State Farm, Oregon Mutual get top grades from Oregon autobody shops; Farmers ranked lowest again

Jan. 1, 2020
State Farm and two smaller Northwest-based auto insurers continue to be among the best at taking care of their customers after an accident.

State Farm and two smaller Northwest-based auto insurers continue to be among the best at taking care of their customers after an accident. And some of the other larger, best-known insurers – including GEICO, Safeco and Farmers Insurance – are among the worst.

That was the finding of the latest survey of businesses that interact with auto insurers on behalf of vehicle-owners every day: Oregon collision repair shops.

“Just as medical providers see how health insurers take care of patients, collision repair shops interact with auto insurers on a daily basis, so we feel it’s worthwhile to ask how those insurers treat Oregon drivers after an accident,” said Barbara Crest, executive director for the Northwest Automotive Trades Association (NATA), which conducted the survey of Oregon shops. “We believe their views will be helpful to insurance companies and consumers.”

More than 500 collision repair shops throughout the state received the survey, which asked them to grade the Top 20 auto insurers in the state in terms of how well each company’s “policies, attitude and payment practices ensure quality repairs and customer service for Oregon motorists.”

This is the seventh time the association has conducted such a survey since 2004. Crest pointed to a number of items of interest in the findings of the latest survey:

            • Repairers have consistently given the same three companies a grade of B or better all seven times the survey has been conducted. State Farm has continued to hold on to the top spot, receiving an overall grade of B+ again this year. But a Northwest insurance company, Oregon Mutual, nudged up from a B last year to also receive a B+ in the latest survey. Mutual of Enumclaw once again ranked third with a B. State Farm is the largest auto insurer in Oregon: Mutual of Enumclaw and Oregon Mutual are ranked 12th and 13th, respectively.

            • In addition to Oregon Mutual, six other insurers saw their grades improve from the 2012 survey. Travelers became the fourth-highest graded insurer by earning a B- (up from a C+ last year). Progressive, Ameriprise and Country Companies each moved up half a grade to C+.

            • Although the same four insurers were on the bottom of the rankings for the third straight year, the order amongst them changed because Allstate improved to a C (from a C-) and Geico brought its D+ in 2012 up to a C- this year.

            • Progressive’s improvement is notable given that it had a D+ or worse (and the lowest or second-lowest ranking) in every survey between 2004 and 2009. Even last year it was ranked 16th on the list with a C, but this year moved to 8th with a C+.

            • Although Allstate still only receives an average grade, that’s an improvement over the D or D+ it received in each survey between 2008 and 2011.

            • Three insurers saw their grades drop. USAA, which ranked fourth last year, dropped behind Travelers and Kemper/Unitrin when it received a C+ rather than the B- it did last year. American Family and Liberty Mutual also dropped half a grade.

            • Farmers and Safeco received a “F” from about one-in-four shops, the most failing grades received by any insurer. (By comparison, GEICO, the third-lowest graded insurer, received about half as many Fs as Farmers.) State Farm received an “A” from well over half of shops.  

            • In most cases, the grades given a particular insurer from shops involved in that insurer’s direct repair program (DRP) were higher than those given by shops that are not part of that insurer’s program. This was particularly true with USAA and The Hartford; their DRP shops gave them grades of A- or better while non-DRP shops gave these same insurers grades of C or C+. But even American Family and Farmers Insurance direct repair shops gave those insurers only average grades of C.

“Collision repairers say the insurers receiving the highest grades – which includes both larger and smaller insurance companies – do the best job of taking care of Oregon drivers after an accident,” Crest said. “We hope consumers will take these ratings into account when choosing an auto insurer, and that insurers that received lower grades will work to improve their performance.”

More than 70 shops throughout Oregon responded to the  survey.

2013 Insurer Report Card
What grade do Oregon collision repair shops give insurers in terms of how their "policies, attitude and payment practices ensure quality repairs and customer service for Oregon motorists."

Insurer Overall Grade* (followed by grade in 2012) Non-DRP shops** DRP Shops**
State Farm B+ (B+) B A-
Oregon Mutual B+ (B) B A-
Mutual of Enumclaw B (B) B A
Travelers B- (C+) C+ B+
Kemper/Unitrin C+ (C+) C+ B
USAA C+ (B-) C+ A-
California Casualty C+ (C+) C+ B+
Progressive C+ (C) C+ B+
Ameriprise C+ (C) C B+
The Hartford C+ (C+) C A-
Country Companies C+ (C) C+ n/a
American Commerce Insurance C+ (C+) C n/a
American Family C (C+) C C
Nationwide C (C) C n/a
Liberty Mutual C (C+) C C+
Esurance C (C) C n/a
Allstate C (C-) C- B
GEICO C- (D+) C- n/a
Safeco/North Pacific C- (C-) D+ B
Farmers Insurance D+ (D+) D+ C

n/a = Insufficient responses from shops in the DRP to assign a grade.

*Based on responses from all shops

**Based only on responses from shops participating in (or not participating in) that insurer's DRP.

Sponsored Recommendations

ZEUS+: The Cutting-Edge Diagnostic Solution for Smart, Fast, and Efficient Auto Repairs

The new ZEUS+ simplifies your diagnostic process and guides you through the right repair, avoiding unnecessary steps along the way. It gives you the software coverage, processing...

Diagnostic Pre- and Post-scan Reports are Solid Gold for Profitability

The following article highlights the significance of pre-scans and post-scans, particularly with Snap-on scan tools, showcasing their efficiency in diagnosing issues and preventing...

Unlock Precision and Certainty: TRITON-D10 Webinar Training for Advanced Vehicle Diagnostics

The TRITON-D10 lets you dig deep into the systems of a vehicle and evaluate performance with comparative data, systematically eliminating the unnecessary to provide you with only...

APOLLO-D9: Trustworthy Diagnostics for Precision Repairs

The APOLLO-D9 provides the diagnostic information and resources you need to get the job done. No more hunting through forums or endlessly searching to find the right answers. ...

Voice Your Opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Vehicle Service Pros, create an account today!