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

Quick Facts

• Based on national averages for auto insurance, Safeway offers slightly less expensive prices than Allstate
• Allstate may help you save more money -- they offer more discounts than Safeway Insurance
• Safeway has cheaper premiums in AL, AZ, GA, LA, and MS

Allstate or Safeway: 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 savings, but exactly how much money can you save by switching?

You might be considering Allstate or Safeway as your top options, but which carrier will offer you more affordable rates?

Looking at the national average rates for both carriers, Allstate is around $5 more a month than Safeway.

But that doesn't mean Safeway will necessarily be cheaper than Allstate for each driver. Insurance companies vary their prices depending on things like how good your credit score is, how clean your driving record is, where you live, how old you are, and a ton of other factors, so premiums will differ quite a bit from person to person.

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

Allstate vs. Safeway: Average Car Insurance Rates by State

Allstate and Safeway compete against each other in four states, with Safeway offering less expensive rates to the average driver in all of them. If you live in Georgia, Allstate is the more affordable of the two carriers when looking at the overall average premiums. Safeway is the less expensive option in Alabama, Arizona, and Mississippi.

There's a lot more that goes into your car insurance bill than just the state you live in. Continue reading to learn more about how other variables will affect your rates.

Which is the Best Company For Young Drivers?

Teen drivers will almost always have the most expensive auto insurance rates of any other group of drivers. Typically, that's because teen drivers are statistically much more likely to cause collisions and other accidents that will result in an insurance claim.

But still, even with seemingly sky-high premiums, teen drivers can still find ways to save money. Just look at the table above -- where 18-year-old drivers who have Allstate for their car insurance pay 2% less than those who use Safeway.

That being said, both companies will offer you dramatically lower prices once you turn 25. Safeway offers the steepest decrease, with 25-year-olds paying less than a third of what 18-year-old drivers are charged. That being said, Allstate still has the most affordable rates at $167 monthly.

Which is the Best Company for Retired Drivers?

Drivers around retirement age generally enjoy some of the lowest insurance prices you'll ever find. After all, they've likely been driving for quite some time, which usually lowers their chances of collisions and other infractions that can raise premiums.

But who has the best prices for retired drivers between Allstate and Safeway? Safeway gets the edge here, with average rates coming in at about $136 per month compared to Allstate's $152.

Which is the Best Company for Married Drivers?

Single drivers tend to get offered slightly more expensive auto insurance premiums than married drivers. This usually boils down to married policyholders having more than one vehicle on their policy -- something a lot of insurance carriers will reward with discounts.

For single policyholders, the difference in average rates between these two companies is not very significant, with Allstate prices coming in at around 2% less than Safeway's. The advantage for married couples is more obvious, where drivers who use Safeway save over 10% per month.

Allstate or Safeway: Average Rates by Gender

Men are statistically more likely than women to get into accidents and file an insurance claim. That means when it comes to auto insurance men will normally end up paying a little more.

Usually, women see premiums about $10 a month more affordable with Allstate, but with Safeway, the difference is closer to $18 per month.

When it comes to the most affordable prices for each gender, Safeway is the lowest company for women. Rates with Safeway are $9 cheaper for women, while with Allstate, men can save around $9.

Allstate vs. Safeway: 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.

It's no secret that car insurance can be a complicated subject for most people. Everyone needs auto insurance, but there are so many different limits and coverages that it can be hard to find the right policy for you.

The two most common policies end up falling into two different types of coverage -- liability coverage (which provides property damage and bodily injury coverage for other drivers if you cause a collision) and full coverage (which usually refers to having collision and comprehensive coverages alongside liability).

When it comes to state minimum limits for liability insurance, Allstate has the edge, while Safeway offers the cheapest average premiums for full coverage policies with similar coverage limits. Policyholders looking for basic state minimum coverage can save around $20 with Allstate, while full coverage comes out to be about $30 cheaper with Safeway Insurance.

Is Allstate or Safeway 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.

You'll probably end up paying more with collisions and speeding tickets on your record, but which of these two carriers offers the lowest rates to drivers with spotty records?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Speeding Tickets?

Drivers who use Allstate for their insurance can normally expect their monthly bill to go up around 15% after getting a speeding ticket. Safeway policyholders can expect a less drastic increase of about 4%.

If you have gotten a ticket, Safeway tends to offer the best premiums at around 7% more affordable, while Allstate has the edge for drivers with a clean record.

Which Company is Best for Drivers After an Accident?

Allstate policyholders who get in an accident can expect to see their rates climb by just under $75, while those who have insurance through Safeway will see about a $60 increase.

