The Hartford Auto Insurance Review [2024]: Great Perks for AARP Members

What is The Hartford?

The Hartford is an insurance company that has been in business for over 200 years.

It started in 1810 as a fire insurance company. The insurer’s coverage was put to the test in 1835 when a fire destroyed most of the buildings in New York City’s Financial District and again in 1871 after the Great Chicago Fire destroyed 18,000 buildings. The Hartford stood by their customers and helped them rebuild.

When cars started to increase in numbers on American roadways, The Hartford added car insurance coverage to its product offerings.

In 1984, The Hartford became the exclusive insurance provider of home and auto coverage for AARP members.

Today, The Hartford is the 18th largest property and casualty insurance company in the U.S. with over 2.13 billion direct premiums written as of March 2024.

Over the years, several notable people and structures have been insured by The Hartford, including Abraham Lincoln, Babe Ruth, and President Dwight Eisenhower as well as the Hoover Dam and the Golden Gate Bridge.

Year founded	1810
Types of coverage	Bodily injury liability Property damage liability Collision Comprehensive Uninsured/underinsured motorist Medical payments Personal injury protection (PIP) Auto glass Towing Personal umbrella Gap Rental car reimbursement Rental car Classic car and other vehicle types
Discounts available	AARP membership Paid-in-full Defensive driver course Bundling insurance coverages TrueLane drive safe program
Where you can use it	Mobile app, desktop portal
Customer support	Call (860) 547-5000 or send an online inquiry
Availability	All 50 U.S. states and Washington, DC.
	Visit The Hartford

What insurance does The Hartford offer?

The Hartford offers several car insurance coverages for AARP members. Its car insurance coverage is available in all All 50 U.S. states and Washington, DC.

Here are the coverage types The Hartford has for auto insurance.

• Bodily injury liability: Most states require drivers to have liability insurance. Bodily injury liability helps cover injuries you may cause to another person in a car accident that was your fault.
• Property damage liability: This coverage helps pay for repairs and replacement of another person’s car or property that gets damaged in an accident you are responsible for. It is required coverage in most states.
• Collision coverage: Collision coverage helps pay for repairs or replacement of your vehicle if it is damaged in an accident. Collision insurance isn’t required coverage by law; however, you may be required to have it if you lease your vehicle or have a lien on it.
• Comprehensive coverage: This coverage helps pay for repairs or replacement of your car if it is damaged in a non-collision incident such as vandalism, theft, fire, or natural disaster. Comprehensive insurance also covers accidents with animals.
• Uninsured or underinsured motorists: This coverage helps cover the cost of injuries or damages you sustain in an accident with an uninsured driver. It also protects you if the driver is underinsured and doesn’t have enough coverage to cover your injuries or damages.
• Medical payments: This optional coverage can help pay your medical bills if you are injured in a car accident.
• Personal injury protection (PIP): This insurance helps cover losses if you are injured in a car accident, no matter who was at fault. It can help with lost wages, medical bills, or funeral costs. This coverage, also known as “no-fault” insurance, is required in several states.
• Auto glass insurance: This is an optional coverage that helps pay to repair your vehicle’s windows, mirrors, and headlights. It can be beneficial for needed repairs that are less than the deductible on your comprehensive or collision coverage.
• Towing: If your car breaks down, towing coverage helps pay for towing it to the mechanic. It can also cover small roadside assistance calls, such as fixing a flat tire or jumpstarting your car.
• Personal umbrella insurance: This extra protection insurance helps cover costs resulting from an accident that are above and beyond what is covered under your liability insurance.
• Gap insurance: This coverage helps pay the difference between what you owe on your vehicle and its market value if your vehicle gets totaled or stolen. While not required by state law, a lender might require it for a leased or financed car.
• Rental car reimbursement: This coverage helps pay the cost of renting a car if your car is being repaired for a covered accident.
• Rental car insurance: This coverage helps cover damages to a rental car or loss due to theft.
• Classic car insurance: This coverage helps protect classic cars built before 1980. It also includes roadside assistance.

