Direct Auto vs. Travelers: Which Company is the Best Fit for You?

Quick Facts

• Based on national averages for insurance, Travelers offers slightly more affordable rates than Direct Auto
• Direct Auto tends to be a much cheaper option for drivers who have below-average credit
• Travelers offers more affordable prices for policyholders who have a clean record

Direct Auto 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 huge savings, you're probably wondering exactly how much you might be able to save.

You might have narrowed your search down to Direct Auto or Travelers as potential options, but which company will offer you less expensive premiums?

Looking at nationwide averages, Direct Auto is around $3 more a month than Travelers.

Even so, Travelers may not be the cheapest or best option for every driver out there. Auto insurance carriers vary their rates depending on things like how clean your driving record is, where you live, how old you are, how good your credit score is, and a variety of other factors, so prices could change drastically from person to person.

Luckily, we've broken down average premiums from both Direct Auto and Travelers by a range of different rate factors, so read on to find out which carrier is the best for you.

Direct Auto vs. Travelers: Average Car Insurance Rates by State

Direct Auto and Travelers only compete against each other in two states, with Direct Auto offering more affordable rates to the average driver in all of them. Mississippi has the most noticable difference, where Direct Auto prices are $47 cheaper than insurance premiums at Travelers.

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

Which is the Best Company For Young Drivers?

You might already know that teen drivers usually pay a lot more for auto insurance than any group on the road. Generally, that's 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 car insurance. Just look at the table above -- where 18-year-old drivers who have Travelers for their insurance pay 3% less than those who use Direct Auto.

However, both companies will offer you dramatically lower rates by the time you turn 25. Travelers offers the steepest decrease, with 25-year-olds paying less than a third of what 18-year-old drivers are charged. Direct Auto's average prices decrease over 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 premiums you can find.

When looking at Direct Auto and Travelers specifically, which company is best for retired drivers? Direct Auto gets the slight edge, with rates for drivers 65 and older $8 less expensive than the national average for Travelers.

Which is the Best Company for Married Drivers?

Married drivers tend to get slightly more affordable insurance prices than those who are single. That's normally because married policyholders tend to own and insure more than one vehicle, which can often earn you a discount.

When it comes to relationship status, Travelers is the winner for single policyholders, with premiums about 4% per month cheaper than Direct Auto, on average.

Direct Auto or Travelers: Average Rates by Gender

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

Men normally pay around 2% more a month than women with Direct Auto, and about 6% more with Travelers.

Looking at the data for each carrier specifically, Travelers is the lowest company for women. Rates with Travelers are $7 cheaper for women, while with Direct Auto, men can save around $7.

Direct Auto 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 pretty complicated. There are multiple 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.

But most policies end up falling into two different types of coverage -- liability coverage (that covers property damage and bodily injury for other drivers if you cause a collision) and full coverage (which includes two additional coverages -- collision and comprehensive -- in addition to what you get with a liability policy).

When it comes to state minimum liability insurance, Direct Auto has the edge, while Travelers offers the cheapest average prices for full coverage policies with similar coverage limits. Policyholders looking for basic state minimum coverage can save around $10 with Direct Auto Insurance, while full coverage comes out to be about $20 less expensive with Travelers.

Is Direct Auto 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 at-fault collisions and speeding tickets on your record, but which of these two carriers offers the most affordable rates to drivers with less-than-ideal driving records?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Speeding Tickets?

Drivers who use Direct Auto for their insurance can typically expect their monthly bill to go up around 21% after getting a speeding ticket. Travelers policyholders can expect a less drastic increase of about 20%.

That being said, Travelers is generally the more affordable option for both drivers who have clean records and those with a recent ticket. With Travelers, drivers with a clean record can save around $15 per month and drivers with a speeding ticket can save about $21 a month.

Which Company is Best for Drivers After an Accident?

Direct Auto policyholders who get in an accident can expect to see their premiums rise by just under 25%, while those who have insurance through Travelers will see around a 25% increase.

At the end of the day, the cheaper rates come from Travelers, with average prices coming in at $173 compared to Direct Auto Insurance's $190.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with a DUI?

On average, a DUI offense is going to cost you much more than a single collision or ticket when it comes to your car insurance bill. On average, Travelers will raise your rates about 38% after a DUI, while Direct Auto's average prices increase by nearly 15%.

