Here’s my summary of the most recent 2012 JD Power US Auto Insurance Customer Satisfaction Study for the Northeast region, reviewing the best & worst rated auto insurance companies in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. If you do not reside in one of these states, see my recent blog posts reviewing the other five of the seven 2012 JD Power regional auto insurance studies for California, West, Central, Southeast, and North Central states. If you live in one of the Mid-Atlantic states, you will have to wait until later in the week for my review of that seventh and last region. What company really is the best car insurance company? Don’t choose your insurance company solely on the JD Power circle rating. As you will find out from this summary of the raw scores for the companies included in this survey, some highly rated companies did not score much above average. Don’t make the mistake of paying a lot more for your auto insurance, expecting better service based on a good JD Power rating, only to receive average service at a higher cost. If you want low rates & great service, spend some time getting price quotes from all the major auto insurance companies in your state, then use my website, and this summary of the JD Power ratings, to get the right combination of price, coverage, and service for you.

I’m listing the companies in the survey from the company with the highest score to the company with the lowest score, and noting the power circle rating for the categories of Policy Offerings, Pricing, Contacting the Company, and Billing & Payment, making up the overall satisfaction score. I’ll give you my opinion of the overall score and category ratings, to let you know if I think they should be a concern for you, or a reason to pay more, if you get a quote, and the company does not have the lowest price for you.

Not everyone will qualify for all these companies. Some insurance companies have specific requirements for eligibility. If you do not have a clean driving record, or other factors, you may not qualify for every company. Don’t worry. Even if you have an accident or a ticket or two, or no prior insurance, there are companies on this list willing to insure you. When your car insurance is expensive, it makes even more sense to shop with as many companies willing to quote you, although some companies will not be willing to help you.

I mark the companies with an asterisk (*) most likely to be able to insure all drivers. If you have a couple of accidents or a major violation, like a DUII or reckless driving ticket, you may want to start with these companies, when getting price quotes.

JD Power 2012 Northeast Region Auto Insurance Study: 17 Companies ranked from Best to Worst for Overall Satisfaction

1,000 points is a perfect score.

1. USAA auto insurance — 890 points. In most of the regional studies, USAA stands well above the next highest rated auto insurance company. In the Northeast region, USAA is only 23 points on a 1,000 point scale above the next highest rated company, which is Amica. This is because Amica is one of the few companies scoring almost as high as USAA, among all the companies included in the seven regional studies. However, USAA is 79 points above the third highest scoring company, NY Central Mutual. USAA rated 5 power circles — among the best — in all four categories of Pricing, Contacting the Insurance Company, Billing & Payment, and Policy Offerings.

USAA scores so much above the competition, in all seven of the US regional studies, I think it is worth paying more, if USAA does not have the lowest rate for you.

However, you must be in the military, an immediate family member of someone in the military, or an honorably discharged veteran, to be eligible for USAA.

2. Amica auto insurance — 867 points. As I mentioned above, Amica scored 23 points below USAA, which on a 1,000 point scale, is not a big difference. To give you some perspective, a company scoring 1,000 points on the 1,000 point scale would be a 100% perfect score. USAA would be at 89%, and Amica would be at 86.7%. Amica scored 56 points higher than the third highest scoring company, which is once again, NY Central Mutual. There is only a 51 point difference between the study average score — 784 points out of 1,000 points — and the lowest scoring company in the survey, which is Arbella, at 733 points. Amica scored 83 points above the study average, and like USAA, received 5 power circles (among the best) for all four categories of Pricing, Policy Offerings, Billing & Payment, and Contacting the Insurance Company. If you can’t qualify for USAA, or if Amica has a better rate for you than USAA, I think Amica’s score in this study is a good indicator of above average service.

Although USAA & Amica have excellent scores for customer satisfaction, they do not have local agents to provide you with personal service.

3. New York Central Mutual auto insurance — 811 points. NY Central Mutual received a 4 power circle rating — better than most — for overall satisfaction, and 4 power circles in all categories, except Policy Offerings, which was rated about average (3 power circles).

However, NY Central Mutual scored only 27 points on a 1,000 point scale above the study average. NY Central Mutual is only 18 points higher than Geico, which at 793 points, was rated at 3 power circles (about average). Percentage-wise, NY Central Mutual scored 81.1%, and Geico scored 79.3% Does a less than 2% higher score mean NY Central Mutual will provide you with better customer satisfaction than Geico? I don’t think so. I don’t think New York Central Mutual scored high enough to pay more for your car insurance, but other factors, like being able to have a local independent agent, may make insuring with NY Central Mutual worth it to you, if they don’t have the lowest price.

Although no study can tell you which company will save you $100s on your auto insurance, Pricing is a category in the study. Auto insurance customers with the top rated companies and participating in the study, consider the rates they pay better than average. Don’t think you have to pay more for the top rated companies, because they also might be among the companies with the best rates for you.

*4. GEICO auto insurance — 793 points. Geico is the highest scoring of the car insurance companies rated at 3 power circles (about average). Geico scored 793 points on the 1,000 point scale, scoring 9 points above the study average. Geico rated about average for Billing/Payment and Contacting the Insurance Company, but better than most (4 power circles) for Pricing and Policy Offerings. Unknown to many people, Geico does have local agents in some cities, but most of its customers buy direct from the company. The above average rating for Pricing is a signal Geico may have very good rates for you, and the above average rating for Policy Offerings may mean Geico can offer you coverage when you are not eligible for some other companies.

