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State Auto Insurance Company was founded in 1921 by Robert Pein and headquartered in Columbus, Ohio in the United States. Pein wanted to build a new kind of insurance company due to his frustration with high insurance rates and unfair claim settlements.

Much like other larger insurance company titans like State Farm, Geico, and USAA, they offer other insurance policies–homeowners insurance, renters insurance, life insurance, and business insurance.

Today, State Auto (www.stateauto.com) has $4.6 billion in assets and a premium portfolio of $2.0 billion in 33 states. As insurance providers, the company relies on independent agents to market its Insurance products. State Auto lets policyholders file claims directly online and check the status of previously filed claims.

We’ve checked out all types of insurance quotes and coverage, but this review examines the specialty carrier State Automobile Mutual Insurance Company, which aims to offer reasonable prices with fast, fair claims service.

In This Review: 

State Auto Insurance Coverage

state auto insurance

As a company, State Auto provides, online account management and payment methods as well as 24/7 customer assistance with their insurance agents.

To find out how much car insurance costs, take into account the different types of coverages offered by State Auto:

  • Emergency Road Service Coverage: This is roadside assistance protection is for problems such as a dead battery, towing not related to an accident, being locked out of your car, a flat tire, and running out of gas.
  • Medical Payments Coverage: This optional coverage (additional coverage you pay as an add-on) pays medical expenses related to an automobile accident. It’s subject to the terms, limits, and conditions of your policy.
  • Bodily Injury Liability: This pays for injuries and death that may occur because of an at-fault accident caused by you or another motorist driving your car.
  • Property Damage Liability: This coverage reimburses others for damage to a vehicle or property such as utility poles or fences in an at-fault accident.
  • Collision: This optional coverage pays for damage to your car because of an accident you cause. These policies also protect you from damage caused by driving incidents that are not accident-related, such as pothole damage.
  • Comprehensive: This policy option takes care of theft and damage due to a non-collision event, including most natural hazards.

State Auto Optional Coverage

The company also offers the following optional coverages:

  • Glass Coverage– Pay for replacement of a cracked or damaged windshield.
  • Pet Coverage– Covers medical bills if your pet is injured in an accident.
  • New Car Replacement Cost Coverage– If your brand new car is totaled, it will be replaced with a new car.
  • Accident Forgiveness– Your policy will not increase due to an accident, even if it’s an at-fault accident.
  • ​Umbrella Policy– Protection against claims/judgements if your liability policy limits have been reached.
  • Personal Auto Plus– Offers greater coverage options than the standard policy.
  • Personal/Upgraded Item Coverage– Covers personal items or replacement of certain items in the event of an accident or theft.

State Auto Discounts Available

Always check if your policy has any discounts available. State Auto offers the following with varying discount rates:

  • Multiple Policy Discount– (bundle your home insurance with your auto insurance, and you can score a discount.)
  • Good Student
  • Anti-Theft Device Discount
  • Early Quote Discount
  • Drivers Training Discount
  • Good Driver Discount
  • Multiple Vehicle Discount
  • Paid in Full Discount
  • Driving Habits Discount
  • Accident-Free Discount

Claims Satisfaction

After you sign up for a policy with a State Auto insurance agent, you might not contact the company again for some time.

In the case of a life event change, you might have to call to:

  • Add a Driver
  • Add a Car To Your Policy
  • Billing Issue

Otherwise, most drivers don’t communicate with a State Auto agent again unless they have to file a claim. We, therefore, put a lot of emphasis on how insurers deal with customers and claims.

Market research firms, such as J.D. Power, rank insurers based on many factors, which can be condensed into three key performance indicators: communication, ease of service interaction, and timeliness of responses.

The J.D. Powers 2019 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study gives rankings based on how insurance companies handle their client’s claims support. The J.D. Powers ratings don’t include State Auto, but many other well-known companies are listed.

State Auto insurance ratings by customers are available on Yelp and via the Better Business Bureau. The BBB profile states that the company has been accredited with the Bureau since 1941, and has received an A+ in responding to customer complaints.

The company has a score of 1.5 out of 5 stars over an average of 35 reviews. Though low, this number can be taken with a grain of salt, as most people rarely take the time to give feedback when their experience is positive. It seems most policyholders are finding dealing with adjusters gives quite a headache.

State Auto Customer Reviews

When consumers need an auto insurance company, one of the things they should consider is how satisfied current customers are with their coverage. Every interaction the company has with its clients impacts the overall customer satisfaction rating, including online, in person, and over direct mail.

How State Auto manages complaints speaks to how customers view the company and whether they would recommend the insurer to someone they know.

State Auto insurance ratings are not available in the J.D. Power shopping study, but it ranks many other companies for their performance in these categories: policy offerings, price, the billing process, interaction, and claims. When you read State Auto reviews, make sure to keep those categories in mind, and evaluate how well the company performs.

The National Association of Insurance Commission keeps a complaint log comparing actual complaints vs. annual premium dollars. The NAIC has calculated a complaint ratio of 1.69 (compared to a national average of 1.00), with 23 complaints filed against State Auto (NAIC #25127) in 2017.

State Auto Insurance Pricing

Several factors influence the price of a car insurance policy such as:

  • Age
  • Gender
  • Driving History
  • Geographic Location
  • Make Of Your Car
  • Model Of Your Car

It’s difficult to obtain a quote for State Auto without going through a local agent.

Financial Strength

When you plan to buy auto insurance, you may base your decision on how much it’ll cost you by comparing rates of several auto insurance companies. After all, that’s the most important thing if you never need to use your insurance.

However, if you are in an accident and have to file a claim, another factor comes into play. A company’s financial strength determines whether it can cover outstanding claims and how fast you’ll be paid when you file a claim after an accident.

Multiply those claims by hundreds or even thousands, and you can see how vital a carrier’s financial health is in the aftermath of a serious disaster.

The Insurance Information Institute provides information on five companies that produce independent financial ratings. This is an excellent resource for checking on your potential insurer.

A.M. Best gives State Auto insurance an A- for a stable short- and long-term outlook. It’s also possible to obtain financial statement information from the NAIC website and ask an independent third party to review them for stability.

Is State Auto Insurance for You?

This State Auto insurance review is meant to guide you in your quest for an insurance carrier.

Use it to compare companies and make sure that the company you sign up with has the customer service, claims processing, and financial strength you desire in a carrier.