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finder.com's rating: 4 / 5
★★★★★
Bottom line: Unlike some of its competitors, Nationwide balances great discounts and service, though it doesn’t accept drivers with too many claims or accidents.
States served | All states except AK HI LA and MA |
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Roadside assistance | Optional |
Accident forgiveness | Yes |
New car protection | Yes |
Pay schedule | 12 months, 6 months, Monthly |
Claims methods | Online, Phone |
Rideshare coverage | No |
SR-22 support | Yes |
Anti-theft device discount | Yes |
---|---|
Bundling discount | Yes |
Defensive driving discount | Yes |
Good student discount | Yes |
Loyalty discount | Yes, up to 15% |
Homeowner discount | No |
Military discount | No |
Safety device discount | Yes |
Special employment discount | No |
Usage-based discount | Yes, 5-40% |
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Nationwide is one of the largest insurance companies in the country. The company offers plenty of perks, from a Plenti rewards program that offers cashback at major retailers to a vanishing deductible for every year that you’re accident free.
The company also stands at the forefront of technology with tools like Auto Watch, which lets you keep track of your car repairs. Plus, its mobile app makes it easy to make payments, file a claim or view and share ID cards. Customers seem pleased with its user-friendliness and how easy it makes paying monthly premiums, although the occasional negative review sites minor tech issues.
Though its prices may cost more than the competition, you may want Nationwide for its high-quality service, perks and accessibility. Agents are available by email, through an app, over the phone, in person or by online chat. However, if you’re looking for the cheapest rate, consider comparing car insurance quotes with other insurers.
finder.com's rating: 4 / 5
★★★★★
Category | Our rating | Why we gave this score |
---|---|---|
Coverage | ★★★★★ 4.5/5 | Nationwide goes beyond the basics that most drivers need, offering options for accident forgiveness, roadside assistance and more. |
Discounts | ★★★★★ 3.5/5 | The company offers rewards on par with other insurers, such as discounts for having an antitheft device or taking a defensive driving course. |
Customer service | ★★★★★ 3.6/5 | It gets high J.D. Power and Better Business Bureau scores. However, it sees average customer ratings on Trustpilot and an average number of complaints filed with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). |
Financial strength | ★★★★★ 4.5/5 | It receives an A+ financial rating from AM Best, which shows that it has strong finances to pay for car insurance claims. |
We pulled full-coverage car insurance rates using Nationwide’s online quote tool for good drivers living in California with a clean driving record.
Age | Premiums |
---|---|
18 | N/A |
21 | $289.72 |
30 | $214.66 |
40 | $197.92 |
50 | $181.39 |
Nationwide’s website offers a straightforward application for auto insurance coverage. Apply for coverage through an agent by calling 877-669-6877, or online by following these steps:
You’ll score the highest savings if you buy several kinds of insurance with Nationwide, insure a car made within the last five years or join Nationwide’s Smartride program to show off your safe driving.
Nationwide offers several special programs and features to benefit its customers:
Nationwide SmartRide is a telematics car insurance program that tracks your driving through an app or device. If you drive safely, you can earn up to 40% off your premium, a higher discount than most other programs offer.
You start out with a 10% discount at signup, then get your personalized discount after driving for four to six months. The discount applies for as long as you keep your Nationwide policy.
Overall, most customers find the app satisfactory, giving it 3.3 out of 5 stars on Google Play and 3.6 out of 5 on the Apple Store. However, you’ll see higher app ratings when you’re looking at other companies’ telematics apps.
Since you’re giving Nationwide permission to collect your driving data, you’ll want to review its privacy policy to make sure that you agree with how it uses your data. Nationwide may use your data to service its products, develop its website and apps, conduct surveys or for research or marketing purposes.
SmartRide factors in four key areas when figuring your discount:
Nationwide holds an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB), showing that it has followed up on customer complaints in a timely manner. Despite its high rating, over 200 customers have filed BBB complaints.
Customers are unhappy with denied claims, billing issues and unexpected rate changes. At the same time, Nationwide typically falls below each region’s average on the J.D. Power Auto Insurance Study.
However, Nationwide does hold a 2.38 score on the National Association of Insurance Commissioners complaint index for private passenger vehicles. Since the industry standard is 1.00, Nationwide’s score shows that it sees fewer complaints than normal.
That said, most customers only go online to speak up about major issues with a product or service. It’s common to see multiple complaints but few positive reviews.
Our car insurance experts rated Nationwide above average because of its solid coverage options, high BBB score and strong finances that back up customers’ claims. We also rated Nationwide highly for its few customer complaints, though its other customer ratings did pull its Finder rating down.
AM Best financial rating | A+ |
BBB accredited | Yes |
BBB rating | A+ |
Trustpilot score | 2.1/5 out of 10 customer reviews |
Customer reviews verified as of | April 2022 |
See how Nationwide stacks up to other companies’ coverage, benefits and discounts. Then tap Get quotes to see a policy customized to you.
Nationwide offers a standard set of coverage options to protect you while on the road.
With Nationwide, you can bundle your car insurance with your home, renters, life or boat policies. Or choose to bundle your motorcycle and renters insurance.
★★★★★ — Excellent
★★★★★ — Good
★★★★★ — Average
★★★★★ — Subpar
★★★★★ — Poor
Our insurance team analyzes car insurance providers to help you choose the best car insurance for you.
We rank insurers from one to five stars based on key factors including customer satisfaction, policy options, price, billing, claims, and support. We create these rankings to help you narrow down an insurance provider that best suits your budget and coverage needs.
2 Comments
April 15, 2019
Is Nationwide Insurance easy to contact when you need to speak with them?
April 15, 2019
Hi John,
Thanks for getting in touch with Finder. I hope all is well with you. 😃
Yes, they should be easy to contact. To ensure that you get someone to talk to when you call their number, be sure to read during business hours. You can check their website as well to know other ways to get in touch with them.
I hope this helps. Should you have further questions, please don’t hesitate to reach us out again.
Have a wonderful day!
Cheers,
Joshua