Auto insurance · Updated August 2026
State Farm vs Bristol West
State Farm is built for drivers who want a local agent with a national carrier. Bristol West is built for drivers with tickets, lapses, or financed cars that need full coverage. On the NAIC's 2025 complaint index, State Farm Mutual Automobile Ins. Co. drew 0.59 and Bristol West Ins. Co. drew 1.59, against an industry median of 1.00. AM Best rates State Farm A++ and Bristol West 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
State Farm has written auto since 1922 and writes through State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. and subsidiaries. State Farm Mutual Automobile Ins. Co. drew 0.59 on the NAIC's 2025 complaint index, 1,815 complaints on $64.6 billion of private-passenger premium. AM Best rates it A++, the highest grade it issues. It writes five lines: auto, home, renters, life, and umbrella. Drive Safe & Save adjusts the price to recorded driving. The tradeoff: it writes in 48 states and Washington, D.C. against Bristol West's 43 states.
Bristol West has written auto since 1973 and writes through Bristol West insurance companies, part of Farmers. The tradeoffs: it drew 1.59 on the 2025 complaint index against State Farm's 0.59, AM Best rates it A against State Farm's A++, it writes one line against State Farm'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.
About two minutes. No effect on your credit score.
Side by side
State Farm vs Bristol West: the data sheet
Sources are listed under the measured figures. How we compare
State Farm | Bristol West | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Drivers who want a local agent with a national carrier | Drivers with tickets, lapses, or financed cars that need full coverage |
| Who underwrites it | State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. and subsidiaries | Bristol West insurance companies, part of Farmers |
| Complaints per policyState Farm, by a wide margin | 0.59 1,815 complaints on $64.6B written | 1.59 54 complaints on $713M written |
NAIC complaint index, 2025, private passenger auto · State Farm Mutual Automobile Ins. Co. vs Bristol West Ins. Co. · 1.00 is the industry median | ||
| Financial strengthBoth strong; State Farm a step higher | A++ Superior | A Excellent |
AM Best financial strength rating · A++ is the highest issued | ||
| Coverage you can buyState Farm, if you want to bundle | 5 lines auto, home, renters, life, umbrella | 1 line auto |
| PriceNot rated | Filed state by state, priced to the driver. The main factors are below. | |
| Mobile appEffectively tied | 4.79 1,246,642 ratings | 4.77 6,170 ratings |
Apple App Store, August 2026 | ||
| SR-22 filing | Yes | Yes |
| Telematics program | Drive Safe & Save | None |
| Availability | 48 states and Washington, D.C. | 43 states |
| Known for | Largest U.S. auto insurer, local agent network | SR-22 filings, flexible down payments, Farmers agent availability |
In practice
Where they differ
The complaint records
On the NAIC's 2025 complaint index, State Farm Mutual Automobile Ins. Co. drew 0.59 and Bristol West Ins. Co. drew 1.59, 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 State Farm A++ and Bristol West 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
State Farm policies are written by State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. and subsidiaries. Bristol West policies are written by Bristol West insurance companies, part of Farmers. 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
State Farm writes five lines and Bristol West writes one line. State Farm writes auto, home, renters, life, and umbrella. Bristol West writes auto. If auto is all you need, the difference costs you nothing.
Price
Which is cheaper: State Farm or Bristol West?
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. State Farm writes in 48 states and Washington, D.C. Bristol West writes in 43 states. Where only one of them writes in your state, the comparison answers itself.
Telematics moves the number. State Farm runs Drive Safe & Save, a telematics program; the CMS records none for Bristol West. 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.