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

Quick Facts

• Looking at the national averages for car insurance, Safe Auto offers significantly less expensive prices than Bristol West
• Bristol West may help you save more money -- they offer more discounts than Safe Auto
• Safe Auto has more affordable premiums for policyholders who don't have any speeding tickets, DUIs, or at-fault collisions on their record

Bristol West or Safe Auto: 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 hefty savings, but exactly how much money can you save by switching?

You've maybe even narrowed your search down to Bristol West or Safe Auto for your next policy, but between the two, which company has cheaper rates for insurance?

As you can see, Safe Auto is quite a bit cheaper than Bristol West, with prices averaging $223 a month compared to $412 with Bristol West when looking at the national average rates for auto insurance.

However, Safe Auto may not be the cheapest or best option for each driver out there. After all, insurance carriers can offer drastically different rates to every driver depending on rating factors like your credit score, your age, where you call home, or even your driving record (among other things), so premiums could vary drastically from person to person.

Wanting to know if Bristol West or Safe Auto is really the right company for you? Keep on reading to see how average rates can change based on all of the factors we've mentioned above.

Bristol West vs. Safe Auto: Average Car Insurance Rates by State

Bristol West and Safe Auto only compete against each other in one states, with Safe Auto offering more affordable premiums to the average driver in all of them. South Carolina has the most noticable difference, where Safe Auto prices are $23 cheaper than car insurance rates at Bristol West.

There are plenty of other factors that go into your insurance payment than just where you call home. Continue reading to see how other variables will affect your rates.

Which is the Best Company For Young Drivers?

Young drivers -- especially teens -- typically pay a lot for car insurance compared to older drivers. That's normally because teen drivers are statistically much more likely to get into an accident that results in an auto insurance claim, making them much riskier to insure.

That being said, that doesn't mean teen drivers can't still save money on their auto insurance. For example, 18-year-old drivers pay an average of almost 45% less per month by choosing Safe Auto over Bristol West.

Even so, both companies will offer you dramatically lower premiums once you turn 25. Safe Auto offers the steepest reduction, with 25-year-olds paying less than half what 18-year-old drivers are charged. Bristol West's average prices lower 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 most affordable rates you'll ever see.

So, which carrier offers the best prices to retired drivers? Safe Auto gets the edge here, with average premiums coming in at around $179 a month compared to Bristol West's $364.

Which is the Best Company for Married Drivers?

Did you know that insurance rates are generally less expensive for married drivers than they are for those who are single? That's because policies for married policyholders usually cover more than one vehicle, which a lot of carriers will give you a discount for.

For single policyholders, the difference in average premiums between these two companies is significant, with Safe Auto prices coming in at about half of Bristol West's. The advantage for married couples with Safe Auto is also obvious, where drivers save almost 50% a month.

Bristol West or Safe Auto: Average Rates by Gender

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

Surprisingly, with Bristol West, men normallypay around 0% less per month than women, but with Safe Auto, the difference is closer to 7% a month.

Looking at overall affordability, Safe Auto comes out on top for both men and women, with average premiums 44% less for men and 48% cheaper for women.

Bristol West vs. Safe Auto: 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 pretty complicated. There are many different coverages that account for several different things. Some protect you and your car, while others only provide coverage for other people's property and health if you cause a collision.

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

Looking specifically at state minimum limits for liability insurance, Safe Auto has the significant edge, with average monthly prices coming in at $126. If you want a full coverage policy with the same state minimum limits, Safe Auto again has the edge, with policies averaging about $320 per month to Bristol West's $544.

Is Bristol West or Safe Auto Better for Drivers with Spotty Records?

It's no secret -- drivers with good records end up getting the best deals on their 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 at-fault accidents and speeding tickets on your record, but which of these two carriers offers the lowest premiums to drivers with less-than-perfect records?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Speeding Tickets?

Policyholders who use Bristol West for their auto insurance can typically expect their monthly bill to go up around 23% after getting a speeding ticket. Safe Auto policyholders can expect a less drastic increase of about 18%.

But Safe Auto tends to offer the best prices for drivers both with clean records and with a ticket, offering prices that are $159 and $219 more affordable, respectively, compared to Bristol West.

Which Company is Best for Drivers After an Accident?

