- Car Insurance
Based in Westmont, Illinois, and serving close to a dozen states across the US, the Safeway Insurance Group is the largest family-owned insurance company in the country.
Find your best rate on Car Insurance!
Attention: Still Open During the Financial Crisis…
Tip: Act now to see if you qualify for lower rates!
Compare free personalized quotes from the nation’s top providers.
It was founded back in 1959 and primarily offers auto insurance, with a wealth of coverage options and some very competitive rates. Safeway, like many old-school providers, works through insurance agents, offering a face-to-face personalized approach that some consumers prefer.
Safeway operates in 12 states across the US (Arizona, Alabama, California, Arkansas, Illinois, Georgia, Colorado, Mississippi, Louisiana, New Mexico, Texas, Tennessee) and in this Safeway review, we’ll see what it can offer policyholders in those states.
Safeway Insurance Coverage Options
Safeway offers all the basic coverage options you would expect to get from a leading, reputable, and established insurance provider. These include:
- Liability Coverage: Bodily injury and property damage coverage are required in nearly all states, with different limits set for each. This is a basic form of car insurance and, in most states, it’s possible to stick with just these two options and to avoid everything else, although doing so will increase the risk of major out-of-pocket expenses in the event of a serious accident.
- Collision Coverage: With collision coverage, you will get a payout for damages sustained to your vehicle following a collision with an obstacle, such as a tree or wall.
- Comprehensive Coverage: What is not covered by collision insurance is often covered by comprehensive insurance, including animal collisions and damage from extreme weather events.
- Uninsured Motorist Coverage: Will pay for damage sustained by an at-fault uninsured motorist, of which there are over 30 million in the United States.
- Underinsured Motorist Coverage: If the at-fault driver doesn’t have enough insurance to cover you during an accident, this coverage option will step in and do the honors.
- Personal Injury Protection (PIP): A comprehensive form of personal injury cover, PIP ensures you’re not required to pay out-of-pocket for medical bills and other losses resulting from physical injuries.
- Medical Payments: As with PIP, medical payments coverage will help you with medical bills. But unlike PIP, it will not pay for money lost as a result of missed work.
While the basics are certainly covered and most needs will be met, Safeway is a little lacking in some key areas. For instance, it doesn’t offer any rideshare insurance. Admittedly, this is a relatively new type of car insurance and it is an area that is currently dominated by the biggest providers (GEICO, Progressive, etc.,) but it also suggests that Safeway is a little behind the times.
What happens if you drive for Uber or Lyft and need the extra cover that this option provides?
You will have to take your custom elsewhere.
Safeway also lacks roadside assistance, but this is much less of a problem. As we have noted many times before, it’s a service that can be found elsewhere. If you have a premium credit card, you may already have it. The same applies if you are part of a membership organization such as the AAA.
Safeway Car Insurance Discounts
Safeway has been criticized for not offering as many discounts as other major auto insurance companies. But while there are some notable omissions, policyholders can still make some big savings with a Safeway auto insurance policy.
For instance, the My Driving Discount feature offers 5% to 10% just for signing up, and it’s possible to increase those savings to as much as 25%.
This program promises not to increase your premiums. It’s a small device that is easy to install and keeps track of your driving habits, allowing Safeway to customize your insurance policy and, potentially, to reduce your premiums.
You can save money on a Safeway insurance policy if you add more than one car to your policy. You’ll also save if you have a good credit score, a clean driving record, and have had very few car accidents. The problem is, if you have all of these in your favor then you will probably save much more money with another provider.
Safeway Insurance Reviews and Customer Satisfaction
Safeway is somewhat lacking in the customer satisfaction department and you don’t have to go very far to find an abundance of complaints and bad reviews.
Many of these allege that the company gave them the run-around when trying to make a claim, while others complain about the lack of coverage options and the seemingly outdated way that this company operates.
Safeway has a top rating from AM Best and has good financial strength ratings as well, which means they won’t have any issue paying your insurance claims.
If you’re looking for some unique insurance products and extensive coverage, including optional extras like roadside assistance and rideshare insurance, and even companies that offer cheap bundling for homeowners insurance, renters insurance, and life insurance, Safeway is clearly not the best option. But it is far from the worst insurance company out there and if you speak with a local agent, they may help you discern whether this company is a good fit for you.
Bottom Line
Safeway is lacking in a few areas. It doesn’t have the reach or the reputation provided by the likes of State Farm and Allstate and, as a result, it doesn’t offer quite as many features.
If you’re looking for an insurance company that will give you comprehensive auto insurance along with full cover home insurance, this is probably not the right option for you. That’s also true for anyone who needs rideshare insurance.
However, if you reside in one of the states where Safeway operates, we recommend adding the Safeway insurance company to your comparison shopping. At the very least, you should see if this company can provide you what you need at an affordable cost.
It’s unlikely that Safeway will come out on top for the average user, but there are many variables at play with car insurance, including a host of different demographics, discounts, and insurance policy options, so it will be the best choice for some applicants.
More importantly, it doesn’t hurt to get a few quotes. The further you cast your net, the more likely you are to get a catch.
Source: pocketyourdollars.com