Safeco vs. Allstate: Which Is the Best? (2024)

With slightly lower rates and a higher IQ Score, Allstate stands out as the winner against Safeco.

Jacqueline DeMarco
Jacqueline DeMarco
  • 13+ years writing insurance and personal finance content

  • Insurance, lending, and retirement expert

Jacqueline has contributed content, and her personal finance passion, to dozens of noteworthy financial brands, including Credit Karma, Bankrate, and MagnifyMoney.

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Courtney Mikulski
Courtney MikulskiSenior Editor, Auto
  • 3+ years producing insurance and personal finance content

  • Main architect of the Insurify Quality Score

Courtney’s deep personal finance knowledge extends beyond insurance to credit cards, consumer lending, and banking. She thrives on creating actionable content.

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Konstantin Halachev
Data reviewed byKonstantin Halachev
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Konstantin HalachevVP of Engineering & Data Science
  • 7+ years experience in data analysis

  • Ph.D. in Computational Biology

Konstantin has led data teams across multiple industries, including insurance, travel, and biology. He’s led Insurify’s engineering team for more than three years.

Updated October 29, 2024

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When looking for a new car insurance company, it’s important to have as much information on your potential insurers as possible to make it easier to compare quotes, coverages, and more. Allstate and Safeco are two major insurance companies that offer auto insurance policies in their suites of insurance products.

To help you determine whether either of these car insurance companies is the best choice for you, here’s what you need to know about Safeco versus Allstate and how they compare.

Quick Facts
  • Allstate’s average car insurance rates are $62 per month for liability coverage and $137 per month for full coverage.

  • Safeco’s average monthly rates are $79 for liability coverage and $142 for full coverage.

  • Allstate is one of the best car insurance companies, with an Insurify Quality (IQ) Score of 8.9.

Safeco vs. Allstate: The verdict

Both Allstate and Safeco are very accessible auto insurance companies that issue policies nationwide. And they have very similar average liability-only premiums. However, Allstate has a long list of discounts and programs that can help drivers save. Allstate also has a higher IQ Score.

The following table highlights how these two insurers compare to one another.

Factor
Safeco
Allstate
IQ Score8.38.9
Customer satisfaction score3.83.5
Average quote: liability only$79$62
Number of discounts414
Number of states where it operates5050
Disclaimer: Table data sourced from real-time quotes from Insurify's 50-plus partner insurance providers. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer's unique driver profile.
  • Our editorial team spent more than 350 hours developing the Insurify Quality (IQ) Score and scoring insurance companies. The IQ Score objectively analyzes and calculates a score for insurers using more than 15 crucial criteria. The team weighted criteria by importance to the consumer — factors such as customer reviews and affordability influence the score more than availability and third-party ratings.

    We rate each company on a 1 to 10 scale based on five categories: financial ratings, customer satisfaction, affordability, customer support and transparency, and availability. Insurify updates ratings once a year or as more recent information becomes available.

    • Third-party financial ratings: Insurify uses data from AM Best, S&P, Moody’s, and more to compare insurance companies’ credit and ability to pay out future claims.
    • Customer satisfaction: To calculate this score, Insurify analyzed more than 28,000 customer reviews across 155 car insurance companies. We also consider third-party ratings from J.D. Power, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, and Trustpilot.
    • Affordability: Our data scientists analyzed more than 90 million real-time auto insurance rates from our partners across the U.S., as well as available discounts, to calculate an affordability score.
    • Customer support and transparency: This measures coverage options, ease of claims filing, and the insurer's transparency surrounding discounts, coverages, and claims process.
    • Availability and reach: Insurify scores availability and reach by identifying the number of states in which insurers offer coverage and company size by market share.

Safeco

Safeco operates under the Liberty Mutual umbrella, which is a long-standing nationwide car insurance company. Liberty Mutual earned a score of A (Excellent) from AM Best, which indicates this company is financially secure and likely to pay out a future claim.[1]

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User Reviews
3.4
IQ Score
The Insurify Quality (IQ) Score uses more than 15 criteria to objectively rate insurance companies on a one-to-ten scale. The Insurify editorial team researches insurer data to determine the final scores.
8.3/10
Liability Only
Liability-only insurance, sometimes called minimum-coverage insurance, pays for bodily injury and property damage to others in an accident the policyholder causes. It does not pay for the insured’s own damages.
$79/mo
Full Coverage
Full-coverage car insurance generally includes liability, collision, and comprehensive coverage, and may include other optional coverages such as uninsured motorist coverage. Collision covers a policyholder’s repair or replacement costs in case of an accident. Comprehensive covers damages caused by non-accident events. The average quote displayed here reflects policies with the following coverage limits: $50,000 bodily injury liability per person; $100,000 bodily injury liability per accident; $50,00 property damage liability per accident; $1,000 collision deductible; and a $1,000 comprehensive deductible.
$142/mo

