Our take

If you’re looking for a large, national carrier that offers some of the lowest premiums, Nationwide is definitely on your side. It ranked fourth overall on our best car insurance companies list for 2024 and boasts the second-lowest premiums.

It doesn’t offer as many discounts as some of its peers, but because it already starts with some of the lowest rates, it’s still an affordable option. It also rated above average in customer satisfaction and has fewer complaints filed with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) than the industry average.

All in all, it’s definitely worth considering when shopping for car insurance.

States where Nationwide offers coverage

Nationwide offers car insurance coverage in all but 3 states.

Map
Table
AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DC DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY
Available
Not available
State
Alabama
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
Washington D.C.
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

*Some state rates will vary based on the addition of a hurricane deductible and may be much higher when included.

What does Nationwide car insurance cover?

Nationwide offers a full range of insurance policies to meet most drivers needs.

All primary car insurance coverage options are available:

Additional coverage offerings:

  • Rental reimbursement
  • Roadside assistance
  • Accident forgiveness
  • Scooter and classic car coverage
  • Gap insurance

How does Nationwide insurance rank?

Nationwide ranked fourth overall in our annual survey of the top 15 car insurance providers. It ranked second for having the lowest premiums, but credit rating agency AM Best did not rate its financial stability as highly as some of its top competitors. Still, with an A rating, it’s on solid financial ground.

The company did not rank in the top half of the 2024 J.D. Power customer satisfaction survey, but was only slightly below average. Nationwide finished among the top choices overall in our ranking.

Here's a look at how it compared to a selection of competitors.

CompanyAM BestJ.D. Power Auto Claims SatisfactionNAIC complaint ratio*Average annual premium(Out of 5)Overall score
NationwideA8750.644.764.33
GeicoA++8710.913.994.20
State FarmA++8910.73.234.27
ProgressiveA+8700.653.154.14

*The lower a company’s score, the fewer the number of complaints filed with the NAIC. A score higher than 1.0 means it had a higher-than-average number of complaints.

How much is Nationwide car insurance?

If it’s low rates you’re after, then Nationwide is a top pick. Our study of the top 15 insurance carriers found that Nationwide has the second-lowest rates overall and the lowest rates among national companies. Erie Insurance is cheapest overall; however, Erie is only available in 12 states, compared to the 47 served by Nationwide

Average full coverage rates for a 40-year-old driver with Nationwide are $1,548 per year or $129 per month. Nationwide came in below Geico at $1,763 a year and well below Allstate at $2,509.

Here is a comparison of rates with several large peers. Premiums are based on full coverage insurance at 100/300/100, with a $500 collision/comprehensive deductible for a 40-year-old driver with a clean record.

CompanyAverage annual rateAverage monthly rate
Nationwide$1,548$129
Geico$1,763$147
State Farm$1,984$165
Allstate$2,509$209

Nationwide car insurance rates by state

One of the biggest factors influencing what you pay for car insurance is where you live. 

Some states have considerably higher insurance rates due to factors like frequent hail events, flooding and higher litigation costs. 

While Nationwide generally has some of the lowest rates in most states, drivers in California, Washington, D.C. and Florida will find they need to pay a little more for coverage. Drivers in Vermont, North Dakota and Utah will get some of the best deals.

Here’s a look at Nationwide’s average annual car insurance rates by state.

StateState minimumLiability 50/100/50Full coverage 100/300/100 liability, $500 deductibles
Alabama$487$617$1,345
Arkansas$402$590$1,503
Arizona$662$805$1,726
California$712$1,123$2,799
Connecticut$808$867$1,766
Washington, D.C.$972$1,286$2,558
Delaware$732$828$1,498
Florida$841$1,384$2,150
Idaho$645$690$1,505
Indiana$549$576$1,309
Kansas$416$383$1,316
Maryland$724$715$1,363
Minnesota$672$629$1,363
Missouri$497$518$1,361
Mississippi$429$563$1,331
Montana$201$351$1,394
North Carolina$425$405$1,513
North Dakota$379$351$1,152
Nebraska$314$330$1,216
New Hampshire$686$626$1,145
New Mexico$545$765$1,806
Oregon$813$782$1,411
Pennsylvania$350$404$1,196
Rhode Island$882$1,079$1,911
South Dakota$297$305$1,526
Tennessee$603$725$1,632
Texas$596$748$1,502
Utah$429$507$1,135
Vermont$382$381$935
Washington$496$792$1,658
Wisconsin$337$346$1,287
West Virginia$424$455$1,215

Nationwide insurance rates for teens

As is the case with practically all insurers, teenage drivers will pay some of the most expensive rates for car insurance with Nationwide, but rates come down substantially by the time you enter your 20s.

The average cost of a teen car insurance policy with Nationwide is $5,285 a year.

Here’s a what a teenage driver can expect to pay with Nationwide compared to average rates for older drivers.

