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

Quick Facts

• Looking at the national averages for insurance, Allstate offers significantly more affordable premiums than Bristol West
• Allstate offers more affordable prices for residents of suburban areas
• Bristol West has less expensive rates in CA, FL, ME, MI, NV, and SC

Allstate 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 huge savings. But exactly how much can you save by switching?

You might be considering Allstate or Bristol West for your next policy, but between the two, which carrier has cheaper premiums for auto insurance?

Looking at nationwide averages, Allstate has average rates that are around 50% a month less expensive than those from Bristol West.

Even so, Allstate may not be the lowest or best option for every driver out there. Car insurance carriers use all sorts of complex algorithms to determine prices, so depending on how clean your driving record is or how good your credit score is (among a whole range of other factors), you could see wildly different premiums from the ones above.

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

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

Allstate and Bristol West compete against each other in five states, with Bristol West offering more affordable prices to the average driver in all of them. If you live in California, Bristol West is the cheaper of the two companies when looking at the overall average premiums. Allstate is the more affordable option in Florida, Maine, Nevada, and South Carolina.

That being said, there are plenty of other factors that go into your insurance bill than just where you live. Read on to learn more.

Which is the Best Company For Young Drivers?

You might already know that teen drivers normally pay a lot more for car insurance than any other group of drivers out there on the road. It's generally because teen drivers are statistically much more likely to get into an accident that results in a car insurance claim, making them much riskier to insure.

That being said, that doesn't mean teen drivers can't still save money on their auto insurance. As you can see above, teens who use Allstate save almost 45% per month compared to those who use Bristol West.

But both carriers will reduce prices by the time you turn 25. For example, average rates for Allstate policyholders drop nearly 65% and Bristol West's premiums lower almost 55% over that time.

Which is the Best Company for Retired Drivers?

Once you approach retirement age, you'll usually enjoy the most affordable insurance rates you can find. You've been on the road for years, and all that experience pays off when it comes to your monthly prices for car insurance.

When looking at Allstate and Bristol West specifically, which company is best for retired drivers? Allstate gets the edge, with premiums for drivers 65 and older $212 less expensive than the national average for Bristol West.

Which is the Best Company for Married Drivers?

Married drivers tend to get slightly cheaper auto insurance prices than single policyholders. That's typically because married couples tend to own and insure more than one vehicle, which can often earn you a discount.

For those who are single, the difference in average rates between these two companies is significant, with Allstate prices coming in at about half of Bristol West's. The advantage is also clear for married policyholders - Allstate offers the cheapest average premiums.

Allstate or Bristol West: Average Rates by Gender

Men are statistically more likely than women to cause a collision and get into accidents. That means when it comes to insurance men will generally end up paying a little more.

Men typically pay around $10 a month more than women with Allstate, but surprisingly, with Bristol West, men usually pay about $1 per month less than women.

Looking at the data for each carrier specifically, Allstate offers the lowest average rates for both men and women. On average, women save about $218 a month and men save around $208 with Allstate compared to the average Bristol West policyholder.

Allstate 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.

For most people, auto insurance isn't the easiest topic to understand. There are so many different limits and coverages that it can make it pretty confusing to find the right policy for you.

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

Looking specifically at state minimum liability limits, Allstate has the significant edge, with average monthly premiums coming in at $108. If you want a full coverage policy with the same state minimum limits, Allstate again has the edge, with policies averaging about $289 per month to Bristol West's $544.

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

You've probably seen plenty of commercials from car insurance carriers offering great prices for good drivers, but that doesn't mean people with less-than-perfect driving records can't save money, too.

It's no secret secret that speeding tickets and collisions lead to higher rates, but which company -- Allstate or Bristol West -- has the most affordable premiums for drivers with spotty records?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Speeding Tickets?

Policyholders who use Allstate for their insurance can generally expect their monthly bill to go up around 15% after getting a speeding ticket. Bristol West policyholders can expect a bit more drastic of an increase of about 23%.

Even so, Allstate tends to offer the best prices for both drivers who have clean records and those with a recent ticket. With Allstate, drivers with a clean record can save around $183 a month and drivers with a speeding ticket can save about $256 per month.

Which Company is Best for Drivers After an Accident?

Both companies will raise rates pretty significantly if you get into an at-fault collision with Bristol West raising by around 29%. Allstate has a less extreme increase, but you can still expect to pay more than 30% more than you were prior to your first accident.

At the end of the day, the more affordable prices come from Allstate, with average premiums coming in at $229 compared to Bristol West's $479.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with a DUI?

If you get a DUI charge, you can expect some pretty significant increases in your monthly auto insurance bill -- normally a lot more than an accident or ticket. For example, Allstate increases average rates by more than $70 a month -- that's over a 30% increase.

