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

Quick Facts

• Looking at the national averages for insurance, Selective offers slightly more affordable premiums than Allstate
• Allstate offers more discounts than Selective Insurance
• Selective tends to be a much less expensive option for drivers with a DUI charge on their record

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

Are you considering a new insurance policy? With so many ads from all sorts of companies offering substantial discounts, you're probably wondering exactly how much you might be able to save.

You might have narrowed your search down to Allstate or Selective as your top options, but between the two, which carrier has cheaper rates for auto insurance?

Looking at the national average rates for both companies, Selective is about $15 per month less expensive than Allstate.

Even so, Selective may not be the most affordable or best option for every single driver out there. Insurance carriers use all sorts of complex algorithms to calculate premiums, so depending on how good your credit score is or how old you are (among several other factors), you could see wildly different prices from the ones above.

Luckily, we've broken down average rates from both Allstate and Selective by multiple different rate factors, so read on to find out which carrier is the best for you.

Allstate or Selective: Average Car Insurance Rates by State

Allstate and Selective only compete against each other in New Jersey, where Selective offers the cheaper average prices. For New Jersey residents, Selective offers car insurance for $184 monthly on average. Allstate's average rates come out to be over 40% more expensive, at $261 a month.

But there's more to calculating insurance premiums than just where you live. Read on to find out more.

Which is the Best Company For Young Drivers?

You might already know that teen drivers typically pay a lot more for auto insurance than any group out there on the road. It's because young, inexperienced drivers are statistically much more likely to get into accidents since they have less experience on the roads.

However, that doesn't mean that teen drivers have to just accept sky-high car insurance prices. As you can see above, teens who use Selective save $2 a month compared to those who use Allstate. It's worth noting that Allstate offers auto insurance in 47 different states compared to Selective's one, which can skew the average premiums a bit, but the difference here is still considerable.

But with both companies, you'll see your rates drop significantly by the time you turn 25. Selective offers the steepest decrease, with 25-year-olds paying less than a third of what 18-year-old drivers are charged. Allstate's average prices lower nearly 65% during that same period.

Which is the Best Company for Retired Drivers?

Drivers around retirement age usually enjoy some of the lowest insurance premiums you can find. After all, they've likely been driving for quite some time, which generally reduces their chances of accidents and other infractions that can increase rates.

When looking at Allstate and Selective specifically, which company is best for retired drivers? Selective gets the edge, with premiums for drivers 65 and older $32 more affordable than the national average for Allstate.

Which is the Best Company for Married Drivers?

Those who are single tend to get offered slightly more expensive car insurance rates than married policyholders. That's normally because married couples tend to own and insure multiple cars, which can often earn you a discount.

When it comes to relationship status, the two carriers are comparable for single policyholders, with prices only differing around $13 per month, on average. The advantage for married drivers is more obvious, where drivers who use Selective save more than 10% a month.

Allstate vs. Selective: Average Rates by Gender

Men are statistically more likely than women to get pulled over for speeding or get into an accident, which means they'll usually end up paying more for insurance than women.

Usually, men see premiums about 4% per month higher with Allstate, and around 5% with Selective.

Looking at overall affordability, Selective comes out as the cheapest option for both genders, with average prices 7% less for men and 8% cheaper for women.

Allstate or Selective: 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, car insurance can be pretty complicated. There are so many different terms and limits that it can make it pretty confusing to find the right policy.

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

In this case, Allstate offers the lowest average rates for state minimum liability insurance, while Selective 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 about $50 cheaper with Selective Insurance.

Is Allstate or Selective Better for Drivers with Spotty Records?

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

Tickets and collisions will most likely raise your prices, but is Allstate or Selective more affordable for drivers with less-than-ideal driving records?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Speeding Tickets?

Allstate policyholders can expect their premiums to go up an average of $27 a month if they get a ticket, while Selective normally raises rates around $76 per month, on average.

If you have a clean record, Selective tends to offer the best premiums at about 10% less expensive, while Allstate has the edge for drivers with a speeding ticket.

Which Company is Best for Drivers After an Accident?

Allstate policyholders who get in an accident can expect to see their prices rise by just under $75, while those who have insurance through Selective will see around a $20 increase.

Overall, Selective offers the most affordable rates for drivers with an at-fault accident on their records, with monthly premiums averaging $162 compared to Allstate's $229.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with a DUI?

If you get a DUI charge on your record, it's probably going to cost you more than a simple ticket or even a collision. For example, Selective increases average rates by over $75 a month -- that's over a 35% increase.