How does Credit Score Impact Direct Auto and Travelers Rates?

Did you know many insurance companies take your credit score into account when determining premiums? This isn't true for everyone (for example, Michigan and Hawaii are two states that ban the practice entirely), but it does affect many drivers out there.

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

Looking specifically at Direct Auto and Travelers, which carrier has the best rates for policyholders at different credit levels?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Good Credit?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Bad Credit?

Is Direct Auto or Travelers Better for Drivers who Work from Home or Have Short Commutes?

How much you drive can have a sizable impact on how much insurance companies will charge for coverage. That's because the fewer miles you put on your car each year, the less likely you are to be in a collision 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 Direct Auto charges. However, there's a small difference in monthly premiums for Travelers, with drivers who put 6,000 miles on their vehicle each year paying around $5 less every month compared to those who drive 12,000 miles annually. Still, for drivers in both categories, Travelers is the less expensive carrier.

Direct Auto or Travelers: Compare Rates for Urban, Suburban, and Rural Drivers

Where you live can play a considerable role in how much you pay for car insurance. Usually, 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.

Travelers tends to offer the cheapest option for drivers in urban and suburban areas, while Direct Auto wins in rural areas.

Those in rural areas can expect to save about $20 with Direct Auto compared to Travelers. People who live in suburban areas pay around $8 less with Travelers compared to Direct Auto. For drivers in urban ZIP codes, Travelers's average rates are about $22 less than Direct Auto Insurance.

Direct Auto 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 car 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 broke down all of the different discounts offered by both Direct Auto and Travelers so that you can find the one that has the most discounts and, therefore, the largest savings.

Travelers knocks Direct Auto out of the park when it comes to the sheer number of discounts available, offering six more discounts than Direct Auto.

A couple of those are overlapping for things like advance quote discounts, discounts for being a defensive driver, EFT discounts, and group discounts. Travelers also offers discounts for alternative fuel, continuous insurance, COVID-19 relief, and more.

On the other hand, Direct Auto has a few proprietary discounts of their own for things like bike policy discounts, homeowner discounts, life policy discounts, and more.

Final Thoughts: Is Direct Auto or Travelers Best for You?

So, you've seen how different factors can affect your auto insurance prices. We've broken down the different discounts each company offers, too. But, when it comes down to it, is Direct Auto or Travelers the right carrier for you and your specific needs?

Travelers might be best for you if....

• You will be the only person on the insurance policy.
• You have above-average credit.
• You don't spend much time in your car.

Direct Auto might be best for you if...

• You have less-than-stellar credit.
• You live in a rural area.
• You and your spouse are buying auto insurance together.

Hopefully, this guide helps you get a good idea of the differences between Direct Auto and Travelers and that you can now make a more informed decision when it comes to your car 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 Direct Auto and Travelers. Luckily, Compare.com does all the hard work for you. Just enter your ZIP code below and get free quotes from dozens of top auto insurance companies in your area, all in just a few minutes.

Direct Auto vs. Travelers FAQs

Is Direct Auto or Travelers cheaper?

Travelers is the more affordable of the two carriers when looking at national average premiums, with policies averaging $167 per month with Travelers and $170 for Direct Auto. But that doesn't mean Travelers will be the most affordable carrier for each policyholder, 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, Direct Auto or Travelers?

Sadly, the only answer we can give you is "it depends.". Neither company is necessarily "better" for everyone -- it all boils down to your unique car insurance profile. For example, Travelers is less expensive for drivers with excellent credit, while Direct Auto offers cheaper prices for drivers with a recent DUI.

Why do Direct Auto and Travelers offer me different rates?

Insurance companies use lots of different factors when calculating the rates they charge. Things like age, gender, where you call home, your driving record, and sometimes even things like your credit score can all be taken into consideration. Both Direct Auto and Travelers use different formulas, so it's likely they'll offer different premiums. The best way to determine which carrier is the lowest for you is by comparing personalized quotes from several different carriers.

How do I know if Direct Auto or Travelers 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 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 car insurance carriers for free. With those, you can guarantee you're getting the best premium. And maybe you'll find that the best carrier for you isn't Direct Auto 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.