J.D. Power’s best auto insurance companies for overall customer satisfaction
J.D. Power ranked the best carriers in 11 regions of the United States: California, Central, Mid-Atlantic, New England, New York, North Central, Northwest, Southeast, Southwest and Texas. These are the winners:
- California: Wawanesa (678)
- Central: Shelter Insurance (674)
- Florida: Florida Farm Bureau Insurance (693)
- Mid-Atlantic: Erie Insurance (704)
- New England: Amica (702)
- New York: Travelers (657)
- North Central: Erie Insurance (688)
- Northwest: State Farm (667)
- Southeast: Erie Insurance (691)
- Southwest: CSAA Insurance Group (AAA) (653)
- Texas: Automobile Club of Southern CA (AAA) (673)
Take a look at the top-ranked companies in each region, along with the lowest-ranked companies.
California
Wawanesa scored highest for this region, with a J.D. Power score of 678, moving up from second place last year.
The other two top carriers were the Automobile Club of Southern CA, with a score of 677, and Allstate, with 657.
The low scorers in California were Kemper and Liberty Mutual, tied at 541, and Aspire General Insurance Company at 530.
*Company is not ranked because it does not meet J.D. Power's study criteria
Central
Shelter Insurance ranked highest in this region, with a J.D. Power score of 674. This is the sixth consecutive year that Shelter has topped the list.
The next two highest-ranked carriers were State Farm at 659 and Nationwide at 648.
In the Central region of the U.S., the lowest-ranked carriers were Progressive at 614, Liberty Mutual (including Safeco) at 613, and Travelers at 601.
*Company is not ranked because it does not meet J.D. Power's study criteria
Florida
Farm Bureau Insurance had the highest J.D. Power score in Florida for 2026 at 693, climbing from third place last year.
Farmers ranked second at 675 and Auto Club Group (AAA) third at 672.
The lowest-ranking J.D. Power scores for Florida went to The Hartford (613), The General (606) and Direct Auto (581). The bottom two both cater to high-risk drivers.
*Company is not ranked because it does not meet J.D. Power's study criteria
Mid-Atlantic
Erie Insurance ranked highest in this region, with a score of 704, moving up from second place last year.
The next two highest scorers were NJM with a score of 699 and CSAA Insurance Group (AAA) with a score of 685.
Lowest in the ranking for the Mid-Atlantic were The Hartford with 608, Farmers at 595 and National General at 585.
*Company is not ranked because it does not meet J.D. Power's study criteria
New England
Amica Insurance topped the list for the New England region for the second year in a row at 702.
State Farm and Allstate were next in line, with scores of 662 and 660, respectively.
The low scores for the New England region belonged to MAPFRE at 595, Plymouth Rock Assurance at 592 and Farmers with 567.
*Company is not ranked because it does not meet J.D. Power's study criteria
New York
Travelers scored highest in New York, with a J.D. Power score of 657.
GEICO came in second at 654, followed by Erie Insurance at 652.
Nationwide (612), Liberty Mutual (611) and Farmers (558) received the lowest scores.
*Company is not ranked because it does not meet J.D. Power's study criteria
North Central
Erie Insurance ranked highest for the North Central region of the U.S. for the sixth year in a row, with a score of 688; it topped the list in three regions for 2026.
The second-highest score went to Nationwide with 684, and third place was GEICO at 657.
The last three rankings were Auto Club Group (AAA) at 625, Michigan Farm Bureau at 614 and National General at 544.
*Company is not ranked because it does not meet J.D. Power's study criteria
Northwest
State Farm ranked highest for the Northwest with 667 points, holding its place from last year.
GEICO ranked second best with a score of 646, followed by American Family at 640.
The lowest three rankings were Farmers (602), The Hartford (602), which dropped from second place last year, and Travelers (596).
*Company is not ranked because it does not meet J.D. Power's study criteria
Southeast
Erie Insurance topped the list with a high score of 691 in the Southeast region, holding the spot for the second year in a row.
The second highest-ranked carrierAn insurance carrier is the company that provides your car insurance policy and pays claims. was Nationwide at 685, followed by GEICO at 668.
At the bottom of the rankings this year were Auto-Owners at 612, Direct Auto at 609 and National General at 603.
*Company is not ranked because it does not meet J.D. Power's study criteria
Southwest
CSAA Insurance Group (AAA) ranked highest in this part of the country, with a J.D. Power score of 653.
State Farm came in second place with a score of 649, the only other carrier to land above the region average of 638; GEICO, in third place, was just below average at 637.
The bottom three ranked carriers were Progressive at 615, Farmers at 610 and Bristol West at 571.
