We evaluate and rank insurance companies using a variety of proprietary and third-party sources. Learn more about our approach here.
Internal research and data
We gather millions of data points through our data partner, Quadrant Information Services, to estimate annual rates across all states and in thousands of ZIP codes. Here’s a look at our base methodology for both auto and home insurance rates.
Auto insurance methodology
National and state average rates are based on three coverage levels: state minimum, 50/100/50 liability-only, and full coverage with 100/300/100 liability and $500 deductibles.
Unless otherwise indicated, averages are based on our full coverage data set. This data set is based on:
- Bodily injury liability of $100,000 per person and $300,000 per incident
- Property damage liability of $100,000 per incident
- Comprehensive and collision deductibles of $500
- 40-year-old driver
- Honda Accord LX
- Good credit
- A clean driving record
- 12-mile commute, 10,000 annual mileage
Additional rate data is drawn based on:
- Ages ranging from 16 to 75
- Excellent, fair and poor credit
- All available traffic violations
- One or more at-fault accidents
- All available year, make and model data
Home insurance methodology
National and state home insurance averages are based on the following parameters:
- $300,000 in dwelling coverage
- $300,000 in liability coverage
- A $1,000 deductible
- A 2% hurricane deductible in applicable states
- Good credit
Additionally, we receive rates for dwelling coverages of:
- $200,000
- $400,000
- $600,000
- $1,000,000
We also gather data for:
- $100,000 in liability coverage
- Deductibles ranging from $500 to $5,000
Renters insurance
Averages are based on:
- $40,000 in personal property coverage
- $300,000 in liability coverage
- $1,000 deductible
- Good credit
Condo insurance
Averages are based on:
- $60,000 in personal property coverage
- $300,000 in liability coverage
- $1,000 deductible
- Good credit
Best insurance companies ranking methodology
Each year, we field a survey of insurance customers, which is part of the rating system for our best insurance companies rankings.
Auto insurance methodology
Respondents are asked to name their auto insurer and then grade it in the following categories:
- Customer satisfaction
- Ease of service
- Policy offerings
- Claims satisfaction
- Digital experience (website/app)
- Discounts offered
- Fair rate increases over time
- Insurance for young drivers/teenagers
- Insurance for college students
- Insurance for senior drivers
- Insurance for drivers with tickets or accidents
- Auto and home bundling
The percentage of respondents who said they were satisfied or very satisfied with their insurer is presented in the results.
We then asked respondents to provide a yes or no response to indicate their agreement with the following statements:
- I plan to renew with my current auto insurance company
- I would recommend my auto insurance company to others
- I trust my auto insurance company
The percentage of respondents who said yes is presented in the results.The editors compile the survey results and then select – based on the number of survey responses – the top companies for further evaluation.
We also incorporate:
- AM Best data, which measure financial strength
- National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ complaint data, which ranks a company by the number of customer complaints it receives.
- Rate data from Quadrant Information Services.
With the help of Prof. David Marlett, Ph.D., Managing Director of the Brantley Risk and Insurance Center at Appalachian State University, the editors created a rating system to determine which insurance companies were best in each sector. For auto insurers, we took the following and gave each a weight.
- Survey: 40% of the total score (10% customer satisfaction, 10% recommended, 10% renewal rate and 10% claims handling)
- AM Best: 25% of total score
- Annual premium: 20% of total score
- NAIC: 15% of total score
Each insurer is awarded between half a star and 5 stars. No company in the ranking received less than half a star in any category, and 5 stars was the most any insurer could receive.
Home insurance methodology
Respondents are asked to name their home insurer and then grade it in the following categories:
- Customer satisfaction
- Ease of service
- Policy offerings
- Claims satisfaction
- Digital experience (website/app)
- Insurance shopping and buying process
- Billing process
- Discounts offered
- Fair rate increases over time
- Older home coverage
- Extra coverage included as standard
- Home and auto bundling
The percentage of respondents who said they were satisfied or very satisfied with their insurer is presented in the results.
We then asked respondents to provide a yes or no response to indicate their agreement with the following statements:
- I plan to renew with my current home insurance company
- I would recommend my home insurance company to others
- I trust my home insurance company
The percentage of respondents who said yes is presented in the results.
The editors compiled the survey results and then selected – based on the number of survey responses – the top companies for further evaluation.
We also incorporate:
- AM Best data, which measure financial strength
- National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ complaint data, which ranks a company by the number of customer complaints it receives.
- Rate data from Quadrant Information Services.
With the help of Prof. David Marlett, Ph.D., Managing Director of the Brantley Risk and Insurance Center at Appalachian State University, the editors created a rating system to determine which insurance companies were best in each sector. For home insurers, we took the following and gave each a weight.
- Survey: 40% of the total score (10% customer satisfaction, 10% recommended, 10% renewal rate and 10% claims handling)
- AM Best: 25% of total score
- Annual premium: 20% of total score
- NAIC: 15% of total score
Each insurer was awarded between half a star and 5 stars. No company in the ranking received less than half a star in any category, and 5 stars was the most any insurer could receive.
Life insurance methodology
To rank the best life insurance companies, we surveyed 973 people with life insurance.