Owned by Liberty Mutual, Safeco offers car, homeowners, renters, pet, and other insurance products. The company has been in busines since 1923, and provides new vehicle replacement coverage, rental car reimbursement, liability, and full-coverage policies. Safeco’s money-saving programs include accident forgiveness, a diminishing deductible, and a cash back program for customers who remain claims-free for six months. The company has an average amount of complaints in the National Association of Insurance Commissioner’s Consumer Complaints Index, and placed 13th on the J.D. Powers’ Overall Customer Satisfaction Index. A.M. Best gives Safeco a score of A for financial stability.

Pros
  • Pays cash back to customers who remain claims-free

  • Many options for customizing car insurance

Cons
  • Limited number of discounts

  • Customer reviews indicate room for improvement in customer service

Read more driver reviews of Safeco
Barbara - October 28, 2024
Verified

Insurance Keeps Going Up

Please stop raising prices.

Carlotta - October 24, 2024
Verified

Excellent

They handled everything very smoothly.

Shirley - October 22, 2024
Verified

My insurance has become so expensive that I can't afford it. I'm on Social Security. Both my car and house insurance have about doubled. I'm just trying to find something I can afford.

My insurance has become so expensive that I can't afford it. I'm on Social Security. Both my car and house insurance have about doubled. I'm just trying to find something I can afford.

Allstate

Allstate is a nationwide insurance company that makes it easy to save on car insurance by offering 11 discounts and a telematics program that tracks safe driving habits. It earned an A+ (Superior) AM Best rating and an above-average J.D. Power claims satisfaction rating.[2] [3]

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User Reviews
3.1
IQ Score
The Insurify Quality (IQ) Score uses more than 15 criteria to objectively rate insurance companies on a one-to-ten scale. The Insurify editorial team researches insurer data to determine the final scores.
8.9/10
Liability Only
Liability-only insurance, sometimes called minimum-coverage insurance, pays for bodily injury and property damage to others in an accident the policyholder causes. It does not pay for the insured’s own damages.
$62/mo
Full Coverage
Full-coverage car insurance generally includes liability, collision, and comprehensive coverage, and may include other optional coverages such as uninsured motorist coverage. Collision covers a policyholder’s repair or replacement costs in case of an accident. Comprehensive covers damages caused by non-accident events. The average quote displayed here reflects policies with the following coverage limits: $50,000 bodily injury liability per person; $100,000 bodily injury liability per accident; $50,00 property damage liability per accident; $1,000 collision deductible; and a $1,000 comprehensive deductible.
$137/mo

Founded by Sears department store executives in 1931, Allstate offers auto, home, motorcycle, ATV, renters, condo, and term life insurance. Operating in all 50 states, the company has superior ratings from A.M. Best for financial strength and credit. However, Allstate has many negative reviews on consumer websites, and a slightly higher-than-average complaint rating in the National Association of Insurance Commissioners Consumer Complaint Index. Allstate offers many discounts, including for good students, multiple policies, bundling auto and home insurance, new vehicles, safe driving, and good payment history.

Pros
  • Well-established with superior ratings from A.M. Best

  • Pay-per-mile option available

Cons
  • Low customer satisfaction

  • Rates are merely average compared to other insurers

Read more driver reviews of Allstate
Howard - October 29, 2024
Verified

They Have You By The Short Hairs

I was on a three-lane highway in heavy traffic and couldn't avoid a piece of metal in my lane. I couldn't swerve or I would have hit other cars. Allstate said the accident was the driver's fault and then doubled my insurance cost.

Hugh - October 29, 2024
Verified

Actual Crash Damages vs. Damages Quoted Over the Phone

There were problems getting the correct amount paid out when I made a claim. I had to escalate the issue to the Senior Vice President to get a proper settlement when a deer hit my truck. There was a $5000 difference between what was paid out when the estimator assessed the value of damage to my truck and the actual estimate done by a local car dealership. The Senior Vice President agreed that the amount of damage done was the amount quoted by the local car dealership.

Miriam - October 29, 2024
Verified

Best Overall

Check around before choosing. Allstate has been my choice for years.

