AAA vs. Bristol West: Which Company is the Best Fit for You?

Quick Facts

• Looking at the national averages for insurance, AAA offers significantly more affordable prices than Bristol West
• AAA offers more affordable rates for policyholders who have a clean record
• Bristol West has less expensive prices for drivers with a DUI

AAA or Bristol West: Which Company has the Cheapest Car Insurance?

Are you considering a new insurance policy? After all, you've seen ads from all sorts of companies offering big savings. But exactly how much can you save by switching?

You might be considering AAA or Bristol West as your top options, but which carrier has cheaper premiums for auto insurance?

As you can see, Bristol West is around $98 more a month than AAA when looking at the national average rates for insurance.

Even so, AAA may not be the most affordable or best option for every driver out there. Car insurance carriers use a ton of complex algorithms to determine rates, so depending on how old you are or where you live (among a wide array of other factors), you could see wildly different prices from the ones above.

So, if you want to find out which of AAA or Bristol West is really the best for you, keep reading to see average premiums for each carrier broken down by a range of different rate factors.

AAA vs. Bristol West: Average Car Insurance Rates by State

AAA and Bristol West only compete against each other in two states, with Bristol West offering less expensive rates to the average driver in all of them. If you live in Nevada, AAA is the more affordable of the two companies when looking at the overall average premiums. Bristol West is the cheaper option in California.

There are plenty of other factors that go into your auto insurance payment than just the state you live in. Keep reading to find out more.

Which is the Best Company For Young Drivers?

You might already know that teen drivers usually pay a lot more for insurance than any group on the road. That's because teen drivers are statistically much more likely to get into an accident that results in an auto insurance claim, making them much riskier to insure.

However, that doesn't mean teen drivers can't still save money on their car insurance. For example, 18-year-old drivers pay an average of over 10% less per month by choosing AAA over Bristol West.

That being said, both carriers will reduce prices once you turn 25. For example, average rates for AAA policyholders decrease almost 60% and Bristol West's premiums drop nearly 55% over that time.

Which is the Best Company for Retired Drivers?

Once you approach retirement age, you'll generally enjoy the cheapest insurance prices you'll ever see. You've been on the road for years, and all that experience pays off when it comes to your monthly rates for auto insurance.

When looking at AAA and Bristol West specifically, which company is best for retired drivers? AAA gets the edge, with prices for drivers 65 and older almost 35% less expensive than the national average for Bristol West.

Which is the Best Company for Married Drivers?

Single policyholders tend to get offered slightly more expensive car insurance rates than married couples. That's typically because married drivers tend to own and insure more than one vehicle, which can often earn you a discount.

For single drivers, the difference in average premiums between these two companies is significant, with AAA rates coming in at a quarter less than Bristol West's. The advantage is also clear for married policyholders - AAA offers the most affordable average prices.

AAA or Bristol West: Average Rates by Gender

Did you know women tend to pay less for insurance than men? This is because men are statistically more likely than women to cause a collision and get into accidents, which leads to increased risk for insurers and, therefore, higher premiums.

With AAA, women normally pay about $35 a month less than men, but surprisingly, with Bristol West, women usually pay around $1 per month more than men.

Looking at the data for each carrier specifically, AAA offers the lowest average rates for both men and women, with average premiums $80 less for men and $115 cheaper for women.

AAA vs. Bristol West: Compare State Minimum vs. Full Coverage Rates

*State minimum value indicates liability-only policies at each state's minimum bodily injury and property damage (BI/PD) limits

**Full coverage indicates state minimum BI/PD limits with collision and comprehensive coverages added to policy.

Auto insurance can be a complicated subject for most people. There are so many different coverages and limits that it can make it pretty confusing to find the right policy for you.

But most policies end up falling into two different types of coverage -- liability coverage (that covers bodily injury and property damage for other drivers and passengers if you cause a collision) and full coverage (which generally refers to having collision and comprehensive coverages in addition to what you get with liability coverage).

