Farmers Insurance review

What Farmers Insurance is and who it suits

Farmers Insurance is the trade name of a group of US insurers that sells car, home, life and small-business insurance through local agents, online and by phone.¹ At its core are three insurance exchanges owned by their policyholders, Farmers Insurance Exchange, Fire Insurance Exchange and Truck Insurance Exchange. They are managed by Farmers Group, Inc., a subsidiary of Switzerland's Zurich Insurance Group.^2,12 Farmers says it serves millions of households and businesses in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.¹

Farmers suits households that want to bundle car and home cover, like having a local agent and can use its long list of discounts. It is a weaker fit if you want to compare prices without handing over personal details, because every price comes from an individual quote. This review is based on Farmers' own pages and press releases, AM Best and state regulator data; we did not buy a policy or file a claim.

Key facts

Company background and ownership

Farmers was founded in Los Angeles in 1928 by John C. Tyler and Thomas E. Leavey, who wanted to insure the cars of farmers and ranchers.^16,1 Truck Insurance Exchange followed in 1935 and Fire Insurance Exchange in 1942. The management company, Farmers Group, Inc., was taken over by a subsidiary of B.A.T Industries in 1988 and became part of the Zurich group in 1998. Foremost, Bristol West and 21st Century were added between 2000 and 2009, and in December 2020 Farmers announced the purchase of MetLife's US auto and home business.¹⁶

The three exchanges are reciprocal insurers organised under California law and owned by their policyholders.² Farmers Group, Inc. acts as their attorney-in-fact and provides administrative services for a fee. It is wholly owned by Zurich Insurance Group, which states that it has no ownership interest in the exchanges.^2,12 Life insurance is issued by Farmers New World Life Insurance Company, a subsidiary of Farmers Group, Inc.²

The group is large. Zurich reported gross written premiums of USD 22.6 billion for the Farmers Exchanges in the first nine months of 2025, 5% more than a year earlier.¹² According to Farmers, Farmers Insurance Exchange, the largest of the three exchanges, is one of the largest US businesses on the 2026 Fortune 500 list.⁸

Products and where they are available

Farmers covers most personal and small-business needs:³

Sister brands fill gaps: Foremost covers specialty risks such as mobile homes and boats, Bristol West non-standard car insurance, 21st Century sells car insurance directly in California, and Toggle offers renters and car insurance online.²

Availability is the main caveat: not every product, discount or insurer in the group is available in every state.³ In July 2023 Farmers told Florida's regulator it would stop offering Farmers-branded auto, home and umbrella policies there to manage its risk exposure; affiliates such as Bristol West and Foremost were not affected.¹¹ In California, by contrast, Farmers says it is one of the few home insurers that never stopped offering new home policies.¹⁰

Quotes, prices and discounts

Farmers publishes no price lists. Your premium comes from an individual quote and depends on where you live, the drivers and vehicles in the household, driving records, mileage and the coverage you choose.⁶ A higher deductible lowers the premium but raises what you pay after a loss, and some states let insurers use credit information to price car insurance.⁴

Farmers lists more than 20 car insurance discounts that can be combined, depending on the state.⁴ The main groups:

Signal, Farmers' safe-driving app, records hard braking, phone use, driving times and mileage and gives an initial discount for enrolling. At renewal, safe driving can earn a further discount, but riskier driving can raise the premium. Signal is not offered in Florida, Hawaii or New York, its discount is not available in California, and only some policies qualify.⁵

Discounts also change through state filings. A California homeowners rating plan approved in May 2026 raises the home and auto bundling discount on Smart Plan Home and Next Generation Home policies from 15% to 22% from 15 September 2026, while lifting rates by a statewide average of 1.5%.¹⁰ Treat any figure as a snapshot and compare quotes on the day you buy.

Claims and customer service

Claims can be reported on farmers.com, in the Farmers app, through your agent or by phone to a 24-hour claims centre; Spanish-language help is available.⁸ Farmers says an online claim takes less than five minutes with a policy number, and the online account shows claim status, documents and payments at any time. Glass repair and roadside assistance have their own claim routes.⁷

On your own policy you pay the deductible even if you were not at fault; Farmers then tries to recover costs from the other driver's insurer and refunds the deductible if it succeeds. A claim can affect your premium.⁷ After large disasters Farmers can send a Catastrophe Response Team with a mobile claims centre.¹

Day-to-day service runs largely through agents, alongside an online account for payments and auto ID cards.^1,7 Since July 2026 Farmers has been rolling out Coverage on a Page, a plain summary of what select car and home policies cover and exclude, and free Coverage Review conversations, which can also look at policies held elsewhere.⁹

Financial strength and complaint records

On 3 September 2026 AM Best affirmed its Financial Strength Rating of A (Excellent) for the members of Farmers Insurance Group and revised the outlook on their long-term issuer credit ratings to positive. AM Best assesses the group's balance sheet as very strong, but names elevated exposure to catastrophe losses and reliance on about $2 billion of surplus notes as offsetting factors.¹³

Complaint data is more mixed. California's Department of Insurance ranks 50 large car and home insurers in the state by justified complaints per 100,000 earned exposures. For complaint year 2025, where rank 1 has the lowest ratio, the Farmers companies placed as follows:^14,15

The home ratios fell sharply from 2024 but remain among the higher ones in the study.¹⁵ The data covers California only, so other states can differ.

How getting started works

Buying Farmers insurance starts with a quote, online, by phone or through a local agent. For car insurance the route looks like this:⁶

1. Gather details: dates of birth, driving licence numbers, the household's driving history, your commute, each vehicle's VIN and mileage, and your current insurance.⁶
2. Request a quote at farmers.com with your ZIP code, by phone or from an agent. Farmers says an online car quote takes about 10 minutes, and you can save it.^6,4
3. Choose limits and deductibles and ask which discounts apply in your state.⁴
4. Compare quotes from other insurers for the same coverage, and check which Farmers insurer would issue the policy; each is responsible for its own policies.^4,3
5. Buy the policy, paying in full or by automatic payments; new customers must meet the underwriting guidelines.^4,10
6. Keep your policy documents and auto ID card in your online account.⁷

Prices, terms and availability change and can differ by country or state. Check the current terms on Farmers Insurance's own website before you buy.

Pros and cons

Farmers Insurance FAQ

Sources

1. Farmers – About us
2. Farmers – Our companies
3. Farmers – Explore insurance options (product range and underwriting notice)
4. Farmers – Car insurance discounts
5. Farmers – Signal safe-driving app
6. Farmers – What you need to get an auto insurance quote
7. Farmers – File or track a claim
8. Farmers Newsroom – Hurricane Isaias customer release, 9 October 2026 (claim channels, company profile)
9. Farmers Newsroom – Coverage on a Page and Coverage Review, 13 July 2026
10. Farmers Newsroom – New homeowners rating plan approved in California, 11 May 2026
11. Insurance Journal – Farmers further reducing Florida business, 11 July 2023
12. Zurich Insurance Group – Nine-month 2025 results release, 6 November 2025 (Farmers ownership note)
13. AM Best – Outlooks revised to positive for members of Farmers Insurance Group, 3 September 2026
14. California Department of Insurance – Consumer Complaint Study 2026, auto insurers (PDF)
15. California Department of Insurance – Consumer Complaint Study 2026, homeowners insurers (PDF)
16. Wikipedia – Farmers Insurance Group (history)

This review is general information, not professional advice. It is an editorial assessment based on Farmers Insurance's published prices, terms and help pages and on public sources, checked on 2 November 2026. We did not buy or test the service ourselves. Prices, terms and availability change and differ by country or state, so check the current terms before you buy.