At the end of the day, the cheaper prices come from Safeway, with average rates coming in at $223 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 car insurance bill -- typically a lot more than a collision or speeding ticket. For example, Allstate increases average premiums by more than $70 a month -- that's more than a 30% increase.

But if you end up with a DUI charge and are looking for more affordable prices, Safeway tends to be less expensive for the average driver, with monthly premiums coming in at around $220 to Allstate's $227.

How does Credit Score Impact Allstate and Safeway Rates?

You may not realized it, but your credit score can come into play when companies determine your monthly bill. Certain states and carriers do not allow for credit score to be used as a car insurance factor, but it might come into play for lots of drivers.

Auto 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.

So, which carrier offers the cheapest rates for drivers with good, average, or poor credit?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Good Credit?

If you have great credit, Allstate will generally reward you the most. For policyholders with "excellent" credit scores, Allstate comes in over 25.26 cheaper. Drivers with "good" credit scores usually save about 11% with Allstate compared to average premiums from Safeway.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Bad Credit?

Safeway typically offers lower prices than Allstate when it comes to drivers with a below average credit score. Drivers with "fair" credit pay around 4% per month less with Safeway compared to Allstate, and those with "poor" scores normally save an average of about 29% a month.

Is Allstate or Safeway 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 your monthly rates? That's because the more milage you put on your car, the more likely you are to be in an accident and file an insurance claim.

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

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

Where your home is can have a pretty big impact on your monthly insurance cost. Generally, drivers who live in heavily-populated urban areas will pay quite a bit more than rural policyholders due to the number of cars that are on the roads where they live.

Allstate tends to offer the cheapest option for drivers in urban and suburban areas, while Safeway wins in rural areas.

Those in rural areas can expect to save about 16% with Safeway compared to Allstate. People who live in suburban areas pay around 1% less with Allstate compared to Safeway. For drivers in urban ZIP codes, Allstate's average prices are about 5% less than Safeway Insurance.

Allstate vs. Safeway 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 auto insurance discounts comes into play.

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.

Luckily, we did the hard work for you and compared all of the different discounts offered by Allstate and Safeway so that you can find the company that has the most discounts and, therefore, the largest savings.

Allstate blows Safeway away when it comes to the sheer amount of discounts available, offering 29 more discounts than Safeway.

There are a couple discounts both carriers offer, but Allstate also offers discounts for ABS, advance quote, alert driving, and more.

On the other hand, Safeway has a few proprietary discounts of their own for things like full coverage discounts, military discounts, punitive damage exclusion discounts, and more.

Final Thoughts: Is Allstate or Safeway Best for You?

You've seen the effect certain factors have on your insurance and the different discounts companies offer. That's all well and good, but when it comes down to it, which company is the right one for you and your specific driver profile?

Safeway might be best for you if....

• You've received a ticket for speeding recently and don't want to see your premiums increase.
• You live in a rural area.
• You drive fewer than 6,000 miles each year.

Allstate might be best for you if...

• You don't have any speeding tickets, DUIs, or at-fault accidents on your record.
• You care about discounts (Allstate offers the most).

Hopefully, this guide has ben a valuable resource as you compare Allstate and Safeway. We also hope we've given you the information you need to make the best decision about your car 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 insurance -- comparing quotes from several carriers, not just Allstate and Safeway. Luckily, sites like Compare.com do all the hard work for you. Just enter your ZIP code below and get free quotes from dozens of the top auto insurance companies in your area, all in just a few minutes.

Allstate vs. Safeway FAQs

Is Allstate or Safeway cheaper?

Safeway is the less expensive of the two carriers when looking at national average prices, with policies averaging $194 a month with Safeway and $199 for Allstate. However, that doesn't mean Safeway will be the lowest carrier for everyone, since there are many different variables (things like gender, age, driving record, etc.) that play a role in how much you pay.

Who is better, Allstate or Safeway?

Unfortunately, the only answer we can give you is "it depends.". One company is not necessarily "better" for everyone -- it all depends on the makeup of your unique car insurance profile. For example, Allstate is cheaper for drivers with excellent credit, while Safeway offers more affordable rates for drivers with a recent DUI.

Why do Allstate and Safeway offer me different rates?

Insurance companies use several different factors when determining the premiums they charge. Variables such as where you park your vehicle, where you call home, age, gender, and sometimes even things like your credit score can all come into play. Both Allstate and Safeway 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 several different carriers.

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

The only way to find the auto insurance company that's right for you is by getting quotes from a handful of companies and finding the one best suited for your individual budget. Luckily, Compare.com does all the hard work for you. Just enter your information once and you'll get quotes from dozens of your local top insurance carriers for free. With those, you can guarantee you're getting the best price. And maybe you'll find that the best carrier for you isn't Allstate or Safeway 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.