Esurance vs. Allstate Car Insurance: Reviews and Quotes
Find the Cheapest Auto Insurance Quotes in Your Area
When purchasing a car insurance policy, customers may evaluate price, coverage options and and an insurer's financial record. Esurance and Allstate, two large national insurers available in most parts of the country, are worth consideration.
For drivers looking for their cheapest rate, we recommend Esurance, which offers cheaper car insurance quotes in most states.
- Esurance's car insurance rates averaged $3,039 per year or $253 per month
- Allstate’s premiums averaged $5,355 per year or $446 per month
However, other factors, such as claims processing and customer service, are also important to assess when buying an auto insurance policy. Allstate, in fact, comes out on top for coverage options and general customer satisfaction.
We rank Esurance and Allstate for several decision factors below.
| Best for | Insurer |
|---|---|
| Price | Esurance |
| Coverages and discounts | Allstate |
| Shopping experience | Esurance |
| Claims processing | Esurance |
| General customer satisfaction | Allstate |
Esurance vs. Allstate: Who’s cheaper?
Esurance typically offers cheaper car insurance quotes than Allstate. Average annual auto insurance rates at Esurance are $3,039, or $253 per month, compared to Allstate's premiums of $5,355 per year, or $446 per month.
However, in some states — including Maryland, Missouri and New York — Allstate's rates were cheaper than Esurance's. Furthermore, the annual difference in cost between the insurers was sometimes as high as $3,000, including in Arizona, Michigan and New Jersey.
Given the large variation in rates across states, we recommend getting quotes from multiple insurers when shopping for car insurance.
Esurance vs. Allstate in 10 large U.S. states
| State | Esurance | Allstate |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona | $2,477 | $6,052 |
| Georgia | $2,572 | $4,370 |
| Maryland | $3,856 | $2,905 |
| Michigan | $4,373 | $18,253 |
| Missouri | $3,566 | $3,028 |
| New Jersey | $2,052 | $5,422 |
| New York | $4,556 | $3,582 |
| Ohio | $1,834 | $2,440 |
| Pennsylvania | $1,254 | $2,754 |
| Texas | $3,852 | $4,748 |
| Average | $3,039 | $5,355 |
To compare costs, we collected auto insurance quotes from the 10 most populated states where both Esurance and Allstate offer policies and quotes were available.
Esurance vs. Allstate: Customer service, reviews and satisfaction
We explore how customers rate their car insurance policies at Esurance and Allstate based on the insurance shopping experience, claims processing satisfaction and overall complaints.
Esurance provides a better shopping experience for customers
Policyholders at Esurance are consistently more satisfied with the auto insurance shopping experience, including available policy offerings and price, than Allstate customers.
| Insurer | Overall satisfaction | Policy offerings | Price | Call center | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Esurance | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Allstate | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Ratings are from J.D. Power's 2019 U.S. Insurance Shopping Study, which used a large customer survey to evaluate the largest auto insurance companies in the country. Scores are based on a 5-point scale, with a score of five expressing high satisfaction.
Esurance beats Allstate (barely) for claims satisfaction
Regarding claims satisfaction, customers rate Esurance and Allstate similarly, though Esurance receives higher marks for repair services and car rentals. The only category in which Allstate received a higher mark than Esurance was claims settlement.
| Insurer | Overall satisfaction | First notice of loss | Estimation | Repair | Rentals | Servicing | Settlement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Esurance | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| Allstate | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Ratings are from J.D. Power’s 2018 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study and are based on a 5-point scale.
Allstate receives fewer complaints than expected, Esurance has more
Allstate receives better customer service ratings than Esurance, based on complaint data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).
Esurance received a complaint index of 1.29 in the most recent year for which data was available. Esurance's complaint index was higher than both the national median of 1.00 and Allstate's complaint index of 0.69. A higher complaint index indicates the insurer received more complaints than expected based on the company's market share.
For both Allstate and Esurance, the most common complaints were related to claims processing delays, unsatisfactory settlement and claim denials.
Both Esurance and Allstate offer sophisticated online experiences
For many car insurance policyholders, user-friendly digital tools and online experiences can be valuable. Both Esurance and Allstate have invested in this domain, including mobile apps and other digital offerings that let customers manage their policies and receive critical services.
Esurance's online and mobile tools include:
- Coverage counselor determines appropriate coverages for a given customer based on a short survey.
- Photo claims estimates allow customers to submit pictures for claims appraisals by logging in to a mobile app.
- RepairView lets customers track car repairs and claims processing.
