MAPFRE vs Root: which is better for car insurance in 2026?
Across our six scoring categories, MAPFRE comes out ahead in 1, Root in 0, with 5 too close to call. There is no overall score to compare, though: Root 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. MAPFRE 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.
MAPFRE vs Root, 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 callRoot does not release public rate data, so there is no like-for-like premium to set against MAPFRE's $1,474/yr. That is a real gap in the comparison, not a rounding error — treat Root's price as unknown until you have a quote in hand.
$1,474 a year for full coverage — 37% below the national average and the lowest figure of any carrier we review, USAA included.
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 callNeither pulls ahead on claims satisfaction: MAPFRE posts Not rated and Root Not rated, a difference too small to choose on.
MAPFRE is not in the J.D. Power claims study, which samples only the largest insurers. That is a permanent absence, not a pending one.
Not in the J.D. Power claims study, which samples only the largest insurers.
Complaint record
MAPFRE aheadMAPFRE takes complaint record on Fewer than expected against Root's Far more than expected.
Fewer complaints than its size predicts.
Far more complaints than expected for its size.
Financial strength
Too close to callNeither pulls ahead on financial strength: MAPFRE posts A and Root Not published, a difference too small to choose on.
AM Best A (Excellent). The US arm is owned by MAPFRE S.A. of Spain.
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 callNeither pulls ahead on discounts: MAPFRE posts 9 published and Root Not published, a difference too small to choose on.
Nine published discounts, though MotionSmart — the telematics program — is offered in Massachusetts only.
No discount list we could read on Root's own site.
Digital experience
Too close to callNeither pulls ahead on digital experience: MAPFRE posts 4.40 iOS / 4.1 Android and Root Not published, a difference too small to choose on.
4.40 on the App Store across 13,400 ratings and 4.1 on Google Play. Solid, and a far larger rating base than most carriers this size.
No app-store figures we could verify from a primary source.
So which one?
Pick MAPFRE if…
- You are among new england drivers who want the lowest average premium here.
- You want the lower complaint record — MAPFRE sits at Fewer than expected.
- Availability fits: 11 states, concentrated in Massachusetts and New England.
Pick Root if…
- You are among confident drivers willing to be monitored before being quoted.
- Availability fits: 37 states.
MAPFRE vs Root, 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.