To identify the worst insurance companies for consumers, researchers at the American Association for Justice (AAJ) undertook a comprehensive investigation of thousands of court documents, SEC and FBI records, state insurance department investigations and complaints, news accounts from across the country, and the testimony and depositions of former insurance agents and adjusters. Our final list includes companies across a range of different insurance fields, including homeowners and auto insurers, health insurers, life insurers, and disability insurers.

Most Insured’s don’t know what their property damage is worth or how to handle the claims process. Licensed Public Adjusters are experienced in negotiating settlements and getting you the money you deserve.

Here is a list of the worst insurance companies and how they deny claims and raise premiums.

1. ALLSTATE

2. UNUM

3. AIG

4. STATEFARM

5. CONSECO

6. WELLPOINT

7. FARMERS

8. UNITEDHEALTH

9. TORCHMARK

10. LIBERTY MUTUAL

Now that you know what kind of car insurance you need, it’s time to do a little more legwork to get a good deal.

Certain factors that affect your car insurance rates are largely beyond your control. These include basic demographics such as your age, gender, marital status, location, and job. But other factors, including what and how you drive, are easier to change. And everyone can comparison shop, exploit discounts, and consider bundling policies to find the cheapest car insurance companies, too.

Tip #1: Shop around

It’s a no-brainer, but it always pays to shop around for cheaper car insurance. Instead of wasting time making endless phone calls or filling out the same information on dozens of websites, save time by using an online quote tool. Online quote tools help you get a quick snapshot of potential rates from several auto-insurance companies at once.

The results of your search can surprise you. Don’t assume a certain provider will be the cheapest car insurance company because it was the case for your family or friends. So many factors affect your rate that you’ll never know which company will come out on top until you compare apples to apples. Use the tool below to start your search. Not every company will appear using our quote tool. GEICO, in particular, only quotes prices via its own website.

Tip #2: Bundle policies

Many car insurance companies will give you a discount if you have other policies with them. For instance, you may get a break on car insurance if you use the same provider for life, home, or renter’s policies. Bundled policies are convenient, too; you’ll be dealing with only one bill and one company.

A note of caution: Don’t automatically assume bundles will save you money. Companies that offer only auto insurance may offer compelling discounts to keep your business. Sometimes that means you get cheaper car insurance if you keep policies with separate insurers.

Tip #3: Boost your deductible

Your deductible is what you pay out of pocket before your insurance covers the rest of the cost to fix or replace your car. A plan with a $250 deductible will generally cost more than one with a $1,000 deductible.

For a real-world example, I plugged my own stats into a quote generator from Progressive, changing only the deductible to see how it would affect my rate. As mentioned earlier, I’m a married female in my early 30s driving a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. I live in a small southern city, have a clean driving record, and average 12,000 miles a year. With a $100 deductible on comprehensive and collision coverage, I would pay roughly $120 a month. Raising that deductible to $250 brought my bill down to about $100 a month. A $500 deductible reduced my monthly bill to $90, and a $1,000 deductible pushed it down to $82. That means I get to hold onto $456 if I go with the $1,000 deductible instead of the $100 deductible — not a bad sum.

However, raising my deductible is a good move for me only because I have $1,000 set aside in an emergency fund to cover the higher deductible. If you don’t have cash stashed away to pay the higher deductible in case of a crash or other calamity, raising your deductible isn’t the wisest move. Also keep in mind that factors such as your age and driving record will affect how much raising your deductible will save you.

Tip #4: Drive a low-risk car

Powerful, sporty luxury cars are always the most expensive to insure. These cars have the power to go extremely fast, and insurance companies know their drivers are more likely to get into trouble. These cars also cost a lot more to fix and are attractive targets for thieves — all situations your insurance company wants to avoid. The most expensive 2014 car to insure, the 545-horsepower Nissan GT-R Track Edition, will set you back about $3,169 a year in car insurance, according to Insure.com. Right behind it are a slew of luxury rides including the BMW M6, Mercedes-Benz CL550, and Porsche Panamera Turbo S, all of which average close to $3,000.

If you don’t have six figures to drop on a car, here’s some good news: Family-friendly vehicles including minivans, sedans, and smaller SUVs cost the least to insure. Their drivers tend to be more careful, ultimately filing fewer claims. These vehicles are simpler to fix and they aren’t quite as tempting for thieves. The cheapest car to insure, the Jeep Wrangler Sport, will set you back only about $1,080 a year. The Honda Odyssey LX, Jeep Patriot Sport, and Honda CR-V LX are similarly easy on the wallet.

Ultimately, the choice is yours, but a less-glamorous ride can help you nab cheap auto insurance.

