Despite being one of the biggest auto insurance companies, I’m not inclined to call Liberty Mutual one of the best. It has a track record of receiving far more customer complaints than many insurers, and its rates are objectively steep, even for drivers with squeaky clean records. However, it scores well in some analyses for auto claims satisfaction and I have every reason to believe the company is safe and stable, so I’m not going to say it’s untrustworthy or unreliable.
Liberty Mutual shines for usage-based insurance (UBI) policies and range of discounts. But unless you qualify for at least a few of these discounts or are specifically looking for coverage you can’t find elsewhere, I wouldn’t recommend Liberty Mutual.
Liberty Mutual is the sixth-largest auto insurance provider in the U.S. by market share, having written over 13.3 million premiums and capturing around 4.2% of the total market in 2023, according to the NAIC Property and Casualty Market Share Report.
Liberty Mutual pros and cons
- More rate discounts available than many auto insurance companies
- Decent usage-based insurance policies
- High claims satisfaction rates as reported by J.D. Power
- Low customer satisfaction across many studies and platforms
- Higher liability-only premiums than many providers
- Above-average customer complaint index with NAIC
How much does Liberty Mutual cost?
Across the board, Liberty Mutual costs more than other car insurance companies for different driver types and age groups. So whether you have a perfect driving record or some at-fault incidents or other points-causing violations on your record, you’ll very likely pay more for insurance with Liberty Mutual than you would elsewhere.
We’ll cover the many discounts this insurer provides soon, but we want to note that consumer reviews across many platforms contain stories of Liberty Mutual customers saving money when they switched to another company.
Take a look at how much Liberty Mutual costs for liability-only car insurance, based on data for average quoted prices from Insurify.
Driver type | Liberty Mutual liability-only monthly premium |
Clean driving record | $198 |
Speeding ticket on driving record | $265 |
At-fault accident on driving record | $282 |
DUI on driving record | $393 |
Teen driver | $532 |
Senior driver | $166 |
Data sourced from Insurify |
Now, check out the national averages and notice how much lower they are.
Driver type | National average liability-only monthly premium |
Clean driving record | $105 |
Speeding ticket on driving record | $145 |
At-fault accident on driving record | $151 |
DUI on driving record | $172 |
Teen driver | $199 |
Senior driver | $81 |
Data sourced from Insurify |
Editor’s note
In some cases, you’re paying more than double what you would with the average insurer when you choose Liberty Mutual. The difference isn’t so bad for perfect drivers, but we’d strongly recommend against choosing this company for anyone with an imperfect driving record and teen drivers.Is Liberty Mutual car insurance good?
Company ratings:
- AM Best: A (Stable)
- J.D. Power claims satisfaction: 717/1,000 (study average 697)
- BBB: A-
- NAIC complaints: 3.16 (Private Passenger)
Liberty Mutual looks OK on paper, and its ratings are mixed when you look at independent research. However, I hesitate to recommend the company to everyone because some signs point to customers being more likely to be unhappy with their experiences with this insurer.
Liberty Mutual’s A grade with AM Best, with the highest being A+ and lowest being D, indicates that the research agency finds very little reason to feel the insurer isn’t capable of fulfilling its obligations to customers. The story is similar at the BBB, which deems the company to be mostly reliable and trustworthy. But I want to talk about that NAIC index.
The NAIC complaint index compares different companies to each other based on how many complaints one has received relative to the average. The NAIC calculates this by dividing a given company’s share of complaints by the total for the U.S. The National Complaint Index is 1.00, so Liberty Mutual has a disproportionately high number of complaints against it. Most fall under claim handling and underwriting, with the majority being for delays and unsatisfactory settlements.
Frankly, this doesn’t really align with the high J.D. Power score Liberty Mutual received in the U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study. But with a rating of 717 when the average was 697, Liberty Mutual edged out plenty of its competitors for a spot in the top five, including State Farm (just below it at 710).
Discounts
In addition to the discounts outlined below, Liberty Mutual stands out from other auto insurance companies for providing a few unique ways to save on car insurance. These include a homeowner discount you can qualify for just for owning a home, regardless of whether you bundle policies, and an early shopper discount. You can get this one when you switch to Liberty Mutual before your current policy expires with another company.
You might also see a slight rate cut if you buy insurance online rather than visiting a Liberty Mutual office or enroll in paperless statements. Overall, Liberty Mutual’s discounts are great for switching and paying by usage. The company isn’t a good choice if you want to save on your car insurance by installing safety devices or if you’re a senior, though.
