GEICO Fast Facts
✓ Cheaper rates than Safeco
✓ Plenty of discounts
✓ Available in all 50 states
✕ Fewer coverage add-ons than Safeco
Safeco
✓ Lots of coverage options
✓ Receives fewer complaints than GEICO
✓ Highly-rated digital experience
✕ Lower claims satisfaction
GEICO vs. Safeco: Which is better?
We found that GEICO is the better car insurance for you if cheap rates are your number one priority. On the other hand, Safeco is better for customizing your coverage.
The best car insurance depends on your personal preferences and driving record, so we recommend comparing quotes, coverage offerings, and customer satisfaction (just like we did with GEICO and Safeco) before you finalize your coverage.
GEICO vs. Safeco: At a glance
Category | GEICO | Safeco |
|---|---|---|
Price and discounts | 4.7 | 4.0 |
Financial strength | 5.0 | 3.4 |
Customer experience | 4.1 | 4.3 |
Coverage options | 3.5 | 2.8 |
Overall Policygenius rating | 4.7 | 3.8 |
We scored these categories on a five-point scale.
Why you can trust our insurance company comparisons
We calculated our expert ratings by considering cost, availability, customer experience and satisfaction, and coverage options. Our own Policygenius agents — who have years of experience working with real car insurance shoppers — also weighed in.
To come up with our company ratings, we accumulated company data for price, financial strength, customer experience, and coverage options. We assigned a weight to each category based on research and insight from our own licensed insurance editors and operations specialists. Here’s how our ratings categories break down:
Price (35%): We gave each company a score based on its average rate and available discounts.
Financial strength (25%): We gave point values based on each company’s A.M. Best Financial Strength Rating, S&P credit rating, and Moody’s credit rating.
Customer experience (20%): We scored companies based on how they performed on the most recent J.D. Power Auto Claims Satisfaction and Digital Experience surveys. This category also considers a company's complaint index, which is provided by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
Coverage options (20%): We scored companies for the number of coverage types offered and the quality of these options. Less common endorsements earned higher scores compared to add-ons that most companies offer.
Next, we converted each company’s raw values to the same standardized “z-score” and “t-score.” Finally, using a weighted average formula, we combined each category rating and converted it to a 5-point scale to calculate each company's overall Policygenius rating.
How we calculated coverage cost:
We determined the average costs for full-coverage car insurance from each company using rate data provided by Quadrant Information Services.
These rates were from every ZIP code across every state, along with the District of Columbia. Rates were for a 30-year-old male driver with a 2017 Toyota Camry. Our sample full-coverage policy included the following limits:
Bodily injury liability: $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident
Property damage liability: $50,000 per accident
Uninsured/underinsured motorist: $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident
Comprehensive: $500 deductible
Collision: $500 deductible
Some carriers may be represented by affiliates or subsidiaries. Rates provided are a sample of costs. Your actual quotes may differ.
Is GEICO or Safeco cheaper?
On average, GEICO car insurance is cheaper than Safeco car insurance. We found that full-coverage insurance costs $1,192 per year at GEICO, which is $446 lower than the national average cost.
At a cost of $1,405 per year, Safeco is also cheaper than average, but not as cheap as GEICO.
GEICO | Safeco | |
|---|---|---|
Clean record | $1,192 | $1,405 |
Policygenius cost rating | 4.7 | 4.0 |
Does GEICO or Safeco have better discounts?
We found that GEICO is the better insurance company for drivers looking for discounts. Notably, GEICO has a couple of discounts for federal workers and members of the military that Safeco doesn’t, although some of GEICO’s listed discounts are small and will apply to most drivers (like discounts for having seat belts).
That said, most of the other discounts from the two companies are about the same. Drivers who insure more than one car or bundle more than one type of insurance with the same company stand to save the most with both GEICO and Safeco.
Discount | GEICO | Safeco |
|---|---|---|
Yes | Yes | |
Bundling discount | Yes | Yes |
Yes | Yes | |
Emergency deployment discount | Yes | No |
Federal employee discount | Yes | No |
Yes | Yes | |
Yes | No | |
Yes | Yes | |
Yes | No | |
Yes | Yes |
Comparing usage-based insurance from GEICO and Safeco
Both GEICO and Safeco have usage-based car insurance (UBI) that benefit safe drivers (usage-based programs track your behavior behind the wheel and offer savings to good drivers). The two programs are similar, but we think that Safeco’s is better because your rate won’t go up if you get a low score.
