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

GEICO vs. Safeco Overview

GEICO and Safeco are both popular car insurance providers that have solid coverage options at affordable prices, so how do you decide which one is right for you? GEICO scores higher than Safeco when it comes how satisfied customers were after filing a claim — on the J.D. Power 2018 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study, GEICO earned a score of 857 on the reviewer’s 1000-point-scale while Safeco scored 848. If customer service is a top priority for you, that claim data suggests GEICO has a slight edge.

GEICO car insurance is also available in all 50 states, while Safeco car insurance is not available in Hawaii, Delaware, New Jersey, Rhode Island or the District of Columbia. And both GEICO and Safeco offer a wide range of discounts, so both carriers are a good option if you’re looking to save money on car insurance coverage, but GEICO offers some significant discounts that Safeco does not, including discounts for any federal employees, GEICO’s original clientele.

GEICO vs. Safeco customer satisfaction ratings

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.

GEICO vs. Safeco price comparison

The price of car insurance for any given person is based on a number of factors, including age, gender, driving history, address and the make and model of the car.

Your price will also depend on the coverage and limits you choose for your policy (both Safeco and GEICO offer similar coverage options, including add-ons like roadside assistance and rental car reimbursement). That said, let’s see how much car insurance from both companies would cost for our average drivers.

Sample Quotes

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 rate of $1,405 for a year-long auto insurance policy. GEICO quoted an identical sample couple an annual rate of $2,132.

GEICO sample insurance policy

Total annual premium = $2,132

Safeco sample insurance policy

Total annual premium = $1,405

GEICO vs. Safeco: Roadside assistance

Both GEICO 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 GEICO and Safeco’s roadside assistance coverage includes:

GEICO vs. Safeco consumer discounts

Both GEICO and Safeco offer a wide range of potential discounts for drivers, so if you’re looking to save on car insurance, both companies could be good options. Both car insurance companies offer the most common discounts, like discounts for bundling home and auto insurance coverage.

GEICO does offer some significant discounts that are unique in the industry, like car insurance discounts for federal employees and discounted rates for anyone who’s been on an emergency deployment.

Check with your current car insurance provider to make sure you’re getting every possible discount for which you qualify.

GEICO 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.

Both GEICO and Safeco will offer policies to drivers with a range of credit scores — although 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

GEICO vs. Safeco state availability

GEICO auto insurance is available in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, which isn’t true of some of its competitors, including Safeco. Safeco auto insurance 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 coverage that’s best for you and your wallet.