Bristol West drivers who get in a collision can expect to see their rates increase by just under $150, while those who have insurance through Safe Auto will see around a $65 increase.

At the end of the day, drivers who use Safe Auto end up with the cheaper prices after an accident, with average prices coming in at $246 compared to Bristol West's $479.

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 -- usually a lot more than an accident or speeding ticket. For example, Safe Auto increases average premiums by $65 a month -- that's more than a 25% increase.

How does Credit Score Impact Bristol West and Safe Auto Rates?

You may not realized it, but your credit score can be used as one of the factors to determine your monthly auto insurance rates. This isn't true for everyone (for example, Massachusetts and Hawaii 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 company offers the cheapest 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 Safe Auto 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. Typically, those who drive less will end up with less expensive rates since there's less of a chance of causing a collision and filing an insurance claim.

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

Bristol West or Safe Auto: 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. Generally, if you live in an urban area with more cars on the road, you'll pay a little more for insurance, while the opposite is true for people in rural areas.

When comparing these two companies side-by-side, Safe Auto usually comes out as the most affordable option for drivers in all types of areas, no matter if they're urban, suburban, or rural.

In urban areas, Safe Auto's average prices are around $271 while Bristol West offers rates about $539. Drivers in suburban ZIP codes pay a monthly premium of around $200 with Safe Auto compared to $386 with Bristol West. If you live in a rural area, you can expect to pay about $197 per month with Safe Auto compared to Bristol West's $309.

Bristol West vs. Safe Auto 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 taking advantage of as many insurance discounts as possible.

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

Luckily, we did the hard work for you and looked at all of the different discounts Bristol West and Safe Auto offer their customers so that you can easily see which company offers the most discounts and see which ones you might be able to take advantage of.

Overall, Bristol West has the advantage when it comes to total number of discounts. Safe Auto offers a grand total of 14 discounts, while Bristol West has 18.

Both carriers offer several of the same discounts -- like anti-theft discounts, discounts for being a defensive driver, and discounts for insuring multiple cars with the same company -- but Bristol West also offers discounts for ABS, advance quote, continuous insurance, and more.

On the other hand, Safe Auto has a few proprietary discounts of their own for things like agency transfer discounts, claim free discounts, driver training discounts, and more.

Final Thoughts: Is Bristol West or Safe Auto Best for You?

You've seen the role certain variables have on your auto insurance and the different discounts companies offer. But, at the end of the day, which company is the right carrier for you and your specific profile and needs?

Safe Auto might be best for you if....

• You don't have any speeding tickets, DUIs, or at-fault collisions on your record.
• You have below-average credit.
• You and your spouse are buying car insurance together.

Bristol West might be best for you if...

• You're looking for the carrier with the most discounts.

Hopefully, this guide helps you get a good idea of the differences between Bristol West and Safe Auto and that you can now make a more informed decision when it comes to your auto insurance.

At the end of the day, the sure-fire way to make sure you're getting the best deal on your insurance policy is to compare quotes from several carriers, not just Bristol West and Safe Auto. Luckily, Compare.com makes it easy for you to do just that. Simply enter your ZIP codes below and get multiple free quotes from some of the best car insurance companies in your area, all in just a few minutes.

Bristol West vs. Safe Auto FAQs

Is Bristol West or Safe Auto cheaper?

Safe Auto is the less expensive of the two carriers when looking at national average prices, with policies averaging $223 per month with Safe Auto and $412 for Bristol West. However, that doesn't mean Safe Auto will be the cheapest company for each driver, since there are a variety of different factors (things like gender, age, driving record, etc.) that play a role in how much you pay.

Who is better, Bristol West or Safe Auto?

Unfortunately, the real answer is "it depends.". Neither carrier is necessarily "better" for every policyholder -- it all comes down to what your unique auto insurance profile looks like.

Why do Bristol West and Safe Auto offer me different rates?

Insurance companies use quite a few different variables when determining the rates they charge. Things such as where you park your car, gender, age, where you call home, and sometimes even things like your credit score can all be taken into consideration. Both Bristol West and Safe Auto use different formulas, so it's likely they'll offer different premiums. The best way to determine which company is the lowest for you is by comparing personalized quotes from a bunch of different carriers.

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

The only way to find the auto insurance carrier 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 company for you isn't Bristol West or Safe Auto 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.