Auto · Coverage
Auto insurance, decoded.
Independent rankings and plain-English guides for auto coverage.
The Auto Nerd Score leaderboard
Ranked by overall Nerd Score (0–100). Tap any carrier for the full sourced breakdown.
8 carriers · updated Sep 2, 2026
| # | Carrier | Best for | Claims | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US USAAMilitary families | Military families | 87 | Read → | |
| 2 | PR ProgressiveBest for high-risk | Best for high-risk | 80 | Read → | |
| 3 | G GEICOBest overall value | Best overall value | 79 | Read → | |
| 4 | SF State FarmBest for service | Best for service | 79 | Read → | |
| 5 | NW NationwideBundling discounts | Bundling discounts | 75 | Read → | |
| 6 | AL AllstateAdd-on options | Add-on options | 69 | Read → | |
| 7 | CC ClearcoverApp-first drivers who reshop every renewal | App-first drivers who reshop every renewal | 61 | Read → | |
| 8 | RT RootSafe drivers willing to be scored by an app | Safe drivers willing to be scored by an app | 60 | Read → |
Sources: Price: USAA Auto Insurance Review 2026 — average full-coverage premium vs. national average (2026), Auto Insurance: A Comparison Guide to Rates, rates effective 8/1/2026 — across all 638 scenario/ZIP cells in the guide Clearcover is below the market median in 68.8% of them, with a median annual premium of $3,223 against a $3,650 market median. It also lands in the priciest quartile in 19.7% of cells, and per-scenario median ratios run from 0.52x to 1.89x the market median, so the discount is real but profile-dependent (2026-08), Root, Inc. Form 10-Q (Q2 2026) and Form 10-K (FY2025) report gross premiums written per policy of $1,479 at 30 June 2026, down from a $1,584 peak in FY2024 ($1,531 in FY2025, $1,423 in FY2023). The only same-year like-for-like benchmark our allowed sources support is FY2023: Root's $1,423 against the NAIC Auto Insurance Database Report's 2023 countrywide combined average premium of $1,438 for liability plus collision plus comprehensive — 1.0% below, i.e. parity, not the large discount Root markets. Root's figure is a blended average across its whole 37-state book at all coverage levels, not a full-coverage national average, so it is labelled as such wherever it renders (2026-09-02) · Claims: J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study — USAA scored 741/1,000 (displayed for informational purposes only; not officially ranked due to membership-eligibility restrictions, industry avg. 700) (2025), AM Best affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of "a+" (Excellent) for the members of Nationwide Property and Casualty Group, Nov. 7, 2025; outlook stable. J.D. Power's 2025 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study reports rankings by region rather than a single national per-carrier score. (2025), AM Best affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A+ (Superior) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of "aa-" (Superior) for the members of Allstate Insurance Group, Aug. 28, 2025; outlook negative. J.D. Power's 2025 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study reports rankings by region rather than a single national per-carrier score. (2025), Commissioner's Order No. 2026-9711, 5 January 2026 — a targeted market conduct examination of Clearcover's private-passenger auto book produced an $80,000 administrative penalty, with findings including late settlement-offer notices in 20% of paid claims sampled, a missing Notice of Rights Regarding Repair in 32%, and unlicensed adjusters. Weighed alongside the withdrawal of Clearcover's Demotech Financial Stability Rating on 9 April 2026, a Missouri private-passenger-auto complaint index of 186 for 2025 where 100 is the expected level, and no J.D. Power auto-claims ranking (2026-01-05), NAIC Consumer Information Source national complaint index, 2025 data year, private passenger auto: Root Insurance Company (NAIC #10974) scores 1.92 against an expected 1.00 — 71 closed confirmed complaints on a 0.40% share of complaints against a 0.21% share of premiums — while the group's second writer, Root Property & Casualty Insurance Company (NAIC #24503), sits at 1.02 on 17 complaints. Root is not among the brands ranked in the J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study (industry average 700/1,000), and AM Best publishes no Financial Strength