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

Quick Facts

• Looking at the national averages for car insurance, Root offers significantly more affordable premiums than Farmers
• Farmers offers more discounts than Root Insurance
• Root has less expensive rates for people who are single and purchasing auto insurance by yourself

Farmers vs. Root: Which Company has the Cheapest Car Insurance?

Are you considering a new insurance policy? After all, you've seen ads from all sorts of companies offering large discounts. But exactly how much can you save by switching?

You might have narrowed your search down to Farmers or Root as your top options, but which company will offer you cheaper prices?

Looking at nationwide averages, Root has average rates that are about 70% per month more affordable than those from Farmers.

That being said, Root may not be the cheapest or best option for every single driver out there. After all, insurance companies can offer drastically different rates to each driver depending on rating factors like your driving record, your age, where you call home, or even your credit score (among other things). So, at the end of the day, rates from every company will differ quite a bit from person to person.

So, if you want to find out which of Farmers or Root is really the best for you, keep reading to see average premiums for each carrier broken down by a variety of different rate factors.

Farmers or Root: Average Car Insurance Rates by State

Farmers and Root only compete against each other in Arizona, where Root offers the cheaper average prices. For Arizona residents, Root offers car insurance for $65 monthly on average. Farmers's average rates come out to be over 70% more expensive, at $219 per month.

There are plenty of other factors that go into your auto insurance payment than just where you call home. Read on to find out more.

Which is the Best Company For Young Drivers?

Young drivers -- especially teens -- generally pay a lot for car insurance compared to older drivers. The reason is that young, inexperienced drivers are statistically much more likely to get into an accident that results in an auto insurance claim, making them much riskier to insure.

But that doesn't mean that teen drivers have to just accept sky-high insurance premiums. As you can see above, teens who use Root save nearly $400 a month compared to those who use Farmers. It's worth noting that Farmers offers auto insurance in 25 different states compared to Root's one, which can skew the average prices a bit, but the difference here is still considerable.

Even so, both carriers will offer you dramatically lower rates by the time you turn 25. For example, average premiums for Farmers policyholders lower more than 70% and Root's rates reduce over 60% over that time.

Which is the Best Company for Retired Drivers?

When it comes to insurance, patience and experience pay off, with drivers around retirement age paying some of the lowest premiums out there.

But who has the best prices for retired drivers between Farmers and Root? Root gets the edge here, with average premiums coming in at around $57 a month compared to Farmers's $143.

Which is the Best Company for Married Drivers?

Did you know that car insurance prices are typically cheaper for married drivers than they are for single drivers? That's because policies for married couples normally cover more than one car, which many companies will offer you a discount for.

When it comes to relationship status, Root is the clear winner for those who are single, with rates about $169 per month less expensive than Farmers, on average. The advantage for married policyholders with Root is also obvious, where drivers save more than 65% a month.

Farmers vs. Root: Average Rates by Gender

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

With Farmers, women normally pay around 3% per month less than men, and about 3% less with Root when compared to their male counterparts.

When it comes to the most affordable premiums for each gender, Root offers the cheapest average prices for both men and women, with average rates 68% less for men and 68% cheaper for women.

Farmers or Root: 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 auto insurance can be pretty complicated. There are so many different terms 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 (which provides bodily injury and property damage coverage for other drivers and their passengers if you cause a collision) and full coverage (which includes two additional coverages -- comprehensive and collision -- in addition to liability coverage).

If you're looking for state minimum liability limits, Root usually offers significantly more affordable premiums of $46 compared to Farmers's $126. When it comes to full coverage policies with similar limits, Root again has the edge, with policies around $200 a month less expensive than Farmers, on average.

Is Farmers or Root Better for Drivers with Spotty Records?

It's no big secret that drivers who are accident-free get better deals on their car insurance. But even if you have a spotty record, you can still find plenty of ways to save some cash on your monthly bill.

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

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Speeding Tickets?

Farmers policyholders can expect their prices to go up an average of $44 per month if they get a ticket, while Root typically raises premiums about $10 a month, on average.

However, Root tends to offer the best prices for both drivers who have a recent speeding ticket and those with clean records -- their rates are around 65% cheaper for drivers with clean records and 67% less expensive for those with a ticket.

Which Company is Best for Drivers After an Accident?

After an accident, drivers who have their insurance through Farmers can expect to see around an $62 -- or about 28% -- increase in their auto insurance prices. Drivers who use Root for their car insurance will see a monthly bill around $22 (or 28%) more expensive after reporting an accident to their insurance company.

Overall, drivers who use Root end up with the cheaper prices after an accident, with monthly rates averaging $79 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 accident or ticket when it comes to your car insurance bill. For example, Farmers increases average prices by just under $60 per month -- that's over a 25% increase.

Root has the overall cheapest premiums for drivers with a DUI on their records at $57 per month, but it's worth noting that Farmers's average rates come from 25 states compared to just one for Root, so the data may be skewed slightly.

