auto insurance quote?
You’ll need to contact an independent agent to get an auto insurance quote. You can find an agent using Safety’s online agent lookup tool. The company doesn’t offer the option to get a quote online.
Does Safety Insurance offer rental car coverage?
Does Safety Insurance offer rental car coverage?
Safety Insurance offers substitute transportation — or rental coverage — which will cover the cost of a rental car up to your policy limits if your vehicle is in the shop due to a covered claim. In the event your car is declared a total loss, Safety will cover rental costs until your claim is paid. This coverage is only available to drivers living in Massachusetts.
Methodology
Insurer complaints methodology
NerdWallet examined complaints received by state insurance regulators and reported to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners in 2022-2024. 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. NerdWallet conducts its data analysis and reaches conclusions independently and without the endorsement of the NAIC. Ratios are determined separately for auto, home (including renters and condo) and life insurance.
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 and discounts. Our “ease of use” category looks at factors such as website transparency and how easy it is to file a claim. 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 and full ratings methodology for auto insurance.
