Auto Insurance Companies with the Lowest Complaint Index: 2026 Snapshot
Auto Insurance Companies with the Lowest Complaint Index: 21-Carrier 2026 Snapshot
USAA has the lowest complaint index in this 21-carrier dataset at 0.34, followed by Erie Insurance at 0.52 and State Farm at 0.67. Lower complaint-index values indicate fewer confirmed regulatory complaints relative to premium volume compared with the applicable market benchmark.
The ranking uses PlainInsurer's retained 2024 private-passenger auto complaint-index values. The source dataset was available in the current 2026 research snapshot, but 2024 is used as the value year because PlainInsurer's detailed methodology, insurer source lines and site-wide data label identify the complaint index as 2024.
Metric: private-passenger auto complaint index. Data year: 2024. Research snapshot: September 2026. Unit: index points. Direction: ascending, so lower ranks higher. Coverage: 21 confirmed carriers. Status counts: 21 industry_observed_value, 0 calculated_value, 0 official_forecast and 0 modeled_projection.
This compiled research dataset uses PlainInsurer for row-level values, NAIC for complaint-index methodology and AM Best for separate financial-strength context.
How to read 1.00: NAIC defines complaint index as a company's complaint ratio divided by the complaint ratio for the comparable aggregate market. The average complaint index is 1.00. Values below 1.00 indicate a lower complaint ratio than the market benchmark; values above 1.00 indicate a higher ratio.
USAA ranks first in the 21-carrier comparison.
Gainsco Insurance is the opposite extreme in the confirmed set.
All confirmed private-passenger auto rows on the retained comparison surface are included.
Calculated directly from the 21 raw values displayed on this page.
NAIC average complaint-index benchmark for a comparable market.
Underlying complaint-index vintage / StatRanker research snapshot.
What the auto insurance complaint index measures
Raw complaint counts are difficult to compare because insurers write different amounts of business. NAIC defines a company complaint ratio as confirmed complaints divided by gross written premium for the same line of business, period and geographic market.
Complaint index compares that company ratio with the complaint ratio for the aggregate market. An index of 0.50 means the company's complaint ratio is about half the benchmark; an index of 2.00 means it is about twice the benchmark.
Complaint index is not a claim-denial rate or a complete quality rating. It should be considered alongside premiums, policy terms, financial information and other relevant evidence.
Top 10 auto insurers with the lowest complaint index
Seven of the ten lowest complaint indexes in this 21-carrier set are below the 1.00 market benchmark. The Hartford Auto, Allstate and Liberty Mutual complete the Top 10 with values above 1.00.
Top 10 by lowest retained 2024 private-passenger auto complaint index
| Rank | Insurer | Index | Source / Method Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | USAA | 0.34 | industry_observed_value; PlainInsurer CC0; 2024 complaint index; 50 reporting states. |
| 2 | Erie Insurance | 0.52 | industry_observed_value; PlainInsurer CC0; 2024 complaint index; 12 reporting states. |
| 3 | State Farm | 0.67 | industry_observed_value; PlainInsurer CC0; 2024 complaint index; 50 reporting states. |
| 4 | American Family Insurance | 0.76 | industry_observed_value; PlainInsurer CC0; 2024 complaint index; 19 reporting states. |
| 5 | Travelers Insurance | 0.87 | industry_observed_value; PlainInsurer CC0; 2024 complaint index; 50 reporting states. |
| 6 | Progressive Insurance | 0.89 | industry_observed_value; PlainInsurer CC0; 2024 complaint index; 50 reporting states. |
| 7 | Nationwide Insurance | 0.98 | industry_observed_value; PlainInsurer CC0; 2024 complaint index; 50 reporting states. |
| 8 | The Hartford Auto | 1.05 | industry_observed_value; PlainInsurer CC0; 2024 complaint index; 50 reporting states. |
| 9 | Allstate Insurance | 1.21 | industry_observed_value; PlainInsurer CC0; 2024 complaint index; 49 reporting states. |
| 10 | Liberty Mutual | 1.34 | industry_observed_value; PlainInsurer CC0; 2024 complaint index; 50 reporting states. |
Rank is calculated directly from the raw complaint-index values in ascending order. Reporting-state count describes source coverage only and is not interpreted as current policy availability.
Chart: 20 lowest complaint indexes
Shorter bars indicate lower complaint indexes. The chart uses the same raw values as the ranking table and shows the first 20 of the 21 confirmed entries.
Gainsco Insurance is the 21st entry in ascending order with an index of 3.87 and appears in the complete table below.
Financial strength is a separate measure
Complaint performance and financial strength answer different questions. AM Best's Financial Strength Rating addresses an insurer's ability to meet ongoing insurance obligations; it is not incorporated into this complaint-index ranking.
AM Best category: Superior ability to meet ongoing insurance obligations.
AM Best category: Excellent ability to meet ongoing insurance obligations.
AM Best category: Good ability to meet ongoing insurance obligations.
