Amica vs. Safeco: Which car insurance is right for you?

Amica vs. Safeco Overview

When it comes to car insurance options, both Amica and Safeco are major players with a wide array of coverage options that will meet the needs of most drivers. Amica is known for its excellent claims satisfaction ratings, which are far above the industry average, and much higher than Safeco’s.

Amica also scores high for customer service, making it a top choice for people who care about customer satisfaction, but that service comes at a cost — Amica car insurance may be pricier than a similar policy from Safeco, and Safeco has a wider range of discounts on offer, so it might be a better pick for you if budget is your top priority.

Amica vs. Safeco Customer Satisfaction

Note: The J.D. Power claims satisfaction rating rates insurance providers out of a possible score of 1,000. The highest scoring provider in 2018 earned a score of 891.

Amica vs. Safeco Price Comparison

Because the price of car insurance is based on so many specific and individual factors, including a driver’s age, driving history, gender, address, car make and model and credit history, it’s difficult to predict what any given driver will pay for car insurance. That said, we can take a look at a sample driver to see what they would be quoted by both providers.

Sample Quotes

Take, for example, a married couple, ages 45 and 48, living in Texas. For their two cars, a 2013 Nissan Maxima and a 2012 Toyota Camry, Safeco quoted them a price of $1,405 for a year-long policy. An identical sample couple was quoted an annual price of $2,520 for an Amica auto policy, significantly more expensive than the Safeco quote.

For reference, the average annual cost of auto insurance in Texas in 2015 was $1,109.66, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

Amica sample policy

Total annual premium = $2,520

Safeco sample policy

Total annual premium = $1,405

Amica vs. Safeco: Roadside assistance

Both Amica and Safeco offer roadside assistance as an optional add-on to your insurance coverage. Roadside assistance, also called emergency road service coverage or towing and labor coverage, covers the kinds of roadside emergencies that leave you stranded on the side of the road. It’s a relatively cheap add-on to insurance, it usually will cost you around $5 to $15 per vehicle to add roadside assistance as a rider to your base policy.

Here’s what Amica and Safeco’s roadside assistance coverage includes:

Amica vs. Safeco Discounts

Like most major insurance providers, both Amica and Safeco offer a wide range of possible discounts to help you save on car insurance.

As always, check with your agent to make sure you’re receiving every possible discount. Insurance providers may not list every available discount on their website, and you may qualify for more discounts through your employer or another affiliation.

Amica vs. Safeco: How much does credit score matter?

One of the factors that goes into determining how much you’ll pay for car insurance is your credit score. Generally, the worse your credit history, the more you’ll wind up paying for car insurance. If your credit score is very poor, you may be denied coverage altogether. Amica tends to be picker about its drivers than Safeco, meaning that if your credit score is poor or fair, Safeco may be a better bet for you.

It’s important to remember that the credit score you see when you check your own credit report isn’t necessarily what insurers are seeing. You actually have many credit scores.

There are three main credit bureaus that generate your credit reports: Equifax, TransUnion and Experian. But in addition to those multiple bureaus, there are also multiple scoring models used to calculate different types of specific scores. However, most of your credit scores will fall within a similar range.

Credit scores fall between 300 and 850, and, while there are different scales used to rank scores, generally the tiers are as follows:

• 800 to 850 = exceptional
• 740 to 799 = very good
• 670 to 739 = good
• 580 to 669 = fair
• 300 to 579 = very poor

Amica vs. Safeco State Availability

Amica car insurance is widely available, with auto policies available in every state, and the District of Columbia, with the one exception of Hawaii. Safeco car insurance, on the other hand, is available in 46 states, and is not available in Hawaii, Delaware, New Jersey, Rhode Island or the District of Columbia.

If you’re ready to shop for car insurance, a Policygenius expert can help you compare quotes and get the insurance that’s best for you and your wallet.