Best Car Insurance Companies for Filing Claims
Filing claims is the most important part of auto insurance. Learn which companies have the best claims process.
- Brandon Canonica
- Updated March 8, 2024
When it comes to car insurance, there’s nothing more important than having expensive bills paid following an accident. It’s kind of the whole point. Knowing help is there when you need it is priceless. That’s why it’s so important to consider claims handling when you’re shopping for a new policy. Based on our research, State Farm is the best insurer for filing claims.
It’s in every insurer’s best interest to create simple and easy processing procedures to avoid frustrating customers. This is one of the main points of contact between you and your insurance provider. If the claims process isn’t quick and painless, it reflects poorly on the entire company.
In this article, we’ll review the top auto insurers and rank them based on their claims process. If you want to learn how each company stacks up overall, be sure to visit our article on the best car insurance providers in the country.
Best Car Insurance Company for Filing Claims: State Farm
State Farm is the top auto insurance company for filing claims. It offers several quick and easy ways for customers to report incidents. You can file over the phone, online, and on the provider’s mobile app. Tracking once you’ve filed is a snap. You can do so on website or app.
Expect the following when you file a claim with State Farm:
- You’ll need to provide:
- Date and time of the car accident
- Which cars were part of the collision
- Where the accident occurred
- What happened
- What the damage is
- A representative will assess the damages to your vehicle
- If approved, you’ll get your payment so you can repair your car
Here’s why State Farm is the best insurance company for filing claims:
High Satisfaction
Many customers seem to feel satisfied with State Farm’s claims-handling process. In a 2021 claims satisfaction survey by J.D. Power, State Farm took sixth place with a score of 892 out of 1,000.
The J.D. Power study uses responses from 7,345 customers who settled an auto claim in any of the six months before participating. Per J.D. Power, the data was collected from November 2020 to September 2021.
Well-Rated Mobile App
State Farm allows its customers to file claims on its mobile app. The State Farm Mobile App has high ratings on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Below are the user reviews for each platform:
- Apple App Store – 4.8 stars
- Google Play Store – 4.7 stars
Few Customer Complaints
State Farm has one of the lowest customer complaint totals in the business. According to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), State Farm had a 2021 auto complaint index of 0.67, where 1.00 is the national average. In other words, State Farm experiences a below-average number of complaints from its customers. So, one could assume the insurer does something right when it handles claims from its policyholders.
High-Quality Company
State Farm is the largest auto insurer in the nation. The company maintains superb customer satisfaction scores and financial strength ratings. A.M. Best, for example, gives State Farm an A++ (superior) rating. Likewise, State Farm earned an average car insurance customer service score of 842 from J.D. Power in 2022.
Final Word on State Farm
State Farm is a great car insurance company from top to bottom. You should expect a quick and easy claims process, especially if you’re using the company’s polished mobile app. You can also feel comfortable knowing that most of State Farm’s other customers feel satisfied with their level of service. An added benefit of getting coverage from State Farm is that it has some of the lowest rates among major auto insurers.
Runner-Up for Best Insurance Claims Process: Farmers
Farmers is the second-best company in terms of claim handing. Filing with this insurer is just as simple as you’d want it to be. You can do it either online, over the phone, or on the provider’s mobile app. You can also track your claims progress online or using the app.
To file a claim with Farmers, you must go through the following steps:
- Provide the below:
- Policy number
- Date and time of the incident
- Your first and last name
- What happened
- Work with a representative to assess damages and get a repair estimate
- Get your car fixed and receive your payment
Here’s why Farmers takes our second spot:
Excellent Process Satisfaction
Farmers ranked well in J.D. Power’s 2021 claims satisfaction survey, where it placed fifth with a score of 893.
Good Mobile App
The Farmers mobile app gives you an easy way to report and track claims. Users have given it favorable reviews on both iOS and Android. Below are the user reviews for each platform:
- Apple App Store – 4.8 stars
- Google Play Store – 4.6 stars
Hardly Any Customer Complaints
Like State Farm, Farmers has a below-average number of customer complaints for car insurance. In 2021, Farmers had an NAIC complaint index of 0.35. This number is extremely low compared to some of the other companies on our list. This shows, at least to some degree, that Farmers does a good job of keeping its customers happy. That’s ever important during the claims process.
Highly Rated Company
Farmers is one of the top ten biggest auto insurers. It has good customer service and company strength scores from many organizations. A.M. Best gives Farmers an A rating, and J.D. Power gave it an 815 score for car insurance.