Consumer-facing insurance brands can contain multiple legal underwriting companies. Financial information should be matched to the insurer named on the policy rather than inferred from a parent brand.
Methodology
Row-level values come from PlainInsurer's CC0 complaint-index dataset. PlainInsurer describes complaint index as a curated public-records dataset compiled from published NAIC consumer complaint-index figures and state Department-of-Insurance reports. StatRanker therefore classifies these rows as industry_observed_value rather than official_value.
Metric
Private-passenger auto complaint index reported in PlainInsurer's curated regulatory public-records dataset.
Unit and direction
Unit: index points. Direction: ascending; lower values rank higher.
Data year
2024. PlainInsurer's detailed methodology identifies the retained NAIC complaint-index release as 2024, and individual insurer source lines also label the complaint index as 2024.
Snapshot year
2026. This is the StatRanker research and publication snapshot year, not the underlying complaint-data year.
Source-label discrepancy
Some PlainInsurer summary and download surfaces currently display a 2026 MCAS label, while its detailed methodology, footer and insurer-level source lines identify complaint-index values as 2024. StatRanker uses 2024 as the value year and discloses the inconsistency.
Complaint ratio
NAIC defines company complaint ratio as confirmed complaints divided by gross written premium for the same line, period and geographic market.
Complaint index
NAIC defines complaint index as company complaint ratio divided by the complaint ratio for the comparable aggregate market. The average complaint index is 1.00.
Coverage
Twenty-one private-passenger auto carriers with complaint-index values on PlainInsurer's retained comparison surface. This is not a census of every U.S. auto insurer.
Reporting states
The reporting-state field is retained as source context only. It is not interpreted as current licensing, policy-writing or sales availability.
Rank formula
Rank = ascending order of raw complaint-index value. All 21 displayed values are distinct, so no secondary tie-breaker is required.
Inclusion and missing values
All 21 confirmed rows are included. No missing value is estimated or imputed, and no additional carrier is added to create a larger Top N.
Assumptions
The retained rows are compared within the same private-passenger auto dataset and 2024 complaint-index vintage. Reporting-state count does not affect rank and no cross-source normalization is applied.
Limits
The metric does not measure claim-denial rate, claim speed, premiums, policy breadth, repair quality, financial strength or complete customer satisfaction.
StatRanker uses the published complaint-index values directly. Page-level calculations are limited to ascending rank, the median of 1.43 and chart scaling from the same raw values.
Main ranking: 21 auto insurers by complaint index
Search insurers, filter by reporting-state coverage, source or status, sort the existing rows, or display the Top 10, Top 20 or all 21 entries.
Twenty-one confirmed carriers ranked from lowest to highest complaint index
| Rank | Insurer | Index | Source / Method Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | USAA | 0.34 | industry_observed_value; PlainInsurer CC0; source year 2024; target year 2024; 50 reporting states. |
| 2 | Erie Insurance | 0.52 | industry_observed_value; PlainInsurer CC0; source year 2024; target year 2024; 12 reporting states. |
| 3 | State Farm | 0.67 | industry_observed_value; PlainInsurer CC0; source year 2024; target year 2024; 50 reporting states. |
| 4 | American Family Insurance | 0.76 | industry_observed_value; PlainInsurer CC0; source year 2024; target year 2024; 19 reporting states. |
| 5 | Travelers Insurance | 0.87 | industry_observed_value; PlainInsurer CC0; source year 2024; target year 2024; 50 reporting states. |
| 6 | Progressive Insurance | 0.89 | industry_observed_value; PlainInsurer CC0; source year 2024; target year 2024; 50 reporting states. |
| 7 | Nationwide Insurance | 0.98 | industry_observed_value; PlainInsurer CC0; source year 2024; target year 2024; 50 reporting states. |
| 8 | The Hartford Auto | 1.05 | industry_observed_value; PlainInsurer CC0; source year 2024; target year 2024; 50 reporting states. |
| 9 | Allstate Insurance | 1.21 | industry_observed_value; PlainInsurer CC0; source year 2024; target year 2024; 49 reporting states. |
| 10 | Liberty Mutual | 1.34 | industry_observed_value; PlainInsurer CC0; source year 2024; target year 2024; 50 reporting states. |
| 11 | GEICO | 1.43 | industry_observed_value; PlainInsurer CC0; source year 2024; target year 2024; 50 reporting states. |
| 12 | Farmers Insurance | 1.56 | industry_observed_value; PlainInsurer CC0; source year 2024; target year 2024; 42 reporting states. |
| 13 | Mercury Insurance | 1.78 | industry_observed_value; PlainInsurer CC0; source year 2024; target year 2024; 11 reporting states. |
| 14 | Esurance (Allstate) | 1.98 | industry_observed_value; PlainInsurer CC0; source year 2024; target year 2024; 41 reporting states. |
| 15 | Dairyland Insurance (Sentry) | 2.34 | industry_observed_value; PlainInsurer CC0; source year 2024; target year 2024; 40 reporting states. |
| 16 | Kemper Auto | 2.43 | industry_observed_value; PlainInsurer CC0; source year 2024; target year 2024; 45 reporting states. |
| 17 | Direct General (Allstate) | 2.56 | industry_observed_value; PlainInsurer CC0; source year 2024; target year 2024; 26 reporting states. |
| 18 | SafeAuto (Kemper) | 2.87 | industry_observed_value; PlainInsurer CC0; source year 2024; target year 2024; 17 reporting states. |
| 19 | Root Insurance | 2.97 | industry_observed_value; PlainInsurer CC0; source year 2024; target year 2024; 34 reporting states. |
| 20 | Infinity P&C (Kemper) | 3.01 | industry_observed_value; PlainInsurer CC0; source year 2024; target year 2024; 13 reporting states. |
| 21 | Gainsco Insurance | 3.87 | industry_observed_value; PlainInsurer CC0; source year 2024; target year 2024; 7 reporting states. |
All ranking rows use the retained 2024 complaint-index vintage. Reporting-state counts describe source coverage and do not establish current policy availability.