Other insurance coverage offered by The Hartford

The Hartford provides other insurance coverage besides car insurance. This includes:

Homeowners Renters Condo Pet (through Fetch) Flood Umbrella Commercial auto

RV Business Business owner’s General liability Professional liability Workers compensation

The Hartford car insurance: How cheap is it?

How to find discounts

As the exclusive car insurance provider for AARP, AARP members can save up to 10% on auto insurance coverage with The Hartford.

The insurer also offers other discounts to help you save money on your car insurance premiums. Discounts on car insurance with The Hartford include:

• Paid-in-full discount: You can get a discount on your insurance premiums if you pay upfront for six months or a year of coverage rather than monthly.
• Defensive driver course discount: You can earn a discount by completing an approved defensive driving course. This discount is good for three years.
• TrueLane Program: This program uses a mobile app to monitor your driving and rewards you for safe driving habits with discounts of up to 25%. You also receive a 12% discount off your car insurance premiums just by participating in the program.
• Bundling: When you bundle your car insurance with a homeowners, renters, or condo insurance policy, you can earn discounts on both policies.

How to maximize savings

Your AARP membership enables you to save a considerable amount on car insurance with The Hartford.

After taking advantage of The Hartford discounts, you can do these things to maximize your savings on car insurance.

• Increase your deductible: The deductible is the amount you must pay out-of-pocket before your insurance kicks in. Increasing your car insurance deductible typically decreases your premiums.
• Lower your coverage: Most states require you to carry a minimum amount of liability insurance. You can save money on your premiums by lowering your coverage but staying above the minimum required in your state. (However, keep in mind that this could leave you underinsured if you are involved in an accident.)
• Improve your credit score: Your credit score is one of the factors that affects auto insurance rates. If you improve your credit score, you might be able to save some money on your car insurance premiums.

How to get an insurance quote from The Hartford

We like that getting a quote for car insurance from The Hartford is relatively easy, and you don’t need to be an AARP member to get a quote.

The quote process typically takes 15 to 20 minutes. However, you will need to become an AARP member to accept the quote.

To get an insurance quote from The Hartford:

1. Go to The Hartford, then enter your ZIP code to get the quote process started and answer whether you want a quote for car insurance, home insurance, or a bundle of the two coverages.

2. Provide your personal details, including your name, date of birth, and address. The Hartford also asks whether you own a house, condo, or mobile home or if you rent.

3. Enter your car's Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) and provide additional information that includes:

• Whether you own, lease, or finance the car
• How you use the vehicle (personal, business, commuting, etc.)
• Other drivers you want to insure on the vehicle
• Your gender
• Marital status
• Whether you’ve had any traffic violations in the last five years
• If you’ve taken a defensive driving course in the past three years

4. Enter your email address and phone number to see your six-month insurance policy. The quote is for a paid-in-full premium and factors in your enrollment in the TrueLane monitoring program. Opting out of either typically increases the quote amount.

5. The quote you get is for full coverage, but you can adjust the levels and types of coverage, which will change your initial quote.

The Hartford FAQ

The Hartford auto insurance review: bottom line

We recommend The Hartford for people over 50 who are looking for affordable car insurance. The Hartford is one of the best car insurance providers, its quote process is easy to navigate, and you can quickly find out your premiums.

If you like what you see, you’ll have to join AARP to get insurance from The Hartford, but for an annual membership fee of only $16, we think it can be well worth it. Plus, your AARP membership offers many other perks and discounts.

However, if The Hartford doesn’t feel like the right fit, explore additional options in our list of the best car insurance companies.

Methodology

FinanceBuzz researches several factors in each auto insurance provider to create our reviews. These factors include cost and discounts, complaints and customer satisfaction, coverage, and ease of use. We also gather information from sources such as J.D. Power, AM Best, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), and the Better Business Bureau to ensure we provide the most useful information to our readers.