GEICO’s DriveEasy and Safeco’s Right Track usage-based programs log your driving differently. GEICO only logs the times you use your phone behind the wheel. Safeco adjusts your rates based on miles driven, time of day, braking, and acceleration.
UBI highlights | DriveEasy by GEICO | RightTrack by Safeco |
|---|---|---|
Maximum discount | Up to 25% | Up to 30% |
Discount just for signing up? | Yes | Yes |
Length of trial period | Not listed | 90 days |
Can it raise your rates? | Yes | No |
Is GEICO or Safeco better for customer experience?
Safeco has a better score for customer experience than GEICO. While GEICO scores higher than Safeco on the 2022 Auto Insurance Claims Satisfaction study from J.D. Power, Safeco scores the best of any company on the J.D. Power 2022 Digital Experience study.
When it comes to complaints, Safeco also scores better than GEICO. In fact, the total number of complaints that Safeco receives for service, price, and claims is lower than average (which is 1.0). GEICO receives slightly more complaints than average.
Customer service rating | GEICO | Safeco |
|---|---|---|
J.D. Power Claims Satisfaction score | 874 | 865 |
J.D. Power Digital Experience score | 700 | 738 |
NAIC Complaint index | 1.07 | 0.76 |
Policygenius customer experience rating | 4.1 | 4.3 |
GEICO has better financial strength than Safeco
While Safeco is the better car insurance company for customer experience, GEICO ranks higher for financial strength. An insurance company’s financial strength is a reading of its long term stability and its ability to pay out claims after an accident.
We gave GEICO the highest score for the outstanding ratings it received from A.M. Best, S&P, and Moody’s.
Financial strength scores | GEICO | Safeco |
|---|---|---|
A.M. Best Financial Strength Rating | A++ | A |
S&P credit rating | A++ | A2 |
Moody's credit rating | Aa1 | A- |
Policygenius financial strength rating | 5.0 | 3.4 |
Is GEICO or Safeco better for complete coverage?
If you’re looking for complete car insurance coverage, Safeco is the better company for you. Safeco offers more coverage add-ons than GEICO, including new car replacement coverage, which pays you enough to replace your new car with the same model if it’s totaled within the first few years of ownership.
Drivers who don’t have a new car will probably find that the endorsements that GEICO and Safeco offer are fine. Both companies offer rental car reimbursement and roadside assistance, which are useful for most drivers
Neither company offers gap coverage, which could be a problem for drivers who are required by a lender or lessor to have gap insurance.
Coverage options | GEICO | Safeco |
|---|---|---|
Diminishing deductible | No | Yes |
Mechanical breakdown | Yes | No |
No | Yes | |
Yes | Yes | |
Yes | Yes | |
Policygenius coverage rating | 2.8 | 3.5 |
Are there better companies than GEICO and Safeco?
We have given GEICO and Safeco high scores for their car insurance. The two insurers offer affordable coverage that will line up with the needs that most drivers have.
At the same time, neither company offers gap insurance. If you lease a car or are paying off a loan and you’re required to have gap coverage, you should consider other companies, like Travelers or Erie (if you’re in the Northeast or Midwest).
Our verdict: GEICO has cheaper rates than Safeco, while Safeco has more coverage options than GEICO. But neither company offers gap coverage, so drivers who need that protection might find that another car insurance company is a better option.
Frequently asked questions
Why is GEICO cheaper than Safeco?
Part of the reason that GEICO has cheaper car insurance than Safeco and many other companies is because it’s able to take on more risk (and lower its costs) without worrying about financial instability. Plus, GEICO doesn’t offer its own home insurance, which helps it avoid costly homeowners claims.
Is GEICO or Safeco more popular?
GEICO is more popular than Safeco by total market share. GEICO is the second-largest car insurance company in the U.S. Safeco, which is part of Liberty Mutual, writes fewer insurance policies than GEICO does.
Who can get car insurance from GEICO and Safeco?
Anyone can get car insurance from GEICO and Safeco. Neither company offers coverage to just one group, like members of the armed services or teachers. But high-risk drivers who have a history of claims may be denied coverage from both companies.
