Liberty Mutual vs Nationwide: which is better for car insurance in 2026?
Across our six scoring categories, Liberty Mutual comes out ahead in 2, Nationwide in 1, with 3 too close to call. There is no overall score to compare, though: Liberty Mutual does not publish enough of the underlying data to earn one, and we would rather leave it blank than build a number out of the two or three figures that happen to exist. Nationwide is the better-documented of the two, which is not the same as being the better insurer for you. Judge these two on the categories where both have real figures — and on what they actually quote you.
Liberty Mutual 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
Too close to callLiberty Mutual does not release public rate data, so there is no like-for-like premium to set against Nationwide's $2,671/yr. That is a real gap in the comparison, not a rounding error — treat Liberty Mutual's price as unknown until you have a quote in hand.
Not published. Liberty Mutual releases no public rate data, so no independent study — including ours — can put a national average against it. Any figure you see quoted for Liberty Mutual is an estimate.
$2,671 a year for full coverage, 13% above the national average. Nationwide is not a discount carrier.
Claims satisfaction
Too close to callNeither pulls ahead on claims satisfaction: Liberty Mutual posts 730/1,000 and Nationwide 729/1,000, a difference too small to choose on.
730 out of 1,000, third-highest in the J.D. Power 2025 study and thirty points above 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 Liberty Mutual's More than expected.
More complaints than expected for its size, based on 2021–2023 data — a different window from most carriers here, so not perfectly comparable.
Fewer complaints than expected for its size.
Financial strength
Too close to callNeither pulls ahead on financial strength: Liberty Mutual posts A and Nationwide A, a difference too small to choose on.
AM Best A (Excellent).
AM Best A (Excellent).
Discounts
Liberty Mutual aheadLiberty Mutual takes discounts on 12 published against Nationwide's 10 published.
Twelve published discounts, plus a customization tool Liberty Mutual says saves 12% or more — though that is excluded in nine states.
Ten published discounts, with bundling stated at an average of $1,032 saved on home and auto together.
Digital experience
Liberty Mutual aheadLiberty Mutual takes digital experience on 4.79 iOS / 4.6 Android against Nationwide's 4.69 iOS / 4.5 Android.
4.79 on the App Store and 4.6 on Google Play across 669,000 combined ratings. Solid on both platforms.
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 Liberty Mutual if…
- You are among drivers who value claims handling and will quote it directly.
- You expect to stack discounts — Liberty Mutual's lineup is the broader of the two.
- You would rather handle everything in an app than on a phone call.
- Availability fits: 45 states and D.C. — not available in Alaska, California, North Dakota, South Dakota or Wyoming.
Pick Nationwide if…
- You are among drivers who want good claims handling without an agent-only model.
- You want the lower complaint record — Nationwide sits at Fewer than expected.
- Availability fits: 45 states and D.C. — not available in Alaska, Hawaii, Louisiana or Massachusetts.
Liberty Mutual vs Nationwide, answered
The questions people ask before switching between these two.
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