Travelers Auto Insurance: What you need to know
Travelers Auto Insurance is one of the country's largest and oldest car insurers and as such offers some of the most extensive services coupled with many of the best prices. The result is an auto-insurance offering that can be personalized to find an ideal solution for most people.
While this sounds ideal, there are known issues with claims, which mean this service may not be for everyone if an easy life is what you're after when a claim crops up. As a service that's been in business since 1853, expectations are likely higher for service quality, but some customers have not felt the service met their needs when it comes to claims ease.
All that said, this is an excellent option for anyone looking at benefits that give them discounts for things like hybrid or electric cars, students that get good grades, multi-car savings and plenty more.
Travelers offers cover to 43 of the states, including Washington, DC, so immediately it won't be for everyone. However, thanks to its size, the financial strength of the company gets an A++ Superior rating from the AM Best financial strength rating. So you can rest easy knowing your investment isn't going to be lost anytime soon.
If you have multiple cars, or want other types of insurance from Travelers and hope to get savings from good driving habits, then this is an ideal insurer for you.
Policies: How much does Travelers Auto Insurance cost?
- Average quotes across age ranges
- A quote for a 22-year-old single male came in at $1095
Gap insurance: This pays off any loan you may still owe on your new car if it gets totaled
New-car replacement: If your car is totaled within the first five years you'll get an exact model replacement
Accident forgiveness: One accident in every 36 months won't affect your premium
Pricing varies depending on a lot of factors including age, driver history, credit rating, location, car type and more. But these numbers give you a rough idea of pricing compared to the competition out there.
A quote for a 22-year-old single male came in at $1095, compared to $1096 for Allstate and $1230 for State Farm, although Geico was lower at $620.
For a 31-year-old single female Travelers was $885, with Geico lower at $544 but Allstate higher at $967 and State Farm in at $909.
For a mid sixties married couple Travellers charged $646 while Geico was $524, Allstate $881 and State Farm $574.
Travelers Auto Insurance: Accident forgiveness
- Travelers has a fairly generous accident forgiveness program
- Premium Responsible Driver Program rewards accident-free driving
Travelers has been around for over a century so it knows how the roads really work. As such it isn't going to penalise you for the odd mistake. That means that if you have an accident you won't have your premiums put up, as long as it doesn't happen more than once in a 36-month period.
On top of that you're also granted one minor offense in that time span. This is all part of the Responsible Driver Plan so look out for that benefit on your policy if this sounds like something you'll benefit from.
There is also the Premier Responsible Driver Program which offers the above as well as decreasing the deductible by $50 for every six months of accident-free driving, topping out at $500 off your deductible. In the case of your car being totaled, the deductible is waived in this program.
Travelers Auto Insurance: New-car replacement
- Up to 5-year-old car replaced for a new model if it's totaled
- You could end up getting an even better car than your original
If you end up in a bad accident that means your favourite new car gets totaled, it may not be the worst thing if you're insured with Travelers. This is because the insurer will replace your car, as long as its newer than five years old.
This is a make and model replacement meaning you could end up getting the newest model that's even better than your original car. Although you may have to read the finer print about what it means by model – if that includes extras for that model which you paid more for, is less clear.
Travelers Auto Insurance: Gap insurance
- Gap insurance helps cover remaining costs on a totaled car
- Important consideration for anyone who's bought a new car with a loan
Travelers gap insurance is ideal for anyone who has got their car on a loan and is still paying that off. If you were to total that car then some insurance would leave you still having to pay back the car which is no longer on the road.
This is where gap insurance comes in useful as Travelers will pay back the difference between the value of your damaged car and the amount remaining on its loan so you don't have to worry about repayment problems.
This is important to have for anyone who has recently bought a car and still owes a lot on the value.
Travelers Auto Insurance: IntelliDrive
- Can help you lower your premium
- Only available in 31 states
Travelers IntelliDrive allows you to save money by allowing your driving to be tracked. This is done using an app which will measure metrics about your driving like speed, time of day, braking and acceleration habits.
This builds up a picture of how you drive and, consequently, what kind of driver you are. If you can drive with good habits for 90 days then when your renewal comes up it's possible for you to save up to a massive 20 percent. The downside is that if your driving habits are more risky than expected then your rates could actually go up.
While this is a good option for lots of drivers it is limited since it's currently only available in 31 states.
Travelers Auto Insurance: Ridesharing insurance
- Travelers now caters for the needs of ridesharing taxi drivers
- Only available in Colorado and Illinois
Like many of the other big name auto insurers, Travelers now caters for the needs of ridesharing taxi drivers. This is for drivers who use app based systems like Uber or Lyft. They offer cover when on the job but not in between.
The ridesharing cover from Travelers means that going to work the driver is also covered. The catch? It's only available in Colorado and Illinois.
Travelers Auto Insurance: User Reviews
- 3 star rating overall from J.D. Power
- 2 star rating from ConsumerAffairs
Travelers, as one of the biggest and oldest insurance players, has plenty of reviews and online feedback out there as well as rankings in the usual bodies that determine the best insurers.
According to the 2018 J.D. Power study, Travelers got a three out of five rating with positives for the estimation process, rental experience and claiming service – all getting four stars. But it was less impressive, but still good, with three stars for the repair process and first notice of loss.
ConsumerAffairs gives a poor rating but that's only based on 41 user reviews. This appears to be due to people only coming here to give negative reviews while the positive reviewers haven't bothered to give feedback.
Travelers Auto Insurance: Verdict
Travelers Auto Insurance is one of the oldest and largest insurers in the US. All that experience appears to have resulted in a comprehensive selection of benefits and features that allows customers to create a plan of cover that's ideal for them.
Positive points include great rewards for eco-friendly cars and safe driving techniques. Negatives focus on the claims process which could be more simple.
With a similar price to the big-name competition, slightly undercutting in some cases, this is a compelling insurer that's got enough financial strength to help set any customer's mind at rest.