But if you end up with a DUI charge and are looking for more affordable prices, Allstate tends to be cheaper for the average driver, with monthly premiums coming in at about $227 to Bristol West's $390.

How does Credit Score Impact Allstate and Bristol West Rates?

In many cases, your credit score can come into play when carriers 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 a lot of drivers out there.

Insurance companies 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 Allstate and Bristol West specifically, which company has the best premiums for drivers at different credit levels?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Good Credit?

If you have a great credit score, Allstate will typically reward you the most. For policyholders with "excellent" credit scores, Allstate comes in nearly 57.6 less expensive. Drivers with "good" credit scores usually save around 55% with Allstate compared to average rates from Bristol West.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Bad Credit?

Allstate typically offers lower prices than Bristol West when it comes to drivers with bad credit. Drivers with "fair" credit pay about 51% per month less with Allstate compared to Bristol West, and those with "poor" scores normally save an average of around 51% a month.

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

Did you know that the amount of time you spend in your car have a sizable impact on how much car insurance carriers will charge for coverage? That's because the fewer miles you drive, the less likely you are to be in a collision and file an insurance claim.

For both remote workers and those taking short commutes, Allstate tends to be the more affordable option. Bristol West's average rates for drivers with 6,000 annual miles come in about 52% more expensive than Allstate. Those who drive 12,000 miles every year can expect to pay around 52% more with Bristol West over Allstate.

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

We've already mentioned how your home state can play a role in how much you pay for auto insurance, but the type of area you live in can have a substantial impact as well. Typically, drivers who live in less densely populated rural areas will pay quite a bit less than urban policyholders because of the small number of cars that are on the roads where they live.

Allstate boasts the cheapest average rates for drivers in every type of area, no matter if it's urban, suburban, or rural.

Those in rural areas can expect to save about 44% with Allstate compared to Bristol West. People who live in suburban areas pay around 48% less with Allstate compared to Bristol West. For drivers in urban ZIP codes, Allstate's average premiums are about 59% less than Bristol West.

Allstate 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. That's where insurance discounts comes into play.

But where do you even start? With what seems like a million different discounts out there, it may be difficult to find all the ones you qualify for.

Luckily, we did the hard work for you and broke down all of the different discounts offered by both Allstate and Bristol West so that you can see which one offers the most discounts and see which ones you might be able to take advantage of.

Allstate knocks Bristol West out of the park when it comes to the sheer number of discounts available, offering 40 different discounts to Bristol West's 18.

A couple of those are overlapping for things like advance quote discounts, discounts for being a defensive driver, distant student discounts, and discounts for being a homeowner. Allstate also offers discounts for agency transfer, alert driving, annual mileage, and more.

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

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

You've seen the effect certain variables have on your auto insurance and the different discounts companies offer. But, at the end of the day, which company is the right company for you and your specific driver profile?

Allstate might be best for you if....

• You want to save money on your insurance after an accident.
• You're looking for the carrier with the most discounts.
• You're of retirement age and want to take advantage of lower prices.

Bristol West might be best for you if...

• You live in one of the following states: California, Florida, Maine, Michigan, Nevada, and South Carolina.

Hopefully, this guide helps you get a good idea of the differences between Allstate and Bristol West and that you can now make a more informed decision when it comes to 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 several carriers, not just Allstate and Bristol West. Luckily, Compare.com makes it easy for you to do just that. Just enter your ZIP code below and get multiple free quotes from some of the best auto insurance companies in your area, all in just a few minutes.

Allstate vs. Bristol West FAQs

Is Allstate or Bristol West cheaper?

Allstate is the cheaper of the two carriers when looking at national average premiums, with policies averaging $199 a month with Allstate and $412 for Bristol West. However, that doesn't mean Allstate will be the most affordable company for everyone, since there are lots of different factors that come into play when it comes to your car insurance payment.

Who is better, Allstate or Bristol West?

Sadly, the only answer we can give you is "it depends.". Neither carrier is "better" for each policyholder -- it all depends on the makeup of your unique auto insurance profile.

Why do Allstate and Bristol West offer me different rates?

Insurance companies use lots of different variables when determining the rates they charge. Things like age, where you park your vehicle, gender, your driving record, and sometimes even things like your credit score can all be taken into consideration. Both Allstate and Bristol West use different formulas, so it's likely they'll offer different prices. The best way to determine which company is the lowest for you is by comparing personalized quotes from a range of different carriers.

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

The only way to find the car insurance carrier 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 ZIP code 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 premium. And maybe you'll find that the best company for you isn't Allstate 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.