State Farm Review

Pros and Cons

When you’re that big, you must be doing something right. The number one reason to purchase car insurance from State Farm is that it’s number one in size. It has expert agents in every corner of the United States, no matter how big or small, and its strong credit rating attests to its financial strength and ability to pay out on claims.

Other pros to using State Farm include: a mobile app that allows you to download your policy documents and file and track a claim; ride share insurance to motorists in 42 states; and the Steer Clear program, which encourages safe-driving behavior among drivers aged 25 and younger.

As with any big company, there are also a couple of cons, namely that State Farm doesn’t always offer the cheapest rates, and that it doesn’t offer as many discount programs as some of its competitors.

Types of Auto Insurance

State Farm offers the following types of car insurance coverage:

Liability. Covers Bodily Injury liability and Property Damage liability. Pays for the other party’s medical expenses, vehicle repairs, or property damage if you were at fault in an accident.

Collision. Pays for repair or replacement of your vehicle if it’s involved in a collision with another vehicle or object, regardless of who was at fault.

Comprehensive. Pays for repairs and replacement resulting from anything other than a collision, such as theft, vandalism, fire, flood, or hitting an animal.

Uninsured / Underinsured Motor Vehicle. Protects you when you’re involved in an accident caused by someone who doesn’t have any liability coverage or doesn’t have sufficient liability coverage to cover expenses.

Medical Payments. Pays for medical expenses or funeral expenses if you or any of your passengers are injured or killed in an accident.

Car Rental and Travel Expenses. Covers the cost of renting a replacement vehicle while your car is being repaired.

Emergency Road Service. Helps you when you’ve broken down and need a tire change, jump-start, fuel delivery, or lockout services.

Rideshare Driver Coverage. Add-on for drivers who work for rideshare companies such as Uber and Lyft.

State Farm also offers these special types of vehicle insurance:

Teen Car Insurance. Competitive rates for policy holders with teen and young drivers. Includes Steer Clear, a program that helps drivers aged less than 25 improve their driving skills and reduce their insurance costs.

Rental Car Insurance. State Farm’s collision and comprehensive coverage carries over to any rental vehicles. However, if you don’t own a car or if your personal car insurance has a high deductible State Farm can offer you appropriate rental car coverage.

Sports Car Insurance. Sports car insurance is typically very expensive, but State Farm says it can help you take a few steps to reduce the cost of your coverage.

Antique & Classic Car Insurance. As with sports cars, vintage cars also require their own type of insurance – and State Farm can help you out.

Business Auto Insurance. For businesses with multiple vehicles, featuring all the same types of coverage as State Farm’s personal car insurance.

How to Apply

There are two ways of applying for a quote and purchasing car insurance: by getting an auto quote online or by speaking to one of State Farm’s 18,000 agents. It takes only a few minutes to buy coverage online, using the following steps:

•    On the State Farm website, under the heading “Get an Auto Quote”, enter your zip code and press "Go".

•    Enter basic personal details, including name, address, and date of birth.

•    Enter vehicle information (for up to four vehicles). Include the year, make model, and body style. If you have access to your vehicle identification number (VIN), you can enter this to save time.

•    Enter additional vehicle information, such as how it is financed, what you use it for, and annual mileage.

•    Enter information for all policyholders, including how long each driver has had their license and whether any of the drivers have had traffic violations.

•    Enter additional driving history for all policy holders, including information about at-fault accidents or minor convictions in the past 6 years, any major convictions in the past 10 years, or any license suspensions or revocations.

•    Provide information about your current insurer and policy, if you have existing car insurance. This is also the section where you would add certain information if you wish to apply for Vehicle Safety or Drive Safe & Save discounts

•    Next, you’ll see your quote. You can choose from a cheaper Basic package, a Standard package, or a Premium package with enhanced coverage and extras. You can view any of these three packages and customize things like deductibles and add-ons to finalize your policy. You’ll then be given the chance to save the quote or purchase immediately.

Filing a Claim

Policy holders may file claims online, over the phone, or by post. To file or manage a claim online, simply use your State Farm log in details and enter information about the accident plus supporting information. State Farm has a large team of claims representatives and, judging by online feedback, it has an overall positive reputation for handling claims quickly and effectively.

Contact State Farm

You can Contact State Farm via any of the following channels:

Phone: 800-STATE-FARM (800-782-8332) for general inquiries.

Direct: To locate an agent in your area, use this search form: https://www.statefarm.com/agent/

Mail: State Farm Insurance, One State Farm Plaza, Bloomington, IL 61710

Summary

State Farm is the largest car insurance company in the United States, issuing more than $40 billion in auto premiums to customers in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. It has agents spread all around the country to help you find the most suitable auto coverage for your needs. In addition to standard forms of coverage such as liability, collision and comprehensive, and medical expenses, it also offers a suite of add-ons for owners of sports cars and antique cars and for people who frequently use rental vehicles.