Farmers vs. Le Mars: Which Company is the Best Fit for You?

Quick Facts

• Looking at the national averages for car insurance, Farmers offers less expensive prices than Le Mars
• Farmers tends to be a much cheaper option for single people who will be the only person on the auto insurance policy
• Le Mars has more affordable rates in IA

Farmers or Le Mars: Which Company has the Cheapest Car Insurance?

So, you're thinking about switching to a new insurance policy. You've probably seen commercials and billboards from companies offering large savings, but exactly how much money can you save by switching?

You might have narrowed it down to Farmers or Le Mars as your top options, but between the two, which one has cheaper premiums for insurance?

Looking at nationwide averages, Le Mars is around $31 more a month than Farmers.

But Farmers may not be the lowest or best option for every driver out there. Car insurance carriers use tons of complex algorithms to determine prices, so depending on how good your credit score is or where you live (among several other factors), you could see wildly different rates from the ones above.

Luckily, we've broken down average premiums from both Farmers and Le Mars by lots of different rate factors, so read on to find out which company is the best for you.

Farmers vs. Le Mars: Average Car Insurance Rates by State

Farmers and Le Mars only compete against each other in Iowa, where Farmers offers the cheaper average prices. Farmers drivers tend to pay about $101 per month less on average compared to drivers who use Le Mars for their auto insurance.

But there's more to calculating insurance rates than just your home state. Keep reading 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 car insurance than any group on the road. It's usually because teen drivers are statistically much more likely to cause collisions and other accidents that will result in an insurance claim.

That being said, that doesn't mean teen drivers can't still save money on their auto insurance. Just look at the table above -- where 18-year-old drivers who have Le Mars for their car insurance pay over 20% less than those who use Farmers. It's worth noting that Farmers offers insurance in 25 different states compared to Le Mars's one, which can skew the average premiums a bit, but the difference here is still considerable.

Even so, both companies will offer you dramatically lower rates once you turn 25. For example, average prices for Farmers policyholders decrease about $400 and Le Mars's rates reduce around $200 over that time.

Which is the Best Company for Retired Drivers?

Drivers around retirement age normally enjoy some of the cheapest car insurance premiums out there. After all, they've likely been driving for quite some time, which generally decreases their chances of collisions and other infractions that can raise prices.

When looking at Farmers and Le Mars specifically, which carrier is best for retired drivers? Farmers gets the edge, with rates for drivers 65 and older more than 25% more affordable than the national average for Le Mars.

Which is the Best Company for Married Drivers?

Married couples tend to get slightly less expensive auto insurance premiums than those who are single. That's usually because married policyholders tend to own and insure several vehicles, which can often earn you a discount.

For single drivers, the difference in average prices between these two carriers is not very significant, with Farmers premiums coming in at about 10% less than Le Mars's. The advantage for married drivers is more obvious, where drivers who use Farmers save almost 25% a month.

Farmers or Le Mars: Average Rates by Gender

You may not know, but insurance is typically more expensive for men than for women. That's because women are less likely to get tickets and get into accidents, which lowers the chances of filing a claim with insurance.

Typically, men see rates around 3% per month higher with Farmers, and over 10% with Le Mars.

Looking at the data for each company specifically, Farmers comes out as the most affordable option for both genders. On average, women save about $20 a month and men save about $42 with Farmers compared to the average Le Mars policyholder.

Farmers vs. Le Mars: 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.

Car insurance can be a complicated subject for most people. There are so many different coverages and terms that it can make it pretty confusing to find the right policy for you.

However, the most common policies that drivers look at fall into two categories -- liability coverage (which provides bodily injury and property damage coverage for other drivers if you cause a collision) and full coverage (which generally refers to having collision and comprehensive coverages in addition to liability).

When it comes to state minimum liability insurance, Le Mars has the edge, while Farmers offers the cheapest average prices for full coverage policies with similar coverage limits. Policyholders looking for basic state minimum coverage can save around $50 with Le Mars Insurance Company, while full coverage comes out to be around $100 more affordable with Farmers Insurance.

Is Farmers or Le Mars 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.

It's no secret secret that at-fault accidents and speeding tickets lead to higher rates, but which carrier -- Farmers or Le Mars -- has the lowest premiums for drivers with less-than-ideal driving records?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Speeding Tickets?

Drivers who use Farmers for their insurance can normally expect their monthly bill to go up about 21% after getting a speeding ticket. Le Mars policyholders can expect a bit more drastic of an increase of around 23%.

That being said, Le Mars is typically the less expensive option for both drivers who have clean records and those with a recent ticket, offering prices that are $24 and $26 cheaper, respectively, compared to Farmers Insurance.

Which Company is Best for Drivers After an Accident?

Farmers policyholders who get in an accident can expect to see their rates rise by over $60, while those who have insurance through Le Mars will see about a $50 increase.

At the end of the day, drivers who use Le Mars end up with the cheaper prices after an accident, with average prices coming in at $186 compared to Farmers Insurance's $224.

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 speeding ticket when it comes to your auto insurance bill. Le Mars drivers usually see a 68% increase in their car insurance premiums after a DUI charge, while Farmers will generally raise prices by around 27%.

