Farmers vs Travelers: which is better for car insurance in 2026?
Across our six scoring categories, Farmers comes out ahead in 0, Travelers in 4, with 2 too close to call. Travelers edges the weighted overall score by 1.3 of a point, on the strength of price, complaint record, financial strength, 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. Travelers 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 Travelers, 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
Travelers aheadTravelers averages $1,634/yr for full coverage against Farmers's $4,048/yr — about $2414 a year, or 201.2 dollars a month, in Travelers'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.
$1,634 a year for full coverage, 31% below the national average and the lowest of any carrier open to the general public.
Claims satisfaction
Too close to callNeither pulls ahead on claims satisfaction: Farmers posts 690/1,000 and Travelers 691/1,000, a difference too small to choose on.
690 out of 1,000, ten points below the segment average.
691 out of 1,000, nine points below the segment average. The weakest part of an otherwise strong picture.
Complaint record
Travelers aheadTravelers 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
Travelers aheadTravelers takes financial strength on A++ against Farmers's A.
AM Best A (Excellent).
AM Best A++ — one of only four carriers here with the top rating, and remarkable for a company this size.
Discounts
Travelers aheadTravelers takes discounts on 11 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.
Eleven published discounts, though nine of the most valuable are explicitly unavailable in California.
Digital experience
Too close to callNeither pulls ahead on digital experience: Farmers posts 4.84 iOS / 4.7 Android and Travelers 4.69 iOS / 4.2 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 4.2 on Google Play. Competent rather than class-leading, with a notably small Play Store rating base.
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 Travelers if…
- You are among price-focused drivers who want a financially bulletproof insurer.
- Price is your first filter — Travelers averages $1,634/yr for full coverage on our benchmark profile.
- You want the lower complaint record — Travelers sits at Fewer than expected.
- Financial strength is a priority; Travelers holds A++ from AM Best.
Farmers vs Travelers, answered
The questions people ask before switching between these two.
Other comparisons
See all 359 head-to-head comparisons →Compare real quotes from both — and 50+ others.
Averages are a starting point. Your rate is the only number that decides it.