Should You Trust Nationwide with Your Auto Insurance?

We’ve all heard the jingle “Nationwide is on your side” – but how do they stack up with car insurance? We answer that question in our full Nationwide auto insurance review.

Nationwide is one of the biggest car insurance companies in the country. You’ve probably seen Nationwide ads on television featuring sports stars and country singers. But maybe you wonder if Nationwide really is on your side when it comes to getting you the best rate on auto insurance.

One thing to consider is the fact that Nationwide offers a variety of financial products and insurances. If you’re looking for a way to streamline paying your bills, you can combine products with them. And this might even save you some money.

Take a minute to discover if you can make your life easier and also save some money with our Nationwide auto insurance review below.

What You’ll Like About Nationwide

One of the unique features of Nationwide auto insurance is that customers can actually make their deductibles vanish over time. Maintaining a safe driving record will enable you to reduce your deductible by $100 for every year that you don’t have an accident. The company actually allows you to reduce your deductible by a maximum amount of $500.

Nationwide also offers a system called SmartRide to help you lower your rates based on your driving habits. The SmartRide device plugs into your car’s diagnostic port and tracks your speed, braking habits, and overall driving behaviors. Customers who drive safely can earn discounts of up to 40 percent off of their rates.

Nationwide provides a free assessment once per year to help you determine if your current policy is working for you. An agent will help you find any new discounts that you may be eligible for during the assessment.

Nationwide also piles on a ton of discounts from the moment you sign up to obtain a quote. Here are some of the instant perks you can tack on:

• Accident-free discount
• Easy Pay registration discount
• Paperless discount

There are also opportunities to earn discounts if you’re a member of various clubs and groups. These little discounts can really help to chip away at your monthly premiums.

Related: USAA Auto Insurance Review: Does It Live Up to Its Perfect Score?

How Much Does Nationwide Auto Insurance Cost?

Nationwide offers three tiers of coverage. You can choose between Basic, Standard, and Premium coverage when you sign up. Nationwide will automatically give you a quote for each of the three tiers.

I sought out quotes on all three tiers for a 2009 Honda Civic located in the Northeast. In order to get a good baseline for comparison, here are the specs I included when requesting a quote:

• 2009 Honda Civic
• 75,000 miles
• located in the Northeast
• Two drivers, ages 30-39, with clean driving records
  

Basic Coverage

The quote for Basic coverage was just over $66 per month. Here’s what you’ll get when you sign up for Basic coverage:

• Bodily injury liability totaling $20,000 per person and $40,000 per accident
• Property damage liability totaling $10,000 per accident
• Standard uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage
• $1,000 in coverage for medical payments

Learn More: How To Prevent Auto Expenses From Dinging Your Budget

Standard Coverage

A quote for Standard coverage for the same vehicle came in at $104 per month. The big difference between the Standard and Basic tiers is that comprehensive coverage and collision coverage kick in once you jump up a level.

Here’s a look at what members get with Nationwide’s Standard coverage:

• Bodily injury liability totaling $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident
• Property damage liability totaling $50,000 per accident
• Comprehensive coverage with a $500 deductible per occurrence
• Collision coverage with a $500 deductible per occurrence
• Rental reimbursement of $30 per day or $900 per accident
• Basic roadside assistance
• Standard uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage
• $2,000 in coverage for medical payments
• Vanishing deductibles

Premium Coverage

A quote for Premium coverage for the same vehicle comes in at $113 per month. Here’s a look at what members get when they sign up for the Premium tier from Nationwide:

• Bodily injury liability totaling $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident
• Property damage liability totaling $100,000 per accident
• Comprehensive coverage with a $500 deductible per occurrence
• Collision coverage with a $500 deductible per occurrence
• Rental reimbursement of $50 per day or $1,500 per incident
• Basic roadside assistance
• Standard uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage
• $2,000 in coverage for medical payments
• Vanishing deductibles

Your options don’t end with these three basic tiers once you sign up for Nationwide. You can actually piece together your own customized coverage plan. However, a customized coverage plan with just a few tweaks instantly pushed the quote for the 2009 Honda Civic to nearly double the quote Nationwide offered for the Basic coverage tier.

Is Nationwide a Good Choice?

Nationwide gives customers the benefit of insuring their vehicles through a large, established company that also offers a variety of other financial products and services. One thing that will impress you right away is that Nationwide tacks on discounts from the moment you begin signing up for a policy.

The big downside to Nationwide is that its basic package offers bare-bones coverage. This won’t be enough for most people. The low rate that Basic coverage offers may look appealing at first glance. However, most drivers will need to bump up to at least Standard coverage to be adequately covered.

Purchasing a higher tier of coverage may actually work out to cost about the same as Basic coverage in the end, once Nationwide adds in discounts over time. For example, a safe driver with Standard or Premium coverage should be able to enjoy a decline in their monthly rate after about a year of holding a policy. By taking advantage of Nationwide’s vanishing deductible, good drivers will also be able to save money if they do get in an accident.

Resource: The 10 Most Expensive States to Insure Your Automobile

The final thing to consider when deciding if Nationwide is the right company is that it ranks slightly lower in customer satisfaction than other major auto insurers. Even the process of purchasing insurance through Nationwide was ranked as average when compared to competitors in a 2017 J.D. Power customer survey.

The bottom line is that Nationwide offers some innovative policy perks that may be what you’re looking for. The company offers opportunities to actively lower your auto insurance rates far beyond what most other companies out there can match. However, both the company’s customer service and the content of its auto policies don’t appear to be dazzling people all that much.

Nationwide seems to essentially offer an average product at an average price when you boil it all down.

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' Topics: Auto Insurance

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