Discount | Does Liberty Mutual have it? | State Farm | GEICO |
Loyalty | No | Yes | No |
Multi-policy/bundling | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Multiple vehicle | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Airbag | No | Yes | Yes |
Anti-lock brakes | No | Yes | Yes |
Anti-theft | No | Yes | Yes |
Safe driver | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Good student | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Away-from-home student | Yes | Yes | Yes |
New car | No | No | Yes |
Pay in full | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Automatic payments | Yes | No | Yes |
GAP insurance | No | No | No |
Senior | No | No | No |
Military | Yes | Yes (select states) | Yes |
Defensive driving course | Yes (select states) | Yes | Yes |
RightTrack
Liberty Mutual’s RightTrack program offers discounts between 10% and 30%, with 10% off the top just for signing up. The program tracks your driving to determine how safely you operate your vehicle over a 90-day testing period. It’ll look at everything from how quickly you accelerate to when you typically drive — all factors that can paint a picture of your risk.
After your testing period is up, you’ll receive a score that’s then used to calculate your premium. RightTrack isn’t available in every state.
Editor’s note
While some telematics programs require you to install a physical device, this one is more convenient because it’s app-based.Coverage
Liberty Mutual offers GAP insurance, which you won’t find with every insurer. As far as other nontraditional types of coverage, the lifetime repair guarantee offers an interesting way to simplify the claims and repairs process if you get into an accident with a car you own. That is, as long as you live near an approved repair facility. And the Deductible Fund is a vanishing deductible option that lets you save up for deductibles on future claims.
Liberty Mutual offers the following types of coverage:
- Comprehensive insurance
- Collision coverage
- Liability insurance
- Coverage for medical payments
- Uninsured motorist coverage
- Personal injury protection (PIP)
- Liberty Mutual Deductible Fund
- New car replacement insurance
- Better car replacement insurance
- Original parts replacement
- Lifetime repair guarantee
- GAP coverage
- Rental car reimbursement
- Roadside assistance
- Teachers' auto coverage
- Mexico auto coverage
Liberty Mutual vs. competitors
Liberty Mutual is pricier than many companies and the national average for similar coverage.
Company name | Average monthly full coverage | Average monthly liability-only coverage |
USAA | $99 | $46 |
GEICO | $118 | $55 |
State Farm | $119 | $55 |
Allstate | $132 | $62 |
Progressive | $148 | $101 |
American Family | $157 | $72 |
Nationwide | $181 | $85 |
Travelers | $191 | $90 |
National average | $199 | $105 |
Farmers | $236 | $110 |
Liberty Mutual | $250 | $169 |
Data sourced from Insurify |
State Farm and GEICO both have lower rates for liability coverage, but State Farm’s are a little higher than GEICO’s. Liberty Mutual is the only one of the three with GAP insurance and vanishing deductibles.
Liberty Mutual vs. State Farm
State Farm is ranked just below Liberty Mutual in the J.D. Power claims satisfaction study, but it’s a much more appealing option when you compare NAIC complaint indexes. State Farm’s index for Private Passenger insurance is just 0.78, which is excellent given the company’s massive size, and its AM Best grade is A++. The two offer similar coverage options.
State Farm’s rates are lower than Liberty Mutual’s for the same coverage. Where you’d pay an average of $265 for liability coverage with Liberty Mutual if you had a ticket on your record, State Farm quotes $168 for this on average.
Liberty Mutual vs. GEICO
GEICO beats Liberty Mutual handily when you compare car insurance premiums, and it offers many more discounts. GEICO’s average quote for liability-only coverage for drivers with clean records is just $55, while Liberty Mutual’s is $198; and GEICO’s average quote for drivers with DUIs is $90 compared to Liberty Mutual’s $393. Frankly, it’s not even close.
But when you look at insurance types and add-ons, Liberty Mutual wins out. The latter provides more customizability if you compare apples to apples where “apples” are coverage.
FAQs
How do I contact Liberty Mutual?
To get in touch with Liberty Mutual’s customer support, you can either call or visit an in-person office. The phone number for general support is 800-290-8711, but you can also text 501-439-4998 for quick help.
What company owns Liberty Mutual?
Liberty Mutual is not owned by another company. It operates independently as Liberty Mutual Holding Company Inc.
What companies are cheaper than Liberty Mutual?
Many car insurance companies are cheaper than Liberty Mutual, as the company isn’t known for having the lowest premiums. You might find better rates with two of its top competitors, GEICO and State Farm, depending on the coverage you need and discounts you qualify for.
If you’re paying too much for car insurance, check out our tips for lower your rates.
Bottom line
All in all, Liberty Mutual car insurance isn’t likely to be the right fit for most drivers. Its policies are costly, though it does offer many coverage options and a wide range of discounts, and it has many customer complaints against it.
When filing car insurance claims can already be such a frustrating, I wouldn’t feel good about buying my policy through a company with a shaky-at-best history of customer satisfaction. However, I’d recommend comparing quotes from Liberty Mutual with quotes from other companies like State Farm, GEICO, Allstate, and Progressive to make sure you get the coverage you need.