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

Q: Is NJM or Root cheaper?

We cannot answer that with published data. NJM 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, NJM or Root?

Neither has a clear edge. NJM scores 731/1,000 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 NJM better than Root overall?

We can't put two scores side by side here. NJM 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 NJM 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.

NJMNot scored

RootNot scored

Across our six scoring categories, NJM comes out ahead in 1, Root in 0, with 5 too close to call. There is no overall score to compare, though: NJM 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.

NJM vs Root, side by side

Category

NJMRead 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

4.5731/1,000

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

5.0Far fewer than expected

Complaints relative to company size, NAIC data 2022–2024

Better

1.5Far more than expected

Complaints relative to company size, NAIC data 2022–2024

Financial strengthAM Best Financial Strength Rating · 10% of score

4.5A+

AM Best Financial Strength Rating

Not published

No AM Best rating we could verify — see the review

DiscountsBreadth of published discounts · 15% of score

4.08 published

Discounts on the carrier's own pages · Telematics: NJM SafeDrive

Not published

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

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

Not published

No app-store presence we could verify

Not published

No app-store presence we could verify

Availability

5 states in the Mid-Atlantic, sold direct with no agents

37 states

Best suited to

Mid-Atlantic drivers who weight claims handling above everything

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.

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

NJMRoot

Category by category

Price

Too close to call

NJM 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 NJM's price as unknown until you have a quote in hand.

NJM

NJM's published average is a New Jersey figure, not a national one. New Jersey is a high-cost state, so setting it against a national benchmark would flatter NJM for reasons that have nothing to do with NJM. We have left it out rather than compare unlike things.

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: NJM posts 731/1,000 and Root Not rated, a difference too small to choose on.

NJM

731 out of 1,000 in the J.D. Power 2025 claims study — second only to Erie among ranked insurers, and 31 points above the segment average.

Root

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

Complaint record

NJM ahead

NJM takes complaint record on Far fewer than expected against Root's Far more than expected.

NJM

Far fewer complaints than expected for its size — the strongest band we assign.

Root

Far more complaints than expected for its size.

Financial strength

Too close to call

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

NJM

AM Best A+ (Superior). Note that AM Best revised the outlook on its separate issuer credit rating to negative in 2025, citing consecutive underwriting losses.

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: NJM posts 8 published and Root Not published, a difference too small to choose on.

NJM

Around eight published discounts, plus the NJM SafeDrive telematics program.

Root

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

Digital experience

Too close to call

Neither pulls ahead on digital experience: NJM posts Not published and Root Not published, a difference too small to choose on.

NJM

NJM publishes no general policyholder app on either store — only the SafeDrive telematics app. Policy servicing is web-only, so there is no app experience to rate.

Root

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

So which one?

Pick NJM if…

You are among mid-atlantic drivers who weight claims handling above everything.
You want the lower complaint record — NJM sits at Far fewer than expected.
Availability fits: 5 states in the Mid-Atlantic, sold direct with no agents.

Read the full NJM 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 →

NJM vs Root, answered

The questions people ask before switching between these two.

Is NJM or Root cheaper?

Which handles claims better, NJM or Root?

Is NJM better than Root overall?

Can I switch from NJM to Root mid-policy?

Other comparisons

Allstate vs NJM American Family vs NJM Amica vs NJM Auto-Owners vs NJM Chubb vs NJM Clearcover vs NJM Allstate vs Root American Family vs Root

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 →