Travelers auto insurance review: Affordable coverage
Travelers combines affordable rates, lots of add-ons, and solid customer service, making it one of our top choices for car insurance.
By
Andrew HurstAndrew HurstSenior Editor & Licensed Auto Insurance ExpertAndrew Hurst is a senior editor and a licensed auto insurance expert at Policygenius. His work has also been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, USA Today, NPR, Mic, Insurance Business Magazine, ValuePenguin, and Property Casualty 360.
Edited by
Anna SwartzAnna SwartzSenior Managing EditorAnna Swartz is a senior managing editor who specializes in home, auto, renters, and disability insurance at Policygenius. Previously, she was a senior staff writer at Mic and a writer at The Dodo. Her work has also appeared in Salon, HuffPost, MSN, AOL, and Heeb.
Our proprietary ratings methodology takes multiple factors into account, including customer satisfaction, cost, financial strength, and policy offerings. See the “Ratings methodology” section for more details.
4.7
AM Best rating
AM Best is a global credit rating agency that scores the financial strength of insurance companies on a scale from A++ (Superior) to D (Poor).
A++
Cost
Using a mix of internal and external rate data, we grade the cost of each insurance company's premiums on a scale from least expensive ($) to most expensive ($$$$$).
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The bottom line
Travelers is a top insurance car company and a good fit for many drivers, thanks to its wide range of coverage options. Drivers can upgrade their Travelers policy with add-ons like new car replacement, gap insurance, rental reimbursement, and accident forgiveness.
We also like that current Travelers policyholders don't submit many complaints about the company, but it didn’t score as high as some competitors when it comes to customer service. Travelers is also cheaper than average for a full-coverage policy, making it a good choice for drivers looking for lower rates.
Pros
Offers useful add-ons like new car replacement and gap coverage
Cheaper-than-average rates
Receives few complaints for service
Cons
Has lower satisfaction ratings than competitors
Basic coverages offered
Travelers offers all of the necessary types of car insurance you need in a basic policy. While requirements vary by state, these coverages include:
Bodily injury liability: Also called third-party coverage, this covers the cost if you hurt someone in an at-fault accident.
Property damage liability: The other part of third-party coverage, this covers the cost of damage you cause in an at-fault accident.
Collision coverage: Covers damage to your own car after a collision with another driver or object, regardless of fault.
Comprehensive coverage: Covers damage to your own car not caused by a collision, like damage caused by weather, theft, or vandalism.
Uninsured/underinsured motorist: Covers the costs if you’re hit by someone without car insurance or without enough insurance to pay for the damage.
Personal injury protection: Also called no-fault insurance, PIP pays for injuries to you and your passengers, as well as lost wages, and even death benefits after an accident.
Medical payments: Covers the cost if you and your passengers are injured in an accident, usually up to lower limits than PIP.
Additional coverages offered
Travelers has a wide range of coverage options that drivers can use to customize their policies, including some coverage options that may not be available at most other companies.
Accident forgiveness: While not a type of car insurance coverage, accident forgiveness lets you avoid higher rates after your first accident.
Gap insurance: Also known as loan/lease insurance, this coverage pays off your loan or lease if you total your car and the initial payout isn’t enough.
New car replacement: Replaces your totaled vehicle with a new model of the same car within the first five years of the vehicle's life.
Non-owners insurance: Special coverage for people who drive frequently but don’t own their own car.
Rental reimbursement: Pays for a rental car while your vehicle is in the shop after a covered accident.
Rideshare coverage: Only offered in Colorado and Illinois, this coverage from Travelers protects drivers while they're working for an app-based rideshare company like Lyft or Uber.
Roadside assistance:Pays for gas delivery, jump starts, winching, and other emergency roadside services if your car breaks down.
Ratings methodology
Price
4.6/5
In order to compare the cost of car insurance from Travelers with other companies, we found how much a 30-year-old driver with no previous accidents on their record, and average credit, would pay for coverage. We compared rates for this sample driver from every ZIP code in every state, including the District of Columbia.
We found that the cost of car insurance from Travelers is slightly lower than the national average, but it might be cheaper depending on where you live.
Customer experience
3.6/5
Travelers scored 854 on the 2022 J.D. Power U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study, which measures how happy policyholders are with the speed, quality, and total amount of their car insurance claims payouts. This is lower than the industry average of 880. Travelers also earned a below-average score of 674 on the J.D. Power 2022 U.S. Insurance Digital Experience Study, which looks at customer satisfaction with a company’s digital offerings.
But when it comes to complaints filed with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, Travelers had fewer far complaints than average.
Coverage options
3.6/5
We compared the Travelers’ coverage offerings by tallying the total number of basic and additional car insurance coverage types available. Each company that we evaluated received points for every type of insurance offered beyond the basics required in most states.
We found that Travelers offers drivers more coverage add-ons, or endorsements, than many competitors.
Financial strength
4.8/5
An insurance company's financial strength is its ability to pay claims to policyholders after a loss. We compared the financial strength of Travelers to other companies using ratings from trusted third-parties like A.M. Best, Moody's, and S&P. Travelers has strong financial strength according to all three agencies.
