Farmers vs. Foremost: Which Company is the Best Fit for You?

Quick Facts

• In general, Farmers offers significantly more affordable prices than Foremost
• Farmers has less expensive premiums for policyholders who are looking to purchase insurance with a spouse
• Foremost has cheaper prices in NJ, TX, and WA

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Farmers or Foremost: Which Company has the Cheapest Car Insurance?

So, you're thinking about switching to a new insurance policy. After all, you've seen ads from all sorts of companies offering large savings. But exactly how much can you save by switching?

You've maybe even narrowed it down to Farmers or Foremost as potential options, but between the two, which one has less expensive rates for car insurance?

As you can see, Foremost is around $67 more a month than Farmers when looking at the national average rates for auto insurance.

Even so, that doesn't necessarily mean Farmers will be the cheaper option for each driver. Car insurance carriers use tons of complex algorithms to determine prices, so depending on how good your credit score is or where you live (among a whole range of other factors), you could see wildly different premiums from the ones above.

Wanting to know if Farmers or Foremost is really the right company for you? Keep on reading to see how average rates can change based on all of the factors we've mentioned above.

Farmers vs. Foremost: Average Car Insurance Rates by State

Farmers and Foremost only compete against each other in one states, with Farmers offering more affordable prices to the average driver in all of them. Washington has the most noticable difference, where Farmers rates are $62 cheaper than insurance premiums at Foremost.

But there's more to auto insurance than just where you call home. As we mentioned above, there's a lot of things that go into how insurance companies calculate your rates. Keep reading to find out more.

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Which is the Best Company For Young Drivers?

You might already know that teen drivers usually pay a lot more for car insurance than any group out there on the road. That's because teen drivers are statistically much more likely to get into an accident that results in a car insurance claim, making them much riskier to insure.

That being said, that doesn't mean teen drivers can't still save money on their auto insurance. For example, 18-year-old drivers pay an average of almost 7% less per month by choosing Farmers over Foremost. It's worth noting that Farmers offers car insurance in 25 different states compared to Foremost's three, which can skew the average premiums a bit, but the difference here is still considerable.

But both carriers will lower prices by the time drivers turn 25. For example, average premiums for Farmers policyholders reduce over 70% and Foremost's prices decrease more than 60% over that time.

Which is the Best Company for Retired Drivers?

When it comes to insurance, patience and experience pay off, with drivers around retirement age paying some of the most affordable rates you can find.

But who has the best prices for retired drivers between Farmers and Foremost? Farmers gets the edge here, with average rates coming in at about $143 monthly compared to Foremost's $219.

Which is the Best Company for Married Drivers?

Did you know that auto insurance premiums are normally more expensive for single policyholders than they are for married policyholders? This usually boils down to married couples having more than one vehicle on their policy -- something a lot of insurance companies will reward with discounts.

For single drivers, the difference in average rates between these two carriers is significant, with Farmers prices coming in at a quarter less than Foremost's. For married drivers, the advantage is clear again - Farmers has the edge when it comes to average premiums.

Farmers or Foremost: Average Rates by Gender

Because women are less likely to get tickets and get into collisions, they are less likely to file a claim with insurance. So, insurance companies will often charge women less than men.

On average, men see prices around 3% a month higher with Farmers, and about 1% more with Foremost.

Looking at the data for each carrier specifically, Farmers offers the cheapest average premiums for both men and women, with average rates 24% less for men and 25% cheaper for women.

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Farmers vs. Foremost: Compare State Minimum vs. Full Coverage Rates

*State minimum value indicates liability-only policies at each state's minimum bodily injury and property damage (BI/PD) limits

**Full coverage indicates state minimum BI/PD limits with collision and comprehensive coverages added to policy.

For most people, car insurance can be pretty complicated. There are so many different coverages and limits that it can make it pretty confusing to find the right policy for you.

