CRASH Network has released the results of its latest “Insurer Report Card”, where 29 auto insurance companies out of more than 87 received a grade of B or higher from collision repairers in terms of how well they work to ensure quality repairs and customer service to earn a spot on the honor roll.
Ten companies, including four of the largest U.S. auto insurers, received a grade of C- or lower. In fact, none of the top 10 largest, best-known auto insurers received an overall grade higher than a C+, with more than 50 insurers scoring higher.
Body shops were asked to evaluate how well each insurer’s “policies, attitude and payment practices ensure quality repairs and customer service for motorists.” North Carolina Farm Bureau (A+), Chubb (A-) and Erie Insurance (A-) finished with the top grades among all insurers, just as they have since 2020. While many of the highest-graded insurers — including Acuity Insurance (B+), Grinnell Mutual (B+) and Pemco Mutual (B+) — do not sell policies in all 50 states, consumers are likely to find one or more of the honor roll insurers offering coverage where they live.
More than 1,000 individual body shops around the country each graded as many as 30 different insurance companies in their state.
“Unlike most consumers, who typically have an auto claim only once a decade, collision repairers interact with the claims departments at these companies on a daily basis,” said John Yoswick of CRASH Network. “That gives them an opportunity to see which companies are better at taking care of policyholders when they have a claim — and which ones have room for improvement. That’s why we see the Insurer Report Card providing helpful information for consumers as they consider which insurer to choose. They might see companies here they otherwise might not have considered.”
Shops participating in the Insurer Report Card said the highest-graded insurers put “customer safety first and foremost”, “are fast and efficient” about claims handling, “employ people who care about what they do” and “actually care about their customers”.
Shops criticized the insurers to which they gave lower grades, saying those companies have “disorganized claims processes”, “don’t seem to care about the repair procedures designated by the automakers” and “have us ordering parts all over the country just because of cost, even though they don’t arrive in a timely manner and are not quality parts”.
The list of highest-graded insurers in 2023 was remarkably consistent with prior year’s findings; among the 10 highest-graded insurers in this year’s Insurance Report Card, eight were in the Top 10 last year as well.
To access a free report with the 2023 Insurer Report Card findings, click here.