CompanyTeenage drivers aged 16-19Young adults aged 20-2440-year-old adult
Nationwide$5,285$2,556$1,548
Geico$5,049$2,647$1,763
State Farm$5,368$3,179$1,984
Progressive$7,174$3,242$1,998

Nationwide insurance rates for adults

Adults see rates decrease as they age and gain more experience on the road.

While rates can vary slightly by insurance company, adults will pay some of their lowest rates around the age of 60-65. With Nationwide, rates are lowest around age 60 and then start to increase again.

At age 25, the average cost of insurance with Nationwide is $1,875 for a male and $1,785 for a female. That drops by age 40 to $$1,550 a year for a male and $$1,546 for a female.

Here’s what adults can expect to pay on average for full coverage car insurance with Nationwide at various ages.

AgeAverage yearly premiums, maleAverage yearly premiums, female
25$1,875$1,786
30$1,636$1,616
35$1,600$1,586
40$1,550$1,546
45$1,503$1,489
50$1,448$1,427
55$1,391$1,369
60$1,362$1,341
65$1,391$1,353

Nationwide insurance rates for seniors

Car insurance companies base their rates on risk profiles and unfortunately, there is evidence that older drivers are riskier; they have more accidents and more serious injuries. It may be related to slower reflexes, weaker eyesight or other factors.

For that reason, expect to see your rates begin to increase as you reach 65, but it will not be nearly as steep as the rates you saw in your teens. The average cost of car insurance with Nationwide at age 65 is $1,391 a year for a male and $1,353 for a female.

Here’s what senior drivers can expect to pay with Nationwide at various ages.

AgeAverage yearly premiums, maleAverage yearly premiums, female
60$1,362$1,341
65$1,391$1,353
70$1,473$1,404
75$1,615$1,499

Nationwide insurance rates by driver profile

Insurers are very good at crunching vast amounts of data to get accurate risk profiles of drivers. Your driving record is another good indicator of risk; drivers with tickets and accidents are more likely to file a claim in the future. They also consider factors you may not have considered, such as credit rating.

A poor credit rating is statistically correlated with filing more claims.

Here’s a look at what drivers with common negative marks on their profiles can expect to pay for full coverage insurance with Nationwide.

Clean recordAt-fault accidentSpeeding ticketPoor credit rating
$1,548$2,564$2,347$2,259

Nationwide insurance discounts

Most carriers offer a wide range of discounts that can help lower your rates. Nationwide does offer a number of common discounts for such things as bundling and having a good driving record, among others.

The discounts can range from 5% to as much as 40% and sometimes you can qualify for multiple discounts.

Nationwide car insurance discounts include the following:

  • Multi-policy discount
  • Multi-car discount
  • Nationwide family plan
  • Safe driver/accident-free discount
  • Good student discount
  • Student away discount
  • Farm Bureau discount
  • Defensive driving course
  • Accident prevention course
  • Anti-theft device installation
  • New vehicle discount
  • Air bag discount.
  • Easy pay sign-up
  • Long-term policyholder
  • Affinity partner discount
  • SmartRide driver behavior monitoring app discount

Sources & Methodology

Methodology 

Insurance.com editors in 2024 collected rates from Quadrant Information Services for a 40-year-old male and female driving a 2023 Honda Accord LX for state minimum coverage, liability only with 50/100/50 limits and a full coverage insurance policy with limits 100/300/100 and $500 comprehensive and collision deductible. Rates were gathered for multiple driving records and different credit levels. The rates presented are the average of rates for males and females. We analyzed 53,409,632 quotes, 34,588 ZIP codes and 170 insurance companies nationwide.

Sources 

Nationwide. “Affordable Car Insurance and Discounts from Nationwide.” Accessed August 2024.

What do people ask about Nationwide insurance?

When shopping for car insurance, it’s important to get to know the companies you’re considering. We looked at the common questions people ask about Nationwide to provide answers here.

Why did Nationwide nonrenew my car insurance?

If you have received a nonrenewal notice from Nationwide, call the company and ask for the reason. There are a number of reasons an insurance company might decide not to renew a car insurance policy, but the main reason is a change in risk. That risk may be directly related to you as a driver or your household, or it may be regional. When risk increases in a certain region, companies may decide to reduce their exposure in that area by nonrenewing policies.

Why did my Nationwide insurance rate go up?

There are a lot of reasons for car insurance rates to increase. It may be related to changes in your risk profile, or it may be a general rate increase across the board. In recent years, car insurance rates have jumped nationwide in response to increased claim costs due to inflation, increases in the cost of parts and labor and increases in severe weather.

Is Nationwide a good insurance company?

In our survey, customers gave Nationwide better than average marks for customer satisfaction and consumer research firm J.D. Power rated it just slightly below average for auto claims satisfaction. 

Of course, if you check online forums, you will see plenty of tales from drivers who say Nationwide was not on their side in resolving a claim. However, the same can be said for most of the major carriers as people are more apt to post their negative experiences.