Final Word on Farmers
Farmers is a good company with solid business processes. It has few complaints, and it comes in very highly on satisfaction lists for how it handles claims and car insurance in general. Farmers also has a well-rated mobile app, which you can use to take pictures of damages and easily submit your claim. You can even get a quick estimate in certain cases. Be aware, however, that this carrier only writes auto policies in 41 states.
Third-Best Insurance Provider for Claim filing: American Family
American Family (AmFam) is the third-best car insurer for filing claims. You can expect an easy process and good customer service if this is your insurance carrier. You can file online or with the MyAmFam app. If you prefer, you can also submit your information over the phone to a claims support representative.
Here’s what happens when you file a claim with American Family:
- You must provide the below:
- First and last name
- Date of birth
- ZIP code
- Policy number
- Description of what happened, including photos of damages
- Date and time of the incident
- A representative will assess damages to your vehicle and reach out within two business days
- If approved, you’ll get reimbursement and can repair your car
The following are some benefits of choosing AmFam as your provider:
Great Customer Satisfaction
AmFam enjoys great claims satisfaction ratings. In J.D. Power’s 2021 survey, American Family took seventh place and had a score of 889.
Strong Mobile App
American Family’s MyAmFam app has strong ratings from both Apple and Android users. It allows you to do many things with your account, including reporting and tracking auto insurance claims. You can also use the app to upload photos of damages. Below are the user reviews for each platform:
- Apple App Store – 4.8 stars
- Google Play Store – 4.3 stars
Minimal Customer Complaints
AmFam has a far below-average number of car insurance customer complaints. The company had a 2021 NAIC complaint index of 0.16. Based on this very low number, American Family puts a strong emphasis on satisfying its customers. Many people do business with the company and walk away without complaints.
Good Quality Company
American Family is one of the big players in the auto insurance industry. It generally holds good customer satisfaction scores and is an established, stable company. A.M. Best gives AmFam an A rating, and J.D. Power gave the carrier an 855 score in its midsize insurer study.
Final Word on American Family
American Family is a great auto insurance company, especially if you’re looking for an easy claims process. It has an impressively low complaint number and an exceptional customer satisfaction score. The mobile app experience is also very good.
Perhaps the only major downside to American Family is that it only sells insurance in 19 states. We recommend checking out the company’s website for availability.
Honorable Mentions for Best Insurance Claim Filing Process
State Farm, Farmers, and GEICO are the three best car insurance companies for reporting claims. However, with many insurers, it’s almost like comparing apples to apples. Every provider has something to offer, and most have very similar submission processes.
Any of these insurers have solid procedures for submitting claims:
Top Insurance Companies Claim Filing Ratings
It’s easier to compare insurance claims filing data when it’s displayed side-by-side. We put together this comparison table so you can see what each company has to offer in terms of filing claims:
Provider | Mobile App Rating | NAIC Complaint Index | J.D. Power Rating |
---|---|---|---|
Allstate | 4.8 stars on iOS, 4.0 stars on Android | 1.41 | 870 (#14) |
American Family | 4.8 stars on iOS, 4.3 stars on Android | 0.16 | 889 (#7) |
Farmers | 4.8 stars on iOS, 4.6 stars on Android | 0.35 | 893 (#5) |
GEICO | 4.8 stars on iOS, 4.6 stars on Android | 1.07 | 881 (#8) |
Liberty Mutual | 4.8 stars on iOS, 4.7 stars on Android | 3.24 | 876 (#10) |
Nationwide | 4.5 stars on iOS, 4.1 stars on Android | 0.48 | 876 (#11) |
Progressive | 4.7 stars on iOS, 4.6 stars on Android | 1.01 | 862 (#17) |
State Farm | 4.8 stars on iOS, 4.7 stars on Android | 0.67 | 892 (#6) |
The Hartford | 3.9 stars on iOS, 2.7 stars on Android | 2.09 | 905 (#1) |
Travelers | 4.7 stars on iOS, 3.7 stars on Android | 4.35 | 871 (#13) |
USAA | 4.8 stars on iOS, 4.3 stars on Android | 1.28 | 909 (not ranked in the survey) |
How We Chose Our Winners
We know that it’s never easy to fully understand an insurance company’s claims process unless you’ve actually filed one. Even so, there are a few factors that reveal how well a company does for its customers during the process:
- NAIC customer complaint index
- Results in surveys from reputable organizations, such as J.D. Power
- Mobile app ratings
We also made it a point to examine each insurer’s overall performance and ratings. Honorable mentions have good, but not great, claims processes.