The two most common policies end up falling into two different types of coverage -- liability coverage (which provides property damage and bodily injury coverage for other drivers and their passengers if you cause a collision) and full coverage (which generally refers to having collision and comprehensive coverages alongside what you get with a liability policy).

Looking specifically at state minimum liability insurance, Farmers has the significant edge, with average monthly premiums coming in at $126. If you want a full coverage policy with the same state minimum limits, Farmers again has the edge, with policies averaging around $281 per month to Foremost's $366.

Is Farmers or Foremost Better for Drivers with Spotty Records?

You've probably seen plenty of commercials from insurance carriers offering great rates for good drivers, but that doesn't mean people with less-than-perfect driving records can't save money, too.

You'll probably end up paying more with speeding tickets and at-fault collisions on your record, but which of these two companies offers the lowest prices to drivers with less-than-perfect records?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Speeding Tickets?

Policyholders who use Farmers for their auto insurance can typically expect their monthly bill to go up about 21% after getting a speeding ticket. Foremost policyholders can expect a bit more drastic of an increase of around 22%.

However, Farmers tends to offer the best prices for both drivers who have clean records and those with a recent ticket, offering premiums that are 20% and 20% less expensive, respectively, compared to Foremost Insurance Group.

Which Company is Best for Drivers After an Accident?

Farmers drivers who get in an accident can expect to see their prices increase by over $60, while those who have insurance through Foremost will see about a $200 increase.

At the end of the day, drivers who use Farmers end up with the cheaper prices after an accident, with average rates coming in at $224 compared to Foremost Insurance Group's $381.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with a DUI?

If you get a DUI charge, you can expect some pretty significant increases in your monthly car insurance bill -- generally a lot more than a collision or speeding ticket. For example, Farmers increases average premiums by nearly $60 a month -- that's more than a 25% increase.

Farmers has the overall cheapest rates for drivers with a DUI on their records at $221 per month, but it's worth noting that Farmers's average rates come from 25 states compared to just three for Foremost, so the data may be skewed slightly.

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How does Credit Score Impact Farmers and Foremost Rates?

Did you know many insurance carriers take your credit score into account when determining prices? This isn't true for everyone (Hawaii, for example, has banned the use of credit score as an auto insurance factor) but it will come into play for several policyholders.

Car insurance companies argue that someone with bad credit is less likely to pay their bills on time, which makes them riskier to insure. Because of that, drivers with bad credit will often be forced to pay more.

Looking specifically at Foremost and Farmers, which company has the best premiums for policyholders at different credit levels?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Good Credit?

If you have a great credit score, Farmers will typically reward you the most. For drivers with "excellent" credit scores, Farmers comes in over 30.51 more affordable. Drivers with "good" credit scores usually save around 29% with Farmers compared to average prices from Foremost.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Bad Credit?

Farmers typically offers lower rates than Foremost when it comes to drivers with less-than-perfect credit. Drivers with "fair" credit pay about 25% per month less with Farmers compared to Foremost, and those with "poor" scores normally save an average of around 16% a month.

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Is Farmers or Foremost Better for Drivers who Work from Home or Have Short Commutes?

The amount of time you spend behind the wheel of your car plays a big role in how much auto insurance carriers will charge for coverage. That's because the fewer miles you put on your car, the less likely you are to be in an accident and file an insurance claim.

In this case, neither Farmers or Foremost report increasing prices for drivers with higher annual mileage figures. That being said, Farmers comes out as the lowest for drivers at both intervals, whether they put 6,000 or 12,000 miles on their vehicle yearly, with average premiums of $203 a month for both.

Farmers or Foremost: Compare Rates for Urban, Suburban, and Rural Drivers

Where your home is can play a considerable role in how much you pay for car insurance. Usually, policyholders who live in heavily-populated urban areas will pay quite a bit more than rural drivers since there are a lot more cars on the roads where they live.

Farmers tends to offer the lowest prices for drivers in all types of areas, no matter if they're urban, suburban, or rural.