Tip #5: Change your driving habits

Insurance is all about risk. If you get a speeding ticket every month, your bill will skyrocket. If you’ve had a clean driving record for years, you will have cheaper car insurance. Unfortunately, cleaning up a spotty driving record can take time.

A quicker way to save that’s often overlooked? Simply drive less. Consider your options carefully: Can you carpool? Work from home? Use mass transit or even move closer to your job? All of these options can help you save since less time behind the wheel means less chance of a claim. Be sure to tell your insurer about your new habits, though.

Tip #6: Maintain good credit

It may seem unfair, but the vast majority of car insurance companies look at your credit score to help determine your rate. If you have good credit, your insurer assumes you’ll be more responsible behind the wheel. Bad credit means you’re statistically more likely to file a claim, insurers say. According to consumer advocacy group United Policyholders, a rock-bottom credit score could mean you’ll pay double, triple, or even quadruple over someone with a perfect credit score.

This controversial practice is illegal in a four states: California, Hawaii, Maryland, and Massachusetts. If you don’t live in those states, you’ll want to work on raising your credit score in your quest for cheap auto insurance.


It’s time to save

Ready to get started? A little legwork now can save you big in the long run. And remember to re-evaluate your car insurance at least annually. Your own changing circumstances and old-fashioned competition always have the potential to hook you a cheap car insurance policy.

Now that you know what you need and how to save, compare rates from several car insurance companies to start your search. Our streamlined quote tool can help you get multiple cheap car insurance quotes quickly.

Whether you have a set of shiny new wheels or a decaying rust bucket, cheap car insurance is a must for staying legal on the road. The good news? You have more control over factors that influence your car insurance rates than those that affect other types of coverage, such as life insurance or home insurance. In this guide, I’ll outline seven strategies that will help you save on car insurance.

In a nutshell, those strategies are:

• Shop around for cheap car insurance quotes using an online quote generator
• Bundle your car insurance with other policies
• Raise your deductible
• Drive a low-risk car
• Change your driving habits
• Ask about discounts
• Maintain good credit

The best way to begin, is just by getting a feel for different car insurance rates. Even if you don’t know what type of car insurance you need, it is beneficial to get a handle on how much insurance costs so you can budget. The online comparison tool below is the best place to start.

Once you’ve seen some rates, you need to dig in on discounts – the key to cheap car insurance rates.

Where to Find Car Insurance Discounts

Many car insurance companies have discounts that go beyond bundling or insuring multiple vehicles. There over 15 discounts offered by major car insurance companies and some of them are less obvious than you may think.

Driving Schools

Driving education is an often overlooked discount opportunity. Teen drivers are very expensive to insure but one great way to lower that burden is through defensive driving training. Drivers who have completed and passed and accredited driver’s ed class or defensive driving training are eligible for up to 10% discount according to DriversEd.com. Plus, if you’ve recently received a ticket, enrolling in a defensive driving course can prevent the premium hike on your insurance (though most companies only let you do this once every 12 months).

Defensive driving courses cover topics such as traffic laws, drug and alcohol impaired driving, and inclement weather driving and are often offered online or at commercial driving schools. Courses for defensive driving can be found through the DMV or through local community centers. In fact, defensive driving education is required in at least 15 states including Texas, Nevada, New Jersey, Virginia, Oklahoma, Oregon, New York, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Louisiana, North Carolina, Illinois and Mississippi.

After completing a defensive driving course, participants will receive a completion certificate which can be presented to insurance companies in order to qualify for a discount. Depending on the insurance company, drivers may also have to re-take the course and be current on their certification in order to continue receiving the discount. Classes are flexible and offered on a consistent basis, however, and learning defensive driving skills is an easy way to save money and become a more comfortable driver. If you aren’t the only person covered on your auto policy, consider getting all the drivers on your policy to take a defensive driving and you can be eligible for additional discounts!

Good Student Discounts

These discounts are typically given to drivers under the age of 25 who are enrolled full-time at a high school or college/university and are maintaining at least a 3.0 grade point average or are on the honor roll or Dean’s List. In order to prove satisfactory academic achievement and receive the discount, students need a current transcript or a letter signed by a school administrator. Students that are homeschooled can present standardized test results, such as SAT or ACT scores, that within a desired percentile range depending on the insurance provider in order to qualify. Good grades can continue helping students save money even after school is out because some insurance companies extend this discount to post-grads for a limited amount of time.