- Fuelcaster predicts gas price changes, which helps customers save when filling up their tanks.
Allstate's online and mobile tools include:
- Milewise, a pay-per-mile car insurance policy that provides similar coverage and claims service to standard auto policies but prices rates based on the policyholder's total miles driven. Drivers that do not drive often may benefit from lower rates. Milewise is currently only available in 13 states.
- Allstate Car Health, a mobile app that helps policyholders diagnose car problems, book mechanic appointments and receive estimates for repairs.
- Drivewise, a device installed in a driver's diagnostic port that provides drivers with personalized feedback on their driving behavior to encourage safety on the road. Signing up and demonstrating safe driving consistently can qualify policyholders for a discount.
For drivers looking for a pay-per-mile car insurance policy, Allstate may be the better choice, as Esurance no longer offers a pay-per-mile program.
Esurance vs. Allstate: Compare coverage options and discounts
As two large insurers, both Esurance and Allstate offer full coverage car insurance policies that include the standard coverages required or recommended in most states.
Most coverages offered are the same at both insurers, though Allstate provides sound system insurance, whereas Esurance does not.
Coverages offered at both Esurance and Allstate include:
- Bodily injury liability
- Property damage liability
- Personal injury protection (PIP)
- Medical payments
- Comprehensive and collision
- Uninsured and underinsured motorist
- Umbrella policies
- Gap insurance
Allstate slightly edges out Esurance on discounts
Esurance and Allstate offer relatively similar discounts to customers, both in terms of the discount applied and diversity available. These discounts are usually related to vehicle equipment, driving record and policy options.
While there is no abundantly clear winner for discounts, Allstate does appear to offer slightly greater breadth of discounts available.
We provide a sample list of discounts available at Esurance and Allstate, including the potential savings offered:
| Discount | Esurance | Allstate |
|---|---|---|
| Antilock brakes | 5% | 10% |
| Antitheft system | 5%-25% | 2-10% |
| New car | N/A | 8-10% |
| Daytime running lights | N/A | 3% |
| Good driver history (based on claims filings) | 10%-40% | $100 of deductible |
| Safe driving (tracked via mobile app) | 8% | 10-32% |
| Defensive driving course | 10% | 10% |
| Senior adult | N/A | 10% |
| Good student | 10% | 5% |
| Fast 5 | 5% | N/A |
| Paperless | N/A | 10% |
| Multipolicy | Varies | 10% |
| Paid-in-full | 10% | 10% |
Discounts available vary depending on your location and driver profile. Insurance companies may also limit the total potential reduction in annual premium costs. Furthermore, certain discounts may be applicable to only specific coverages, such as just the PIP section of your premium, rather than the entire policy.
Allstate vs. Esurance: Company structure and policy availability
Allstate, which is available in all 50 states, underwrites policies under several subsidiary names, including Allstate Assurance, Allstate Fire & Casualty and Allstate Indemnity, among others.
Esurance, which offers auto insurance policies in 43 states, is owned and backed by parent company Allstate but operates with a high degree of independence. The seven states where you could get Allstate but not Esurance are Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Montana, New Hampshire, Vermont and Wyoming.
While Allstate actually owns Esurance, the two companies have different approaches to car insurance. The major difference between the two is that Esurance focuses more on direct-to-consumer relationships, whereas Allstate relies on a large network of insurance agents. Still, both insurers have invested in online tools and digital experiences for car insurance customers.
Methodology
This analysis used car insurance quotes from thousands of ZIP codes across the 10 largest states in the U.S. by population where both Esurance and Allstate offer policies and quotes were available.
The sample driver was a 30-year-old man who drove a 2015 Honda Civic EX. All other variables affecting the cost of car insurance were consistent, including marital status (driver was single) and driving record (clean). Coverage levels are listed below and are slightly higher than any one state's minimum coverage requirements:
| Coverage type | Study limits |
|---|---|
| Bodily liability | $50,000 per person / $100,000 per accident |
| Property damage | $25,000 per accident |
| Uninsured/Underinsured motorist bodily injury | $50,000 per person / $100,000 per accident |
| Comprehensive and collision | $500 deductible |
| Personal injury protection (PIP) | Minimum when required by state |
ValuePenguin's analysis used insurance rate data from Quadrant Information Services. These rates were publicly sourced from insurer filings and should be used for comparative purposes only — your own quotes may be different.
Editorial Note: The content of this article is based on the author’s opinions and recommendations alone. It has not been previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any of our network partners.