The Hanover vs State Farm: which is better for car insurance in 2026?
Across our six scoring categories, The Hanover comes out ahead in 1, State Farm in 3, with 2 too close to call. State Farm edges the weighted overall score by 1.5 of a point, on the strength of price, discounts, digital experience. That is not a reason to skip The Hanover: it scores higher on complaint record, and a quote that comes in lower beats a review that scores higher. State Farm 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 State Farm, 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
State Farm aheadState Farm averages $2,065/yr for full coverage against The Hanover's $4,038/yr — about $1973 a year, or 164.4 dollars a month, in State Farm's favor for this profile.
$4,038 a year for full coverage — 71% above the national average, and the highest figure of any carrier we review.
At $2,065 a year for full coverage, State Farm sits about 12% under the national average — competitive, but not the cheapest of the national carriers.
Claims satisfaction
Too close to callNeither pulls ahead on claims satisfaction: The Hanover posts Not rated and State Farm 716/1,000, a difference too small to choose on.
Not in the J.D. Power claims study, which samples only the largest insurers.
716 out of 1,000 in the J.D. Power 2025 claims study puts State Farm comfortably above the 700-point segment average, and ahead of every other insurer in the top four by market share.
Complaint record
The Hanover aheadThe Hanover takes complaint record on Fewer than expected against State Farm's About the expected number.
Fewer complaints than expected for its size, which is genuinely to its credit.
State Farm draws about the number of complaints its size predicts. For the largest personal auto insurer in the country, average is a more meaningful result than it sounds.
Financial strength
Too close to callNeither pulls ahead on financial strength: The Hanover posts Not published and State Farm A++, a difference too small to choose on.
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.
AM Best's top rating, A++. State Farm is a mutual company owned by its policyholders, with no shareholders to pay.
Discounts
State Farm aheadState Farm takes discounts on 11 published against The Hanover's 12 published.
Twelve published discounts, several aimed specifically at households with teenage drivers — including one for keeping a teen off a particular vehicle.
Eleven published discounts, including a 25% good-student discount and up to 40% off medical coverage for passive restraints. Drive Safe & Save pairs the app with a mailed Bluetooth beacon.
Digital experience
State Farm aheadState Farm takes digital experience on 4.79 iOS / 4.6 Android against The Hanover's 1.99 iOS / 3.0 Android.
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.
4.79 on the App Store and 4.6 on Google Play across 1.7 million combined ratings — consistently strong on both platforms, which is rarer than it should be.
So which one?
Pick The Hanover if…
- You are among drivers whose independent agent recommends it for a specific reason.
- You want the lower complaint record — The Hanover sits at Fewer than expected.
- Availability fits: 19 states, through independent agents only.
Pick State Farm if…
- You are among drivers who want a local agent rather than an app.
- Price is your first filter — State Farm averages $2,065/yr for full coverage on our benchmark profile.
- You expect to stack discounts — State Farm's lineup is the broader of the two.
- You would rather handle everything in an app than on a phone call.
The Hanover vs State Farm, 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.