Those in rural areas can expect to save about $35 with Farmers compared to Foremost. People who live in suburban areas pay around $98 less with Farmers compared to Foremost. For policyholders in urban ZIP codes, Farmers Insurance's average rates are about $67 less than Foremost Insurance Group.

Farmers vs. Foremost Discounts

You want to save as much money as you can, right? The best way to do that is by taking advantage of as many auto insurance discounts as possible.

But with what seems like a million different discounts out there, it can be difficult to nail down the carrier that has the most discounts for your unique driver profile and to find all the discounts you're eligible for.

Luckily, we did the hard work for you and looked at all of the different discounts Farmers and Foremost offer their customers so that you can see which carrier can save you the most money each month.

Farmers knocks Foremost out of the park when it comes to the sheer number of discounts available, offering 16 more discounts than Foremost.

Both companies offer quite a few of the same discounts -- like advance quote discounts, discounts for being a defensive driver, EFT discounts, and paid in full discounts -- but Farmers also offers discounts for ABS, alternative fuel, driver training, and more.

On the other hand, Foremost has a few proprietary discounts of their own for things like minor child discounts, multi-car/single driver discounts, and prior carrier discounts.

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Final Thoughts: Is Farmers or Foremost Best for You?

So, we've broken down the average premiums for many of the variables insurance carriers look at, and we've shown you all the discounts each company offers. That's all well and good, but at the end of the day, is Farmers or Foremost the best company for you and your specific driver profile?

Farmers might be best for you if....

• You value the experience that comes with a large national auto insurance carrier.
• You want the most robust protection via a "full coverage" policy.
• You live in an suburban area.

Foremost might be best for you if...

• You like the personalized touch of a small, regional company.

Hopefully, this guide helps you get a better idea of the difference between Farmers and Foremost and that it aids in making a more informed decision about your insurance.

At the end of the day, the sure-fire way to make sure you're getting the best deal on your car insurance policy is to compare quotes from a handful of companies, not just Farmers and Foremost. Luckily, Compare.com makes it easy for you to do just that. Just enter your ZIP code below and get free quotes from dozens of top insurance carriers in your area, all in just a few minutes.

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Farmers vs. Foremost FAQs

Is Farmers or Foremost cheaper?

Farmers is the less expensive of the two companies when looking at national average rates, with policies averaging $203 per month with Farmers and $270 for Foremost. But that doesn't mean Farmers will be the most affordable carrier for every driver, since there are a variety of different factors that are considered when it comes to your car insurance payment.

Who is better, Farmers or Foremost?

Unfortunately, the answer truly is "it depends.". No one company is "better" for each policyholder -- it all boils down to your unique auto insurance profile.

Why do Farmers and Foremost offer me different rates?

Car insurance carriers use lots of different variables when calculating the premiums they charge. Things such as age, where you live, your driving record, gender, and sometimes even things like your credit score can all be taken into consideration. Both Farmers and Foremost use different formulas, so it's likely they'll offer different prices. The best way to determine which carrier is the cheapest for you is by comparing personalized quotes from many different companies.

How do I know if Farmers or Foremost is right for me?

The only way to find the insurance company that's right for you is by getting quotes from multiple carriers and finding the one best suited for your individual budget. Luckily, sites like Compare.com do all the hard work for you. Just enter your ZIP code and you'll get quotes from dozens of your local top auto insurance companies for free. With those, you can guarantee you're getting the best premium. And maybe you'll find that the best carrier for you isn't Farmers or Foremost at all, but another you hadn't even thought of!

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Methodology

All of the data referenced in this article has been gathered in collaboration with Quadrant Information Services. We analyzed more than 2.5 million rows of carrier-reported data to calculate the average rates referenced above. All rates are based on an insurance profile of a single-vehicle policy for a driver that owns a 2016 Honda Accord. For more information on how we calculate rates, please reference our data methodology.