Insights from the 21-carrier ranking
Key Insight
Seven of the 21 carriers have complaint indexes below the 1.00 market benchmark; fourteen are above it.
Notable Pattern
The retained values range from 0.34 to 3.87, so the highest index is more than eleven times the lowest.
Reporting Coverage
Reporting-state counts vary substantially across the dataset. They describe source coverage rather than verified policy availability.
Outlier
Gainsco Insurance's 3.87 index is well above the 21-carrier median of 1.43. The data do not identify the causes of that difference.
What this ranking means for consumers
Complaint index compares confirmed complaint experience with market activity rather than relying on raw complaint counts alone. A lower index is favorable on this specific metric, but it is not a complete recommendation.
Formal regulator complaints do not capture every dissatisfied customer or every issue resolved directly with an insurer. Policy terms, premiums, deductibles, coverage limits, the legal underwriting entity and financial information should be evaluated separately.
FAQ
Which auto insurer has the lowest complaint index in this ranking?
USAA ranks first among the 21 confirmed carriers with an index of 0.34, followed by Erie Insurance at 0.52 and State Farm at 0.67.
What does a complaint index of 1.00 mean?
NAIC defines the index relative to the comparable aggregate market. The average complaint index is 1.00; values below 1.00 indicate a lower complaint ratio and values above 1.00 indicate a higher ratio.
Are lower complaint-index values better?
For this metric, yes. The ranking therefore sorts all 21 values from lowest to highest.
What year are these complaint-index values?
The underlying complaint-index vintage is 2024. The article is a September 2026 research snapshot. Some PlainInsurer summary surfaces currently display a 2026 MCAS label, while its detailed methodology, footer and insurer-level source lines identify the complaint-index release as 2024.
Are these official NAIC company values?
No. PlainInsurer describes complaint index as a curated public-records dataset compiled from published NAIC consumer complaint-index figures and state Department-of-Insurance reports. StatRanker therefore classifies the rows as industry_observed_value.
What do reporting-state counts mean?
They describe reporting coverage in the source dataset. They are not used as a proxy for the number of states where an insurer currently sells policies.
Does complaint index show claim-denial rates?
No. Complaint index and claim-denial rate are separate metrics.
Does a low complaint index mean stronger finances?
No. Financial strength is a separate dimension and is not included in this ranking.
Sources
PlainInsurer — Auto Insurers by Complaint Index
Row-level source for the 21 retained auto complaint-index values, ranking coverage and reporting-state counts.
PlainInsurer — Complaint Index Open Data
Reusable CC0 complaint-index extract and field documentation. Its current summary label conflicts with the 2024 vintage identified elsewhere by the publisher.
PlainInsurer — Methodology & Data Sources
Primary source for the retained complaint-index vintage. It identifies the current retained NAIC complaint-index release as 2024.
PlainInsurer — Editorial & Corrections Policy
Explains that complaint index is a curated public-records dataset compiled from published NAIC consumer complaint-index figures and state Department-of-Insurance reports and identifies the complaint-index data as 2024.
NAIC — MCAS 2024
Official historical data-year page for the 2024 Market Conduct Annual Statement cycle, including Private Passenger Auto filing materials.
NAIC — Market Conduct Annual Statement
Primary regulatory background for MCAS reporting and comparable market-conduct measurements. NAIC reports 647 Private Passenger Auto companies and 5,224 state filings for the 2024 data year.
https://content.naic.org/insurance-topics/market-conduct-annual-statement
NAIC — Market Regulation Handbook
Primary methodology source for confirmed-complaint ratios, complaint-index calculation and the 1.00 aggregate-market benchmark.
https://content.naic.org/sites/default/files/publication-market-reg-hb.pdf
AM Best — Financial Strength Rating Guide
Separate financial-strength context. No AM Best rating is incorporated into the complaint-index ranking.