Rating for Root Insurance Company (AMB #012356) outside its member wall; Root's own 10-K claims no financial-strength rating for any of its three insurance subsidiaries. Offset by genuine underwriting improvement: a 92.1% net combined ratio in Q2 2026 and RBC above company action levels (2025) · Coverage: USAA — Car Insurance Coverage Options (rideshare coverage in 37 states, accident forgiveness, car replacement assistance in lieu of stand-alone gap) (2026), Progressive — Auto Insurance Coverages (loan/lease payoff coverage in lieu of stand-alone gap insurance, rideshare coverage, custom parts & equipment coverage) (2026), GEICO — Types of Car Insurance Coverage (mechanical breakdown insurance on newer vehicles, 24/7 emergency road service, comprehensive/collision; GEICO does not offer stand-alone gap insurance) (2026), State Farm — Car Insurance Coverage Options (rideshare driver coverage, rental reimbursement & travel-expense coverage, 24/7 emergency road service) (2026), Nationwide — Car Insurance Coverage Options (Vanishing Deductible: $100 off per year of safe driving up to $500; gap coverage on vehicles 6 model years or newer in select states; accident forgiveness on a first at-fault accident; Roadside Assistance in Basic and Plus tiers) (2026), Allstate — Allstate Extras, Rewards & Features (New Car Replacement, Deductible Rewards: $100 off at sign-up plus $100 per accident-free year up to $500, Safe Driving Bonus, accident forgiveness, rental reimbursement, 24/7 roadside services; availability varies by state) (2026), Georgia State Coverage Summary — bodily-injury and property-damage liability, collision, comprehensive including glass, Alternate Transportation ($30/day and a $900 max up to $50/day and a $1,500 max), medical payments capped at $10,000, roadside assistance, UM/UIM bodily injury and property damage, added-on UM, OEM parts for vehicles nine years or newer, business use, and rideshare for period 1 only. The list carries no gap coverage, no accident forgiveness, no new-car replacement and no cover for delivery driving (2025-12-15), Root's own coverage page lists bodily injury and property damage liability, collision, comprehensive, rental (car or rideshare/taxi reimbursement), roadside assistance capped at three incidents per vehicle per six-month term and $100 per incident, uninsured motorist property damage in certain states only, personal injury protection, medical payments and uninsured/underinsured motorist bodily injury. The menu carries no gap coverage, no accident forgiveness, no new-car replacement and no rideshare-driving endorsement. Root's live availability map shows 37 of 51 U.S. jurisdictions open, against the FY2025 10-K's “licensed in 50 states and the District of Columbia and operate in 36 of those states” (2026-09-02) · Digital: USAA Mobile — Apple App Store rating (4.8/5, 2.3M+ ratings) (2026), Progressive mobile app — Apple App Store rating (4.8/5) (2026), GEICO Mobile — Apple App Store rating (4.8/5) (2026), State Farm — Apple App Store rating (4.8/5) (2026), Nationwide Mobile — Apple App Store rating (4.7/5, 65,722 ratings) (2026), Allstate® Mobile — Apple App Store rating (4.79/5, 1.2M+ ratings) (2026), Clearcover Car Insurance app — 4.7/5 from 17,076 ratings on the Apple App Store and 4.6/5 from 5,655 ratings on Google Play, both checked 2026-08-26; the pillar is the mean of the two stores, doubled onto the 0-10 scale (2026-08-26), Root: Better car insurance rates 4.7/5 from 73,252 ratings on the Apple App Store against 3.1/5 from 38,077 ratings on Google Play, both checked 2026-09-02; the pillar is the mean of the two stores, doubled onto the 0–10 scale. The 1.6-point gap between the two platforms is the widest of any carrier we score, which matters more here than elsewhere because Root's product is the app (2026-09-02)
The Nerd Score™
One number. Four pillars. Published math.
Every score above is computeScore(pillars) — no hand-tuning, no carrier paid for placement. We weight claims heaviest because a policy is only worth what it pays when something goes wrong.
30%Price
35%Claims
20%Coverage
15%Digital
Note: USAA's claims input is an attributed estimate — J.D. Power excludes military-only carriers from its ranked study. Every other figure maps to a published source. See the full methodology →
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