Metromile vs. Travelers: Which Company is the Best Fit for You?

Quick Facts

• Based on national averages for auto insurance, Metromile offers cheaper rates than Travelers
• Metromile tends to be a much less expensive option for drivers who have an at-fault accident on their record
• Travelers offers more discounts than Metromile

Metromile vs. Travelers: Which Company has the Cheapest Car Insurance?

Are you considering a new insurance policy? With so many ads from all sorts of companies offering hefty discounts, you're probably wondering exactly how much you might be able to save.

You've maybe even narrowed your search down to Metromile or Travelers as your top options, but between the two, which company will offer you more affordable premiums?

Looking at the national average rates for both companies, Metromile has average rates that are about 10% per month less expensive than those from Travelers.

Even so, that doesn't mean Metromile will necessarily be cheaper than Travelers for every driver. Car insurance carriers vary their rates depending on things like where you live, how old you are, how good your credit score is, how clean your driving record is, and all sorts of other factors, so prices will vary quite a bit from person to person.

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

Metromile or Travelers: Average Car Insurance Rates by State

Metromile and Travelers only compete against each other in Arizona, where Travelers offers the cheaper average rates. For Arizona residents, Travelers offers auto insurance for $124 a month on average. Metromile's average premiums come out to be over 20% more expensive, at $150 monthly.

There are plenty of other factors that go into your insurance cost than just your home state. Keep reading to find out 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 young, inexperienced 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 Metromile for their insurance pay $30 less than those who use Travelers.

That being said, both companies will offer you dramatically lower prices by the time drivers turn 25. For example, average premiums for Metromile policyholders drop nearly 65% and Travelers's rates decrease more than 60% over that time.

Which is the Best Company for Retired Drivers?

When it comes to auto insurance, patience and experience pay off, with drivers around retirement age paying some of the lowest premiums you'll ever see.

But who has the best prices for retired drivers between Metromile and Travelers? Metromile gets the slight edge here, with average rates coming in at around $129 per month compared to Travelers's $132. But that difference is less than 5%, which means it ultimately will come down to other factors, such as your credit score or where you live.

Which is the Best Company for Married Drivers?

You may not be aware, but car insurance prices tend to be more affordable for married drivers than they are for single drivers. This usually boils down to married couples having more than one car on their policy -- something lots of auto insurance carriers will reward with discounts.

When it comes to relationship status, the two companies are comparable for single policyholders, with premiums only differing about $16 a month, on average. But for married policyholders, the advantage is clear - Metromile has the edge when it comes to average prices.

Metromile vs. Travelers: Average Rates by Gender

Because men are more likely to get tickets and get into collisions, they have an increased chance of filing a claim with insurance. Therefore, men tend to get higher rates than women.

Surprisingly, men typically pay around $4 per month less than women with Metromile, while with Travelers, the difference is closer to $11 a month.

When it comes to the most affordable rates for each gender, Metromile comes out on top for both men and women. On average, male drivers save about $24 per month and women save about $9 with Metromile compared to the average Travelers policyholder.

Metromile or Travelers: 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, insurance isn't the easiest topic to understand. There are multiple different coverages that account for a bunch of different things. Some protect you and your vehicle, while others only provide coverage for other people's property and health if you cause an accident.

However, most policies end up falling into two different types of coverage -- liability only (which covers the other party's injuries and property damage if you cause a collision) and full coverage (which includes two additional coverages -- comprehensive and collision -- alongside liability).

If you're looking for state minimum liability limits, Metromile usually offers slightly cheaper premiums of $99 compared to Travelers's $108. When it comes to full coverage policies with similar limits, Metromile again has the edge, with policies around $25 a month less expensive than Travelers, on average.

Is Metromile or Travelers 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.

Accidents and tickets will most likely raise your rates, but is Metromile or Travelers more affordable for drivers with spotty records?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Speeding Tickets?

Metromile policyholders can expect their prices to go up an average of $33 per month if they get a ticket, while Travelers normally raises premiums about $32 a month, on average.

Even so, Metromile has cheaper rates for drivers in both categories, offering premiums that are 10% and 8% more affordable, respectively, compared to Travelers.

Which Company is Best for Drivers After an Accident?

Both carriers will increase prices pretty significantly if you get into an at-fault collision with Metromile raising by over $55. Travelers has a less extreme increase, but you can still expect to pay $45 more than you were prior to your first accident.

Overall, the less expensive premiums come from Metromile, with monthly prices averaging $171 compared to Travelers's $173.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with a DUI?