Safe Driving Record Discounts

Drivers with a clean record, a standard that is determined by each individual insurance provider, are eligible for hefty discounts. Although there is no universal definition of safe driving, insurance companies generally mean avoiding collisions and accidents for which you can found at fault and avoiding moving violations such as speeding, driving under the influence, or reckless driving. Having a clean record can not only give you a discount on your insurance, it can save you a lot more money in the short term.

Resident Student Discount

Resident Student discount can be offered to students attending college more than 100 miles away from home. This discount is intended to be used exclusively by those students who are not planning to drive the insured vehicle while at school but may use it while they are home for vacations.

Other Discounts

• Most insurance companies have Active-duty military and veterans discounts.
• Discounts for car alarm or other safety equipment
• Many insurers will even lower your rate if you pay in full or automate your payments.
• Ask companies for a full list of discounts while you’re shopping since they may not publicize all of them.

The major types of car insurance

Though companies offer several more nuanced options and add-ons, the three major types of car insurance boil down to:

• Liability coverage
• Collision coverage
• Comprehensive coverage

Liability coverage

Liability coverage, required by law in most states, covers the other driver’s personal injury and property damage in a crash where you’re at fault. Importantly, it does not cover your own injuries or property damage. Buying only liability insurance is always going to be your cheapest option, though not necessarily the wisest. Sometimes it makes sense to carry only liability coverage, and sometimes it doesn’t. More on this in a minute.

You’ll probably see your liability coverage written like this on your quote or car insurance policy: $50,000/$100,000/$50,000 (or 50/100/50). That means you have $50,000 in bodily injury coverage for each person, $100,000 in bodily injury coverage total, and $50,000 in coverage for property damage. Your state will require a minimum amount of liability insurance for you to stay legal.

Buying the bare minimum is tempting since it will keep your rates as low as possible. Unfortunately, that’s a bad idea — a bad crash can mean your costs will easily surpass low state minimums, and then you’ll have to pay up. If you don’t have the money, that will leave your other assets vulnerable.

Collision coverage

There is also collision coverage, which covers the damage to your own car sustained in a crash. Most commonly, this covers crashes when you’re at fault, but it may also pay in certain circumstances when another driver is at fault, or in scenarios not covered under your other policies. The cost of your collision coverage will largely depend on your car’s value, but you control the deductible — the amount you pay out of pocket before your insurance company picks up the rest of the tab.

Comprehensive coverage

True to its name, comprehensive car insurance covers almost any car-related calamity you can think of minus damage resulting from a crash. Instead, comprehensive policies pay for things like auto theft, damage from severe weather, or needed repairs after a late-night rendezvous with a disoriented deer. Comprehensive coverage is meant to complement collision coverage, not replace it. Like collision coverage, the cost will depend on your car but you control your deductible.


What type of car insurance coverage do I really need?

Comprehensive and collision coverage seem like a smart choice, but they come with a much heftier price tag than liability-only insurance. If you took out a loan to pay for your car, you probably don’t have a choice — your lender will require proof of comprehensive and collision coverage. And dropping comprehensive or collision coverage isn’t a good idea for anyone without the savings to pay for repairs out of pocket.

But there are situations when opting only for liability makes sense. For instance, if you drive an older, paid-off vehicle that you can easily fix or replace, keeping only liability coverage can mean significant savings. Comprehensive and collision coverage may also be overkill on any car you drive sparingly.

To see how much I would save on car insurance by nixing all coverage but liability, I plugged my own stats into a quote generator. I’m a married female in my early 30s driving a paid-off 2011 Hyundai Sonata. I live in a small southern city, have a clean driving record, and average 12,000 miles a year. A policy with 50/100/50 in liability, as well as comprehensive and collision policies with $250 deductibles, would set me back $45 a month. Dropping the comprehensive and collision policies would bring my bill down to just $24 a month.

Would I do it? No, since my car is still relatively new and would cost a significant sum to repair or replace. But let’s say I have a beat-up 2004 Nissan Altima with 150,000 miles on it. Replacing it would probably only cost about $2,000, a sum I could cover with my emergency fund if my car was totaled. Suddenly, potentially cutting my car insurance bill in half by dropping comprehensive and collision coverage makes a lot more sense.

Bottom line: Liability coverage is your cheapest option and will keep you legal on the road, but dropping collision and comprehensive coverage might be a risky move if it would be a major financial hardship to fix or replace your car.

Other types of coverage

There’s a number of other coverage types and add-ons. Of particular note is personal injury protection, which pays your own medical expenses after a crash. There’s also uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, which means you won’t be left on the hook in a crash when an uninsured or underinsured driver is at fault in a crash with you and can’t afford to pay. Other add-ons pay for rental cars and roadside assistance.

