MetLife Auto Insurance Review

When you think about MetLife Auto, you might think about the adorable Peanuts characters Snoopy and Woodstock. The fun-loving cartoon characters reigned as the company’s mascots for more than 30 years, until its major marketing overhaul in 2016.

Even though Snoopy officially retired, the company remains a wholesome global entity that’s dedicated to providing families with the protection they need, and when you read more about the MetLife Auto insurance reviews, you’ll discover just that.

MetLife officially opened its doors in 1871 as a life insurance provider, and it didn’t begin selling auto insurance until the 1970s.

Coverage Options Available

With MetLife Auto, creating a policy is simple. You can do so over the phone or through an independent agent.

The company offers a wide range of policy options including:

Liability Coverage

Liability coverage is the portion of your auto insurance policy that is typically required by your state. It protects you against personal injury and property damage claims that may arise in an at-fault accident.

Comprehensive and Collision Coverage

Your comprehensive and collision coverage pays for repairs to your vehicle in the event of an unforeseen loss or accident. This coverage is technically optional, but if you’re financing your vehicle, there’s a good chance your lienholder requires it.

Roadside Assistance Coverage

MetLife Auto has optional roadside assistance coverage to help you if your car breaks down while traveling.

Gap Coverage

Most insurers only pay the market value of the vehicle if it’s totaled in an accident. MetLife’s gap insurance covers the difference between the value of the car and the amount you still owe on your lease or loan.

Glass Coverage

Many auto insurance companies offer glass coverage as an add-on option. With MetLife Auto, glass coverage is a standard part of the insurance policy.

Also, the company doesn’t require you to pay a deductible on glass repairs, so if you get a chip in your windshield, you can have it repaired for free.

Claims Satisfaction

One of the first things people look at when reading MetLife Auto insurance reviews is the company’s claims satisfaction ratings. In most cases, you’ll only contact your insurance company when you file a claim, so you need to make sure the company you choose has a claims process that’s quick, easy, and fair.

We believe that everything included in typical claims satisfaction studies can be summed up with three key performance indicators: timeliness, communication, and ease of service interaction.

The 2017 Auto Claims Satisfaction Study completed by J.D. Power shows MetLife Auto’s ratings as an average across the board. One category, Repair Process, was rated slightly below average.

Overall, MetLife rests in the lower middle position of the insurance companies rated, slightly above Liberty Mutual but below Progressive Auto.

With MetLife Auto, you can report claims 24/7, 365 days per year, over the phone. You can also file a claim using the company’s mobile app, and glass and towing claims can be filed online via its eService feature. All of these options are good indicators that the company has a well-developed claims filing process that’s easy for policyholders to initiate.

Overall Customer Satisfaction

While claims satisfaction is important, it’s not the only aspect of MetLife Auto insurance reviews you should consider. Overall customer satisfaction is also crucial. After all, you probably want to choose a company that makes purchasing a policy simple, has good customer service, and handles complaints in a satisfactory way.

The J.D. Power 2018 Shopping Study shows that MetLife Auto is “About Average” when it comes to overall customer satisfaction, but the company’s scores in each section vary significantly. Because of this, MetLife Auto ranked 19 out of 21.

The company had a “Better Than Most” score in the Local Agent category, which makes sense because numerous independent insurance agents write MetLife Auto insurance policies and give the company/customer interaction the human touch.

For Pricing, MetLife Auto received an “About Average” rating.

In the Policy Offerings, Call Center Representative and Insurer Website categories, MetLife Auto received a “The Rest” ranking, which is considered subpar. While you can use the company’s website to get a quote for an auto insurance policy, you can’t purchase and start the policy online. To do that, you have to speak to a call center representative. However, your quote is stored online so when you call to activate your policy, you don’t have to redo the questions you answered to obtain the quote.

When it comes to policy offerings, MetLife Auto has a wide variety of coverage options you can choose from, but a lot of its unique coverages are considered add-ons, so they increase the price of your premium.

As you take a closer look at some of the company’s satisfaction ratings from each state, you find that MetLife Auto rounds out the top three in New York thanks to ranking “Better Than Most” in every category except Billing Process and Policy Information; the company scored a “The Rest” rating in this category.

The 2017 California Consumer Complaint Study shows MetLife Auto insurance rating a number 40 out of 50, below Geico. This study was selected for review because California is the most populous state. It shows that MetLife had a total of 14 justified complaints in California in 2016 and approximately 151,784 policyholders, giving the company a 9.2 justified complaint ratio per 100,000 policies for the year.

Pricing

A lot of variables go into determining an auto insurance price, including your age, your gender, the type of vehicle you drive, and where you live. These scenarios might help you understand how much auto policy premiums differ:

1. Single female (licensed between 9 and 15 years): One car (Toyota Camry), one violation and one no-fault accident in the past three years, drives approximately 12,000 miles per year, and lives in Miami-Dade County, Florida
2. Single male (licensed between 9 and 15 years): One car (Honda Accord), no violations, drives between 12,000 and 15,000 miles per year, and lives in San Francisco, California

Read more: Honda Accord Auto Insurance

MetLife Auto does not provide a price quote for scenario one, which features a single female in Miami-Dade County, Florida. However, Safeco ($3,861) and State Farm ($4,658) can be used for comparison purposes for an all-coverage policy premium.

Scenario two, which shows average annual auto insurance premiums for a single male living in San Francisco, California, has MetLife Auto insurance charging one of the lowest premium rates—$1,924 per year for a standard auto insurance policy.

Metromile ($1,483) and Horace Mann ($1,697) are the only two companies with lower average annual premiums. Safeco ($2,654) and State Farm ($2,816) are almost smack-dab in the middle, but their annual premiums are significantly lower than those in scenario one.

Financial Strength

Assessing an insurance company’s financial strength helps you determine whether the company has enough assets to pay out any claims you might file, even if the company is experiencing a significantly higher-than-average number of claims. Many people overlook this when reading through MetLife Auto insurance reviews even though it’s essential.

The insurance company you choose should be able to pay all claims resulting from a natural disaster or any other event that causes major losses.

MetLife Auto insurance ratings for financial strength are solid. The company last updated its financial strength ratings on April 30, 2018. They show that A.M. Best gave MetLife an A+ (Superior) rating, Standard & Poor’s and Fitch’s Ratings listed them at AA-, and Moody’s Investor Service rated the company an Aa3, all of which are solid ratings.

Take a quick look at a variety of auto insurance reviews to help you determine which company provides the best policy to fit your needs at a price you can afford.