How does Credit Score Impact Farmers and Root Rates?

You may not realized it, but your credit score can come into play when companies calculate your monthly bill. This isn't always the case (for example, Michigan and California are two states that ban the practice entirely), but it might come into play for lots of drivers.

Auto insurance carriers argue that someone with good credit is more likely to pay their bills on time, which makes them less risky to insure. Because of that, policyholders with good credit will often be rewarded with more affordable rates.

So, which carrier offers the lowest prices for drivers with poor, average, or good credit?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Good Credit?

If you have great credit, you'll usually find a better deal with Root. Policyholders with "excellent" credit can save more than 65% compared to Farmers, and those with "good" scores can also expect to see savings -- about $125 or 68% cheaper each month.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Bad Credit?

Root typically offers lower premiums than Farmers when it comes to drivers with a below average credit score. Drivers with "fair" credit pay around $143 a month less with Root compared to Farmers, and those with "poor" scores generally save an average of about $177 a month.

Is Farmers or Root 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 substantial impact on your monthly insurance cost? Usually, those who drive fewer miles will end up with less expensive rates since there's less of a chance of getting into a collision and causing an insurance claim.

In this case, neither Farmers or Root report increasing prices for drivers with higher annual mileage figures. Even so, Root comes out as the most affordable for drivers at both intervals, whether they put 6,000 or 12,000 miles on their vehicle annually, with average rates of $65 per month for both.

Farmers vs. Root: Compare Rates for Urban, Suburban, and Rural Drivers

Where you live can have a sizable impact on your monthly car insurance bill. Generally, drivers who live in heavily-populated urban areas will pay quite a bit more than rural policyholders because of the number of cars that are on the roads in those areas.

Root tends to offer the most affordable prices for drivers in all types of areas, no matter if they're urban, suburban, or rural.

For drivers in urban ZIP codes, Root offers rates around $77 monthly compared to Farmers's $251. People who live in suburban ZIP codes can expect to pay about $60 a month for Root and $189 for Farmers. Lastly, those in rural areas tend to get the cheapest premiums from both companies, with average monthly prices coming in at $58 and $170 for Root and Farmers respectively.

Farmers vs. Root Discounts

Regardless of 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 possible. That's where insurance discounts comes into play.

But with what seems like a million different discounts out there, it can be difficult to find all the ones you can take advantage of or to nail down the carrier that has the most discounts for your unique driver profile.

In the section below, we've broken down all of the different discounts offered by both Farmers and Root so that you can easily see which company offers the most discounts and see which ones you might be able to take advantage of.

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

Both carriers offer a lot of the same discounts -- like discounts for being a good driver, paid in full discounts, and paperless discounts -- but Farmers also offers ABS discounts, advance quote discounts, alternative fuel discounts, and more that Root does not.

On the flip side, Root has a unique discount of its own -- a auto-steer discounts.

Final Thoughts: Is Farmers or Root Best for You?

So, you've seen how different factors can affect your car insurance rates. We've broken down the different discounts each company offers, too. But, at the end of the day, is Farmers or Root the right carrier for you and your specific driver profile?

Root might be best for you if....

• You have a DUI charge on your record.
• You have below-average credit.
• Your neighborhood is in a rural area.

Farmers might be best for you if...

• You're planning on moving to another state soon -- Root Insurance only offers policies in AZ.
• You're looking for the carrier with the most discounts.

We hope this guide has ben a valuable resource as you compare Farmers and Root and that it aids in making a more informed decision about your auto insurance.

At the end of the day, the best way to make sure you're getting the best deal on your car insurance policy is to compare quotes from multiple companies, not just Farmers and Root. Luckily, sites like Compare.com do all the hard work for you. Just enter your ZIP code below and get multiple quotes from some of the best auto insurance carriers in your area, all for free.

Farmers vs. Root FAQs

Is Farmers or Root cheaper?

Looking just at the national average premiums, Root is the more affordable of the two companies, offering average rates of $65 per month compared to $203 for Farmers. Even so, Root won't necessarily be the lowest company for every driver, since there are several different variables (things like driving record, age, gender, etc.) that play a role in how much you pay.

Who is better, Farmers or Root?

Sadly, the real answer is "it depends.". No one carrier is "better" for everyone -- it all boils down to your unique insurance profile.

Why do Farmers and Root offer me different rates?

Auto insurance carriers take a look at quite a few different factors when calculating the rates they charge policyholders. Variables such as age, where your home is, gender, your driving record, and sometimes even things like your credit score can all be used. Both Farmers and Root use different formulas, so each one will most likely offer different premiums. The only real way to see which company is the most affordable for you is by comparing personalized quotes from multiple different companies.

How do I know if Farmers or Root 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 make it easy for you to do just that. Just enter your area information and you'll get free quotes from dozens of the best car insurance companies in your area. With those, you can guarantee you're getting the best premium. And who knows, the best company for you might not be Farmers or Root 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.