Whenever a company has loyal customers, that's a good sign. If you're planning to shop around for a new auto insurance company, it could help to know which ones have the highest customer loyalty.
J.D. Power keeps track of this in its Quarterly Insurance Shopping LIST Reports. Here are the top auto insurance companies for customer loyalty, according to J.D. Power's report from the first quarter of this year.
1. NJM
The carrier with the most customer loyalty right now is NJM, and it's easy to see why. It has competitive pricing with plenty of discount opportunities, including a discount if you get full coverage. NJM has also received high marks for customer service, getting an auto claims certification from J.D. Power six years in a row.
NJM isn't available across the entire United States. To get coverage with it, you must be a resident of one of the following states:
- Connecticut
- Maryland
- New Jersey
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
2. USAA
If you're looking for cheap car insurance companies, look no further. USAA has some of the lowest rates you can find for any type of driving record. It doesn't skimp on customer service, either. It had the highest customer satisfaction score in J.D. Power's 2023 study, although it technically wasn't ranked because it didn't meet the award criteria.
The reason it didn't meet the award criteria was because of limited availability. USAA is available nationwide, but only to military members and their families. If you're part of that group, USAA is a great choice.
3. Erie Auto Insurance
Erie Auto Insurance is another carrier with low rates and high marks for customer service. It also has benefits you don't see often, including one called Rate Lock. Its Rate Lock feature can keep your premiums from going up over time. Considering auto insurance rates rose by 20.2% last year, keeping them locked in is a big perk.
Not all drivers will be eligible for a policy with Erie Auto Insurance. It currently serves 12 states in the mid-Atlantic and midwest, as well as the District of Columbia.
4. Mercury Auto Insurance
Mercury Auto Insurance is known for offering in-person service, as policies are sold by over 9,400 independent agents. If you like setting up your policy with a professional, Mercury Auto Insurance could be a good fit. It also has affordable prices.
Like most of the auto insurance companies on this list, Mercury Auto Insurance isn't available everywhere. It has coverage in 11 states, including California, New Jersey, New York, and Texas. Interestingly, Mercury Auto Insurance doesn't have the best customer satisfaction ratings. In fact, it had the second-lowest score in J.D. Power's 2023 auto claims satisfaction study.
5. The Hanover
Like Mercury Auto Insurance, The Hanover offers in-person service. It only sells policies through independent insurance agents, and it's available in 18 states, including Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and Ohio.
The Hanover has a reputation for excellent customer service and providing a range of customizable insurance options. However, its rates are on the high side.
What drivers look for in an auto insurance company
For most drivers, the two most important features in an auto insurance company are competitive prices and great customer service. All the carriers on this list had at least one of those two features, and each of the carriers in the top three had both.
One other thing these carriers have in common is that they're not available to everyone. Most are only available in certain states, with the exception of USAA, which is only available to military members and their families. So you may want to look beyond the big national carriers when shopping for auto insurance. The ones with a smaller footprint often end up with more loyal customers.
