Nationwide insurance review 2023

Nationwide car insurance

Nationwide car insurance coverage could be a good fit for drivers who prioritize policy customization. Our Nationwide Insurance review found that the company offers coverage options that may not be found at other insurance carriers. These include accident forgiveness and a vanishing deductible, although the availability of these features may depend on your location and state regulations.

In addition to insuring personal vehicles, Nationwide also offers car insurance for classic cars through its partnership with Hagerty. Those who own vehicles like antique, classic and muscle cars might be interested in coverage, but it’s interesting to note that Hagerty also extends coverage to collector motorcycles and scooters, classic military vehicles and even retired commercial vehicles.

Nationwide car insurance is not available in all states. Coverage is sold in 46 states and Washington, D.C. Drivers in Alaska, Hawaii, Louisiana and Massachusetts are not currently eligible for coverage. The lack of nationwide availability combined with no 24/7 customer service kept Nationwide’s Bankrate Score from being higher.

Pros and cons of Nationwide car insurance

As you’re shopping for the best car insurance company, it may be helpful to get several auto insurance quotes to compare rates and coverage offerings. There’s more to a company than what shows up on a quote, though, and comparing car insurance rates may only give you a limited view of how a company might suit your needs. It may be helpful to know other areas where each company excels and lacks. Here are some of the pros and cons of Nationwide car insurance that we identified in our analysis:

Nationwide car insurance cost

According to Bankrate’s study of average premiums obtained from Quadrant Information Services, Nationwide’s annual premium is $1,422 per year for full coverage and $567 per year for minimum coverage. For comparison purposes, the national average cost of car insurance is $2,014 per year for full coverage and $622 per year for minimum coverage. Your rates may vary based on your unique rating factors. 

Nationwide car insurance rates by driving history

Your driving record may have a substantial impact on your car insurance rates. Maintaining a clean driving record could be one of the best strategies for finding cheap car insurance. If you have incidents like at-fault accidents or moving violations on your record, you’ll likely pay more for coverage. Below you can see average Nationwide rates after one speeding ticket and one at-fault accident. We chose not to feature DUI rates because some companies may not extend coverage to drivers with a DUI conviction. You may contact Nationwide directly to discuss your eligibility if you have a DUI on your record. 

Nationwide car insurance quotes by age

In most states, your age is also a rating factor for your car insurance, with younger drivers usually paying higher premiums due to their inexperience behind the wheel. If you have a young driver in your household, it’s typically cheaper to keep them on your policy until they move out and establish their own households. Below, we show Nationwide’s average premiums and the national average for a range of drivers with clean driving records both on and off their parents’ policy.

Average cost of car insurance for drivers on their parents’ policy

Average cost of car insurance for drivers on their own policy

Nationwide car insurance discounts

Discounts may be one of the easiest ways to save on your car insurance. Nationwide offers several discount opportunities to help drivers lower their premiums. Keep in mind that discounts and eligibility could vary by state. Nationwide’s car insurance discounts include:

Nationwide car tools and benefits

Although Nationwide started with standard auto insurance, it has since expanded its offerings to a wide variety of other vehicle types. If you own a motorcycle, recreational vehicle, motorhome, travel trailer, camper, scooter, golf cart or personal watercraft, Nationwide’s menu of vehicle coverages may make it easy to insure them all in one place. Nationwide also maintains a blog with helpful articles on topics like car maintenance and tips for buying a car.

Nationwide policyholders who prefer handling their policies digitally may be interested in the Nationwide mobile app. Nationwide’s app is one of the few in the industry that lets you make changes to your policy without contacting an agent (although you may still want to talk with a licensed professional before updating your coverage). Within the app, you can also access your ID cards, pay bills and file claims. While the features of the app are robust, it may be worth noting that the company’s digital sales and service received some of the lowest ratings in the 2022 J.D. Power U.S. Insurance Digital Experience Study.

Nationwide home insurance

Based on Bankrate’s assessment of Nationwide homeowners insurance, the company could be worth considering for homeowners with high-value homes. On top of the standard homeowners insurance coverage options, Nationwide offers a variety of endorsements to enhance your policy. Homeowners can add Better Roof Replacement, which allows for the use of stronger and safer roofing materials to be used to repair your roof if it is damaged due to a covered loss. The company also offers Valuables Plus which provides additional coverage for high-value items.

Nationwide home insurance isn’t available nationwide. It’s sold in 43 states and Washington, D.C., but Alaska, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New Mexico currently do not have access to Nationwide home insurance. Nationwide also received a below-average score for overall customer satisfaction in the 2022 J.D. Power U.S. Home Insurance Study, which contributed to its lower Bankrate Score.

Pros and cons of Nationwide homeowners insurance

Nationwide might be the best home insurance company for some, but it still has potential drawbacks. Comparing home insurance quotes, coverage options, digital tools and third-party scores may be a valuable step in finding the right insurer for your needs. Here are some pros and cons of Nationwide home insurance that you may want to consider:

Nationwide home insurance cost

On average, Nationwide home insurance costs $1,153 per year for a policy with $250K in dwelling coverage. The national average cost of homeowners insurance is $1,428 for the same coverage amount. Rates may vary based on a number of underlying factors, like the unique details of your home, your claims history and how much coverage you need. Below is a comparison of Nationwide’s average rates compared to the national average for several different dwelling limit amounts.

Nationwide home insurance discounts

If you are searching for the cheapest homeowners insurance policy, taking advantage of Nationwide’s home insurance discounts could help lower your premium. Some of Nationwide’s home insurance discounts are listed below, but remember that eligibility and availability vary by state.

