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

Quick Facts

• Looking at the national averages for insurance, Mercury offers significantly more affordable rates than Bristol West
• Mercury offers cheaper average premiums for drivers with a DUI charge on their record
• Mercury has less expensive rates for couples purchasing auto insurance together

Bristol West vs. Mercury: 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've maybe even narrowed it down to Bristol West or Mercury for your next policy, but which company will save you the most?

As you can see, Bristol West is quite a bit more expensive than Mercury, with premiums averaging $412 per month compared to just $295 with Mercury when looking at the national average rates for car insurance.

However, Mercury may not be the lowest or best option for each driver out there. After all, insurance companies can offer drastically different rates to each driver depending on rating factors like your age, where you call home, your driving record, or even your credit score (among other things). So, at the end of the day, prices from every company will differ quite a bit from person to person.

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

Bristol West or Mercury: Average Car Insurance Rates by State

Bristol West and Mercury only compete against each other in three states, with Mercury offering more affordable premiums to the average driver in all of them. Nevada has the most noticable difference, where Mercury prices are over 70% cheaper than car insurance premiums at Bristol West.

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

Which is the Best Company For Young Drivers?

Young drivers -- especially teens -- generally pay a lot for insurance compared to older drivers. Normally, that's because young, inexperienced 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 that teen drivers have to just accept sky-high auto insurance rates. As you can see above, teens who use Mercury save more than $55 a month compared to those who use Bristol West.

But with both carriers, you'll see your prices drop significantly by the time you turn 25. Mercury offers the steepest decrease, with 25-year-olds paying less than a third of what 18-year-old drivers are charged. Bristol West's average rates decrease nearly 55% during that same period.

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 premiums you'll ever see.

So, which company offers the best prices to retired drivers? Mercury gets the edge, with premiums for drivers 65 and older almost 40% less expensive than the national average for Bristol West.

Which is the Best Company for Married Drivers?

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

When it comes to relationship status, Mercury is the clear winner for single drivers, with prices about $108 per month more affordable than Bristol West, on average. The advantage for married policyholders with Mercury is also obvious, where drivers save nearly $150 a month.

Bristol West vs. Mercury: Average Rates by Gender

You may not know, but auto insurance is usually more expensive for men than for women. This is because men are more likely to get into collisions and get tickets, which raises the chances of an insurance claim.

Surprisingly, men normally pay around 0% less per month than women with Bristol West, and about 5% more with Mercury.

Looking at the data for each carrier specifically, Mercury offers the lowest average premiums for both men and women. On average, male drivers save about $109 a month and women save around $124 with Mercury compared to the average Bristol West policyholder.

Bristol West or Mercury: 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. There are so many different coverages and limits that it can make it pretty confusing to find the right policy.

Even so, most policies that many drivers look at fall into two categories -- liability only (that covers bodily injury and property damage for other drivers if you cause an accident) and full coverage (which includes comprehensive and collision coverages that protect your own vehicle, alongside liability coverage).

If you're looking for state minimum liability limits, Mercury usually offers significantly less expensive rates of $184 compared to Bristol West's $279. When it comes to full coverage policies with similar limits, Mercury again has the edge, with policies about $150 per month cheaper than Bristol West, on average.

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

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

It's no secret secret that tickets and at-fault accidents lead to higher prices, but which company -- Bristol West or Mercury -- has the cheapest premiums for drivers with less-than-perfect records?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Speeding Tickets?

Bristol West policyholders can expect their prices to go up an average of $100 a month if they get a ticket, while Mercury generally raises rates around $57 per month, on average.

That being said, Mercury has less expensive prices for drivers in both categories. Drivers with a clean record can save about $102 a month and drivers with a speeding ticket can save around $145 per month with Mercury Insurance.

Which Company is Best for Drivers After an Accident?

Bristol West drivers who get in a collision can expect to see their premiums increase by just under 30%, while those who have insurance through Mercury will see about a 30% increase.

Overall, Mercury offers the most affordable rates for drivers with an at-fault accident on their records, with monthly premiums averaging $346 compared to Bristol West's $479.

