Liberty Mutual Auto Insurance Review 2022

Jun 2, 2022

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Our Take

4.5

NerdWallet rating 

The bottom line:

Liberty Mutual offers a long list of discounts, plus robust digital tools on its website and app.

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Liberty Mutual Auto Insurance
Liberty Mutual
NAIC complaints
Close to expected
Ease of use
Above average
Discounts
Great set of discounts

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Many types of coverage available.
  • Lots of discounts.
  • Robust digital tools.

Cons

  • Auto claims satisfaction rating is below average.

Full Review

Liberty Mutual is the nation’s sixth-largest auto insurer based on direct premiums written. In addition to car insurance, Liberty Mutual offers a vast array of personal and commercial insurance policies.

Is Liberty Mutual a good insurer?

Yes, for many consumers Liberty Mutual is a good insurance company. Their wide breadth of coverage means that consumers can customize their policy to fit their needs.

Liberty Mutual is among NerdWallet’s best car insurance companies.

Liberty Mutual auto insurance coverage

When you’re shopping for car insurance, it’s important to understand what car insurance coverage you want and what you’re required to buy. Most states require car insurance in order to drive a vehicle. Although minimum coverage requirements vary from state to state, they generally include liability insurance and uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage.

If you want extra protection, you may be interested in full coverage insurance. Full coverage isn’t a specific policy type; it's a combination of coverage types, like liability, collision and comprehensive insurance.

Check out the most common types of car insurance coverage below to see how they work:

Coverage type

What it pays for

Required?

Bodily injury and property damage liability

Costs for injuries, deaths or property damage from an accident you caused.

Typically required.

Uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage

Medical and property damage costs after an accident with a driver who has insufficient insurance or none at all.

Often required.

Collision coverage

Repair expenses from traffic-related accidents, regardless of who's at fault.

A car loan or lease may require it.

Comprehensive coverage

Repair costs from events outside of your control, including weather events, hitting an animal while driving, theft and vandalism.

A car loan or lease may require it.

Liberty Mutual offers standard auto policies to which you can add several types of optional coverage, including:

  • Accident forgiveness. Your premium won’t increase as a result of your first accident if you’ve had no crashes or traffic violations for five years. This coverage is not available in California and may vary by state.

  • New car replacement. If your car is totaled in the first model year and first 15,000 miles, you’ll be reimbursed the cost of a new car, not just the depreciated value.

  • Better car replacement. This takes new car replacement a step further: If your car is totaled at any age or mileage, you’ll be reimbursed for a car one year newer and with 15,000 fewer miles on it than your totaled car.

  • Deductible fund. When you add this feature to your policy, Liberty Mutual creates a “fund” to lower your collision deductible. The insurer contributes $70 while you contribute $30 each year. If you have an accident, the amount you pay out of pocket will be reduced by the amount of money in the fund.

  • Gap insurance. If your car is totaled and you owe more on your loan or lease than it was worth, gap insurance will pay the difference.

  • Original parts replacement. This coverage ensures that if your car is damaged, repairs are made with original manufacturer parts when available.

Teachers’ Auto Insurance is a unique offering from Liberty Mutual. Although it may not be available where you live, it comes at no extra cost to teachers and includes:

  • Vandalism loss protection. There’s no deductible if your vehicle is vandalized during school-related events or on school property. (In Pennsylvania, a $100 deductible applies.)

  • Personal property coverage. Liberty Mutual will reimburse you up to $2,500 per incident if your teaching materials or school-owned property are stolen or damaged while in your vehicle.

  • Collision coverage. There’s no deductible if your car is damaged in an accident while driving it for school business. (In Pennsylvania, a $100 deductible applies.)

Auto insurance discounts

Although Liberty Mutual’s discounts vary by state, the list of potential price breaks is long. You may be eligible for discounts for:

  • Owning a home.

  • Being an active, retired or reserve member of the U.S. military.

  • Getting a Liberty Mutual quote before your current policy expires.

  • For students, earning good grades or leaving the car at home while living away at school.

  • Driving a hybrid or electric car.

  • Having safety features like anti-lock brakes, adaptive headlights and anti-theft devices.

  • Avoiding accidents and traffic violations.

  • Insuring multiple cars.

  • Having more than one Liberty Mutual policy, such as bundling home and auto coverage.

  • Paying your full premium upfront or enrolling in automatic payments.

  • Buying a policy online.

  • Receiving paperwork electronically.

  • Being affiliated with certain employers, alumni associations or professional groups.

