Safe Auto Insurance was a specialty auto insurer that focused largely on drivers who struggled to obtain coverage from standard carriers. Its niche was offering minimum-required liability insurance and other basic coverages to help drivers satisfy the state legal requirements. This included drivers who needed an SR22 form after DUIs or lapses in coverage.
Safe Auto had more complaints than expected relative to its size. Its brand was absorbed primarily into Direct Auto Insurance. The standalone Safe Auto product is no longer being promoted. Drivers who are struggling to find insurance from standard insurers have several options.
Alternatives to Safe Auto Insurance
 NerdWallet rating 4.6/5 |  NerdWallet rating 4.2/5 |  NerdWallet rating 4.3/5 |
Discounts Great set of discounts | Discounts Great set of discounts | Discounts Average set of discounts |
Ease of use Above average | Ease of use Above average | Ease of use Above average |
NAIC complaints Close to expected | NAIC complaints Far more than expected | NAIC complaints Close to expected |
Bottom line Direct Auto Insurance specializes in high-risk drivers. Its discounts and complaint rating stack up well compared to similar insurance companies. | Bottom line This company specializes in car insurance for high-risk drivers, but be wary of the high volume of customer complaints. | Bottom line Dairyland specializes in high-risk drivers, but you may find cheaper coverage elsewhere. |
Direct Auto Insurance
Direct Auto covers the same high-risk drivers Safe Auto once targeted. It falls under Allstate’s National General umbrella, and is a natural place to start looking for a Safe Auto alternative.
» Read more: Direct Auto Insurance Review 2026
The General Auto Insurance
Life Safe Auto did, The General specializes in covering drivers with challenging driving records or credit issues. It offers minimum liability and full coverage insurance options and SR22 filing. The General is available nationwide.
» Read more: The General Auto Insurance 2026
Dairyland Auto Insurance
Dairyland also writes policies for drivers who have difficulty obtaining coverage elsewhere. It offers a range of coverage levels, including liability and full coverage and offers many optional add-ons.
» Read more: Dairyland Auto Insurance 2026
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.
