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

Quick Facts

• Based on national averages for auto insurance, Travelers offers significantly cheaper rates than Bristol West
• Travelers offers more affordable premiums for drivers who have a speeding ticket on their driving record
• Travelers tends to be a much more affordable option for policyholders who are looking to purchase insurance with a spouse

Bristol West or Travelers: Which Company has the Cheapest Car Insurance?

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

You might be considering Bristol West or Travelers, but between the two, which carrier will save you the most?

As you can see, Travelers has average rates that are around 60% a month less expensive than those from Bristol West when looking at the national average rates for car insurance.

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

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

Bristol West vs. Travelers: Average Car Insurance Rates by State

Bristol West and Travelers compete against each other in six states, with Travelers offering more affordable prices to the average driver in all of them. Nevada has the most noticable difference, where Travelers rates are $388 less expensive than auto insurance premiums at Bristol West.

But there's more to calculating car insurance prices than just where you live. Keep reading to find out more.

Which is the Best Company For Young Drivers?

Young drivers -- especially teens -- generally pay a lot for insurance compared to older drivers. That's normally 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 rates, teen drivers can still find ways to save money. Just look at the table above -- where 18-year-old drivers who have Travelers for their car insurance pay almost 55% less than those who use Bristol West.

However, both companies will lower prices once you turn 25. Travelers offers the steepest drop, with 25-year-olds paying less than a third of what 18-year-old drivers are charged. Bristol West's average premiums drop nearly 55% during that same period.

Which is the Best Company for Retired Drivers?

When it comes to auto insurance, patience and experience pay off, with drivers around retirement age paying some of the cheapest prices you'll ever find.

So, which carrier offers the best rates to retired drivers? Travelers gets the edge, with premiums for drivers 65 and older almost 65% cheaper than the national average for Bristol West.

Which is the Best Company for Married Drivers?

You may not be aware, but car insurance prices tend to be less expensive for married policyholders than they are for single policyholders. This usually boils down to married couples having more than one vehicle on their policy -- something many auto insurance carriers will reward with discounts.

For single drivers, the difference in average rates between these two companies is significant, with Travelers premiums coming in at about a third of Bristol West's. The advantage is also clear for married drivers - Travelers offers the most affordable average rates.

Bristol West or Travelers: Average Rates by Gender

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

Surprisingly, with Bristol West, men typicallypay around $1 per month less than women, but with Travelers, the difference is closer to $11 a month.

When it comes to the lowest prices for each gender, Travelers comes out as the most affordable option for both genders. On average, women save about $251 per month and men save about $239 with Travelers compared to the average Bristol West policyholder.

Bristol West vs. Travelers: 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 lots of different coverages that account for a variety of different things. Some protect you and your car, while others only provide coverage for other people's property and health if you cause an accident.

The two most common 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 what you get with liability).

Looking specifically at state minimum limits for liability insurance, Travelers 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, Travelers again has the edge, with policies averaging around $225 a month to Bristol West's $544.

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

It's no secret -- drivers with good records end up getting the best deals on their auto 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 speeding tickets and collisions on your record, but which of these two carriers offers the cheapest prices to drivers with spotty records?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Speeding Tickets?

Policyholders who use Bristol West for their insurance can generally expect their monthly bill to go up about 23% after getting a speeding ticket. Travelers policyholders can expect a less drastic increase of around 20%.

But Travelers is normally the more affordable option for drivers both with clean records and with a ticket -- their rates are around 62% less expensive for drivers with clean records and 64% cheaper for those with a ticket.

Which Company is Best for Drivers After an Accident?

Both companies will raise rates pretty significantly if you get into an at-fault collision with Bristol West increasing by about 29%. Travelers has a less extreme climb, but you can still expect to pay more than 25% more than you were prior to your first accident.

At the end of the day, Travelers offers the lowest premiums for drivers with an at-fault collision on their records, with average prices coming in at $173 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 -- typically a lot more than an accident or speeding ticket. On average, Travelers will raise your premiums around 38% after a DUI, while Bristol West's average rates climb by nearly 15%.