Selective has the overall cheapest prices for drivers with a DUI on their records at $217 per month, but it's worth noting that Allstate's average rates come from 47 states compared to just one for Selective, so the data may be skewed slightly.

How does Credit Score Impact Allstate and Selective Rates?

In many cases, your credit score can come into play when companies determine your monthly bill. This isn't always the case (for example, Michigan and California are two states that ban the practice entirely), but it does affect a lot of drivers out there.

The reasoning insurance carriers use is that policyholders with bad credit will be less likely to pay their bills on time; so typically, they'll be asked to pay more, while those with good credit will be rewarded with cheaper premiums.

Looking at Allstate and Selective specifically, which company has the best prices for drivers at different credit levels?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Good Credit?

If you have great credit, you'll usually find a better deal with Allstate. Policyholders with "excellent" credit can save just under 20% compared to Selective, and those with "good" scores can also expect to see savings -- about $8 or 4% less expensive each month.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Bad Credit?

Selective typically offers lower rates than Allstate when it comes to drivers with less-than-stellar credit. Drivers with "fair" credit pay around $20 per month less with Selective compared to Allstate, and those with "poor" scores generally save an average of about $80 monthly.

Is Allstate or Selective 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 considerable impact on how much auto insurance companies will charge for coverage? Normally, the more miles you put on your vehicle, the more you can expect to pay for car insurance.

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

Allstate vs. Selective: 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 insurance, but the type of area you live in can have a large impact as well. Typically, if you live in a rural area with fewer cars on the road, you'll pay a little less for auto insurance, while the opposite is true for people in urban areas.

Looking at these carriers side-by-side, Selective tends to offer the cheapest option for drivers in rural and urban areas, while Allstate wins in suburban areas.

In urban areas, Selective Insurance's average rates are about 5% less than Allstate. Drivers in suburban ZIP codes pay around 2% less with Allstate compared to Selective. If you live in a rural area, you can expect to save about 20% with Selective compared to Allstate.

Allstate vs. Selective Discounts

You want to save as much money as possible, right? The best way to do that is by utilizing as many car insurance discounts as you can.

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

In the section below, we've compared all of the different discounts offered by Allstate and Selective so that you can see which one can save you the most money each month.

Allstate blows Selective away when it comes to the sheer amount of discounts available, offering 27 more discounts than Selective.

Both companies offer lots of the same discounts -- like anti-theft discounts, distant student discounts, discounts for getting driver training, and discounts for insuring multiple cars with the same company -- but Allstate also offers ABS discounts, agency transfer discounts, alert driving discounts, and more that Selective does not.

On the flip side, Selective has a unique discount of its own -- a group discounts.

Final Thoughts: Is Allstate or Selective Best for You?

So, we've broken down the average premiums for many of the factors auto insurance carriers look at, and walked through the different discounts each carrier offers, too. But, at the end of the day, which insurance company is the best fit for you?

Selective might be best for you if....

• You have a DUI charge on your record.
• Your neighborhood is in a rural area.
• You have a short drive to work everyday.

Allstate might be best for you if...

• You are considering moving to another state -- Selective Insurance is only available to New Jersey residents.
• Your credit score is high.
• You want basic car insurance coverage at the state minimum limits.

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

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

Allstate vs. Selective FAQs

Is Allstate or Selective cheaper?

Looking just at the national average prices, Selective is the more affordable of the two companies, offering average rates of $184 a month compared to $199 for Allstate. That being said, Selective won't necessarily be the most affordable carrier for every driver, since there are lots of different variables (things like gender, age, driving record, etc.) that play a role in how much you pay.

Who is better, Allstate or Selective?

Sadly, the real answer is "it depends.". Neither company is necessarily "better" for each driver -- it all boils down to your unique car insurance profile. For example, Selective offers less expensive rates for drivers with a recent DUI, while Allstate is more affordable for drivers with excellent credit.

Why do Allstate and Selective offer me different rates?

Insurance carriers take a look at quite a few different factors when calculating the prices they charge drivers. Variables such as where you call home, where you live, gender, age, and sometimes even things like your credit score can all be used. Both Allstate and Selective calculate rates using different formulas, so each one will most likely offer different premiums. The only real way to see which carrier is the lowest for you is by comparing personalized quotes from a range of different companies.

How do I know if Allstate or Selective 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 carriers 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 free quotes from dozens of the best car insurance companies in your area. That way, you can guarantee you're getting the best price. And who knows, the best carrier for you might not be Allstate or Selective 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.