Auto insurance · Updated August 2026
Allstate vs The General
Allstate is built for drivers who want a local agent and bundled home coverage. The General is built for drivers who need an SR-22, had a lapse, or are new to insurance. On the NAIC's 2025 complaint index, Allstate Fire & Casualty Ins. Co. drew 0.82 and Permanent General Assurance Corp. drew 3.86, against an industry median of 1.00. AM Best rates Allstate A+ and The General A. Neither is reliably cheaper. For the same driver in the same state, either can return the lower number.
By Dylan Leggett, licensed insurance agent · NPN 17875887
The short answer
Allstate has written auto since 1931 and writes through Allstate group companies. Allstate Fire & Casualty Ins. Co. drew 0.82 on the NAIC's 2025 complaint index, 454 complaints on $11.7 billion of private-passenger premium. AM Best rates it A+. It writes five lines: auto, home, renters, motorcycle, and life. Drivewise adjusts the price to recorded driving. The tradeoff: it writes in all 50 states against The General's 46 states and Washington, D.C.
The General has written auto since 1963 and writes through Permanent General Assurance Corp., part of American Family. The tradeoffs: it drew 3.86 on the 2025 complaint index against Allstate's 0.82, AM Best rates it A against Allstate's A+, it writes one line against Allstate's five, and it runs no program.
Both companies state by state, and their filed rates trade the lead by address. A national average will not predict which one wins for you. For the same driver in the same state, either can return the lower number.
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Side by side
Allstate vs The General: the data sheet
Sources are listed under the measured figures. How we compare
Allstate | The General | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Drivers who want a local agent and bundled home coverage | Drivers who need an SR-22, had a lapse, or are new to insurance |
| Who underwrites it | Allstate group companies | Permanent General Assurance Corp., part of American Family |
| Complaints per policyAllstate, by a wide margin | 0.82 454 complaints on $11.7B written | 3.86 151 complaints on $822M written |
NAIC complaint index, 2025, private passenger auto · Allstate Fire & Casualty Ins. Co. vs Permanent General Assurance Corp. · 1.00 is the industry median | ||
| Financial strengthBoth strong; Allstate a step higher | A+ Superior | A Excellent |
AM Best financial strength rating · A++ is the highest issued | ||
| Coverage you can buyAllstate, if you want to bundle | 5 lines auto, home, renters, motorcycle, life | 1 line auto |
| PriceNot rated | Filed state by state, priced to the driver. The main factors are below. | |
| Mobile appEffectively tied | 4.79 1,257,155 ratings | 4.69 227,464 ratings |
Apple App Store, August 2026 | ||
| SR-22 filing | Yes | Yes |
| Telematics program | Drivewise | None |
| Availability | All 50 states | 46 states and Washington, D.C. |
| Known for | Drivewise rewards, Milewise pay-per-mile in some states | Low down payments, quotes in minutes, no prior insurance accepted |
In practice
Where they differ
The complaint records
On the NAIC's 2025 complaint index, Allstate Fire & Casualty Ins. Co. drew 0.82 and Permanent General Assurance Corp. drew 3.86, against an industry median of 1.00. The index weighs a company's complaint count against the volume expected for its size, so 1.00 is the industry median and a lower number is fewer complaints than expected.
Financial strength
AM Best rates Allstate A+ and The General A. A++ is the highest grade AM Best issues. The grade measures the company's ability to pay claims, not its service or its price.
Who underwrites each one
Allstate policies are written by Allstate group companies. The General policies are written by Permanent General Assurance Corp., part of American Family. The brand on the advertising and the company on the policy are often different entities, and the complaint figures on this page belong to the named companies.
What each one covers
Allstate writes five lines and The General writes one line. Allstate writes auto, home, renters, motorcycle, and life. The General writes auto. If auto is all you need, the difference costs you nothing.
Price
Which is cheaper: Allstate or The General?
Neither company is reliably cheaper. What sets the price:
The record sets the range. A ticket, an at-fault accident, or a moves the two prices by different amounts, and the direction is not consistent between states. A quote on the real record is what separates them.
Availability decides some matchups. Allstate writes in all 50 states. The General writes in 46 states and Washington, D.C. Where only one of them writes in your state, the comparison answers itself.
Telematics moves the number. Allstate runs Drivewise, a telematics program; the CMS records none for The General. A telematics program measures driving through an app or a plug-in device and adjusts the price on the result. The size of that adjustment is filed per state.
One application. Real prices from the carriers writing in your state.