NJM vs State Farm: which is better for car insurance in 2026?
Across our six scoring categories, NJM comes out ahead in 2, State Farm in 2, with 2 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. State Farm 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 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
Too close to callNJM does not release public rate data, so there is no like-for-like premium to set against State Farm's $2,065/yr. 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'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.
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
NJM aheadNJM takes claims satisfaction on 731/1,000 against State Farm's 716/1,000.
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.
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
NJM aheadNJM takes complaint record on Far fewer than expected against State Farm's About the expected number.
Far fewer complaints than expected for its size — the strongest band we assign.
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
State Farm aheadState Farm takes financial strength on A++ against NJM's A+.
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.
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 NJM's 8 published.
Around eight published discounts, plus the NJM SafeDrive telematics program.
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
Too close to callNeither pulls ahead on digital experience: NJM posts Not published and State Farm 4.79 iOS / 4.6 Android, a difference too small to choose on.
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.
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 NJM if…
- You are among mid-atlantic drivers who weight claims handling above everything.
- You care most about how a claim actually goes: NJM scores 731/1,000.
- 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.
Pick State Farm if…
- You are among drivers who want a local agent rather than an app.
- Financial strength is a priority; State Farm holds A++ from AM Best.
- You expect to stack discounts — State Farm's lineup is the broader of the two.
- Availability fits: 48 states and D.C., through the largest agent network in the country — no new business in Massachusetts or Rhode Island.
NJM vs State Farm, answered
The questions people ask before switching between these two.
Other comparisons
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