Farmers vs. Southern Farm Bureau: Which Company is the Best Fit for You?

Quick Facts

• Looking at the national averages for auto insurance, Southern Farm Bureau offers significantly cheaper prices than Farmers
• Farmers may help you save more money -- they offer more discounts than Southern Farm Bureau Insurance
• Southern Farm Bureau offers more affordable rates for drivers with a DUI

Farmers or Southern Farm Bureau: Which Company has the Cheapest Car Insurance?

So, you're considering switching to a new insurance policy. After all, you've seen ads from all sorts of companies offering hefty savings. But exactly how much can you save by switching?

You might be considering Farmers or Southern Farm Bureau, but between the two, which one will offer you more affordable premiums?

Looking at nationwide averages, Farmers is quite a bit more expensive than Southern Farm Bureau, with rates averaging $203 a month compared to just $103 with Southern Farm Bureau.

Even so, that doesn't mean Southern Farm Bureau will necessarily be cheaper than Farmers for each driver. Insurance carriers vary their prices depending on things like where you live, how clean your driving record is, how old you are, how good your credit score is, and a ton of other factors, so rates will change quite a bit from person to person.

So, if you want to find out which of Farmers or Southern Farm Bureau is really the best for you, keep reading to see average prices for each company broken down by a bunch of different rate factors.

Farmers vs. Southern Farm Bureau: Average Car Insurance Rates by State

Farmers and Southern Farm Bureau only compete against each other in Arkansas, where Southern Farm Bureau offers the cheaper average premiums. Southern Farm Bureau drivers tend to pay about $43 per month less on average compared to drivers who use Farmers for their auto insurance.

There are plenty of other factors that go into your insurance cost than just where you live. Keep reading to learn more.

Which is the Best Company For Young Drivers?

Teen drivers will almost always have the most expensive car insurance prices of any other group of drivers. That's generally because teen drivers are statistically much more likely to cause collisions and other accidents that will result in an insurance claim.

But still, even with seemingly sky-high rates, teen drivers can still find ways to save money. Just look at the table above -- where 18-year-old drivers who have Southern Farm Bureau for their insurance pay almost 65% less than those who use Farmers. It's worth noting that Farmers offers car insurance in 25 different states compared to Southern Farm Bureau's one, which can skew the average premiums a bit, but the difference here is still considerable.

However, both companies will reduce prices by the time you turn 25. For example, average rates for Farmers policyholders lower around $400 and Southern Farm Bureau's premiums drop nearly $100 over that time.

Which is the Best Company for Retired Drivers?

Drivers around retirement age normally enjoy some of the cheapest auto insurance rates you can find. After all, they've likely been driving for quite some time, which typically lowers their chances of collisions and other infractions that can raise premiums.

When looking at Farmers and Southern Farm Bureau specifically, which carrier is best for retired drivers? Southern Farm Bureau gets the edge here, with average prices coming in at about $76 per month compared to Farmers's $143.

Which is the Best Company for Married Drivers?

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

For single policyholders, the difference in average rates between these two carriers is significant, with Southern Farm Bureau prices coming in at around half of Farmers's. The advantage is also clear for married drivers - Southern Farm Bureau offers the lowest average rates.

Farmers or Southern Farm Bureau: Average Rates by Gender

You may not know, but men generally pay more for auto insurance than women do. This is because men are statistically more likely than women to get pulled over for speeding or get into a collision, which leads to increased risk for insurers and, therefore, higher premiums.

Men normally pay about 3% more a month than women with Farmers, but with Southern Farm Bureau, the difference is closer to 6% per month.

When it comes to the most affordable prices for each gender, Southern Farm Bureau offers the lowest average premiums for both men and women, with average prices $101 less for men and $100 cheaper for women.

Farmers vs. Southern Farm Bureau: 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 isn't the easiest topic to understand. There are a variety of different coverages that account for several 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.

The two most common policies that drivers look at fall into two categories -- liability coverage (that covers bodily injury and property damage for other drivers and 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 limits for liability insurance, Southern Farm Bureau has the significant edge, with average monthly rates coming in at $54. If you want a full coverage policy with the same state minimum limits, Southern Farm Bureau again has the edge, with policies averaging around $151 a month to Farmers's $281.

Is Farmers or Southern Farm Bureau Better for Drivers with Spotty Records?

You've probably seen plenty of commercials from auto insurance companies 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 speeding tickets and accidents on your record, but which of these two carriers offers the most affordable rates to drivers with spotty records?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Speeding Tickets?

Policyholders who use Farmers for their insurance can usually expect their monthly bill to go up about 21% after getting a speeding ticket. Southern Farm Bureau policyholders can expect a less drastic increase of around 8%.

But Southern Farm Bureau has less expensive premiums for drivers in both categories. With Southern Farm Bureau Insurance, drivers with a clean record can save about $73 per month and drivers with a ticket can save around $109 a month.

Which Company is Best for Drivers After an Accident?

Both companies will increase prices pretty significantly if you get into an at-fault collision with Farmers increasing by about 28%. Southern Farm Bureau has a less extreme raise, but you can still expect to pay nearly 25% more than you were prior to your first accident.

At the end of the day, the more affordable premiums come from Southern Farm Bureau, with average rates coming in at $116 compared to Farmers Insurance's $224.

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 speeding ticket or even an accident. Farmers drivers usually see a 27% climb in their car insurance premiums after a DUI charge, while Southern Farm Bureau will typically increase prices by around 18%.