How does Credit Score Impact Bristol West and Travelers Rates?

You may not realized it, but your credit score can come into play when carriers determine your monthly bill. This isn't true for everyone (California, for example, has banned the use of credit score as an auto insurance factor) but it will come into play for several drivers.

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 company offers the best prices for drivers 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 Travelers Better for Drivers who Work from Home or Have Short Commutes?

How much you drive can have a sizable impact on your monthly premiums. Usually, the more milage you drive, the more you can expect to pay for auto insurance.

Travelers tends to be the more affordable option for both remote workers and those taking short commutes. Travelers's average rates for drivers with 6,000 annual miles come in about 60% less expensive than Bristol West. Those who drive 12,000 miles yearly can expect to pay around 59% less with Travelers over Bristol West.

Bristol West or Travelers: 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 big impact as well. Normally, if you live in a rural area with fewer cars on the road, you'll pay a little less for car insurance, while the opposite is true for people in urban areas.

Travelers tends to offer the lowest premiums for drivers in all areas, regardless of if they're urban, suburban, or rural.

Those in rural areas can expect to pay about $136 monthly with Travelers compared to Bristol West's $309. People in suburban areas pay around $160 with Travelers compared to Bristol West's $386 per month. For drivers in urban ZIP codes, Travelers's average rates are about $204 per month compared to Bristol West's $539.

Bristol West vs. Travelers Discounts

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

The challenging part is finding all of the discounts you can take advantage of, 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 compared all of the different discounts offered by Bristol West and Travelers so that you can easily see which company offers the most discounts and, therefore, the largest savings.

Travelers blows Bristol West away when it comes to the sheer amount of discounts available, offering seven more discounts than Bristol West.

There are a couple discounts both carriers offer, but Travelers also offers discounts for alternative fuel, COVID-19 relief, driver training, and more.

On the other hand, Bristol West has a few proprietary discounts of their own for things like homeowner discounts, minor child discounts, mobile home policy discounts, and more.

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

So, we've broken down the average premiums for many of the variables insurance companies look at, and we've shown you all the discounts each carrier offers. But, at the end of the day, which company is the right one for you, your vehicle, and your wallet?

Travelers might be best for you if....

• You have an at-fault accident on your record.
• You want the most robust protection via a "full coverage" policy.
• You're married and plan to have both of your names on the vehicle's car insurance policy.

Bristol West might be best for you if...

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

Hopefully, this guide has ben a valuable resource as you compare Bristol West and Travelers and that it aids in making a more informed decision about your auto 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 car insurance -- comparing quotes from a handful of carriers, not just Bristol West and Travelers. 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 companies in your area, all in just a few minutes.

Bristol West vs. Travelers FAQs

Is Bristol West or Travelers cheaper?

Travelers is the cheaper of the two carriers when looking at national average prices, with policies averaging $167 a month with Travelers and $412 for Bristol West. That being said, that doesn't mean Travelers will be the cheapest carrier for each policyholder, since there are multiple different factors (things like age, driving record, gender, etc.) that play a role in how much you pay.

Who is better, Bristol West or Travelers?

Unfortunately, the answer truly is "it depends.". One company is not "better" for everyone -- it all depends on what your unique auto insurance profile looks like.

Why do Bristol West and Travelers offer me different rates?

Insurance companies use a lot of different variables when determining the rates they charge. Things like age, your driving record, where your home is, gender, and sometimes even things like your credit score can all be used. Both Bristol West and Travelers calculate premiums using different factors, so it's likely they'll offer different prices. The best way to determine which carrier is the most affordable for you is by comparing personalized quotes from a bunch of different carriers.

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

The only way to find the car insurance company that's right for you is by getting quotes from multiple 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 information once and you'll get quotes from dozens of your local top auto insurance carriers for free. That way, you can guarantee you're getting the lowest price. And maybe you'll find that the best carrier for you isn't Bristol West or Travelers 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.