Esurance vs. Foremost: Which Company is the Best Fit for You?

Quick Facts

• Based on national averages for car insurance, Foremost offers slightly less expensive prices than Esurance
• Esurance may help you save more money -- they offer more discounts than Foremost Insurance Group
• Foremost has more affordable rates for single people who will be the only person on the auto insurance policy

Esurance or Foremost: Which Company has the Cheapest Car Insurance?

Are you in the market for a new insurance policy? After all, you've seen ads from all sorts of companies offering big savings. But exactly how much can you save by switching?

You might have narrowed it down to Esurance or Foremost, but which one will save you the most?

Looking at the national average rates for both carriers, Esurance is around $29 more a month than Foremost.

Even so, Foremost may not be the lowest or best option for every single driver out there. Insurance companies use tons of complex algorithms to determine prices, so depending on how old you are or where you live (among a wide array of other factors), you could see wildly different premiums from the ones above.

Luckily, we've broken down average rates from both Esurance and Foremost by a variety of different rate factors, so read on to find out which company is the best for you.

Esurance vs. Foremost: Average Car Insurance Rates by State

Esurance and Foremost only compete against each other in two states, with Esurance offering cheaper premiums to the average driver in all of them. New Jersey has the most noticable difference, where Esurance prices are $96 less expensive than car insurance rates at Foremost.

That being said, there are plenty of other factors that go into your insurance payment than just your home state. Continue reading to see how other variables will affect your rates.

Which is the Best Company For Young Drivers?

Young drivers -- especially teens -- generally pay a lot for auto insurance compared to older drivers. That's normally because teen drivers are statistically much more likely to get into accidents since they have less experience on the roads.

However, that doesn't mean teen drivers can't still save money on their car insurance. For example, 18-year-old drivers pay an average of almost 20% less per month by choosing Foremost over Esurance. It's worth noting that Esurance offers insurance in 11 different states compared to Foremost's three, which can skew the average prices a bit, but the difference here is still considerable.

That being said, both carriers will reduce rates by the time you turn 25. Foremost offers the steepest decrease, with 25-year-olds paying less than a third of what 18-year-old drivers are charged. Esurance's average premiums decrease over 65% during that same period.

Which is the Best Company for Retired Drivers?

Drivers around retirement age typically enjoy some of the most affordable auto insurance prices you'll ever find. After all, they've likely been driving for quite some time, which usually reduces their chances of collisions and other infractions that can raise premiums.

When looking at Esurance and Foremost specifically, which carrier is best for retired drivers? Foremost gets the slight edge, with rates for drivers 65 and older $13 more affordable than the national average for Esurance.

Which is the Best Company for Married Drivers?

Married couples tend to get slightly cheaper car 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.

For single policyholders, the difference in average premiums between these two companies is significant, with Foremost rates coming in at about 15% less than Esurance's. But for married drivers, that advantage is much less clear - Foremost offers the cheapest average premiums , but the difference is only $6.

Esurance or Foremost: 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 into accidents and file an insurance claim, which leads to increased risk for insurers and, therefore, higher prices.

Normally, women see rates around $20 a month more affordable with Esurance, and about $4 cheaper with Foremost when compared to their male counterparts.

Looking at the data for each company specifically, Foremost offers the lowest average prices for both men and women, with average premiums $37 less for men and $20 cheaper for women.

Esurance vs. Foremost: 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.

Insurance can be a complicated subject for most people. Everyone needs car insurance, but there are so many different limits and coverages that it can be hard to find the right policy for you.

But most policies end up falling into two different types of coverage -- liability coverage (that covers bodily injury and property damage for other drivers and their passengers 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 liability insurance, Foremost has the edge, with average monthly rates coming in at $173. If you want a full coverage policy with the same state minimum limits, Foremost again has the edge, with policies averaging around $366 per month to Esurance's $396.

Is Esurance or Foremost Better for Drivers with Spotty Records?

You've probably seen plenty of commercials from auto insurance carriers offering great prices for good drivers, but that doesn't mean people with less-than-perfect driving records can't save money, too.

It's no secret secret that collisions and speeding tickets lead to higher premiums, but which carrier -- Esurance or Foremost -- has the most affordable rates for drivers with less-than-perfect records?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Speeding Tickets?

Policyholders who use Esurance for their car insurance can typically expect their monthly bill to go up about 16% after getting a speeding ticket. Foremost policyholders can expect a bit more drastic of an increase of around 22%.

However, Foremost tends to offer the best prices for both drivers who have clean records and those with a recent ticket. With Foremost Insurance Group, drivers with a clean record can save about $40 a month and drivers with a speeding ticket can save around $29 per month.

Which Company is Best for Drivers After an Accident?

Both companies will increase premiums pretty significantly if you get into an at-fault collision with Foremost climbing by about 47%. Esurance has a less extreme rise, but you can still expect to pay nearly 35% more than you were prior to your first accident.

At the end of the day, drivers who use Esurance end up with the cheaper prices after an accident, with average prices coming in at $364 compared to Foremost Insurance Group's $381.

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, Esurance increases average rates by nearly $60 a month -- that's just under a 20% increase.

