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

Quick Facts

• Looking at the national averages for car insurance, Allstate offers cheaper rates than The General
• Allstate offers more affordable prices for drivers with a DUI
• The General has less expensive premiums in AZ, MO, and UT

Allstate or The General: Which Company has the Cheapest Car Insurance?

So, you're considering switching to a new insurance policy. You've probably seen commercials and billboards from companies offering large savings, but exactly how much money can you save by switching?

You might have narrowed your search down to Allstate or The General as potential options, but which carrier will offer you more affordable prices?

Looking at the national average rates for both carriers, Allstate has average rates that are around 17% a month cheaper than those from The General.

However, that doesn't necessarily mean Allstate will be the more affordable option for each driver. After all, insurance companies can offer drastically different rates to every driver depending on rating factors like where you call home, your age, your credit score, or even your driving record (among other things), so rates will change quite a bit from person to person.

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

Allstate vs. The General: Average Car Insurance Rates by State

Allstate and The General only compete against each other in three states, with Allstate offering less expensive rates to the average driver in all of them. If you live in Utah, The General is the more affordable of the two carriers when looking at the overall average premiums. Allstate is the less expensive option in Arizona and Missouri.

But there's more to calculating car insurance rates than just where you live. Read on to learn more.

Which is the Best Company For Young Drivers?

Teen drivers will almost always have the most expensive auto insurance premiums of any group out there on the road. It's generally because teen drivers are statistically much more likely to get into accidents since they have less experience on the roads.

But that doesn't mean teen drivers can't still save money on their car insurance. Just look at the table above -- where 18-year-old drivers who have The General for their auto insurance pay 0% less than those who use Allstate. It's worth noting that Allstate offers insurance in 47 different states compared to The General's three, which can skew the average prices a bit, but the difference here is still considerable.

Even so, with both companies, you'll see your rates drop significantly once you turn 25. For example, average premiums for Allstate policyholders decrease almost 65% and The General's prices lower over 45% over that time.

Which is the Best Company for Retired Drivers?

When it comes to car insurance, patience and experience pay off, with drivers around retirement age paying some of the cheapest rates you can find.

So, which company offers the best prices to retired drivers? Allstate gets the edge, with premiums for drivers 65 and older $43 cheaper than the national average for The General.

Which is the Best Company for Married Drivers?

Married couples tend to get slightly more affordable auto insurance rates than single drivers. That's typically because married drivers 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 premiums between these two carriers is significant, with Allstate prices coming in at about 15% less than The General's. For married policyholders, the advantage is clear again - Allstate has the edge when it comes to average premiums.

Allstate or The General: Average Rates by Gender

Because women are less likely to get tickets and get into accidents, they are less likely to file a claim with insurance. So, insurance companies will tend to charge women less than men.

Men normally pay around $10 per month more than women with Allstate, but with The General, the difference is closer to $32 a month.

Looking at overall affordability, Allstate offers the lowest average prices for both men and women, with average rates $54 less for men and $31 cheaper for women.

Allstate vs. The General: 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 insurance can be pretty complicated. There are so many different coverages and limits that it can make it pretty confusing to find the right policy for you.

That being said, most policies that drivers look at fall into two categories -- liability coverage (which covers the other party's injuries and property damage if you cause a collision) and full coverage (which includes two additional coverages -- collision and comprehensive -- in addition to liability).

Looking specifically at state minimum liability insurance, 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 The General's $329.

Is Allstate or The General 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.

It's no secret secret that speeding tickets and collisions lead to higher prices, but which carrier -- Allstate or The General -- has the cheapest rates for drivers with less-than-perfect records?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Speeding Tickets?

Policyholders who use Allstate for their insurance can usually expect their monthly bill to go up around 15% after getting a speeding ticket. The General policyholders can expect a bit more drastic of an increase of about 20%.

But Allstate has less expensive prices for drivers in both categories -- their rates are around 19% cheaper for drivers with clean records and 24% less expensive for those with a ticket.

Which Company is Best for Drivers After an Accident?

Allstate drivers who get in an accident can expect to see their rates increase by just under $75, while those who have insurance through The General will see around a $85 increase.

At the end of the day, drivers who use Allstate end up with the cheaper prices after an accident, with average premiums coming in at $229 compared to The General's $279.

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 a collision or ticket. Allstate drivers usually see a 31% raise in their car insurance prices after a DUI charge, while The General will generally increase premiums by about 24%.