Looking specifically at state minimum limits for liability insurance, AAA has the significant edge, with average monthly prices coming in at $169. If you want a full coverage policy with the same state minimum limits, AAA again has the edge, with policies averaging about $459 a month to Bristol West's $544.

Is AAA or Bristol West Better for Drivers with Spotty Records?

It's no secret -- drivers with good records end up getting the best deals on their car insurance. But that's not to say you can't save money if you don't have the best driving record, either.

Speeding tickets and at-fault collisions will most likely raise your premiums, but is AAA or Bristol West more affordable for drivers with less-than-ideal driving records?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Speeding Tickets?

Policyholders who use AAA for their auto insurance can typically expect their monthly bill to go up around 29% after getting a speeding ticket. Bristol West policyholders can expect a less drastic increase of about 23%.

However, AAA has cheaper rates for drivers in both categories, offering prices that are $126 and $140 more affordable, respectively, compared to Bristol West.

Which Company is Best for Drivers After an Accident?

Both carriers will raise premiums pretty significantly if you get into an at-fault collision with Bristol West increasing by around 29%. AAA has a less extreme rise, but you can still expect to pay more than 35% more than you were prior to your first accident.

At the end of the day, AAA offers the cheapest rates for drivers with an at-fault collision on their records, with average prices coming in at $339 compared to Bristol West's $479.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with a DUI?

On average, a DUI offense is going to cost you much more than a single accident or ticket when it comes to your insurance bill. On average, AAA will raise your premiums about 47% after a DUI, while Bristol West's average rates climb by nearly 15%.

But if you end up with a DUI charge and are looking for more affordable prices, Bristol West tends to be less expensive for the average driver, with monthly premiums coming in at around $390 to AAA's $403.

How does Credit Score Impact AAA and Bristol West Rates?

You may not have known, but your credit score can come into play when companies calculate your monthly bill. This isn't true for everyone (for example, Hawaii and California are two states that ban the practice entirely), but it does affect several drivers out there.

Car insurance carriers argue that someone with bad credit is less likely to pay their bills on time, which makes them riskier to insure. Because of that, policyholders with bad credit will often be forced to pay more.

Looking at AAA and Bristol West specifically, which company has the most affordable premiums for drivers at different credit levels?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Good Credit?

If you have a solid credit score, AAA will normally reward you the most. For policyholders with "excellent" credit scores, AAA comes in over 45.91 cheaper. Drivers with "good" credit scores usually save about 35% with AAA compared to average prices from Bristol West.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Bad Credit?

AAA typically offers lower rates than Bristol West when it comes to drivers with bad credit. Drivers with "fair" credit pay around 26% per month less with AAA compared to Bristol West, and those with "poor" scores generally save an average of about 3% per month.

Is AAA or Bristol West Better for Drivers who Work from Home or Have Short Commutes?

How much you drive can have a substantial impact on how much auto insurance companies will charge for coverage. Usually, those who drive less will end up with more affordable premiums since there's less of a chance of causing an accident and filing an insurance claim.

For both remote workers and those taking short commutes, AAA offers less expensive prices than Bristol West. AAA's average rates for drivers with 6,000 annual miles come in more than 25% cheaper than Bristol West. Those who drive 12,000 miles yearly can expect to pay just under 25% less with AAA over Bristol West.

AAA or Bristol West: Compare Rates for Urban, Suburban, and Rural Drivers

Where you live can play a sizable role in how much you pay for insurance. Normally, drivers who live in heavily-populated urban areas will pay quite a bit more than rural policyholders because of the number of cars that are on the roads where they live.

AAA tends to offer the cheapest rates for drivers in all types of areas, no matter if they're urban, suburban, or rural.

Those in rural areas can expect to save around 17% with AAA compared to Bristol West. People who live in suburban areas pay about 22% less with AAA compared to Bristol West. For drivers in urban ZIP codes, AAA Insurance's average prices are around 29% less than Bristol West.