Safeco RightTrack vs. Allstate Drivewise

Allstate and Safeco offer telematics programs that can save drivers money on their premiums. Safeco RightTrack rewards safe driving with an instant 10% enrollment discount. Once you download the Safeco Mobile app and drive for 90 days, you can receive a potential savings of 5% to 30% on your Safeco policy.

With Allstate Drivewise, drivers use a mobile app that gives real-time feedback on driving behaviors, insights into patterns, and access to safety tips. Features include driving insights, crash detection, trip history review, safe-driving challenges, and monitoring phone usage while driving.

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Safeco vs. Allstate: Which is the cheapest?

On average, Allstate is cheaper than Safeco. But many factors can affect your car insurance costs, like your age, credit score, and driving record, so it’s important to get quotes from every company you’re considering to compare their rates. The cheapest car insurance company for your friend may not be the cheapest for you.

Allstate: Cheapest for drivers with a clean driving record

Overall, Allstate is the cheaper car insurance company for someone with a clean driving record, but Safeco still has relatively affordable average premiums. Drivers without accidents, driving under the influence (DUI) convictions, or speeding tickets on their records usually pay the best rates.

Driver Type
Safeco
Allstate
Clean driving record$79$62
Disclaimer: Table data sourced from real-time quotes from Insurify's 50-plus partner insurance providers. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer's unique driver profile.

Allstate: Cheapest for drivers with a speeding ticket

Speeding tickets can cause your car insurance rates to increase, even if you didn’t cause an accident. Insurance companies consider speeding tickets an indicator of higher risk.

Drivers with a speeding ticket on their record can save a bit more with Allstate than Safeco.

Driver Type
Safeco
Allstate
Drivers with a speeding ticket$96$73
Disclaimer: Table data sourced from real-time quotes from Insurify's 50-plus partner insurance providers. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer's unique driver profile.

Allstate: Cheapest for teen drivers

Young drivers typically pay the most expensive car insurance rates because they have the least driving experience and the highest crash risk compared to other age groups.[4] But teen drivers may find cheaper rates with Allstate than with Safeco.

Driver Type
Safeco
Allstate
18-year-old$178$111
Disclaimer: Table data sourced from real-time quotes from Insurify's 50-plus partner insurance providers. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer's unique driver profile.

Allstate: Cheapest for drivers with bad credit

Some states allow insurance companies to use drivers’ credit history to create a credit-based insurance score. Drivers with bad credit tend to pay more for car insurance because insurance companies believe they have a higher risk of filing a claim. But drivers with good or excellent credit pay cheaper rates.[5]

Allstate is the cheaper car insurance company for drivers with bad credit. Here’s how it compares to Safeco’s rates.

Driver Type
Safeco
Allstate
Drivers with bad credit$95$74
Disclaimer: Table data sourced from real-time quotes from Insurify's 50-plus partner insurance providers. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer's unique driver profile.

Allstate: Cheapest for senior drivers

As long as you maintain a clean driving record, your car insurance premiums should decrease as you get older and have more driving experience. But rates can increase again around age 70 due to health-related issues that can affect driving capabilities.

Allstate is the cheaper car insurance company for senior drivers, and here’s how it compares to Safeco.

Driver Type
Safeco
Allstate
Senior drivers$68$48
Disclaimer: Table data sourced from real-time quotes from Insurify's 50-plus partner insurance providers. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer's unique driver profile.

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Compare coverages: Safeco vs. Allstate

Allstate and Safeco offer standard auto insurance coverages, like liability, medical coverage, collision, comprehensive, and underinsured/uninsured motorist coverage. But these two insurers differ in the other types of coverage that drivers can add to their policies.

For example, you can find new vehicle replacement coverage from Safeco but not Allstate. And Allstate offers a personal umbrella policy that you can add to your coverage for more protection. Spend some time getting to know which auto insurance company has the coverages you need.

Coverage
Safeco
Allstate
Roadside assistanceYesYes
Personal umbrella policyNoYes
New vehicle replacementYesNo
Rental car reimbursementYesYes
Rideshare insuranceNoYes

Compare discounts: Safeco vs. Allstate

To find the cheapest car insurance companies, you need to consider the discounts each company offers. In addition to competitive prices, Allstate offers more advertised discounts than Safeco, but that doesn’t mean you’ll save the most with Allstate.

Request car insurance quotes from both companies and ask about what potential discounts you qualify for and how those discounts can affect your rates. One of the best ways to save on insurance premiums is to request quotes. You can do this every year to ensure you’re still paying the cheapest rates.

Here’s how Safeco’s and Allstate’s discounts compare.