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 an accident. For example, Mercury increases average rates by over $65 a month -- that's over a 20% increase.

How does Credit Score Impact Bristol West and Mercury Rates?

You may not realized it, but your credit score can be used as one of the factors to calculate your monthly auto insurance prices. This isn't always the case (for example, Hawaii and Michigan are two states that ban the practice entirely), but it might come into play for many policyholders.

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, drivers with bad credit will often be forced to pay more.

So, which carrier offers the lowest premiums for policyholders with good, average, or poor credit?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Good Credit?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Bad Credit?

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

How much you drive can have a considerable impact on how much car insurance carriers will charge for coverage. That's because the more miles you put on your car, the more likely you are to get into a collision and cause an insurance claim.

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

Bristol West vs. Mercury: Compare Rates for Urban, Suburban, and Rural Drivers

Where you live can play a big role in how much you pay for insurance. 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.

Mercury tends to offer the cheapest prices for drivers in every type of area, no matter if it's urban, suburban, or rural.

Drivers in rural ZIP codes see the most affordable rates from both companies, but Mercury comes out on top with average premiums about $209 a month. Mercury also has cheaper average rates for policyholders in urban and suburban ZIP codes -- a 26% and 29% per month respective difference when compared to Bristol West drivers in similar areas.

Bristol West vs. Mercury Discounts

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

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

In the section below, we've compared all of the different discounts offered by Bristol West and Mercury so that you can find the carrier that has the most discounts and, therefore, the biggest savings.

Mercury knocks Bristol West out of the park when it comes to the sheer number of discounts available, offering nine more discounts than Bristol West.

A couple of those are overlapping for things like advance quote discounts, continuous insurance discounts, discounts for being a defensive driver, and discounts for being a homeowner. Mercury also offers COVID-19 relief discount, DRL discounts, e-signature discounts, and more that Bristol West does not.

On the flip side, Bristol West has a couple unique discounts of its own -- EFT discounts, paperless discounts, and pay plan discounts.

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

So, you've seen how different variables can affect your auto insurance premiums. We've broken down the different discounts each company offers, too. That's all well and good, but at the end of the day, is Bristol West or Mercury the right one for you and your specific profile and needs?

Mercury might be best for you if....

• You have a clean record.
• You're looking for discounts -- Mercury has the most.
• You are purchasing your car insurance with a spouse.

Bristol West might be best for you if...

• You have a more unique driver profile than those we mentioned above.

We hope this guide has ben a valuable resource as you compare Bristol West and Mercury. We also hope we've given you the information you need to make the best decision when it comes to 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 auto insurance -- comparing quotes from a handful of carriers, not just Bristol West and Mercury. 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 top insurance companies in your area, all in just a few minutes.

Bristol West vs. Mercury FAQs

Is Bristol West or Mercury cheaper?

Looking just at the national average prices, Mercury is the more affordable of the two carriers, offering average rates of $295 a month compared to $412 for Bristol West. But Mercury won't necessarily be the cheapest carrier for each policyholder, since there are a variety of different factors (things like driving record, age, gender, etc.) that play a role in how much you pay.

Who is better, Bristol West or Mercury?

Unfortunately, the real answer is "it depends.". No single company is "better" for everyone -- it all boils down to your unique car insurance profile.

Why do Bristol West and Mercury offer me different rates?

Insurance companies take a look at a lot of different variables when calculating the rates they charge policyholders. Things like gender, age, your driving record, where you call home, and sometimes even things like your credit score can all be taken into consideration. Both Bristol West and Mercury calculate premiums differently, so each one will most likely offer different prices. The only real way to see which carrier is the lowest for you is by comparing personalized quotes from many different carriers.

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

The only way to find the car insurance company that's right for you is by getting quotes from several companies 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 ZIP code and you'll get free quotes from dozens of the best auto insurance carriers in your area. With those, you can guarantee you're getting the best premium. And who knows, the best carrier for you might not be Bristol West or Mercury 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.