Farmers has the overall most affordable rates for drivers with a DUI on their records at $221 a month, but it's worth noting that Farmers's average rates come from 25 states compared to just one for Le Mars, so the data may be skewed slightly.

How does Credit Score Impact Farmers and Le Mars Rates?

Did you know many insurance companies take into account your credit score when determining premiums? Certain states and carriers do not allow for credit score to be used as an auto insurance factor, but it does affect lots of drivers out there.

The reasoning car insurance companies use is that policyholders with good credit will be more likely to pay their bills on time; so they'll reward them with cheaper rates, while those with poor credit will normally be forced to pay more.

So, which company offers the best premiums for drivers with poor, average, or good credit?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Good Credit?

If you have a great credit score, Le Mars will usually reward you the most. For policyholders with "excellent" credit scores, Le Mars comes in nearly 17.68 more affordable. Drivers with "good" credit scores normally save about 3% with Le Mars compared to average prices from Farmers.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Bad Credit?

Farmers typically offers lower premiums than Le Mars when it comes to drivers with less-than-perfect credit. Drivers with "fair" credit pay around 5% per month less with Farmers compared to Le Mars, and those with "poor" scores usually save an average of about 36% monthly.

Is Farmers or Le Mars Better for Drivers who Work from Home or Have Short Commutes?

How much you drive can have a big impact on how much auto insurance carriers will charge for coverage. Typically, those who drive fewer miles will end up with less expensive prices 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 Farmers charges. However, there's a pretty significant difference in monthly rates for Le Mars, with drivers who put 6,000 miles on their car annually paying around $30 less every month compared to those who drive 12,000 miles each year. Still, for drivers in both categories, Farmers is the cheaper carrier.

Farmers or Le Mars: Compare Rates for Urban, Suburban, and Rural Drivers

Where you call home can have a considerable impact on your monthly insurance payment. Generally, those who live in rural areas will pay less than drivers in urban areas since there are a lot fewer vehicles on the road where they live, which reduces the chances of an accident.

Farmers boasts the most affordable average rates in rural and urban areas, while Le Mars wins in suburban areas.

For policyholders in urban ZIP codes, Farmers Insurance's average premiums are about 13% less than Le Mars Insurance Company. People who live in suburban areas pay around 5% less with Le Mars compared to Farmers. Those in rural areas can expect to save about 28% with Farmers compared to Le Mars.

Farmers vs. Le Mars Discounts

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

But where do you even start? With so many discounts out there, it may seem difficult to find all the of the ones you're eligible for.

Luckily, we did the hard work for you and looked at all of the different discounts Farmers and Le Mars offer their customers so that you can find the company that has the most discounts and, therefore, the largest savings.

Farmers blows Le Mars away when it comes to the sheer amount of discounts available, offering 28 different discounts to Le Mars's 17.

Both companies offer a lot of the same discounts -- like advance quote discounts, discounts for getting driver training, discounts for being a good driver, and discounts for insuring multiple cars with the same company -- but Farmers also offers discounts for alternative fuel, defensive driver, distant student, and more.

On the other hand, Le Mars has a few proprietary discounts of their own for things like family discounts, hybrid vehicle discounts, marital status discounts, and more.

Final Thoughts: Is Farmers or Le Mars Best for You?

You've seen the role certain variables have on your insurance and the different discounts carriers offer. That's all well and good, but when it comes down to it, which carrier is the right carrier for you and your specific driver profile?

Farmers might be best for you if....

• Your credit is less-than-stellar.
• You want to save extra money with discounts.
• You don't spend much time in your car.

Le Mars might be best for you if...

• You don't have any speeding tickets, DUIs, or at-fault collisions on your record.
• You want to save money on your auto insurance after an accident.
• You want to save money while purchasing insurance for a teenager.

Hopefully, this guide has ben a valuable resource as you compare Farmers and Le Mars. We also hope we've given you the information you need to make the best 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 auto insurance policy is to compare quotes from multiple companies, not just Farmers and Le Mars. Luckily, Compare.com does all the hard work for you. Just enter your ZIP code below and get free quotes from dozens of the top car insurance carriers in your area, all in just a few minutes.

Farmers vs. Le Mars FAQs

Is Farmers or Le Mars cheaper?

Farmers is the more affordable of the two companies when looking at national average prices, with policies averaging $203 a month with Farmers and $234 for Le Mars. Even so, that doesn't mean Farmers will be the lowest company for every driver, since there are several different factors (things like gender, age, driving record, etc.) that play a role in how much you pay.

Who is better, Farmers or Le Mars?

Unfortunately, the answer truly is "it depends.". No one carrier is "better" for everyone -- it all boils down to your unique auto insurance profile. For example, Le Mars is less expensive for drivers with excellent credit, while Farmers offers cheaper rates for drivers with a recent DUI.

Why do Farmers and Le Mars offer me different rates?

Insurance carriers use many different variables when calculating the premiums they charge. Factors like where you park your car, age, gender, where your home is, and sometimes even things like your credit score can all be taken into consideration. Both Farmers and Le Mars calculate rates using different formulas, 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 many different companies.

How do I know if Farmers or Le Mars 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 carriers 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 information once and you'll get quotes from dozens of your local top insurance companies 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 Farmers or Le Mars 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.