*Company is not ranked because it does not meet J.D. Power's study criteria
Texas
Automobile Club of Southern CA (AAA) topped the list of carriers in Texas, with a J.D. Power score of 673, moving up to first place and bumping last year's winner, Nationwide, down to second at 667.
Liberty Mutual, which for 2026 includes the newly retired Safeco brand, tied with State Farm for third with 662.
Progressive (635), Farmers (632) and Fred Loya Insurance (570) ranked the lowest for the Texas region.
J.D. Power’s key insights for 2026
According to the 2026 report, customer satisfaction is the same as last year, which was an all-time low, with a national average score of 644 on a 1,000-point scale. As rates stabilize, customers this year reported fewer carrier-initiated rate increases compared to last year, but the customer experience is a source of frustration, impacting overall satisfaction. Forced cross-channel interaction, where customers must switch channels to resolve an inquiry, makes customers more likely to switch insurers.
Stephen Crewdson, managing director of insurance business intelligence at J.D. Power, said in a press release: “Rates are stabilizing, but many customers still say their interactions aren’t seamless—especially when they must switch channels to resolve a single inquiry—even as a seamless cross-channel experience has become the single-most impactful driver of satisfaction in the study."
AI is becoming an important factor in the insurance shopping process, with 32% of respondents reporting that they use AI in their auto insurance search. However, 33% said they found the content unhelpful. Those who do use AI are 1.3 times more likely to switch insurers.
Additionally:
- Only 58% of people in the study said they fully understand their auto insurance policy, and those who report understanding have much higher satisfaction rates.
- More customers report receiving multiple discounts, useful policy information and avoiding payment fees than last year.
- In the past year, 46% of respondents reported using multiple interaction channels with their insurance company.
How J.D. Power Ranks auto insurance companies
J.D. Power uses a point scale, where 1,000 is the highest score. The score is based on an annual survey of insurance consumers across 11 geographic regions and 52,216 insurance customers. The 2026 study was fielded from April 2025 through April 2026.
The main areas covered by the survey are, in order of importance:
- Trust
- Price for coverage
- People
- Ease of doing business
- Product/coverage offerings
- Problem resolution
- Digital channels
What J.D. Power scores mean for car insurance shoppers
J.D. Power's annual satisfaction ratings provide car insurance shoppers with a comparison of top carriers in their region. While the national average in the study is 644, out of a possible 1,000, for 2026, the same as last year, the study's regional scoring provides shoppers with a look at insurers operating in their area and how smaller carriers compare to national carriers.
It also provides insight into how a carrier performs in one area vs. another. For example, Travelers ranked at No. 1 in the New York region with a score of 657, but was last in both the Central (601) and Northwest (596) regions, highlighting the importance of regional rankings when choosing an insurer.
Source
J.D. Power. “2026 U.S. Auto Insurance Study.” Accessed June 2026.
FAQ: J.D. Power's auto insurance rankings
Which car insurance company has the highest customer satisfaction?
Erie Insurance received the highest J.D. Power score for customer satisfaction of all carriers at 704 in the Mid-Atlantic region, and ranked at No. 1 in two additional regions, North Central and Southeast; however, it's not available in all states. The best-rated carrier varies by region, so check the rankings for your region to find the top scorer.
Is regional ranking different than national ranking?
Yes. Regional rankings are more specific to the customer experience within a company's area. Because they are more focused, they include smaller companies that don’t make the cut in national rankings. J.D. Power's auto satisfaction survey is only done by region.
How often are J.D. Power rankings updated?
J.D. Power updates its rankings annually upon completion of its survey. The regional auto insurance survey is released in full in the summer months, usually in June. The 2026 survey was released on June 9, 2026.
Why doesn't J.D. Power rank USAA?
USAA is not ranked in J.D. Power studies because it doesn't meet study criteria, which require a carrier's policies to be available to the general public. USAA only serves military members, veterans, and their families. However, USAA does receive scores in every J.D. Power study, and frequently has the highest score of all carriers.
What is a good J.D. Power score for auto insurance?
A good J.D. Power score for auto insurance is any score that is above the regional average. Averages vary from study to study and by region. Although J.D. Power uses a 1,000-point scale, all of the regional averages in the auto insurance study are in the mid-600s, and only a few carriers earned scores above 700. So, in most areas, a score in the high 600s would be considered good.
Does J.D. Power rate claims satisfaction differently from overall satisfaction?
Yes. J.D. Power releases a separate Auto Insurance Claims Satisfaction Study in the fall. The most recent study was released in October of 2025. It is a national study that named Erie Insurance No. 1 for claims. The carrier also has several other auto insurance studies, including the Auto Insurance Shopping Study and a Usage-Based Insurance study that is done along with the overall satisfaction study.
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