AAA vs. Bristol West Discounts

No matter why you might be in the market for a new car insurance policy, you're always going to want to save as much money as you can, and the best way to do that is by taking advantage of as many insurance discounts as possible.

But with what seems like a million different discounts out there, it can be difficult to nail down the carrier that has the most discounts for your unique driver profile and to find all the discounts you qualify for.

Luckily, we did the hard work for you and compared all of the different discounts offered by AAA and Bristol West so that you can easily see which company offers the most discounts and see which ones you might be able to take advantage of.

AAA knocks Bristol West out of the park when it comes to the sheer number of discounts available, offering 15 more discounts than Bristol West.

A couple of those are overlapping for things like anti-theft discounts, distant student discounts, EFT discounts, and mobile home policy discounts. AAA also offers discounts for AAA, academic, COVID-19 relief, and more.

On the other hand, Bristol West has a few proprietary discounts of their own for things like ABS discounts, continuous insurance discounts, minor child discounts, and more.

Final Thoughts: Is AAA or Bristol West Best for You?

So, you've seen how different variables can affect your car insurance premiums. We've broken down the different discounts each company offers, too. But, when it comes down to it, is AAA or Bristol West the right one for you and your specific driver profile?

AAA might be best for you if....

• You have above-average credit.
• Your neighborhood is in the suburbs.
• You want to save money while purchasing auto insurance for a teenager.

Bristol West might be best for you if...

• Your driving record includes a DUI charge.

Hopefully, this guide helps you get a better idea of the difference between AAA and Bristol West. We also hope we've given you the information you need to make the best decision about your car insurance.

At the end of the day, the sure-fire way to make sure you're getting the best deal on your insurance policy is to compare quotes from a handful of carriers, not just AAA and Bristol West. Luckily, sites like Compare.com do all the hard work for you. Simply enter your ZIP codes below and get free quotes from dozens of top auto insurance companies in your area, all in just a few minutes.

AAA vs. Bristol West FAQs

Is AAA or Bristol West cheaper?

AAA is the less expensive of the two carriers when looking at national average rates, with policies averaging $314 a month with AAA and $412 for Bristol West. Even so, that doesn't mean AAA will be the lowest carrier for every driver, since there are lots of different factors (things like driving record, age, gender, etc.) that play a role in how much you pay.

Who is better, AAA or Bristol West?

Unfortunately, the real answer is "it depends.". No single company is "better" for each policyholder -- it all comes down to what your unique car insurance profile looks like. For example, AAA is cheaper for drivers with excellent credit, while Bristol West offers more affordable premiums for drivers with a recent DUI.

Why do AAA and Bristol West offer me different rates?

Auto insurance companies use many different variables when determining the prices they charge. Factors such as age, where you park your vehicle, gender, your driving record, and sometimes even things like your credit score can all come into play. Both AAA and Bristol West calculate rates differently, so it's likely they'll offer different premiums. The best way to determine which carrier is the most affordable for you is by comparing personalized quotes from multiple different carriers.

How do I know if AAA or Bristol West is right for me?

The only way to find the insurance company that's right for you is by getting quotes from multiple companies and finding the one best suited for your individual budget. Luckily, Compare.com does all the hard work for you. Just enter your area information and you'll get quotes from dozens of your local top auto insurance carriers for free. That way, you can guarantee you're getting the best rate. And maybe you'll find that the best carrier for you isn't AAA or Bristol West at all, but another you hadn't even thought of!

Methodology

All of the data referenced in this article has been gathered in collaboration with Quadrant Information Services. We analyzed more than 2.5 million rows of carrier-reported data to calculate the average rates referenced above. All rates are based on an insurance profile of a single-vehicle policy for a driver that owns a 2016 Honda Accord. For more information on how we calculate rates, please reference our data methodology.