Nationwide

Like Farmers and State Farm, Nationwide auto insurance began with farmers and ranchers, limiting its risk pool to farmers and ranchers in order to save its policyholders money on premiums oftentimes inflated due to urban motorists who drove more frequently and in riskier conditions. The years have served Nationwide well. It has expanded its auto insurance to include other insurance protection products while expanding its coverage from Ohio farmers to all drivers across the nation.
Unlike many auto insurance agencies, whose storied past tends to cast a shadow into the future and whose growth, while beneficial to shareholders and can offer savings initially for policyholders, comes at the cost of the quality of its customer service and claims process, Nationwide has managed to balance the needs of the individual with the needs of the collective.

Standout Features

• Free Nationwide iPhone application
• 100% guarantees on repairs for life of car
• Blue Ribbon Claims Services

Accidents are just that: unplanned, oftentimes chaotic affairs that can range from simple information exchanges for parties involved in a fender bender to serious bodily injury and vehicle damage that can require hospital stays and even legal prosecution. With Nationwide, getting your vehicle off the road, into the repair shop and back on the road again is made as simple as possible and built with the busy lives and schedules of its policyholders in mind.
The Blue Ribbon Claims Services, like Progressive's "Concierge" program and eSurance's E-star program is designed to expedite the claims and repairs process by offering motorists access to pre-screened, pre-qualified repairs facilities where all repairs are guaranteed for as long as you own the vehicle. The Blue Ribbons Claims Service, like eSurance's E-star, also updates repairs statuses with actual photos, going beyond the vague and brief description that generally accompanies updates.

Policy Flexibility:

8.8/10

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Depending on state laws, many of which require drivers to take out additional auto insurance protections, Nationwide is highly flexible. Keeping in mind the needs of its policyholders, Nationwide customizes each car insurance policy to offer the right coverage for the right driver at the right price. Nationwide customers seeking simplicity for insurance protection products can also expand their auto insurance policy to include other policies, including home, life and others.

Benefits & Discounts:

8.8/10

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Though Esurance sets a pretty high mark for discounts and benefits, Nationwide doesn't fall far behind. In addition to the unwritten discount standards like Multiple-policy, multiple-car, good driver and good student, Nationwide offers premium discounts for vehicles with car safety and anti-theft features, drivers that have completed a defensive driver course and long-term policyholders. Also, not forgetting its roots, Nationwide offers discounts for Farm Bureau Members in several states, as well as upwards of 3% for employees and members of qualifying organizations.

Customer Service & Claims Timeliness:

10/10

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Nationwide has gone well beyond the norm with claims transparency and tracking. With the recent release of its Nationwide iPhone app, Nationwide policyholders with an iPhone can now track claims, manage policies, make payments and perform other tasks, further simplifying both routine policy maintenance and irregular customer needs like accident claims and repairs.
Although Nationwide has remained with the times and has made policy information and application, maintenance and reporting functions available online, it still keeps offices with licensed agents across the country. Though the move online has simplified the maintenance of car insurance policies and made it fairly easy to access information about features and products, sometimes you need a personal agent from your own community to explain features, assist with claims and advocate your cause. With offices in most cities across the country, Nationwide makes this possible.

Summary:

Nationwide Auto Insurance is proof that being big doesn't have to mean being impersonal, and that it's possible to be innovative and traditional at the same time. While GEICO, Progressive and eSurance have strong features or programs that distinguish them, Nationwide seems to have taken some of the better elements of all 3, combining them together to make for a customer-driven auto insurance product built with the lives, needs and schedules of its policyholders in mind.