Wawanesa
- Offers original equipment manufacturer and custom parts coverage.
- Runner-up in California for overall customer satisfaction on J.D. Power’s Auto Insurance Study.
- Receives more auto insurance complaints to state regulators than expected.
- No mobile app available in the U.S., though you can still manage your policy online.
- Available only in California.
NerdWallet's take on Wawanesa auto insurance
Despite offering a few notable coverage options, Wawanesa earned 3.3 out of 5 stars in our analysis for receiving far more complaints compared to its size than expected, and for offering few discounts.
Best for: Drivers in California who want coverage for their vehicle’s original and custom parts.
Not ideal for: Drivers who want a digital, mobile-first experience from their car insurance.
Where Wawanesa car insurance stands out
Coverage options. Wawanesa offers original equipment manufacturer and custom parts coverage. The former of these ensures that your vehicle’s repairs use original, not aftermarket, replacement parts. The latter increases the coverage you receive for damage to your car’s additions and modifications.
Where Wawanesa car insurance falls short
Mixed customer experience. While Wawanesa has been ranked highly for overall customer experience, according to J.D. Power, it receives far more complaints for its size than expected.
Online features. You can get a quote using Wawanesa’s website, but you can’t file an auto claim. And even though you can manage your policy and make payments online, Wawanesa doesn’t have a one-stop mobile app where you can perform these tasks.
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How much does Wawanesa car insurance cost?
On average, full coverage car insurance from Wawanesa costs $214 per month or $2,573 per year according to our November 2025 analysis. The average cost of full coverage in California is $1,946 per year.
For a minimum coverage policy, which has as much car insurance as a state requires, Wawanesa costs an average of $66 per month or $790 per year. The average cost of minimum coverage in California is $625 per year.
It’s important to compare auto insurance quotes before you buy a policy. Even though Wawanesa operates only in California, rates will be different depending on where in the state drivers live, as well as on factors like vehicle type, mileage and driving record.
Wawanesa auto insurance rates by age
Your age also affects your car insurance rates. Rates are usually most expensive while you're young, but get closer to average with age — as long as you avoid accidents and driving violations.
Teens and young drivers usually pay the highest car insurance rates because they’re viewed as most likely to be involved in an accident by insurers. While rates may also be comparatively high for some senior-age drivers, Wawanesa offers a discount to people who are at least 55 and have completed a safety course.
Here are Wawanesa's average car insurance rates for drivers of different ages:
Young drivers. The average cost of Wawanesa car insurance for 20-year-old drivers is $3,331 per year, or $278 per month. On average, car insurance for young drivers in California costs $3,233 per year.
Adult drivers. The average cost of Wawanesa car insurance for 40-year-old drivers is $2,521 per year, or $210 per month. That's compared to California's average for this age group, which is $1,875 per year.
Senior drivers. The average cost of Wawanesa car insurance for 60-year-old drivers is $2,317 per year, or $193 per month. The average cost of car insurance for senior-age drivers in California, to compare, is $1,718 per year.
Wawanesa auto insurance rates by driver profile
At most insurance companies, including Wawanesa, your car insurance rates are likely to get more expensive after an accident or driving violation. At Wawanesa, your rates will stay high for three years following an accident or violation.
It may be possible to find cheaper insurance somewhere else, even without a clean driving record, by shopping around for a policy.
Below are Wawanesa's average full coverage rates for 35-year-old drivers:
Speeding ticket. The average cost of Wawanesa car insurance for a driver with a speeding ticket is $4,360 per year, or $363 per month. On average, the cost of car insurance in California after a ticket is $2,899 per year.
At-fault crash. The average cost of Wawanesa car insurance for drivers after an accident is $4,692 per year, or $391 per month. That’s compared to the average in California, which is $3,605 per year.
DUI. The average cost of Wawanesa car insurance for a driver with a DUI is $5,335 per year, or $445 per month. The average cost of car insurance after a DUI in California is $5,365 per year.
Wawanesa auto insurance discounts
California drivers may be able to earn the following discounts by:
Being licensed for at least three years and avoiding at-fault accidents and driving violations.
Taking an approved defensive driver course as someone 55 and older.
Insuring more than one car with Wawanesa.
Having an auto policy with Wawanesa for a year or more.
Bundling your car insurance with a home or condo policy.
Being a member of specific organizations Wawanesa partners with.
Raising your deductibles could also help you lower your car insurance costs. A car insurance deductible is the share of a claim that you pay. Your rates will go down if you raise your deductible from $500 to $1,000, but you’ll have to cover a larger part of your car’s damage yourself.
Looking for the cheapest insurance possible? You might have to buy the minimum amount of car insurance that your state requires to drive. But be careful. While low rates can seem enticing, a policy with minimum coverage could leave you without enough insurance in case of a serious accident.
Wawanesa car insurance coverage
Wawanesa’s full coverage car insurance includes the standard types of coverage that most insurance companies offer:
- 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
Wawanesa also offers some types of optional coverage, such as:
Roadside assistance. Wawanesa partners with AAA to provide services like a tire change, towing, battery jumpstarts, fuel deliveries and more if your car breaks down.
Who might need it? Roadside assistance can be a useful add-on if you don’t already get this coverage from a credit card, AAA or another membership that has auto perks.
Rental expense coverage. With this coverage, you’ll receive help paying for a rental car while your car is being repaired after you’re involved in a covered accident.