If you get a DUI charge, you can expect some pretty significant increases in your monthly insurance bill -- generally a lot more than an accident or speeding ticket. Travelers drivers usually see a 38% climb in their auto insurance rates after a DUI charge, while Metromile will typically raise prices by around 31%.

How does Credit Score Impact Metromile and Travelers Rates?

In many cases, your credit score can be used as one of the variables to calculate your monthly insurance premiums. This isn't always the case (California, for example, has banned the use of credit score as a rating factor) but it might come into play for quite a few drivers.

Car insurance companies 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 cheapest rates for drivers with good, average, or poor credit?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Good Credit?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Bad Credit?

Is Metromile or Travelers Better for Drivers who Work from Home or Have Short Commutes?

How much you drive can have a sizable impact on your monthly prices. That's because the more miles you drive, the more likely you are to get into a collision and cause an insurance claim.

As you can see in the table above, annual mileage doesn't have much of an impact on how much Metromile charges. However, there's a small difference in monthly rates for Travelers, with drivers who put 6,000 miles on their vehicle yearly paying about $5 less each month compared to those who drive 12,000 miles annually. Still, Metromile is the more affordable option for drivers in both categories.

Metromile vs. Travelers: Compare Rates for Urban, Suburban, and Rural Drivers

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

When comparing these two carriers side-by-side, Metromile usually comes out as the less expensive option for drivers in rural and suburban areas, while Travelers wins in urban areas.

For drivers in urban ZIP codes, Travelers's average premiums are around $204 per month compared to Metromile's $209. Drivers in suburban ZIP codes pay about $121 with Metromile compared to Travelers's $160 monthly. If you live in a rural area, you can expect to pay around $120 a month with Metromile compared to Travelers's $136.

Metromile vs. Travelers 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 utilizing as many auto insurance discounts as you can.

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

Below, we've broken down all of the different discounts offered by both Metromile and Travelers so that you can easily see which company offers the most discounts and, therefore, the biggest savings.

Travelers knocks Metromile out of the park when it comes to the sheer number of discounts available, offering 25 different discounts to Metromile's 25.

There are a couple discounts both companies offer, but Travelers also offers ABS discounts, advance quote discounts, alternative fuel discounts, and more that Metromile does not.

On the flip side, Metromile has a couple unique discounts of its own -- online quote discounts and paperless discounts.

Final Thoughts: Is Metromile or Travelers Best for You?

So, we've broken down the average rates for many of the factors car insurance carriers look at, and we've shown you all the discounts each carrier offers. That's all well and good, but at the end of the day, which company is the best one for you and your specific profile and needs?

Metromile might be best for you if....

• You're single and purchasing auto insurance by yourself.
• You already have a great credit score.
• You are purchasing your insurance with a spouse.

Travelers might be best for you if...

• You value the experience that comes with a large national auto insurance carrier.
• You care about discounts (Travelers offers the most).
• Your home is in a busy urban area.

We hope this guide has ben a valuable resource as you compare Metromile and Travelers. We also hope we've given you the information you need to make the best decision when it comes to your 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 several companies, not just Metromile and Travelers. Luckily, Compare.com makes it easy for you to do just that. Just enter your ZIP code below and get multiple quotes from some of the best insurance carriers in your area, all for free.

Metromile vs. Travelers FAQs

Is Metromile or Travelers cheaper?

Looking just at the national average prices, Metromile is the cheaper of the two companies, offering average rates of $150 a month compared to $167 for Travelers. But Metromile won't necessarily be the most affordable company for everyone, since there are a range of different variables (things like gender, age, driving record, etc.) that play a role in how much you pay.

Who is better, Metromile or Travelers?

Unfortunately, the answer truly is "it depends.". No single carrier is "better" for every driver -- it all boils down to your unique auto insurance profile.

Why do Metromile and Travelers offer me different rates?

Car insurance carriers take a look at many different factors when calculating the premiums they charge policyholders. Things like where your home is, gender, age, where you call home, and sometimes even things like your credit score can all come into play. Both Metromile and Travelers use different formulas, so each one will most likely offer different rates. The only real way to see which company is the lowest for you is by comparing personalized quotes from lots of different companies.

How do I know if Metromile or Travelers is right for me?

The only way to find the 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 area information and you'll get free quotes from dozens of the best car insurance companies in your area. That way, you can guarantee you're getting the best price. And who knows, the best company for you might not be Metromile or Travelers 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.