Pricing based on tracked driving habits

In some states, you can get a discount for allowing Liberty Mutual to monitor your driving through its RightTrack program. An app on your phone or a small tracking device in your car measures habits like acceleration, braking, distance and time of day. You get a discount for signing up, which can change later based on how safely you drive during a 90-day evaluation.

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Auto insurance buying guide

Before you compare car insurance companies, you’ll need to collect some basic information. This includes the driving history of everyone who will be on the policy, as well as facts about your car, such as safety features and annual mileage driven. You’ll also want to determine which types of coverage you need. For example, do you want only the bare minimum insurance that your state requires, or do you need more extensive coverage, such as gap insurance or rideshare coverage? Check that each company you’re considering has the options you want.

When comparing rates among insurers, make sure each is offering the same coverage limits and deductibles. You may not want to make your decision based on price alone. Look at how many consumer complaints each company has, as a high number of complaints could be a red flag about the quality of service you'll receive.

Depending on which company you choose, you may be able to buy insurance online, over the phone or through an agent. For more guidance, see how to get car insurance.

Complaints and customer satisfaction

Liberty Mutual had close to the expected number of complaints to state regulators relative to its size for auto insurance, according to three years’ worth of data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

Liberty Mutual received an overall satisfaction score of 79 out of 100 by a pool of its customers, in a NerdWallet survey conducted online in July 2021. To put that in perspective, the average score among seven insurers was 79, and the highest was 83.

2021 J.D. Power study

Liberty Mutual ranking

Auto insurance shopping

No. 1 out of 8 companies.

Auto insurance claims satisfaction

No. 10 out of 18 companies.

More about Liberty Mutual auto insurance

Website: The Liberty Mutual website is robust and useful, allowing you to manage your policies, pay your bill, access ID cards and report or track a claim.

App: You can track claims, pay bills and view policy documents in the Liberty Mutual mobile app. The accident and roadside support feature lets you capture information and photos at the scene of an accident or call for emergency roadside services.

Homeowners insurance from Liberty Mutual

Liberty Mutual offers homeowners insurance policies with standard features, plus additional coverage options. Learn more in our Liberty Mutual home insurance review.

Other insurance from Liberty Mutual

Liberty Mutual sells these types of insurance:

  • Condo.

  • Motorcycle.

  • Business.

  • Critical illness.

  • Accident.

  • Flood.

  • Pet.

  • Landlord.

  • Boat and watercraft (requires an existing homeowners policy).

  • RV (requires an existing auto policy).

  • Umbrella (requires certain liability limits on underlying policies).

  • Antique and classic car (requires an existing auto policy).

  • ATV and off-road vehicle (requires an existing auto policy).

Liberty Mutual sells the following types of insurance through third parties:

  • Term and whole life.

  • Mobile home.

Compare to other insurers

Progressive

State Farm

Travelers

5.0

NerdWallet rating 

5.0

NerdWallet rating 

5.0

NerdWallet rating 

NAIC complaints Fewer than expected

NAIC complaints Fewer than expected

NAIC complaints Fewer than expected

Discounts

Great set of discounts

Discounts

Great set of discounts

Discounts

Great set of discounts

Ease of use

Above average

Ease of use

Above average

Ease of use

Above average

Methodology

2021 auto insurance survey methodology

This opt-in survey of 7,586 adults ages 18 and older was conducted online by NerdWallet, July 8-26, 2021. Respondents were asked to rate one auto insurance brand they obtained or renewed a policy with within the past 12 months, and the policy had to be in their name at the time of the survey. These brands were rated on overall satisfaction, overall value, online experience and trustworthiness on a scale of 1-100. Only brands with 100 or more qualifying respondents are reported — 125 of the respondents were current Liberty Mutual policyholders.

Insurer complaints methodology

NerdWallet examined complaints received by state insurance regulators and reported to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners in 2018-2020. To assess how insurers compare to one another, the NAIC calculates a complaint index each year for each subsidiary, measuring its share of total complaints relative to its size, or share of total premiums in the industry. To evaluate a company’s complaint history, NerdWallet calculated a similar index for each insurer, weighted by market shares of each subsidiary, over the three-year period. Ratios are determined separately for auto, home (including renters and condo) and life insurance.

Auto insurance ratings methodology

NerdWallet’s auto insurance ratings reward companies for customer-first features and practices. Ratings are based on weighted averages of scores in several categories, including financial strength, consumer complaints and discounts. Our “ease of use” category looks at factors such as website transparency and how easy it is to file a claim. Using our editorial discretion, we also consider customer satisfaction surveys. These ratings are a guide, but we encourage you to shop around and compare several insurance quotes to find the best rate for you. NerdWallet does not receive compensation for any reviews. Read our editorial guidelines.

Frequently asked questions