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Liberty Mutual vs Root: which is better for car insurance in 2026?

Q: Is Liberty Mutual or Root cheaper?

We cannot answer that with published data. Liberty Mutual does not release public rate information, so no independent study — ours included — can put a national average next to Root's Not published. The only way to know is to quote both.

Q: Which handles claims better, Liberty Mutual or Root?

Neither has a clear edge. Liberty Mutual scores 730/1,000 and Root Not rated on the claims measure we use — close enough that the individual adjuster you draw matters more than the company average.

Q: Is Liberty Mutual better than Root overall?

We can't put two scores side by side here. Liberty Mutual does not publish enough of the underlying data for us to give it an overall score — we would rather say so than compute one from the two or three figures that do exist. Root scores undefined out of 5. Compare them on the individual categories above, and on the quotes you actually get.

Q: Can I switch from Liberty Mutual to Root 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.

Liberty MutualNot scored

RootNot scored

Across our six scoring categories, Liberty Mutual comes out ahead in 1, Root in 0, with 5 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. Root 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 Root, side by side

Category

Liberty MutualRead the full review

RootRead the full review

Overall scoreWeighted across the six categories below

Not scored

PriceAverage annual full-coverage premium · 25% of score

Not published

This company does not release public rate data

Not published

This company does not release public rate data

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

4.5730/1,000

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

Not rated

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

Complaint recordComplaints relative to company size · 15% of score

2.5More than expected

Complaints relative to company size, NAIC data 2021–2023

Better

1.5Far more than expected

Complaints relative to company size, NAIC data 2022–2024

Financial strengthAM Best Financial Strength Rating · 10% of score

4.0A

AM Best Financial Strength Rating

Not published

No AM Best rating we could verify — see the review

DiscountsBreadth of published discounts · 15% of score

4.512 published

Discounts on the carrier's own pages · Telematics: RightTrack

Not published

No discount list we could read on the carrier's own site

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

5.04.79 iOS / 4.6 Android

App Store (484K ratings) and Google Play (185K ratings), August 2026

Not published

No app-store presence we could verify

Availability

45 states and D.C. — not available in Alaska, California, North Dakota, South Dakota or Wyoming

37 states

Best suited to

drivers who value claims handling and will quote it directly

confident drivers willing to be monitored before being quoted

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.

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

Liberty MutualRoot

Category by category

Price

Too close to call

Liberty Mutual does not release public rate data, so there is no like-for-like premium to set against Root's Not published. 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.

Liberty Mutual

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.

Root

Root is excluded from the rate study we use for every other carrier, because its pricing model does not fit a standard benchmark — your quote depends on a driving test, not a profile.

Claims satisfaction

Too close to call

Neither pulls ahead on claims satisfaction: Liberty Mutual posts 730/1,000 and Root Not rated, a difference too small to choose on.

Liberty Mutual

730 out of 1,000, third-highest in the J.D. Power 2025 study and thirty points above the segment average.

Root

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

Complaint record

Liberty Mutual ahead

Liberty Mutual takes complaint record on More than expected against Root's Far more than expected.

Liberty Mutual

More complaints than expected for its size, based on 2021–2023 data — a different window from most carriers here, so not perfectly comparable.

Root

Far more complaints than expected for its size.

Financial strength

Too close to call

Neither pulls ahead on financial strength: Liberty Mutual posts A and Root Not published, a difference too small to choose on.

Liberty Mutual

AM Best A (Excellent).

Root

No AM Best rating, and Demotech lists it as not rated. No independent assessment of its ability to pay claims is available — the single most important thing to know about Root.

Discounts

Too close to call

Neither pulls ahead on discounts: Liberty Mutual posts 12 published and Root Not published, a difference too small to choose on.

Liberty Mutual

Twelve published discounts, plus a customization tool Liberty Mutual says saves 12% or more — though that is excluded in nine states.

Root

No discount list we could read on Root's own site.

Digital experience

Too close to call

Neither pulls ahead on digital experience: Liberty Mutual posts 4.79 iOS / 4.6 Android and Root Not published, a difference too small to choose on.

Liberty Mutual

4.79 on the App Store and 4.6 on Google Play across 669,000 combined ratings. Solid on both platforms.

Root

No app-store figures we could verify from a primary source.

So which one?

Pick Liberty Mutual if…

You are among drivers who value claims handling and will quote it directly.
You want the lower complaint record — Liberty Mutual sits at More than expected.
Availability fits: 45 states and D.C. — not available in Alaska, California, North Dakota, South Dakota or Wyoming.

Read the full Liberty Mutual review →

Pick Root if…

You are among confident drivers willing to be monitored before being quoted.
Availability fits: 37 states.

Read the full Root review →

Liberty Mutual vs Root, answered

The questions people ask before switching between these two.

Is Liberty Mutual or Root cheaper?

Which handles claims better, Liberty Mutual or Root?

Is Liberty Mutual better than Root overall?

Can I switch from Liberty Mutual to Root mid-policy?

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