If you’re trying to keep your bill low, personal injury coverage probably isn’t a smart buy as long as you have a good health insurance plan — there would be too much overlap between the two policies. However, uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage is a decent bet, especially in areas with a high percentage of uninsured drivers. It’s also fairly inexpensive: Adding both options to my GEICO quote boosted my monthly bill only a few dollars. As for other little add-ons, consider skipping them. If you can cover the cost of a rental (or borrow a car from a friend while you’re in a jam) rental-car riders are unnecessary, and an AAA membership is probably a better deal than roadside assistance coverage.

The Top 100 list is ranked by total property/casualty agency revenue for 2014 and comprises only those agencies whose business is primarily retail, not wholesale.

All information in this report has been garnered from voluntary online submissions from agencies and brokerages and best estimates based on other public information sources. There may be agencies eligible for listing but for which no information was received or located. Also, submitted data was not independently verified.

2015 Rank	Agency Name:	2014 Total P/C Revenue	Main Office City:
1	Lockton Cos.	$883,100,000	Kansas City, Mo.
2	Hub International	$834,706,000	Chicago, Ill.
3	USI Insurance Services	$485,324,937	Valhalla, N.Y.
4	Alliant Insurance Services Inc.	$410,103,460	Newport Beach, Calif.
5	AssuredPartners Inc.	$361,843,315	Lake Mary, Fla.
6	Confie	$353,550,000	Huntington Beach, Calif.
7	BroadStreet Partners Inc.	$221,720,000	Columbus, Ohio
8	Integro Ltd.	$187,780,000	New York, N.Y.
9	Leavitt Group	$151,896,714	Cedar City, Utah
10	Acrisure LLC	$151,629,066	Caledonia, Mich.
11	Crystal & Co.	$114,991,536	New York, N.Y.
12	EPIC (Edgewood Partners Insurance Center)	$112,906,889	San Francisco, Calif.
13	Insurance Office of America Inc.	$111,898,273	Longwood, Fla.
14	The IMA Financial Group Inc.	$103,055,947	Denver, Colo.
15	Wortham Insurance & Risk Management	$95,547,724	Houston, Texas
16	The Capacity Group	$94,231,122	Mahwah, N.J.
17	J. Smith Lanier & Co.	$91,928,213	West Point, Ga.
18	Hays Cos.	$87,400,000	Minneapolis, Minn.
19	NFP	$84,517,156	New York, N.Y.
20	Auto Insurance Specialists (AIS Insurnace)*	$83,545,000	Cerritos, Calif.
21	Heffernan Insurance Brokers	$82,392,338	Walnut Creek, Calif.
22	Risk Strategies Co.	$77,057,000	Boston, Mass.
23	Answer Financial*	$73,800,000	Encino, Calif.
24	Higginbotham	$73,710,000	Fort Worth, Texas
25	PayneWest Insurance	$69,337,718	Missoula, Mont.
26	INSURICA Insurance Management Network	$66,974,219	Oklahoma City, Okla.
27	Mesirow Insurance Services Inc.	$64,648,211	Chicago, Ill.
28	Hylant	$64,325,813	Toledo, Ohio
29	Woodruff-Sawyer & Co.	$64,200,000	San Francisco, Calif.
30	Assurance	$50,021,195	Schaumburg, Ill.
31	Frenkel & Co.	$46,553,000	New York, N.Y.
32	TWFG Insurance Services	$46,526,117	The Woodlands, Texas
33	Marshall & Sterling Enterprises Inc.	$46,053,598	Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
34	Eastern Insurance Group LLC**	$46,000,000	Natick, Mass.
35	SterlingRisk	$44,160,000	Woodbury, N.Y.
36	Bowen, Miclette & Britt, Insurance Agency LLC	$42,892,266	Houston, Texas
37	The Graham Co.	$40,166,881	Philadelphia, Pa.
38	Propel Insurance	$40,000,000	Tacoma, Wash.
39	Professional Insurance Associates Inc.	$40,000,000	San Carlos, Calif.
40	Houchens Insurance Group	$39,369,380	Bowling Green, Ky.