Respondents were asked to name their life insurer and then grade it in the following categories:
- Customer satisfaction
- Ease of service
- Policy offerings
- Billing process
- Adding policy riders
- Seniors/older adults
- Middle-aged adults
- Young people
- Term life policies
- Whole life policies
- People with pre-existing conditions
- People who are overweight
- People who don’t want to take a medical exam
The percentage of respondents who said they were satisfied or very satisfied with their insurer is presented in the results.
We then asked respondents to provide a yes or no response to indicate their agreement with the following statements:
- I plan to keep my coverage with my current life insurance company
- I would recommend my life insurance company to others
- I trust my life insurance company
The percentage of respondents who said yes is presented in the results.
The editors compiled the survey results and then selected – based on the number of survey responses – the top companies for further evaluation.
They then collected AM Best data, which measure financial strength, and National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ complaint data, which ranks a company by the number of customer complaints it receives.
They also collected insurance rate data from Compulife.
With the help of Prof. David Marlett, Ph.D., Managing Director of the Brantley Risk and Insurance Center at Appalachian State University, the editors created a rating system to determine which insurance companies were best in each sector. For life insurers, we took the following and gave each a weight.
- Survey: 60% of the total score (10% customer satisfaction, 10% ease of service, 10% policy offerings, 10% recommended, 10% policy retention and 10% trust)
- AM Best: 25% of total score
- NAIC: 15% of total score
Each insurer was awarded between half a star and 5 stars. No company in the ranking received less than half a star in any category, and 5 stars was the most any insurer could receive.
Health insurance methodology
To rank the best health insurance companies, we surveyed almost 1,500 health insurance policyholders.
Respondents were asked to name their health insurer and then grade it in a number of categories, including:
- Customer satisfaction
- Ease of service
- Policy offerings
- The cost of insurance/affordability
- Low deductible
- Preferred providers available
- Not needing a referral
The percentage of respondents who said they were satisfied or very satisfied with their insurer is presented in the results.
We then asked respondents to provide a yes or no response to indicate their agreement with the following statements:
- I plan to keep my coverage with my current health insurance company
- I would recommend my health insurance company to others
- I trust my health insurance company
The percentage of respondents who said yes is presented in the results.
The editors compiled the survey results and then selected – based on the number of survey responses – the top companies for further evaluation.
They then collected data from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), which evaluates and rates health plans, and National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ complaint data, which ranks a company by the number of customer complaints it receives.
With the help of Prof. David Marlett, Ph.D., Managing Director of the Brantley Risk and Insurance Center at Appalachian State University, the editors created a rating system to determine which insurance companies were best in each sector. For life insurers, we took the following and gave each a weight.
- Survey: 60% of the total score (10% customer satisfaction, 10% recommended, 10% policy retention, 10% trust, and 20% affordability)
- NCQA: 25% of total score
- NAIC: 15% of total score
Each insurer was awarded between half a star and 5 stars. No company in the ranking received less than half a star in any category, and 5 stars was the most any insurer could receive.
Small business insurance methodology
To identify the top small business insurance companies, we looked at the following factors:
AM Best ratings. AM Best, a credit-rating agency, evaluates the insurance industry. It issues financial strength ratings based on its opinion of a company's ability to pay out future claims. We focused on companies with a rating of A (Excellent) or better.
J.D. Power customer satisfaction scores. We reviewed the annual J.D. Power U.S. Small Business Insurance Study, a major indicator of customer satisfaction. The average J.D. Power score is 697 out of 1,000, and all the companies on our list were near or above that mark.
National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Index. The NAIC, a research and advocacy organization, maintains a national index based on the number of complaints a company receives relative to its market share. We prioritized companies with a lower-than-average complaint index, meaning a score below 1.00.
We limited our ranking to companies that offer insurance nationally.
Third-party data
We gather data only from reputable third-party sources. We work with data from the following trusted agencies:
AM Best Credit Ratings
AM Best is a trusted credit rating agency focused on the insurance industry. Its ratings represent a company’s financial stability and ability to meet its financial obligations.
AM Best ratings are as follows:
- Superior (A+, A++)
- Excellent (A, A-)
- Good (B+, B++)
- Fair (B, B-)
- Marginal (C+, C++)
- Weak (C, C-)
- Poor (D)
J.D. Power Insurance Studies
J.D. Power’s annual insurance surveys are a benchmark for insurance consumer satisfaction. We use data from the following annual surveys, which rank insurance companies on a 1,000-point scale:
- U.S. Auto Insurance Study
- Auto Claims Satisfaction Study
- U.S. Home Insurance Study
- Property Claims Satisfaction Study
- U.S. Insurance Shopping Study
- U.S. Individual Life Insurance Study
- U.S. Small Commercial Insurance Study
National Association of Insurance Commissioners Complaint Index
The standard-setting and regulatory support organization for the U.S. insurance industry, NAIC is governed by the heads of insurance regulation in each state. It gathers complaint data on insurance companies, identified by NAIC numbers, and creates a complaint index.
This index compares the number of complaints received by a company to its market share. A score of 1.0 means the company received the expected number of complaints. A number below this means fewer complaints, and a number above this means more complaints than expected.