5. Liberty Mutual auto insurance — 792 points.

6. State Farm auto insurance — 792 points.

Only one point less than Geico, Liberty Mutual & State Farm have a tie score for 5th & 6th place. Both companies rated 3 power circles (about average) for all four categories of Pricing, Policy Offerings, Billing/Payment, and Contacting the Insurance Company. At only 8 points on a 1,000 point scale above the study average, these close to average scores mean you should choose Liberty Mutual or State Farm based on price, unique coverage options, or the quality of your agent. If you are insured with State Farm or Liberty Mutual, you may be paying too much for average service.

*7. Progressive auto insurance — 786 points. Scoring 6 points less than State Farm & Liberty Mutual, Progressive is only 2 points higher on the 1,000 point scale, than the regional average score. However, Progressive was rated better than most (4 power circles) in the category of Billing and Payment, and about average for the other three categories.
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The scores for GEICO, Liberty Mutual, State Farm & Progressive are close enough where I don’t think you can say any one of these companies provides better service than the others, based purely on this study results.

The Northeast region average score for all auto insurance customers responding to the survey: 784 out of 1,000 points. This is lower than the national study average of 804 points, showing car insurance customers in the Northeast are less satisfied with their auto insurance companies than other regions of the USA.

USAA, Amica, & New York Central Mutual are the only companies in this regional study scoring above the national study average.

The following two companies are below the regional average, but their scores are close enough to the average where I think they can be considered average. However, if you are insured with any of the companies ranked 8 to 17 on this list, and if any of the seven companies ranked 1-7 above can provide you with the coverage options you need at a better price, it may be time to change your car insurance company.

8. Travelers auto insurance — 769 points. Travelers scored 15 points (on the 1,000 point scale) below the regional average, but rated 3 power circles (about average) for overall customer satisfaction, and for the four categories of Policy Offerings, Pricing, Contacting the Company, and Billing & Payment.

*9. Nationwide auto insurance — 767 points. 2 points below Travelers, and 17 points below the regional average, Nationwide was rated about average (3 power circles) for overall customer satisfaction. Nationwide was about average in all categories, except Pricing, which was rated at the lowest rating, 2 power circles (the rest). If you are insured with Nationwide, shop around with other companies, because you may be paying too much for your auto insurance. However, it doesn’t matter if other people think their Nationwide car insurance rates are too high, if you shop with all the major insurance companies, and discover Nationwide has the best price for you. One company may have high rates for one person’s situation, but the company may have the best rates for another person. The only way to find out if Nationwide has the lowest rate for you, is to contact them for a quote.

The following three companies are rated about average (3 power circles) for overall customer satisfaction by JD Power in this regional study, but their scores are 22 points or more below the regional average. In some categories, like Contacting the Insurance Company, these companies were given the lowest rating of 2 power circles (the rest). In spite of the about average overall rating, I think the study results show these companies less than average.

If you are insured with any of these three companies, I would not change companies based on these study results alone. But you should definitely get price quotes from companies scoring higher on this list, to see if you can save money, improve your coverage, and get better service.

You may be insured with your car insurance company for many years, and happy with the service you are getting now. But if you have not checked the rates of other auto insurance companies in a while, it’s likely you may be paying a lot more for your insurance than you could be paying. You may think you have a good car insurance company now, but you may not think so after your next claim. You don’t have to change insurance companies every time you find a lower price, but you should shop around each year to make sure you are getting good service, paying a reasonable rate, and for a second or third (4th, 5th, 6th?) opinion on your coverage.

10. Metlife auto insurance — 762 points. Metlife is 22 points below the regional average, but considering the 1,000 point scale, this is not a huge difference. However, Metlife received the lowest 2 power circle rating for Contacting the Insurance Company, which is a critical measure of service, particularly when you have a claim.

11. Hartford auto insurance — 760 points. Hartford is 24 points below the regional average. Hartford received the lowest 2 power circle rating for two categories: Contacting the Insurance Company, and Policy Offerings.

*12. Allstate auto insurance — 759 points. Scoring 25 points below the regional average, Allstate received the lowest rating of 2 power circles for the categories of Pricing, and Contacting the Insurance Company.

The remaining companies on the list received the lowest rating for overall satisfaction of 2 power circles (the rest). Although the scores are below average, you should not consider them failing scores. Arbella, the lowest scoring company reviewed in the survey, scored 733 points on the 1,000 point scale. Converting it to a letter grade based on a percentage score, 73.3% would be a “C” or “C-,” when I was in school. The remaining companies may be an acceptable choice for you if they can offer you low auto insurance rates.

13. Plymouth Rock Assurance auto insurance — 756 points. This company received the lowest 2 power circle rating in all categories, except Contacting the Company, which was rated about average.

14. Commerce auto insurance — 753 points. Commerce, too, received the lowest two power circle rating in all categories, except Contacting the Company, which was rated about average at three power circles.

15. Safety auto insurance — 753 points. A tie score with Commerce, Safety performed the same in the four categories, receiving the lowest 2 power circle rating in all categories, except Contacting the Insurance Company, which was rated about average.

16. Hanover auto insurance — 738 points. This company, too, received the lowest 2 power circle rating in all categories, except the category of Contacting the Company, which was rated about average.

17. Arbella auto insurance — 733 points. Ranked last, Arbella received the lowest 2 power circle rating in all categories.

So, what is the best car insurance company in CT, ME, MA, NH, NY, RI, or VT? The best car insurance company for you depends not only on these customer service study rankings listed above, but on the price and coverage each company can offer you. How satisfied are you with your automobile insurance company? Tell me about it. Please leave a comment on my facebook page. Follow me on Twitter for important insurance consumer news and new blog entries at CarInsWatch