Nationwide home tools and benefits

The Nationwide mobile app is also available for home insurance, and many of the features — including making payments and filing claims — are available.

Through its partnership with Axos Bank, Nationwide also offers financial services like home buying, obtaining a new mortgage and refinancing your existing mortgage. Axos Bank can walk both first-time and experienced home buyers through the full process of purchasing a home, as well as the mortgage application and approval process. Interested customers may call 844-296-7466 to speak with an Axos Bank mortgage specialist or start their application online.

Nationwide life insurance

Nationwide life insurance may be a good option if you like having all your policies with one company and are looking for a company that offers several life insurance options. The company has four different types of life insurance products — term, whole, universal and variable — and could be the best life insurance company for you if you're looking for policy customization.

Pros and cons of Nationwide life insurance

If you’re shopping for life insurance and comparing life insurance quotes, it may be helpful to understand that life insurance rates don’t typically vary as much between companies as car or home insurance rates. Your cost of life insurance will likely depend more on your personal rating factors and the coverage types and limits you choose. This means that other features of a company may be more important to review than price. These are some of the pros and cons we identified with Nationwide life insurance:

Nationwide life insurance endorsements

Nationwide offers several life insurance riders to help you personalize your coverage. Available riders may vary based on your eligibility and the product you choose. You may be able to add chronic, critical or terminal illness riders; a children’s term rider; an estate protection rider and more. Speaking with a Nationwide representative may help you determine which riders fit your needs, but keep in mind that riders will likely increase your overall life insurance cost.

Nationwide life tools and benefits

Life insurance products may be an essential part of your financial plan, but knowing what coverage is right for you might also be a complicated process. To get started, Nationwide has life insurance specialists available at 866-207-9160 to help you learn more about their products and what could work for you. You can also speak to a local Nationwide agent about your life insurance needs.

Nationwide customer satisfaction

If you want the best insurance company for your needs, looking at third-party reviews may be an important step. AM Best gives Nationwide an A+ (Superior) financial strength rating, which is the second-highest level possible. This means that, historically, Nationwide had shown a strong ability to pay claims.

In addition to financial strength ratings, you may also want to consider customer satisfaction. J.D. Power is a data analytics company that ranks insurers based on their overall customer and claims satisfaction, and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) is an organization that, among other things, tracks complaints filed by policyholders against insurance companies. We’ve broken down Nationwide’s scores in the sections below.

Nationwide auto satisfaction

Nationwide was rated in five of the 11 regions in the 2022 J.D. Power U.S. Auto Insurance Study. In four of those five regions, though, it received a below-average rating for overall customer satisfaction. Only in the Southeast was Nationwide rated above average. Nationwide also received a below-average score in the 2022 J.D. Power U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study. These ratings could mean that some customers are not satisfied with Nationwide’s service.

On the other hand, Nationwide’s private passenger (personal auto) product receives a NAIC complaint index of 0.39. The baseline is 1.00, which indicates a normal level of complaints. A score of 0.39 means that the NAIC receives fewer complaints than average regarding Nationwide’s auto insurance service.

Nationwide homeowners satisfaction

Nationwide fares slightly better for home satisfaction than it does with auto satisfaction. The 2022 J.D. Power U.S. Home Insurance Study, which analyzes overall customer satisfaction across a range of metrics, still ranked Nationwide below average, but only by a three-point margin. Additionally, in the 2022 J.D. Power U.S. Property Claims Satisfaction Study, Nationwide was ranked well above the industry average.

The NAIC gives Nationwide home insurance a complaint index of 0.59, which is higher than its auto score but still lower than the baseline.

Nationwide life satisfaction

The 2022 J.D. Power U.S. Individual Life Insurance Study awarded Nationwide a score of 791 out of 1,000, which places the company above the industry average of 774. This indicates that policyholders are generally satisfied with Nationwide’s life insurance service.

How to file a claim with Nationwide

Nationwide allows you to file a claim in several ways:

• Contact your local agent
• File through the mobile app
• File online
• Call 1-800-421-3535 for auto and property insurance claims
• Call 1-800-848-6331 for life insurance claims

Once your claim is filed, you’ll likely speak with a claims adjuster who will walk you through the next steps.

Nationwide offers some potentially helpful perks when it comes to the claims process. If you have an auto insurance claim, you could opt to have your vehicle fixed with the On Your Side Auto Repair Network. These are repair shops that partner with Nationwide to offer a guarantee on the repairs as long as you own the car. Nationwide offers a similar program for home insurance claims, called the On Your Side Property Repair Network.

Nationwide availability

Nationwide auto insurance is available in 46 states and Washington, D.C. Drivers in the following states are not currently eligible for coverage:

• Alaska
• Hawaii
• Louisiana
• Massachusetts

Nationwide home insurance is a bit more restricted and is only sold in 43 states and Washington, D.C. These are the states where home insurance from Nationwide isn’t available:

• Alaska
• Florida
• Hawaii
• Louisiana
• Massachusetts
• New Jersey
• New Mexico

Is Nationwide a good insurance company?

After reviewing Nationwide's offerings and comparing these with our insurance editorial team's knowledge of more than 100 other insurance companies, we determined that Nationwide might be a good company for drivers and homeowners looking for personalized insurance coverage and banking products.

The insurer offers a range of insurance products and robust optional coverage types that might help you build the coverage that you need. While Nationwide has a relatively high AM Best financial strength rating and lower-than-average NAIC complaint indexes for auto and home, it doesn’t have the most outstanding J.D. Power customer or claims satisfaction ratings. You may want to talk with current Nationwide policyholders before deciding if the company is right for you.