Foremost has the overall cheapest premiums for drivers with a DUI on their records at $238 monthly, but it's worth noting that Esurance's average rates come from 11 states compared to just three for Foremost, so the data may be skewed slightly.

How does Credit Score Impact Esurance and Foremost Rates?

You may not have known, but your credit score can be used as one of the factors to calculate your monthly insurance rates. This isn't true for everyone (California, for example, has banned the use of credit score as an insurance factor) but it does affect quite a few drivers out there.

Auto insurance carriers 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 most affordable prices for drivers with poor, average, or good credit?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Good Credit?

If you have a solid credit score, Esurance will usually reward you the most for an "excellent" credit score. For policyholders with "excellent" credit scores, Esurance comes in nearly 9% less expensive. Drivers with "good" credit scores generally save around 2% with Foremost compared to average premiums from Esurance.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Bad Credit?

Foremost typically offers lower prices than Esurance when it comes to drivers with bad credit. Drivers with "fair" credit pay about 9% per month less with Foremost compared to Esurance, and those with "poor" scores usually save an average of around 28% a month.

Is Esurance or Foremost Better for Drivers who Work from Home or Have Short Commutes?

Did you know that the amount of time you spend in your car have a considerable impact on how much insurance companies will charge for coverage? Normally, those who drive less will end up with cheaper 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 Foremost charges. However, there's a small difference in monthly premiums for Esurance, with policyholders who drive the least paying about $1 less every month compared to those who drive 12,000 miles yearly. Still, for drivers in both categories, Foremost is the less expensive carrier.

Esurance or Foremost: 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 car insurance, but the type of area you live in can have a pretty big impact as well. Typically, those who live in urban areas will pay more than drivers in rural areas due to the number of cars that are on the roads where they live.

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

For policyholders in urban ZIP codes, Foremost Insurance Group's average prices are around $78 less than Esurance. People who live in suburban areas pay about $1 less with Foremost compared to Esurance. Those in rural areas can expect to save around $6 with Foremost compared to Esurance.

Esurance vs. Foremost Discounts

No matter why you might be in the market for a new auto 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 where do you even start? With what seems like a million different discounts out there, it may be difficult to find all the ones you can take advantage of.

Luckily, we did the hard work for you and broke down all of the different discounts offered by both Esurance and Foremost so that you can find the carrier that has the most discounts and, therefore, the largest savings.

Esurance knocks Foremost out of the park when it comes to the sheer number of discounts available, offering 24 different discounts to Foremost's 12.

A couple of those are overlapping for things like anti-theft discounts, discounts for being a good driver, and multi-policy discounts. Esurance also offers discounts for ABS, agency transfer, DRL, and more.

On the other hand, Foremost has a few proprietary discounts of their own for things like distant student discounts, EFT discounts, minor child discounts, and more.

Final Thoughts: Is Esurance or Foremost Best for You?

So, you've seen how different variables can affect your car insurance rates. We've shown you all the discounts each carrier offers, too. That's all well and good, but at the end of the day, is Esurance or Foremost the best company for you and your specific needs?

Foremost might be best for you if....

• You've received a ticket for speeding recently and don't want to see your prices climb.
• You're worried about the impact your credit score will have on your premiums.
• You want to save money while purchasing auto insurance for a teenager.

Esurance might be best for you if...

• You're thinking about moving to another state -- Foremost Insurance Group only offers policies in three states.
• Your driving record contains an at-fault collision.
• You care about discounts (Esurance offers the most).

Hopefully, this guide has ben a valuable resource as you compare Esurance and Foremost. We also hope we've given you the information you need to make the best decision about 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 car insurance -- comparing quotes from multiple carriers, not just Esurance and Foremost. 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 insurance companies in your area, all in just a few minutes.

Esurance vs. Foremost FAQs

Is Esurance or Foremost cheaper?

Foremost is the more affordable of the two carriers when looking at national average rates, with policies averaging $270 a month with Foremost and $299 for Esurance. Even so, that doesn't mean Foremost will be the lowest company for each policyholder, since there are lots of different factors (things like age, driving record, gender, etc.) that play a role in how much you pay.

Who is better, Esurance or Foremost?

Unfortunately, the only answer we can give you is "it depends.". One carrier is not necessarily "better" for everyone -- it all comes down to what your unique auto insurance profile looks like. For example, Esurance is cheaper for drivers with excellent credit, while Foremost offers less expensive premiums for drivers with a recent DUI.

Why do Esurance and Foremost offer me different rates?

Car insurance companies use several different variables when determining the prices they charge. Factors like age, gender, where your home is, your driving record, and sometimes even things like your credit score can all be taken into consideration. Both Esurance and Foremost calculate rates differently, so it's likely they'll offer different prices. The best way to determine which company is the most affordable for you is by comparing personalized quotes from a range of different carriers.

How do I know if Esurance or Foremost 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, sites like Compare.com make it easy for you to do just that. Just enter your ZIP code and you'll get quotes from dozens of your local top insurance carriers for free. That way, you can guarantee you're getting the best premium. And maybe you'll find that the best company for you isn't Esurance or Foremost 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.