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

Quick Facts

• In general, The Hartford offers cheaper rates than Esurance
• Esurance tends to be a much more affordable option for couples purchasing insurance together
• The Hartford has less expensive prices for policyholders who may not have much of a commute

Esurance vs. The Hartford: Which Company has the Cheapest Car Insurance?

So, you're considering switching your auto insurance. With so many ads from all sorts of companies offering big discounts, you're probably wondering exactly how much you might be able to save.

You've maybe even narrowed it down to Esurance or The Hartford as your top options, but which company has more affordable premiums for car insurance?

As you can see, The Hartford has average rates that are about 11% per month cheaper than those from Esurance when looking at the national average rates for insurance.

That being said, that doesn't necessarily mean The Hartford will be the less expensive option for every single driver. After all, auto insurance companies can offer drastically different rates to each driver depending on rating factors like your age, where you call home, your credit score, or even your driving record (among other things), so prices could change drastically from person to person.

Wanting to know if Esurance or The Hartford 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.

Esurance or The Hartford: Average Car Insurance Rates by State

Esurance and The Hartford only compete against each other in California, where Esurance offers the cheaper average prices. For California residents, Esurance offers car insurance for $148 monthly on average. The Hartford's average premiums come out to be over 70% more expensive, at $265 per month.

But there's more to calculating insurance rates than just the state you live in. Read on to find out more.

Which is the Best Company For Young Drivers?

You might already know that teen drivers typically pay a lot more for auto insurance than any other group of drivers out there on the road. That's because young, inexperienced drivers are statistically much more likely to cause collisions and other accidents that will result in an insurance claim.

Even so, 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 nearly $300 less a month by choosing The Hartford over Esurance. It's worth noting that Esurance offers insurance in 11 different states compared to The Hartford's one, which can skew the average prices a bit, but the difference here is still considerable.

However, both carriers will offer you dramatically lower premiums once you turn 25. For example, average rates for Esurance policyholders decrease almost $500 and The Hartford's prices reduce around $150 over that time.

Which is the Best Company for Retired Drivers?

Drivers around retirement age normally enjoy some of the cheapest car insurance rates out there. After all, they've likely been driving for quite some time, which usually reduces their chances of accidents and other infractions that can increase premiums.

So, which carrier offers the best prices to retired drivers? The Hartford gets the edge, with rates for drivers 65 and older more than 15% more affordable than the national average for Esurance.

Which is the Best Company for Married Drivers?

You may not be aware, but auto insurance premiums tend to be more expensive for single drivers than they are for married drivers. That's because policies for married policyholders generally cover more than one car, which many companies will offer you a discount for.

When it comes to relationship status, The Hartford is the clear winner for single policyholders, with rates about $68 per month cheaper than Esurance, on average. It's not quite so glaring for married couples, where drivers who use Esurance save around 4% a month.

Esurance vs. The Hartford: Average Rates by Gender

Did you know men tend to pay more for insurance than women? This is because men are more likely to get tickets and get into collisions, which increases the chances of an insurance claim.

With Esurance, women normally pay over $20 per month less than men; women and men end up paying same monthly prices with The Hartford.

Looking at overall affordability, The Hartford comes out on top for both men and women, with average premiums 14% less for men and 8% cheaper for women.

Esurance or The Hartford: 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.

For most people, car insurance can be pretty complicated. There are so many different limits and coverages that it can make it pretty confusing to find the right policy.

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

If you're looking for state minimum liability limits, The Hartford typically offers significantly less expensive rates of $135 compared to Esurance's $201. When it comes to full coverage policies with similar limits, The Hartford again has the edge, with policies about $2 a month more affordable than Esurance, on average.

Is Esurance or The Hartford 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.

You'll probably end up paying more with tickets and at-fault collisions on your record, but which of these two companies offers the lowest premiums to drivers with less-than-ideal driving records?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Speeding Tickets?

Esurance policyholders can expect their rates to go up an average of $45 per month if they get a ticket, while The Hartford usually raises premiums around $71 a month, on average.

But The Hartford is generally the less expensive option for both drivers who have a recent speeding ticket and those with clean records -- their rates are around 48% cheaper for drivers with clean records and 31% less expensive for those with a ticket.

Which Company is Best for Drivers After an Accident?

Esurance drivers who get in a collision can expect to see their prices rise by just under 35%, while those who have insurance through The Hartford will see about a 50% increase.

Overall, drivers who use The Hartford end up with the cheaper prices after an accident, with monthly rates averaging $262 compared to Esurance's $364.

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, The Hartford increases average premiums by just under $350 per month -- that's just under a 75% increase.

Esurance has the overall most affordable prices for drivers with a DUI on their records at $301 a month, but it's worth noting that Esurance's average rates come from 11 states compared to just one for The Hartford, so the data may be skewed slightly.

How does Credit Score Impact Esurance and The Hartford Rates?