Discount
Safeco
Allstate
Clean driving recordNoYes
Defensive driving courseNoNo
Multi-policyNoYes
Multi-carNoNo
Low mileageNoNo
Telematics (safe driving app)YesYes
Anti-theft deviceNoYes
New carNoYes
Military/affiliationNoNo
Good studentNoYes
LoyaltyNoNo
Auto payNoYes
Student away at schoolNoYes
HomeownerNoNo
Alternative fuelNoNo

Safeco vs. Allstate FAQs

Still on the fence about whether Allstate or Safeco is the best policy for you? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about both auto insurance companies.

  • Is Safeco or Allstate better?

    Safeco and Allstate are both fairly comparable when it comes to price, standard coverage options, and financial stability. Both are solid car insurance companies, but which one is the better option depends on the coverage you need and the rates you can afford.

  • What are the main differences between Safeco and Allstate insurance?

    The main differences between Safeco and Allstate insurance are the different products they offer. While both companies offer similar insurance products, Allstate may have coverages that Safeco doesn’t offer, like Mexico car insurance, classic car coverage, rideshare insurance, and more.

  • Who is eligible for an Allstate policy?

    Because Allstate issues insurance policies in every state, anyone can potentially be eligible for an Allstate policy. You can chat with an Allstate insurance agent about any eligibility requirements you’re concerned about. You can also work with independent agents to get helpful information about various car insurance companies.

  • What additional services do Safeco and Allstate offer?

    Both Safeco and Allstate offer various insurance products, including home insurance, condo insurance, renters insurance, and motorcycle insurance.

Methodology

Insurify data scientists analyzed more than 90 million quotes served to car insurance applicants in Insurify’s proprietary database to calculate the premium averages displayed on this page. These premiums are real quotes that come directly from Insurify’s 50+ partner insurance companies in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Quote averages represent the median price for a quote across the given coverage level, driver subset, and geographic area.

Unless otherwise specified, quoted rates reflect the average cost for drivers between 20 and 70 years old with a clean driving record and average or better credit (a credit score of 600 or higher).

Liability-only premium averages correspond to policies with the following coverage limits:

  • Bodily injury limits between state-minimum rates and $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident
  • Property damage limits between $10,000 and $50,000
  • No additional coverage
Full-coverage premium averages correspond to the same bodily injury and property damage limits in addition to:
  • Comprehensive coverage with a $1,000 deductible
  • Collision coverage with a $1,000 deductible

Quotes for Allstate, Farmers, GEICO, State Farm, and USAA are estimates based on Quadrant Information Services’ database of auto insurance rates.

Sources

  1. AM Best. "AM Best Affirms Credit Ratings of Liberty Mutual Holding Company Inc. and Subsidiaries."
  2. AM Best. "AM Best Takes Various Credit Rating Actions on The Allstate Corporation and Its Key Subsidiaries."
  3. J.D. Power. "2023 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study."
  4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Teen Drivers and Passengers: Get the Facts."
  5. NAIC. "Credit-Based Insurance Scores Aren’t the Same as a Credit Score. Understand How Credit and Other Factors Determine Your Premiums."
Jacqueline DeMarco
Jacqueline DeMarco

During college, Jacqueline DeMarco interned at a retirement plan advisory firm and was tasked with creating a presentation on the importance of financial wellness. During her research into how money can affect our health, relationships and career, Jacqueline realized just how important financial education is. Jacqueline is a contributor for Insurify and has worked with more than a dozen financial brands, including LendingTree, Capital One, Credit Karma, Fundera, Chime, Bankrate, Student Loan Hero, ValuePenguin, SoFi, and Northwestern Mutual, providing thoughtful content to give readers insight into complex topics that they likely didn’t learn in school.

Courtney Mikulski
Edited byCourtney MikulskiSenior Editor, Auto
Courtney Mikulski
Courtney MikulskiSenior Editor, Auto
  • 3+ years producing insurance and personal finance content

  • Main architect of the Insurify Quality Score

Courtney’s deep personal finance knowledge extends beyond insurance to credit cards, consumer lending, and banking. She thrives on creating actionable content.

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Konstantin Halachev
Data reviewed byKonstantin HalachevVP of Engineering & Data Science
Headshot of Konstantin Halachev, VP of Engineering at Insurify
Konstantin HalachevVP of Engineering & Data Science
  • 7+ years experience in data analysis

  • Ph.D. in Computational Biology

Konstantin has led data teams across multiple industries, including insurance, travel, and biology. He’s led Insurify’s engineering team for more than three years.

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