Who might need it? Rental expense coverage, sometimes called rental reimbursement coverage, could be important for you if you rely on your car to drive to work or school everyday.
Vehicle manufacturer parts coverage. Often called original equipment manufacturer coverage, this add-on helps to make repairs using parts made by the vehicle’s manufacturer, not after-market parts.
Who might need it? You may want to pay extra for this coverage to ensure that any repairs your vehicle undergoes uses original parts. If you’re fine with after-market parts, you could skip it.
Special vehicle equipment coverage. Most of the time, car insurance provides only limited coverage for custom parts and equipment. This coverage raises the amount that your policy pays to replace custom parts.
Who might need it? You may need this coverage if you have heavily customized your car with special lights, tires or a new sound system.
Beyond the insurance that your state requires, it’s mostly up to you to decide how much insurance you want to buy. Don’t feel like you need to choose between getting the coverage that you want and cheap rates. It’s possible to find relatively cheap car insurance rates no matter the coverage you want by comparing quotes.
Is Wawanesa a good insurance company?
Wawanesa’s ratings don’t really stand out compared to the best car insurance companies in our study. While Wawanesa has been ranked well for customer satisfaction in California, it has a high complaint ratio compared to other insurers.
Wawanesa’s digital experience also lacks some features that other insurance companies offer, like online claims filing. While some non-U.S. customers may have access to more tools, this study focuses on the U.S. auto insurance market.
Still, if you’re in California and can benefit from any of Wawanesa’s coverage options, it’s worth getting a quote to see how the insurer’s rates stack up against other companies near you.
Complaints: Wawanesa receives far more complaints than expected for its size, according to data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
Claims satisfaction: Wawanesa ranks second for overall customer satisfaction in California, according to the J.D. Power Auto Insurance Study.
See what you could save on car insurance
Easily compare personalized rates to see how much switching car insurance could save you.
More information about Wawanesa car insurance
Customer service: You can reach Wawanesa by calling the toll-free help number at 800-640-2920.
Website: Wawanesa’s website clearly outlines coverage details and available auto insurance discounts. You can also pay your bills, view policy information and get your ID card.
Mobile app: Wawanesa doesn’t currently have a mobile app for California drivers.
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
How do you get a quote from Wawanesa?
How do you get a quote from Wawanesa?
You can get an auto insurance quote online using the company’s website.
In which states does Wawanesa sell auto policies?
In which states does Wawanesa sell auto policies?
Wawanesa currently sells car insurance policies in California.
How do you file a claim with Wawanesa?
How do you file a claim with Wawanesa?
You can submit auto claims over the phone by calling 888-929-2252. You can make a glass claim online.
Article sources
NerdWallet writers are subject matter authorities who use primary, trustworthy sources to inform their work, including peer-reviewed studies, government websites, academic research and interviews with industry experts. All content is fact-checked for accuracy, timeliness and relevance. You can learn more about NerdWallet's high standards for journalism by reading our editorial guidelines.
- 1.J.D. Power. 2025 Auto Insurance Claims Satisfaction Study. Accessed Dec 23, 2025.
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.
Average rates methodology
NerdWallet averaged rates based on public filings obtained by pricing analytics company Quadrant Information Services. We examined rates for men and women for all ZIP codes in any of the 50 states and Washington, D.C. Although it’s one of the largest insurers in the country, Liberty Mutual is not included in our rates analysis due to a lack of publicly available information.
In our analysis, “good drivers” had no moving violations on record; a “good driving” discount was included for this profile. Our “good” and “poor” credit rates are based on credit score approximations and do not account for proprietary scoring criteria used by insurance providers.
These are average rates, and your rate will vary based on your personal details, state and insurance provider.
Sample drivers had the following coverage limits:
$100,000 bodily injury liability coverage per person.
$300,000 bodily injury liability coverage per crash.
$50,000 property damage liability coverage per crash.
$100,000 uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage per person.
$300,000 uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage per crash.
Collision coverage with $1,000 deductible.
Comprehensive coverage with $1,000 deductible.
We used the same assumptions for all other driver profiles, with the following exceptions:
We changed the credit tier from “good” to “poor” as reported to the insurer to see rates for drivers with poor credit. In states where credit isn’t taken into account, we only used rates for “good credit.”
For drivers with one at-fault crash, we added a single at-fault crash costing $10,000 in property damage.
For drivers with a DUI, we added a single drunken-driving violation.
We used a 2023 Toyota Camry LE in all cases and assumed 12,000 annual miles driven. We analyzed rates for drivers of the following ages: 20, 30, 35, 40, 50, 60 and 70.
Auto insurance survey methodology
The opt-in survey of 7,503 U.S. adults ages 18 and older was conducted online by Russell Research on behalf of NerdWallet in June and July 2024. Respondents were asked to rate one auto insurance brand they obtained or renewed a policy within the past 12 months, with at least some changes to the original policy. These brands were rated on overall satisfaction, overall value, online experience, trustworthiness, mobile app experience, claims experience and customer support on a scale of 1-100.
Only brands with 100 or more qualifying respondents are reported. Of those respondents: 300 were State Farm customers, 300 were Progressive customers, 300 were Allstate customers, 300 were GEICO customers, 100 were USAA customers, 157 were AAA customers, 100 were Liberty Mutual customers, 100 were American Family customers, 100 were Farmers customers, 100 were Travelers customers and 101 were Nationwide customers.
