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

Quick Facts

• In general, Allstate offers slightly less expensive rates than Farmers
• Allstate offers more discounts than Farmers Insurance
• Farmers offers cheaper average prices for policyholders who live in the suburbs

Allstate vs. Farmers: Which Company has the Cheapest Car Insurance?

Are you in the market for a new insurance policy? You've probably seen commercials and billboards from companies offering big discounts, but exactly how much money can you save by switching?

You might be considering Allstate or Farmers for your next policy, but between the two, which company will save you the most?

As you can see, Allstate is about $4 per month more affordable than Farmers when looking at the national average rates for insurance.

Even so, that doesn't necessarily mean Allstate will be the less expensive option for every driver. After all, car insurance companies can offer drastically different rates to each driver depending on rating factors like your driving record, your age, your credit score, or even where you call home (among other things). So, at the end of the day, rates from every carrier will differ quite a bit from person to person.

Wanting to know if Allstate or Farmers is really the right company for you? Keep on reading to see how average premiums can change based on all of the factors we've mentioned above.

Allstate or Farmers: Average Car Insurance Rates by State

Allstate and Farmers compete against each other in 24 states, with Allstate offering more affordable prices to the average driver in 11 of them. If you live in Colorado, Illinois, New Mexico, Oklahoma, or Utah, Allstate is the cheaper of the two carriers when looking at the overall average premiums, but Farmers is the cheaper option in most of the others.

That being said, there's a lot more that goes into your insurance bill than just your home state. Keep reading to learn more.

Which is the Best Company For Young Drivers?

Teen drivers will almost always have the most expensive auto insurance rates of any group out there on the road. That's because young, inexperienced drivers are statistically much more likely to get into an accident that results in an insurance claim, making them much riskier to insure.

But still, even with seemingly sky-high premiums, teen drivers can still find ways to save money. As you can see above, teens who use Allstate save $85 a month compared to those who use Farmers.

That being said, both companies will offer you dramatically lower prices once you turn 25. For example, average rates for Allstate policyholders decrease nearly $300 and Farmers's prices lower around $400 over that time.

Which is the Best Company for Retired Drivers?

When it comes to insurance, patience and experience pay off, with drivers around retirement age paying some of the most affordable rates you'll ever see.

But who has the best premiums for retired drivers between Allstate and Farmers? Farmers gets the slight edge, with prices for drivers 65 and older about 6% more affordable than the national average for Allstate.

Which is the Best Company for Married Drivers?

Did you know that car insurance rates are typically less expensive for married policyholders than they are for single policyholders? That's generally because married couples tend to own and insure more than one car, which can often earn you a discount.

When it comes to relationship status, Allstate is the winner for single drivers, with premiums around $14 per month cheaper than Farmers, on average.

Allstate vs. Farmers: Average Rates by Gender

Men usually pay more for auto insurance than women. This is because men are statistically more likely than women to get speeding tickets and get into collisions, which leads to increased risk for insurers and, therefore, higher rates.

With Allstate, women normally pay almost $10 a month less than men, while with Farmers, the difference is closer to $7 per month.

Looking at overall affordability, Allstate comes out as the cheapest option for both genders. On average, women save about $6 a month and men save about $4 with Allstate compared to the average Farmers policyholder.

Allstate or Farmers: 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.

Insurance isn't the easiest topic to understand. Everyone needs auto insurance, but there are so many different coverages and terms that it can be hard to find the right policy.

The two most common policies that many drivers look at fall into two categories -- liability only (which covers the other party's injuries and property damage if you cause an accident) and full coverage (which includes comprehensive and collision coverages that protect your own vehicle, in addition to what you get with a liability policy).

In this case, Allstate offers the lowest average prices for state minimum liability insurance, while Farmers has the edge for full coverage policies with similar coverage limits. Drivers looking for basic state minimum coverage can save around $20 with Allstate, while full coverage comes out to be around $10 less expensive with Farmers Insurance.

Is Allstate or Farmers Better for Drivers with Spotty Records?

It's no big secret that drivers who are accident-free get better deals on their car insurance. But even if you have a spotty record, you can still find plenty of ways to save some cash on your monthly bill.

You'll probably end up paying more with tickets and accidents on your record, but which of these two carriers offers the most affordable premiums to drivers with spotty records?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Speeding Tickets?

Allstate policyholders can expect their rates to go up an average of $27 per month if they get a ticket, while Farmers typically raises premiums about $44 a month, on average.

But Allstate is normally the cheaper option for drivers both with clean records and with a speeding ticket -- their rates are around 4% more affordable for drivers with clean records and 11% less expensive for those with a ticket.

Which Company is Best for Drivers After an Accident?

Allstate policyholders who get in a collision can expect to see their prices climb by over 30%, while those who have insurance through Farmers will see around a 30% increase.

Overall, the cheaper rates come from Farmers, with monthly premiums averaging $224 compared to Allstate's $229.

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 insurance bill -- usually a lot more than an accident or ticket. Allstate drivers usually see a 31% increase in their car insurance prices after a DUI charge, while Farmers will generally climb rates by about 27%.

If you have a DUI on your record and are looking for more affordable prices, Farmers tends to be the much more affordable option with average premiums of $221 monthly compared to $227 from Allstate.

How does Credit Score Impact Allstate and Farmers Rates?

