Auto insurance · Updated August 2026
Farmers Insurance vs Travelers
Farmers Insurance is built for agent-served drivers who bundle home and auto. Travelers is built for independent-agent buyers who bundle home and auto. On the NAIC's 2025 complaint index, Farmers Ins. Exchange drew 0.85 and Standard Fire Ins. Co. drew 0.38, against an industry median of 1.00. AM Best rates Farmers Insurance A and Travelers A++. Neither is reliably cheaper. For the same driver in the same state, either can return the lower number.
By Armando Chavarria, licensed insurance agent · NPN 17042827
The short answer
Farmers Insurance has written auto since 1928 and writes through Farmers Exchanges and subsidiaries. It writes seven lines: auto, home, renters, life, umbrella, motorcycle, and commercial. The tradeoffs: it drew 0.85 on the 2025 complaint index against Travelers's 0.38, and AM Best rates it A against Travelers's A++.
Travelers has written auto since 1853 and writes through Travelers group companies. Standard Fire Ins. Co. drew 0.38 on the NAIC's 2025 complaint index, 64 complaints on $3.6 billion of private-passenger premium. AM Best rates it A++, the highest grade it issues. The tradeoff: it writes six 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.
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Side by side
Farmers Insurance vs Travelers: the data sheet
Sources are listed under the measured figures. How we compare
Farmers Insurance | Travelers | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Agent-served drivers who bundle home and auto | Independent-agent buyers who bundle home and auto |
| Who underwrites it | Farmers Exchanges and subsidiaries | Travelers group companies |
| Complaints per policyTravelers, ahead of Farmers Insurance | 0.85 122 complaints on $3.0B written | 0.38 64 complaints on $3.6B written |
NAIC complaint index, 2025, private passenger auto · Farmers Ins. Exchange vs Standard Fire Ins. Co. · 1.00 is the industry median | ||
| Financial strengthBoth strong; Travelers a step higher | A Excellent | A++ Superior |
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 | 6 lines auto, home, renters, boat, umbrella, commercial |
| PriceNot rated | Filed state by state, priced to the driver. The main factors are below. | |
| Mobile appEffectively tied | 4.84 27,014 ratings | 4.69 124,651 ratings |
Apple App Store, August 2026 | ||
| Telematics program | Signal | IntelliDrive |
| Availability | Available in most states | Available in all 50 states |
| Known for | Agent network, accident forgiveness options | IntelliDrive discounts, hybrid and electric vehicle discounts |
In practice
Where they differ
The complaint records
On the NAIC's 2025 complaint index, Farmers Ins. Exchange drew 0.85 and Standard Fire Ins. Co. drew 0.38, 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 Travelers 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
Farmers Insurance policies are written by Farmers Exchanges and subsidiaries. Travelers policies are written by Travelers group companies. 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 Travelers writes six lines. Farmers Insurance writes auto, home, renters, life, umbrella, motorcycle, and commercial. Travelers writes auto, home, renters, boat, umbrella, and commercial. If auto is all you need, the difference costs you nothing.
Price
Which is cheaper: Farmers Insurance or Travelers?
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, IntelliDrive at Travelers. 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.