Allstate has the overall lowest rates for drivers with a DUI on their records at $227 per month, but it's worth noting that Allstate's average rates come from 47 states compared to just three for The General, so the data may be skewed slightly.

How does Credit Score Impact Allstate and The General Rates?

Did you know many auto insurance carriers take your credit score into account when determining premiums? This isn't true for everyone (for example, Michigan and California are two states that ban the practice entirely), but it will come into play for lots of policyholders.

Insurance companies argue that those with poor credit scores are less likely to pay their bills on time each month, which raises the risk involved on their end, while the opposite is true for those with good credit.

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

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Good Credit?

If you have a solid credit score, Allstate will usually reward you the most. For policyholders with "excellent" credit scores, Allstate comes in nearly 17.61 cheaper. Drivers with "good" credit scores typically save around 21% with Allstate compared to average rates from The General.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Bad Credit?

Allstate typically offers lower premiums than The General when it comes to drivers with bad credit. Drivers with "fair" credit pay about 17% a month less with Allstate compared to The General, and those with "poor" scores usually save an average of around 15% a month.

Is Allstate or The General Better for Drivers who Work from Home or Have Short Commutes?

How much you drive can have a large impact on how much auto insurance carriers will charge for coverage. That's because the more milage you put on your car each year, 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 The General charges. However, there's a small difference in monthly rates 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, for drivers in both categories, Allstate is the more affordable company.

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

Where you live can have a big impact on your monthly insurance bill. Generally, drivers who live in heavily-populated urban areas will pay quite a bit more than rural policyholders because of the number of vehicles that are on the roads where they live.

Allstate tends to offer the cheapest prices for drivers in all areas, regardless of if they're urban, suburban, or rural.

Those in rural areas can expect to save around 8% with Allstate compared to The General. People who live in suburban areas pay about 12% less with Allstate compared to The General. For drivers in urban ZIP codes, Allstate's average rates are around 28% less than The General.

Allstate vs. The General 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 utilizing as many auto insurance discounts as possible.

The hard part is finding all of the discounts you qualify for, since it can feel sometimes like every company has different discounts and each one is advertised differently.

Luckily, we did the hard work for you and broke down all of the different discounts offered by both Allstate and The General so that you can easily see which company offers the most discounts and, therefore, the largest savings.

Allstate blows The General away when it comes to the sheer amount of discounts available, offering 34 more discounts than The General.

A couple of those are overlapping for things like discounts for being a defensive driver, discounts for being a homeowner, and paid in full discounts. Allstate also offers discounts for ABS, advance quote, agency transfer, and more.

On the other hand, The General has a few proprietary discounts of their own for things like group discounts, liability only discounts, and star level discounts.

Final Thoughts: Is Allstate or The General Best for You?

So, you've seen how different variables can affect your insurance prices. We've shown you all the discounts each carrier offers, too. But, at the end of the day, which company is the best fit for you?

Allstate might be best for you if....

• You will be the only person on the car insurance policy.
• You have below-average credit.
• You live in a rural neighborhood.

The General might be best for you if...

• You live in one of the following states: Arizona, Missouri, and Utah.
• You want to save money while purchasing insurance for a teenager.

Hopefully, this guide helps you get a better idea of the difference between Allstate and The General and that you can now make a more informed decision when it comes to your car insurance.

At the end of the day, the best 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 The General. Luckily, Compare.com makes it easy for you to do just that. Just enter your ZIP code below and get free quotes from dozens of the top insurance carriers in your area, all in just a few minutes.

Allstate vs. The General FAQs

Is Allstate or The General cheaper?

Allstate is the less expensive of the two companies when looking at national average rates, with policies averaging $199 per month with Allstate and $241 for The General. Even so, that doesn't mean Allstate will be the lowest carrier for everyone, since there are a range of different factors that come into play when it comes to your auto insurance payment.

Who is better, Allstate or The General?

Unfortunately, the only answer we can give you is "it depends.". One company is not "better" for every policyholder -- it all depends on what your unique car insurance profile looks like.

Why do Allstate and The General offer me different rates?

Auto insurance carriers use quite a few different variables when calculating the premiums they charge. Factors such as where you park your car, where your home is, gender, age, and sometimes even things like your credit score can all come into play. Both Allstate and The General use different formulas, so it's likely they'll offer different rates. The best way to determine which carrier is the most affordable for you is by comparing personalized quotes from many different companies.

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

The only way to find the 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 quotes from dozens of your local top car insurance companies for free. That way, you can guarantee you're getting the best premium. And maybe you'll find that the best carrier for you isn't Allstate or The General 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.