41	Starkweather & Shepley Insurance Brokerage Inc.	$38,800,000	East Providence, R.I.
42	Ascension Insurance Inc.	$36,754,000	Walnut Creek, Calif.
43	The Mahoney Group	$36,311,551	Mesa, Ariz.
44	InterWest Insurance Services LLC	$36,265,639	Sacramento, Calif.
45	Fisher Brown Bottrell Insurance Inc.**	$33,477,055	Jackson, Miss.
46	Lawley Insurance	$33,175,882	Buffalo, N.Y.
47	Andreini & Co.	$32,530,429	San Mateo, Calif.
48	Gowrie Group	$31,900,000	Westbrook, Conn.
49	Parker, Smith & Feek Inc.	$30,956,000	Bellevue, Wash.
50	TrueNorth Cos.	$30,177,384	Cedar Rapids, Iowa
51	The Horton Group Inc.	$30,166,771	Orland Park, Ill.
52	Charles L. Crane Agency Co.	$29,739,990	Saint Louis, Mo.
53	LMC Insurance & Risk Management Inc.	$29,415,000	West Des Moines, Iowa
54	Moreton & Co.	$29,123,000	Salt Lake City, Utah
55	Robertson Ryan & Associates Inc.	$28,976,764	Milwaukee, Wis.
56	Cook Maran & Associates	$28,760,000	East Hampton, N.Y.
57	Riggs, Counselman, Michaels & Downes Inc.	$27,407,235	Towson, Md.
58	Towne Insurance**	$27,394,861	Virginia Beach, Va.
59	James G. Parker Insurance Associates	$26,500,000	Fresno, Calif.
60	Haylor, Freyer & Coon Inc.	$26,063,173	Syracuse, N.Y.
61	Rich & Cartmill Inc.	$25,972,084	Tulsa, Okla.
62	Bouchard Insurance	$25,878,491	Clearwater, Fla.
63	Scirocco Financial Group Inc.	$24,724,797	Hasbrouck Heights, N.J.
64	Tolman & Wiker Insurance Services LLC	$23,347,278	Ventura, Calif.
65	Cobbs Allen	$22,849,162	Birmingham, Ala.
66	Bolton & Co.	$22,648,975	Pasadena, Calif.
67	Advanced Insurance Underwriters LLC	$22,575,000	Hollywood, Fla.
68	SullivanCurtisMonroe Insurance Services LLC	$22,259,000	Irvine, Calif.
69	Sihle Insurance Group	$21,892,766	Altamonte Springs, Fla.
70	HNI Risk Services	$20,924,000	New Berlin, Wis.
71	Ansay & Associates	$20,000,000	Port Washington, Wis.
72	TIS Insurance Services Inc.	$19,814,380	Knoxville, Tenn.
73	Lovitt-Touche Inc.	$19,621,460	Tempe, Ariz.
74	Arroyo Insurance Services	$19,322,912	Arcadia, Calif.
75	R&R Insurance Services Inc.	$18,725,000	Waukesha, Wis.
76	Wood Gutmann & Bogart Insurance Brokers Inc.	$18,705,552	Tustin, Calif.
77	ABD Insurance and Financial Services Inc.	$18,100,000	San Mateo, Calif.
78	Celedinas Insurance Group	$18,065,334	Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
79	Insureon (new)	$18,000,000	Chicago, Ill.
80	CHS Insurance Services LLC	$17,799,724	Inver Grove Heights, Minn.
81	The Hilb Group (new)	$17,642,000	Richmond, Va.
82	Tompkins Insurance Agencies Inc.**	$17,581,000	Batavia, N.Y.
83	The Daniel and Henry Co.	$17,545,000	St. Louis, Mo.
84	John M. Glover	$17,500,000	Norwalk, Conn.
85	Rogers & Gray Insurance	$17,300,000	South Dennis, Mass.
86	Associated Financial Group LLC.**	$17,008,088	Minnetonka, Minn.
87	Insgroup Inc.	$16,800,000	Houston, Texas
88	Eagan Insurance Agency LLC	$16,170,706	Metairie, La.
89	AHT Insurance	$16,060,766	Leesburg, Va.
90	The Loomis Co.	$15,800,000	Wyomissing, Pa.
91	Otterstedt Agency	$15,585,147	Englewood Cliffs, N.J.
92	Associated Insurance Management Inc.	$15,570,343	Silver Spring, Md.
93	Shepherd Insurance	$15,455,318	Carmel, Ind.
94	Turner Surety & Insurance Brokerage Inc.	$15,382,000	Paramus, N.J.
95	Lipscomb & Pitts Insurance	$15,235,514	Memphis, Tenn.
96	The Buckner Co. Inc.	$15,234,122	Salt Lake City, Utah
97	Foa & Son Corp.	$14,755,225	New York, N.Y.
98	MJ Insurance Inc.	$14,699,696	Indianapolis, Ind.
99	Eustis Insurance and Benefits	$14,401,952	Metairie, La.
100	The Nitsche Group	$13,727,164	Giddings, Texas

Editor’s Note: * = Carrier Owned Agency; ** = Bank Owned Agency