Southern Farm Bureau has the overall cheapest rates for drivers with a DUI on their records at $108 a month, but it's worth noting that Farmers's average rates come from 25 states compared to just one for Southern Farm Bureau, so the data may be skewed slightly.

How does Credit Score Impact Farmers and Southern Farm Bureau Rates?

In many cases, your credit score can come into play when carriers determine your monthly bill. Certain states and companies do not allow for credit score to be used as an insurance factor, but it will come into play for quite a few 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 cheaper premiums.

So, which company offers the most affordable rates for drivers with good, average, or poor credit?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Good Credit?

If you have a solid credit score, Southern Farm Bureau will generally reward you the most. For policyholders with "excellent" credit scores, Southern Farm Bureau comes in more than 56.1 less expensive. Drivers with "good" credit scores typically save about 54% with Southern Farm Bureau compared to average prices from Farmers.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Bad Credit?

Southern Farm Bureau typically offers lower rates than Farmers when it comes to drivers with bad credit. Drivers with "fair" credit pay around 49% per month less with Southern Farm Bureau compared to Farmers, and those with "poor" scores normally save an average of about 42% monthly.

Is Farmers or Southern Farm Bureau 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 car insurance bill. Usually, the more milage you drive, the more you can expect to pay for insurance.

In this case, neither Farmers or Southern Farm Bureau report increasing prices for drivers with higher annual mileage figures. Still, Southern Farm Bureau comes out as the cheapest for drivers at both intervals, whether they put 6,000 or 12,000 miles on their car yearly, with average premiums of $103 a month for both.

Farmers or Southern Farm Bureau: Compare Rates for Urban, Suburban, and Rural Drivers

Where you park your vehicle can have a large impact on your monthly car insurance payment. Generally, if you live in a rural area with fewer cars on the road, you'll pay a little less for insurance, while the opposite is true for people in urban areas.

Southern Farm Bureau tends to offer the lowest prices for drivers in all types of areas, no matter if they're urban, suburban, or rural.

Those in rural areas can expect to save around 51% with Southern Farm Bureau compared to Farmers. People who live in suburban areas pay about 39% less with Southern Farm Bureau compared to Farmers. For drivers in urban ZIP codes, Southern Farm Bureau Insurance's average rates are around 56% less than Farmers Insurance.

Farmers vs. Southern Farm Bureau 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 utilizing as many insurance discounts as possible.

But with what seems like a million different discounts out there, it can be challenging to find all the ones you're eligible 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 compared all of the different discounts offered by Farmers and Southern Farm Bureau so that you can easily see which company offers the most discounts and, therefore, the largest savings.

Farmers knocks Southern Farm Bureau out of the park when it comes to the sheer number of discounts available, offering 24 more discounts than Southern Farm Bureau.

There are a couple discounts both companies offer, but Farmers also offers discounts for ABS, advance quote, alternative fuel, and more.

Southern Farm Bureau's discounts come through just a few categories, including Defensive Driver, Driver Training, Good Student, and more.

Final Thoughts: Is Farmers or Southern Farm Bureau Best for You?

So, we've broken down the average premiums for many of the variables car insurance carriers look at, and we've shown you all the discounts each company offers. But, at the end of the day, which insurance carrier is the right company for you and your specific driver profile?

Southern Farm Bureau might be best for you if....

• You have received a ticket within the last few years.
• You live in an suburban area.
• You drive fewer than 6,000 miles annually.

Farmers might be best for you if...

• You're thinking about moving to another state -- Southern Farm Bureau Insurance is only available in AR.
• You're looking for the company with the most discounts.

Hopefully, this guide has ben a valuable resource as you compare Farmers and Southern Farm Bureau. We also hope we've given you the information you need to make the best decision when it comes to your auto 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 insurance -- comparing quotes from multiple companies, not just Farmers and Southern Farm Bureau. Luckily, Compare.com does all the hard work for you. Just enter your ZIP code below and get multiple quotes from some of the best car insurance carriers in your area, all for free.

Farmers vs. Southern Farm Bureau FAQs

Is Farmers or Southern Farm Bureau cheaper?

Southern Farm Bureau is the cheaper of the two companies when looking at national average prices, with policies averaging $103 per month with Southern Farm Bureau and $203 for Farmers. That being said, that doesn't mean Southern Farm Bureau will be the most affordable carrier for every driver, since there are many different factors (things like age, driving record, gender, etc.) that play a role in how much you pay.

Who is better, Farmers or Southern Farm Bureau?

Sadly, the answer truly is "it depends.". Neither company is "better" for everyone -- it all comes down to what your unique auto insurance profile looks like.

Why do Farmers and Southern Farm Bureau offer me different rates?

Car insurance carriers use many different variables when determining the rates they charge. Factors like gender, age, where you live, your driving record, and sometimes even things like your credit score can all be taken into consideration. Both Farmers and Southern Farm Bureau calculate premiums using different variables, so it's likely they'll offer different rates. The best way to determine which carrier is the lowest for you is by comparing personalized quotes from lots of different companies.

How do I know if Farmers or Southern Farm Bureau 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 carriers and finding the one best suited for your individual budget. Luckily, Compare.com makes 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 companies for free. That way, you can guarantee you're getting the cheapest price. And maybe you'll find that the best carrier for you isn't Farmers or Southern Farm Bureau 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.