Cost of Travelers car insurance
The average cost of car insurance from Travelers is $113 per month, or $1,315 per year, for a full coverage policy with bodily injury liability coverage of $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident.
That's $323 cheaper per year than the national average. Though it's not one of the absolute cheapest companies, this makes Travelers one of the more affordable options for car insurance.
Coverage amount
Average annual rate for Travelers
Required state minimum
$683
Full coverage ($50,000/$100,000)
$1,351
Full coverage ($100,000/$300,000)
$1,690
While Travelers has the lowest average car insurance rates in only a few states, it's usually among the top two or three cheapest options at the statewide level.
Travelers car insurance discounts
Travelers also offers a number of discounts that can help lower what you pay for car insurance. Discounts are usually added to your policy automatically when you apply for car insurance, but you can always double check with a Travelers representative if you’re a current policyholder and you think you’re missing out on a discount opportunity.
Travelers’ auto insurance discounts include:
Away-from-home discount: If you have a college-student in your household who attends school at least 100 miles away without a car, you can save money.
Affinity discount: If your employer, credit union, or organization partners with Travelers, you’ll save money on your policy.
Bundling or multi-policy discount: If you insure your home, condo, or rental unit with Travelers in addition to your car, you could save up to 13% in total.
Continuous coverage discount: Drivers can save every year that they have continuous coverage with Travelers.
Early quote discount: If you already have car insurance from another company, you could earn a discount by switching to Travelers before your current policy ends.
Environmentally friendly discount: Travelers offers a discount to drivers who have a fully-electric or hybrid car.
Homeowner discount: Drivers who own their home or condo can get a discount even if they don't insure their property with Travelers.
Multi-car discount: Qualify for this discount by insuring more than one car on the same Travelers policy.
New car discount: If your car is three model years or younger, you could earn a discount from Travelers.
Payment discounts: Travelers has discounts for drivers who sign up for automatic payments, pay their annual premium all at once, and always make their payments on time.
Safe driver discount: Car insurance is already cheaper for drivers with clean records, but Travelers offers an additional discount if you haven’t had a claim in the past three to five years.
Travelers also has a few discounts that are only for young drivers. Because the cost of insurance for new drivers is often so expensive, these discounts are particularly valuable way to cut costs.
Driver safety class discount: Young drivers who complete a special training class can qualify for this discount.
Good student discount: This discount is for fulltime high school and college students who maintain at least a “B” average in their classes.
One other discount that Travelers offers for policyholders is its usage-based insurance program, IntelliDrive. When you sign up for IntelliDrive, Travelers monitors your driving for 90 days. Depending on your driving habits, your rate may be reduced, but only when your policy renews.
Travelers estimates the drivers could save up to 30% with IntelliDrive — though drivers who don’t drive well during the 90 day trial may see an increase in their car insurance rates. IntelliDrive uses the following factors to set your car insurance rates:
Braking: Drivers who frequently break hard have worse scores with IntelliDrive.
Driving speed: Traveling at high speeds and exceeding the speed limit will negatively affect your IntelliDrive score.
Focus on the road: Travelers lists making handheld calls, texting and using your phone for non-emergencies while driving as some of the most negative behaviors you can do behind the wheel.
Time of day: Driving late at night is worse than driving during the day.
Your acceleration: Drivers who accelerate smoothly will score better than those who accelerate suddenly.
Where is Travelers car insurance available?
Travelers car insurance is available in every state, including the District of Columbia. In fact, Travelers is one of the largest car insurance companies in the country. That also means it's pretty easy to find an agent near you if you don't want to get coverage online.
How to contact Travelers for car insurance
You can use the Travelers mobile app to access your car insurance policy, request roadside assistance, and pay your bills. Alternatively, you can call Travelers at:
800-842-5075 for customer service questions
800-252-4633 for claims related questions
Compare the cost, customer service, and financial strength of Travelers with other top car insurance companies.
Travelers is one of our top choices for car insurance companies. It has affordable rates (plus a range of discounts), receives few complaints, and has lots of room for customizability.
Is Travelers good at paying claims?
While Travelers receives few complaints, it also has a below average claims satisfaction ratings from J.D. Power compared to competitors, meaning policyholders are less happy with the claims process at Travelers than at some other companies.
What does insurance cost at Travelers?
The average cost of car insurance from Travelers is $113 per month. That's cheaper than the national average, which is $136 per month, but rates vary widely from driver to driver.
Who can get Travelers car insurance?
Anyone can get car insurance from Travelers. While the company might refuse to cover certain high risk drivers, its national availability means that drivers living in every state can apply for coverage.
Andrew Hurst is a senior editor and a licensed auto insurance expert at Policygenius. His work has also been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, USA Today, NPR, Mic, Insurance Business Magazine, ValuePenguin, and Property Casualty 360.
Anna Swartz is a senior managing editor who specializes in home, auto, renters, and disability insurance at Policygenius. Previously, she was a senior staff writer at Mic and a writer at The Dodo. Her work has also appeared in Salon, HuffPost, MSN, AOL, and Heeb.
