What makes a home insurance company great for service?
Selecting a homeowners insurance company is one of the most important choices you’ll make for your home. Not only do you need the appropriate coverage at a good price, but you need a company that makes every step of the process smooth, from buying to paying your bill.
Several factors to consider when looking for excellent service from a homeowners insurance company include:
- Ease of service. How easy is getting the service you need from your insurance company?
- Digital experience. Can you access your policy information and perform tasks online or with an app?
- Buying process. How easy is it to get coverage in place?
- Billing process. Can you easily pay and keep up with your billing cycle?
“One of the most difficult parts of choosing a home insurer is predicting how well their customer service will perform. Unfortunately, most people don't find this out until they have to file a claim after a disaster strikes,” says Lisa Gill, investigative reporter for Consumer Reports.
There’s more to picking a great homeowners insurance company than just guessing. Looking at how it performs according to customers, such as the information provided in our survey, goes a long way.
Which home insurance companies offer the best customer experience?
Amica, Erie, Nationwide, Progressive, and State Farm scored in the top two in numerous categories, showing these companies offer great customer experiences.
Our survey asked customers to rate their insurers in four categories: ease of service, digital experience, buying process and billing process. While there was no clear overall winner, several insurers were on top in specific areas, giving homeowners a wide range of great options.
The table below provides our survey results in each of the four categories covering the customer experience for top companies.
| Company | Ease of service | Digital experience | Buying process | Billing process |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allstate | 88% | 83% | 84% | 84% |
| American Family | 83% | 84% | 80% | 86% |
| Amica | 89% | 93% | 92% | 85% |
| Auto-Owners | 89% | 80% | 77% | 82% |
| Erie | 100% | 75% | 70% | 89% |
| Farmers | 83% | 78% | 68% | 83% |
| Liberty Mutual | 93% | 94% | 89% | 89% |
| Nationwide | 93% | 89% | 96% | 97% |
| Progressive | 89% | 92% | 86% | 88% |
| Safeco | 68% | 60% | 57% | 65% |
| State Farm | 89% | 82% | 80% | 91% |
| The Hartford | 94% | 85% | 81% | 84% |
| Travelers | 84% | 78% | 76% | 86% |
| USAA* | 94% | 94% | 90% | 95% |
It should be noted that USAA scored very well in the survey, but it only provides coverage to military members and their families. USAA is not ranked against companies that are open to everyone in our survey.
Best home insurance companies for ease of service
Our survey shows Erie is the easiest home insurance company to work with, earning a 100% score for ease of service. Nationwide also scored very highly, with 93%.
Your homeowners insurance company should be easy to work with, so when you need help accessing your documents or speaking with someone on the phone, you can get what you need without a struggle.
Top home insurance companies for digital experience
According to our survey, Liberty Mutual and Amica are the best for digital experience, with 93%. Progressive scored slightly below, with 92%.
More and more insurance services are handled online, so a good digital experience is important to homeowners. Many insurers allow you to get a quote, pay your bill and file a claim online. Additionally, many companies offer apps enabling you to access your account and perform tasks on your phone.
Top home insurance companies for the buying process
Nationwide earned 96% and was the best company in our survey for the process of buying coverage. Amica came in second with 92%.
Looking for homeowners insurance coverage should be an easy process. While many insurers provide online quotes, some require a home inspection before allowing you to buy coverage. Either way, it’s important that your insurer work with you to gain coverage as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Best home insurance companies for the billing process
According to our survey, Nationwide had the best score regarding the billing process, with 97%. State Farm was the second easiest to work with on billing, with 91%.
Paying your insurance premium shouldn’t be a hassle. Many insurers allow you to access and pay your bill online or through an app to help you stay updated with your payments. Sometimes, you can get a discount for paying your bill upfront or using autopay.
“To me, the billing process is the most important. At the end of the day, you’re going to have to deal with the billing as long as you own your home. If the billing is inconsistent or the company doesn’t communicate about any rate changes, that impacts you financially,” says South Carolina homeowner Mike Nahum. “We have Travelers, which has a good digital platform, but our rates were raised with no warning. The only way I found out was when I went into my policy to see the increased rate at renewal.
How to choose the best home insurance company for you
No insurance company comes out on top in all customer service categories, making finding your best insurer challenging.
However, once you decide which factors are most important to you, you can use surveys like ours to help make your choice. You can also talk to family and friends to find out what insurer they’ve had great service with.
It’s also important to consider the best insurance companies for claims service, as that’s when an insurer is put to the test.
Whether your biggest concern is finding a company that is easy to use, has a great digital experience, makes it easy to get coverage, or offers an effortless billing process, rest assured that there's an insurer out there that meets your needs. With the correct information and guidance, you can make a confident and informed decision about your home insurance.
Methodology
In late 2024, our sister site Insure.com surveyed more than 1,750 insurance consumers (1,011 people with home insurance). The survey was conducted by online market research company Slice MR.
Among the questions, customers were asked to rate their satisfaction with these areas of the customer experience:
- Ease of service
- Digital experience
- Buying process
- Billin process
Ratings were from 1 (very unsatisfied) to 5 (very satisfied), with the number of responses at a 4 (satisfied) or a 5 used to calculate the percentage of satisfied customers.
Helpful home insurance tools and calculators
