Allstate Auto Insurance Review: Good Services but High Rates
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Editor's Rating
Allstate offers many discounts and features, and has generally well-regarded customer service. But its rates often cost much more compared to other companies.
Editor's rating breakdown | |
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| Price | |
| Coverage | |
| Customer service | |
| Unique value | |
Pros and cons
Pros
Good network of agents for personal service
Lots of discounts
Cons
Expensive rates
Allstate review: Usually expensive, but decent service
Because of its high cost, we suggest most drivers explore other companies before checking out Allstate.
While the company is the fourth-largest auto insurer in the country, we've found it is usually more expensive than competing companies and has slightly better-than-average customer satisfaction and claims handling.
You want the service you get from your auto insurer to exceed or equal the price you are paying for it, but at Allstate, that balance can be challenging to find.
While Allstate has popular features like accident forgiveness, vanishing deductibles and various other discounts, the savings they bring usually will not make Allstate cheaper than competitors like Geico and Progressive.
Compare Allstate to other top auto insurance companies | |
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Customers report that Allstate typically provides dependable service, but it usually is not significantly better than competitors like State Farm, especially given its higher price.
Allstate's best feature is its extensive agent network, with local agents spread throughout the country. But for people who value a personal relationship with an agent, we recommend considering State Farm first. State Farm is generally cheaper, and its agent network is comparably sized.
Allstate car insurance
Whether you're a senior looking for best-in-class service or a young driver going off to college, Allstate provides a personalized touch; but its rates are usually expensive. We'll discuss Allstate's car insurance coverage options and discounts, and compare its rates to other industry-leading competitors.
Allstate auto insurance quote comparison
Of the five largest auto insurers in the U.S., Allstate is by far the least affordable for most drivers. For a typical driver, we found Allstate's prices for car insurance were about 50% more expensive than the average across the biggest American insurance companies. It was more than twice as expensive as State Farm.
Prices at Allstate for younger drivers and people with a crash on their records were even less competitive. For example, Allstate insurance after a crash costs 61% more than at the next-cheapest option, Progressive.
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Auto insurance quotes: Allstate vs. competitors
Insurer | Adult with clean record | Recent accident | 20 years old |
|---|---|---|---|
| State Farm | $1,316 | $1,768 | $3,071 |
| Progressive | $1,457 | $2,345 | $3,478 |
| USAA | $1,650 | $2,390 | $3,397 |
| Geico | $2,025 | $3,216 | $3,308 |
| Allstate | $2,798 | $5,193 | $5,950 |
Car insurance takeaway: If you're shopping for the cheapest rates around, we recommend getting quotes from more affordable insurers like State Farm and Progressive.
Both of these companies offer among the most competitive prices among large national insurers. And although Allstate has several car insurance discounts and decent customer service reviews, its expensive rates may make it ultimately a less appealing option for auto insurance.
Allstate coverage options
Allstate offers all the standard coverages you need from an auto insurer. The company doesn't have as many bells and whistles as Progressive or Geico, but Allstate offers rideshare insurance for Uber and Lyft drivers. Where Allstate distinguishes itself from its competitors is the Your Choice Auto program, which adds several coverages that are uncommon at other insurers.
Coverages from Allstate
- Liability
- Physical damage
- Uninsured motorist
- Roadside assistance
- Rideshare
- Rental reimbursement
- Gap insurance
Auto insurance discounts at Allstate
Another aspect we like about Allstate's offering is its plethora of discounts, which are on the generous side compared to other insurance companies.
In a comparison of 12 major national companies, Allstate tended to offer the most auto insurance discounts. The Drivewise program from Allstate is also noteworthy, as it rewards safer drivers, similar to Progressive Snapshot.
Ask your agent if you qualify for any of these discounts, and how many of them you can stack together, when getting your quote from Allstate.
