Farmers vs Nationwide: which is better for car insurance in 2026?
Across our six scoring categories, Farmers comes out ahead in 0, Nationwide in 4, with 2 too close to call. Nationwide edges the weighted overall score by 0.8 of a point, on the strength of price, claims satisfaction, complaint record, discounts. That is not a reason to skip Farmers: it scores higher on none of our categories, though it may still quote you less, and a quote that comes in lower beats a review that scores higher. Nationwide is the safer default; Farmers is worth a quote if you are among drivers who want an agent and have specific coverage needs farmers can meet.
Farmers vs Nationwide, side by side
Sources: average premiums from NerdWallet's August 2026 rate analysis (Quadrant Information Services), for a 35-year-old driver with a clean record and good credit in a 2023 Toyota Camry LE at 12,000 miles a year, 100/300/50 limits with $1,000 deductibles — national average $2,356. Claims satisfaction from the J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study (segment average 700). Complaint record from NerdWallet's analysis of NAIC complaint data, 2022–2024. Financial strength from AM Best. Discounts and app data from each carrier's published pages and the Apple App Store / Google Play, retrieved August 2026. Updated August 2026.
Category by category
Price
Nationwide aheadNationwide averages $2,671/yr for full coverage against Farmers's $4,048/yr — about $1377 a year, or 114.8 dollars a month, in Nationwide's favor for this profile.
$4,048 a year for full coverage, 72% above the national average and the most expensive carrier in this review by a wide margin.
$2,671 a year for full coverage, 13% above the national average. Nationwide is not a discount carrier.
Claims satisfaction
Nationwide aheadNationwide takes claims satisfaction on 729/1,000 against Farmers's 690/1,000.
690 out of 1,000, ten points below the segment average.
729 out of 1,000, fourth in the J.D. Power 2025 study and 29 points above the segment average.
Complaint record
Nationwide aheadNationwide takes complaint record on Fewer than expected against Farmers's About the expected number.
Close to the number of complaints expected for its size.
Fewer complaints than expected for its size.
Financial strength
Too close to callNeither pulls ahead on financial strength: Farmers posts A and Nationwide A, a difference too small to choose on.
AM Best A (Excellent).
AM Best A (Excellent).
Discounts
Nationwide aheadNationwide takes discounts on 10 published against Farmers's 10 published*.
Roughly ten discounts, though Farmers blocks automated access to its own discounts page, so we could not verify the list or its telematics program name directly.
Ten published discounts, with bundling stated at an average of $1,032 saved on home and auto together.
Digital experience
Too close to callNeither pulls ahead on digital experience: Farmers posts 4.84 iOS / 4.7 Android and Nationwide 4.69 iOS / 4.5 Android, a difference too small to choose on.
4.84 on the App Store and 4.7 on Google Play — the best-rated app pairing in this review, across a relatively small rating base.
4.69 on the App Store and 4.5 on Google Play. Nationwide also won J.D. Power's usage-based insurance segment for the third year running in 2026.
So which one?
Pick Farmers if…
- You are among drivers who want an agent and have specific coverage needs farmers can meet.
- Availability fits: 40 states, through agents — the Farmers brand left Florida in 2023 and does not write in Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont or West Virginia.
Pick Nationwide if…
- You are among drivers who want good claims handling without an agent-only model.
- Price is your first filter — Nationwide averages $2,671/yr for full coverage on our benchmark profile.
- You care most about how a claim actually goes: Nationwide scores 729/1,000.
- You want the lower complaint record — Nationwide sits at Fewer than expected.
Farmers vs Nationwide, answered
The questions people ask before switching between these two.
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