Did you know that many auto insurance companies take into account your credit score when calculating prices? This isn't always the case (for example, Michigan and Hawaii are two states that ban the practice entirely), but it might come into play for many drivers.

The reasoning insurance carriers use is that policyholders with good credit will be more likely to pay their bills on time; so they'll reward them with cheaper rates, while those with poor credit will usually be forced to pay more.

Looking specifically at Allstate and Farmers, which one has the cheapest premiums for drivers at different credit levels?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Good Credit?

If you have solid credit, you'll usually find a better deal with Allstate. Policyholders with "excellent" credit can save over 10% compared to Farmers, and those with "good" scores can also expect to see savings -- around $13 or 7% cheaper each month.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Bad Credit?

If you have less-than-stellar credit, it can be somewhat of a toss-up as far as which company offers you the best prices. Drivers with "fair" credit pay about $6 less with Allstate than Farmers, but those whose credit is considered "poor" have it flipped -- saving around $19 per month with Farmers.

Is Allstate or Farmers 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 pretty big impact on your monthly premiums? Normally, those who drive less will end up with less expensive rates since there's less of a chance of getting into a collision and causing an insurance claim.

As you can see in the table above, annual mileage doesn't have much of an impact on how much Farmers charges. However, there's a small difference in monthly prices for Allstate, with policyholders who drive 6,000 miles every year paying about $3 less each month compared to those who drive 12,000 miles yearly. Still, Allstate is the more affordable option for drivers in both categories.

Allstate vs. Farmers: 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 sizable impact as well. Typically, those who live in urban areas will pay more than drivers in rural areas due to the number of cars that are on the roads in those areas.

When comparing these two companies side-by-side, Farmers generally comes out as the cheaper option for drivers in rural and suburban areas, while Allstate wins in urban areas.

If you live in a rural area, you can expect to save around 2% with Farmers compared to Allstate. Drivers in suburban ZIP codes pay about 5% less with Farmers compared to Allstate. In urban areas, Allstate's average rates are around 12% less than Farmers Insurance.

Allstate vs. Farmers Discounts

Regardless of 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 possible, and the best way to do that is by taking advantage of as many auto insurance discounts as you can.

But where do you even start? With what seems like a million different discounts out there, it may be challenging to find all the ones you can take advantage of.

In the section below, we've compared all of the different discounts offered by Allstate and Farmers so that you can see which carrier offers the most discounts and see which ones you might be able to take advantage of.

Allstate blows Farmers away when it comes to the sheer amount of discounts available, offering 40 different discounts to Farmers's 28.

A couple of those are overlapping for things like advance quote discounts, discounts for being a defensive driver, distant student discounts, and ESC discounts. Allstate also offers agency transfer discounts, alert driving discounts, annual mileage discounts, and more that Farmers does not.

On the flip side, Farmers has a couple unique discounts of its own -- alternative fuel discounts, group discounts, loyalty discounts, and more.

Final Thoughts: Is Allstate or Farmers Best for You?

You've seen the effect certain factors have on your insurance and the different discounts carriers offer. But, at the end of the day, which insurance carrier is the best one for you and your specific driver profile?

Allstate might be best for you if....

• You don't have any speeding tickets, DUIs, or at-fault collisions on your record.
• You already have a great credit score.
• You drive often but have a short commute.

Farmers might be best for you if...

• You have a DUI charge on your record.
• You live in a rural neighborhood.
• You are over 65 years old and want to save some money on your car insurance.

We hope this guide has ben a valuable resource as you compare Allstate and Farmers. We also hope we've given you the information you need to make the best decision about your insurance.

But, at the end of the day, there's only one way to know for sure that you're getting the best possible deal on car insurance -- comparing quotes from several companies, not just Allstate and Farmers. Luckily, Compare.com makes it easy for you to do just that. Just enter your ZIP code below and get multiple quotes from some of the best auto insurance carriers in your area, all for free.

Allstate vs. Farmers FAQs

Is Allstate or Farmers cheaper?

Looking just at the national average premiums, Allstate is the more affordable of the two companies, offering average rates of $199 a month compared to $203 for Farmers. However, Allstate won't necessarily be the lowest company for everyone, since there are a variety of different variables that are considered when it comes to your insurance payment.

Who is better, Allstate or Farmers?

Unfortunately, the answer truly is "it depends.". No single carrier is "better" for every driver -- it all depends on the makeup of your unique car insurance profile. For example, Farmers offers less expensive prices for drivers with a recent DUI, while Allstate is cheaper for drivers with excellent credit.

Why do Allstate and Farmers offer me different rates?

Auto insurance carriers take a look at quite a few different factors when determining the premiums they charge policyholders. Things like age, where you call home, gender, your driving record, and sometimes even things like your credit score can all be used. Both Allstate and Farmers calculate rates differently, so each one will most likely offer different premiums. The only real way to see which company is the cheapest for you is by comparing personalized quotes from a bunch of different companies.

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

The only way to find the car insurance carrier that's right for you is by getting quotes from multiple carriers and finding the one best suited for your individual budget. Luckily, sites like Compare.com do all the hard work for you. Just enter your area information and you'll get free quotes from dozens of the best insurance companies in your area. With those, you can guarantee you're getting the most affordable rate. And who knows, the best company for you might not be Allstate or Farmers at all!

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.