Discount type | Discounted coverage | Amount |
|---|---|---|
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Anti-lock brakes discount | BI, PD, PIP/Med, Coll | 10% |
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Safe driver bonus* | BI, PD, PIP | 5% |
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Responsible payer discount | All | 5% |
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Homeowner discount | BI, PD, PIP, Coll, Comp | 5% |
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Multiple policy discount | All | 10% |
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Passive restraint discount | PIP/MED | 10% |
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Premier discount | All | 22% |
Allstate Drivewise program
Allstate’s version of a usage-based discount program, the Drivewise® program rewards policyholders based on their actual driving collected through Allstate's device. Allstate agents claim that drivers could receive premium reductions up to 40% by: A) Signing up with the program and getting a 10% policy discount and B) driving safely for six months (i.e., staying below 80 mph, avoiding late-night driving and staying off your phone while you're behind the wheel). Of course, how much you save with Drivewise® is subject to your driving behavior.
Furthermore, by downloading the Drivewise® mobile app, drivers will simultaneously earn "safe-driving" points and can redeem them for different merchandise, products, and gift cards through the Allstate Rewards program. Unfortunately for New Yorkers, we could not find Allstate Rewards in the Empire State. Drivers in Maryland and Oregon can participate in a pilot program that offers safe driving challenges, like going three consecutive days without hard braking, to earn extra rewards points.
Currently, Allstate Drivewise is only available in 28 states: Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Utah and Washington.
To find out more, click on the previous link, or call the Allstate Drivewise Program Customer Service at 1-877-431-7670.
Allstate Milewise pay-per-mile program
Allstate's pay-per-mile service, which charges drivers a base rate plus a per-mile rate, is called Allstate Milewise. The base rate will be charged similarly to traditional car insurance policies by taking into account your driver profile and driving record. The per-mile rate is usually a few cents per mile.
Allstate Milewise is currently only available in 21 states:
- Arizona
- Delaware
- Florida
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- New Jersey
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
- Texas
- Virginia
- West Virginia
- Washington
- Wisconsin
Buying an Allstate auto policy
Buying auto insurance through Allstate is most similar to buying insurance from State Farm. You can start a quote online and then finalize it with an agent, or you can call or go to an agent directly to get a policy. Allstate requires everything to go through an agent, which can be less desirable for people wanting a quick transaction and process.
If you want a totally online experience, we'd suggest Geico, Progressive or Esurance (which is actually a subsidiary of Allstate). All 12,000 Allstate agents only work for Allstate — they do not sell products from other insurance companies — and they are meant to give you a superior customer experience.
Allstate does have a "Bumper-to-Bumper Basics" tool that lets you fill in some information about yourself to determine how much coverage you should purchase. While the tool will be helpful for those new to auto insurance, because your quote ultimately will go through an agent, they will probably be better at assessing how much coverage you should have.
Allstate customer and claims satisfaction reviews
Allstate, while the most expensive of the largest insurers, has generally positive customer satisfaction reviews, but average ratings from J.D. Power's consumer surveys.
Company | Insurance shopping | Claims satisfaction | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 869 | 881 | ||
| State Farm | 872 | 892 | |
| Industry average | 860 | 880 | |
| Allstate | 870 | 870 | |
| Progressive | 856 | 862 |
Complaints
According to National Association of Insurers complaint data, customers of Allstate complain significantly less often than the national average for complaints received by auto insurance companies. It has a complaint index of 0.63, meaning it received 37% fewer claims than a typical car insurer, when controlling for size.
Frequently asked questions
Is Allstate a good insurance company?
We found decent service and coverage options from Allstate, but its prices are substantially higher than those of other major American insurers like Geico and State Farm.
What discounts does Allstate offer?
Allstate offers a wide range of discounts, but the biggest ways to save include its Drivewise app discount, defensive driving discount and pay-in-full discount.
Is Allstate good at paying claims?
Allstate's performance in J.D. Power's claims satisfaction survey was slightly below those of Geico and State Farm, as well as the industry average. This suggests Allstate is good, but not great, at paying claims in a way that satisfies customers.
Methodology
We evaluated Allstate car insurance against its top competitors in the areas of cost, customer service and coverage options to see how it stacks up. Our sample quotes are for a driver in Illinois with a 2016 Honda Accord and average credit.
ValuePenguin's analysis used insurance rate data from Quadrant Information Services. These rates were publicly sourced from insurer filings and should be used for comparative purposes only — your own quotes may be different.
Editorial Note: The content of this article is based on the author's opinions and recommendations alone. It has not been previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any of our network partners.