Home/Compare insurers/The Hanover vs Nationwide

The Hanover vs Nationwide: which is better for car insurance in 2026?

Q: Is The Hanover or Nationwide cheaper?

On average, Nationwide. Our benchmark profile pays $2,671/yr with Nationwide versus $4,038/yr with The Hanover — roughly $1367 a year. But that is one profile: a 35-year-old with a clean record and good credit. Change the driver and the order can flip, which is why the only rate that matters is the one you are quoted.

Q: Which handles claims better, The Hanover or Nationwide?

Neither has a clear edge. The Hanover scores Not rated and Nationwide 729/1,000 on the claims measure we use — close enough that the individual adjuster you draw matters more than the company average.

Q: Is The Hanover better than Nationwide overall?

Nationwide scores higher overall in our review — 3.9 against 2.8 out of 5. "Better" still depends on you, though: The Hanover may quote you less, and our score weights six factors that we chose, not the ones you might weight most.

Q: Can I switch from The Hanover to Nationwide mid-policy?

Yes. Auto policies can be cancelled at any time, and most insurers refund the unused premium pro-rata — though some charge a short-rate cancellation fee, so check your policy before you cancel. The one rule worth following: get the new policy bound and in force before you cancel the old one. Even a single day uninsured can count as a coverage lapse, which raises your rate at the next renewal and, in some states, exposes you to a registration penalty.

The Hanover

Nationwide

Across our six scoring categories, The Hanover comes out ahead in 0, Nationwide in 2, with 4 too close to call. Nationwide edges the weighted overall score by 1.1 of a point, on the strength of price, digital experience. That is not a reason to skip The Hanover: 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; The Hanover is worth a quote if you are among drivers whose independent agent recommends it for a specific reason.

The Hanover vs Nationwide, side by side

Category

The HanoverRead the full review

NationwideRead the full review

Overall scoreWeighted across the six categories below

Better

PriceAverage annual full-coverage premium · 25% of score

1.5$4,038/yr

Average full coverage vs. $2,356 national average

2.5$2,671/yr

Average full coverage vs. $2,356 national average

Better

Claims satisfactionJ.D. Power 2025 claims study, out of 1,000 · 20% of score

Not rated

Below the sampling frame of the J.D. Power claims study, which covers only the largest insurers

4.5729/1,000

J.D. Power 2025 claims study, segment average 700

Complaint recordComplaints relative to company size · 15% of score

4.5Fewer than expected

Complaints relative to company size, NAIC data 2022–2024

4.5Fewer than expected

Complaints relative to company size, NAIC data 2022–2024

Financial strengthAM Best Financial Strength Rating · 10% of score

Not published

No AM Best rating we could verify — see the review

4.0A

AM Best Financial Strength Rating

DiscountsBreadth of published discounts · 15% of score

4.012 published

Discounts on the carrier's own pages · No branded telematics program found

4.010 published

Discounts on the carrier's own pages · Telematics: SmartRide and SmartMiles

Digital experienceApp ratings and self-service depth · 15% of score

2.01.99 iOS / 3.0 Android

App Store (154 ratings) and Google Play (173 ratings), August 2026

4.54.69 iOS / 4.5 Android

App Store (70K ratings) and Google Play (21.4K ratings), August 2026

Better

Availability

19 states, through independent agents only

45 states and D.C. — not available in Alaska, Hawaii, Louisiana or Massachusetts

Best suited to

drivers whose independent agent recommends it for a specific reason

drivers who want good claims handling without an agent-only model

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.

The Hanover vs Nationwide across all six categoriesScored 1–5. Longer is better in every category — the price bar already accounts for cheaper being better.

The HanoverNationwide

Category by category

Price

Nationwide ahead

Nationwide averages $2,671/yr for full coverage against The Hanover's $4,038/yr — about $1367 a year, or 113.9 dollars a month, in Nationwide's favor for this profile.

The Hanover

$4,038 a year for full coverage — 71% above the national average, and the highest figure of any carrier we review.

Nationwide

$2,671 a year for full coverage, 13% above the national average. Nationwide is not a discount carrier.

Claims satisfaction

Too close to call

Neither pulls ahead on claims satisfaction: The Hanover posts Not rated and Nationwide 729/1,000, a difference too small to choose on.

The Hanover

Not in the J.D. Power claims study, which samples only the largest insurers.

Nationwide

729 out of 1,000, fourth in the J.D. Power 2025 study and 29 points above the segment average.

Complaint record

Too close to call

Neither pulls ahead on complaint record: The Hanover posts Fewer than expected and Nationwide Fewer than expected, a difference too small to choose on.

The Hanover

Fewer complaints than expected for its size, which is genuinely to its credit.

Nationwide

Fewer complaints than expected for its size.

Financial strength

Too close to call

Neither pulls ahead on financial strength: The Hanover posts Not published and Nationwide A, a difference too small to choose on.

The Hanover

We could not verify an AM Best rating from any page we could read. AM Best blocks automated access and Hanover's rating is not published by the secondary sources we checked.

Nationwide

AM Best A (Excellent).

Discounts

Too close to call

Neither pulls ahead on discounts: The Hanover posts 12 published and Nationwide 10 published, a difference too small to choose on.

The Hanover

Twelve published discounts, several aimed specifically at households with teenage drivers — including one for keeping a teen off a particular vehicle.

Nationwide

Ten published discounts, with bundling stated at an average of $1,032 saved on home and auto together.

Digital experience

Nationwide ahead

Nationwide takes digital experience on 4.69 iOS / 4.5 Android against The Hanover's 1.99 iOS / 3.0 Android.

The Hanover

1.99 on the App Store and 2.98 on Google Play. That iOS score is the lowest of any carrier in this review by a wide margin.

Nationwide

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 The Hanover if…

You are among drivers whose independent agent recommends it for a specific reason.
Availability fits: 19 states, through independent agents only.

Read the full The Hanover review →

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 would rather handle everything in an app than on a phone call.
Availability fits: 45 states and D.C. — not available in Alaska, Hawaii, Louisiana or Massachusetts.

Read the full Nationwide review →

The Hanover vs Nationwide, answered

The questions people ask before switching between these two.

Is The Hanover or Nationwide cheaper?

Which handles claims better, The Hanover or Nationwide?

Is The Hanover better than Nationwide overall?

Can I switch from The Hanover to Nationwide mid-policy?

Other comparisons

Allstate vs The Hanover American Family vs The Hanover Amica vs The Hanover Auto-Owners vs The Hanover Chubb vs The Hanover Clearcover vs The Hanover Allstate vs Nationwide American Family vs Nationwide

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.

Get my free quotes →