Auto insurance · Updated August 2026
Farmers Insurance vs Root Insurance
Farmers Insurance is built for agent-served drivers who bundle home and auto. Root Insurance is built for good drivers priced by a measured test drive. On the NAIC's 2025 complaint index, Farmers Ins. Exchange drew 0.85 and Root Ins. Co. drew 1.92, against an industry median of 1.00. AM Best rates Farmers Insurance A and Root Insurance B++. 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
Farmers Insurance has written auto since 1928 and writes through Farmers Exchanges and subsidiaries. Farmers Ins. Exchange drew 0.85 on the NAIC's 2025 complaint index, 122 complaints on $3.0 billion of private-passenger premium. AM Best rates it A. It writes seven lines: auto, home, renters, life, umbrella, motorcycle, and commercial. The tradeoff: its app carries 27,014 ratings against Root Insurance's 73,089.
Root Insurance has written auto since 2015 and writes through Root Insurance Co.. The tradeoffs: it drew 1.92 on the 2025 complaint index against Farmers Insurance's 0.85, AM Best rates it B++ against Farmers Insurance's A, and it writes two lines against Farmers Insurance's seven.
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.
About two minutes. No effect on your credit score.
Side by side
Farmers Insurance vs Root Insurance: the data sheet
Sources are listed under the measured figures. How we compare
Farmers Insurance | Root Insurance | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Agent-served drivers who bundle home and auto | Good drivers priced by a measured test drive |
| Who underwrites it | Farmers Exchanges and subsidiaries | Root Insurance Co. |
| Complaints per policyFarmers Insurance, ahead of Root Insurance | 0.85 122 complaints on $3.0B written | 1.92 71 complaints on $778M written |
NAIC complaint index, 2025, private passenger auto · Farmers Ins. Exchange vs Root Ins. Co. · 1.00 is the industry median | ||
| Financial strengthFarmers Insurance, rated higher | A Excellent | B++ Good |
AM Best financial strength rating · A++ is the highest issued | ||
| Coverage you can buyFarmers Insurance, if you want to bundle | 7 lines auto, home, renters, life, umbrella, motorcycle, commercial | 2 lines auto, renters |
| PriceNot rated | Filed state by state, priced to the driver. The main factors are below. | |
| Mobile appEffectively tied | 4.84 27,014 ratings | 4.70 73,089 ratings |
Apple App Store, August 2026 | ||
| SR-22 filing | Yes | Yes |
| Telematics program | Signal | Test drive in the Root app |
| Availability | Available in most states | Available in 30+ states |
| Known for | Agent network, accident forgiveness options | Pricing by test drive, claims filed in the app |
In practice
Where they differ
The complaint records
On the NAIC's 2025 complaint index, Farmers Ins. Exchange drew 0.85 and Root Ins. Co. drew 1.92, 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 Farmers Insurance A and Root Insurance B++. 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
Farmers Insurance policies are written by Farmers Exchanges and subsidiaries. Root Insurance policies are written by Root Insurance Co.. 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
Farmers Insurance writes seven lines and Root Insurance writes two lines. Farmers Insurance writes auto, home, renters, life, umbrella, motorcycle, and commercial. Root Insurance writes auto, and renters. If auto is all you need, the difference costs you nothing.
Price
Which is cheaper: Farmers Insurance or Root Insurance?
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.
Rates are filed state by state. Both companies file their rates with each state's regulator, so the same company charges different amounts in different states. Availability differs by state as well, and the data sheet above carries what each company publishes.
Telematics moves the number. Both run a program: Signal at Farmers Insurance, Test drive in the Root app at Root Insurance. 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.