Often times, your credit score can be used as one of the factors to calculate your monthly car insurance premiums. Certain states and carriers do not allow for credit score to be used as a rating factor, but it might come into play for lots of policyholders.

The reasoning insurance companies use is that drivers with bad credit will be less likely to pay their bills on time; so typically, they'll be asked to pay more, while those with good credit will be rewarded with more affordable rates.

Looking at Esurance and The Hartford specifically, which one has the best prices for policyholders at different credit levels?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Good Credit?

You'll often be rewarded if you have fantastic credit. With Esurance, improving your score from "good" to "excellent" will usually save you around 20%. On the other hand, The Hartford doesn't have data available for credit scores, which means they most likely don't use credit to calculate your premiums.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Bad Credit?

Having bad credit can cost you with Esurance. As you can see, Esurance customers with poor credit scores pay about 30% a month more than those with fair scores (and even more compared to drivers with good or excellent scores). On the other hand, because The Hartford doesn't have data available for credit scores, they might have better rates for drivers with bad credit over Esurance.

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

The amount of time you spend behind the wheel of your car plays a big role in your monthly prices. Normally, the more miles you put on your vehicle, the more you can expect to pay for auto insurance.

For both drivers who put 6,000 miles on their vehicles yearly, as well as those who average twice that figure, The Hartford tends to be the cheaper option. The Hartford average premiums for drivers with 6,000 annual miles come in over $60 less expensive than Esurance. Those who drive 12,000 miles annually can expect to pay $7 less with The Hartford over Esurance.

Esurance vs. The Hartford: Compare Rates for Urban, Suburban, and Rural Drivers

Where you call home can play a big role in how much you pay for car insurance. Generally, drivers who live in less densely populated rural areas will pay quite a bit less than urban policyholders due to the small number of cars that are on the roads in those areas.

The Hartford boasts the lowest average rates in urban and suburban areas, while Esurance wins in rural areas.

If you live in a rural area, you can expect to save around $44 with Esurance compared to The Hartford. Drivers in suburban ZIP codes pay about $23 less with The Hartford compared to Esurance. In urban areas, The Hartford's average prices are around $123 less than Esurance.

Esurance vs. The Hartford Discounts

Regardless of why you might be in the market for a new insurance policy, you're always going to want to save as much money as possible, and the best way to do that is by taking advantage of as many auto insurance discounts as you can.

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

In the table below, we've compared all of the different discounts offered by Esurance and The Hartford so that you can see which carrier offers the most discounts and see which ones you might be able to take advantage of.

Esurance blows The Hartford away when it comes to the sheer amount of discounts available, offering 24 different discounts to The Hartford's 13.

A couple of those are overlapping for things like discounts for being a defensive driver, discounts for being a good driver, and multi-policy discounts. Esurance also offers advance quote discounts, agency transfer discounts, DRL discounts, and more that The Hartford does not.

On the flip side, The Hartford has a couple unique discounts of its own -- distant student discounts, employee discounts, lay-up credit discounts, and more.

Final Thoughts: Is Esurance or The Hartford Best for You?

You've seen the effect certain variables have on your car insurance and the different discounts carriers offer. That's all well and good, but when it comes down to it, is Esurance or The Hartford the best company for you and your specific needs?

The Hartford might be best for you if....

• You live in one of the following states: California.
• You want basic auto insurance coverage at the state minimum limits.
• Your neighborhood is in the suburbs.

Esurance might be best for you if...

• You're thinking about moving to another state -- The Hartford only offers policies in California.
• You have less-than-stellar credit.
• Your neighborhood is in a rural area.

We hope this guide helps you get a good idea of the differences between Esurance and The Hartford. 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 companies, not just Esurance and The Hartford. Luckily, Compare.com makes it easy for you to do just that. Simply enter your ZIP codes below and get free quotes from dozens of top auto insurance carriers in your area, all in just a few minutes.

Esurance vs. The Hartford FAQs

Is Esurance or The Hartford cheaper?

Looking just at the national average premiums, The Hartford is the more affordable of the two companies, offering average rates of $265 per month compared to $299 for Esurance. Even so, The Hartford won't necessarily be the cheapest company for every policyholder, since there are a range of different factors that are considered when it comes to your insurance cost.

Who is better, Esurance or The Hartford?

Sadly, the real answer is "it depends.". One carrier is not necessarily "better" for each driver -- it all boils down to your unique auto insurance profile. For example, The Hartford offers cheaper rates for drivers with an at-fault accident on their record, while Esurance is less expensive for drivers who have less-than-stellar credit scores.

Why do Esurance and The Hartford offer me different rates?

Car insurance carriers take a look at a lot of different variables when calculating the prices they charge policyholders. Things such as where your home is, where you live, age, gender, and sometimes even things like your credit score can all be taken into consideration. Both Esurance and The Hartford calculate premiums using different formulas, so each one will most likely offer different rates. The only real way to see which company is the most affordable for you is by comparing personalized quotes from several different companies.

How do I know if Esurance or The Hartford is right for me?

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