American Family Car Insurance Review
American Family is best read as a captive-agent upper-Midwest and Mountain West super-regional with a sibling direct brand (CONNECT) that doubles its addressable audience. The three facts that shape the decision are footprint (only 19 states for the agent-sold product), KnowYourDrive being discount-only rather than two-way like Progressive Snapshot, and the December 31, 2024 divestiture of The General to Sentry. Modeled premiums run above NerdWallet national averages; AmFam competes on service tier and bundle, not pure price.
YesWeSure Bottom Line
American Family is a 19-state captive-agent carrier paired with a broader direct arm, CONNECT, powered by American Family. The telematics story is the sharpest differentiator: KnowYourDrive is discount-only (no rate-up surcharge), which separates it from most top-15 competitors.
Strong at
Discount-only KnowYourDrive plus a broad coverage menu
KnowYourDrive gives 10% at signup and up to 20% at renewal with no telematics-triggered surcharge for risky driving. Diminishing Deductibles, Accident Forgiveness, OEM parts, Rideshare, and a Classic Car program are offered as named products.
Watch for
Narrow 19-state footprint and above-benchmark modeled rates
American Family-branded auto writes in only 19 states; outside those, your route is CONNECT or another carrier. NerdWallet September 2026 modeled rates put the composite full-coverage figure at $2,832 per year versus a $2,344 national benchmark.
Worth comparing if
Agent-first upper-Midwest and Mountain West households
Worth quoting if you want a captive local agent, live in one of the 19 AmFam-branded states, and value bundle discounts (home, life, umbrella). Less compelling for a pure-price direct-channel shopper outside the footprint.
Quote-dependent
Which brand writes you (AmFam vs CONNECT) and your state
Whether your address falls in the 19-state AmFam-branded footprint or the broader 43-state + DC CONNECT footprint, which underwriting entity actually writes your policy, and whether your state unlocks the full discount stack (Early Bird amount varies by state).
At a glance
Parent
American Family Insurance Group (mutual holding structure)
Availability
American Family-branded auto: 19 states (upper Midwest, Mountain West, Southwest); CONNECT direct arm in 43 states + DC
Distribution
Captive exclusive-agent primary; CONNECT (direct via Costco and Ameriprise channels)
AM Best FSR
A (Excellent); a+ ICR; affirmed September 24, 2025; stable outlook; 23rd consecutive A affirmation2
Market share (2024)
1.72% group PPA DWP; #10 nationally1
Telematics program
KnowYourDrive (10% signup; up to 20% renewal; discount-only — no rate-up)6
Material 2024 event
Sold The General (non-standard DTC) to Sentry Insurance on December 31, 20247
J.D. Power 2025 Claims
Rank 11 at score 702 (study average 700)12
Strengths & considerations
Strengths
- KnowYourDrive is a discount-only telematics program. Unlike Progressive Snapshot, Allstate Drivewise, or Travelers IntelliDrive, American Family does not apply a telematics-triggered surcharge for risky driving. Your base rate is not raised by the program; the discount may shrink or disappear.6
- Multi-generational family-insurance identity with real coverage breadth. Diminishing Deductibles, Accident Forgiveness, OEM parts, Rideshare, Travel Protection, and a Classic Car program are all offered as named products — a wider standard menu than most captive-agent regional competitors.4
- AM Best A (Excellent) affirmed for the 23rd consecutive year. ICR a+ for the eighth consecutive year, affirmed September 24, 2025 with stable outlook. 2025 combined ratio 84.6% signals a materially improved underwriting year.2
- Two consumer brands under one group for different shopping styles. Agent-sold AmFam for buyers who want a named local agent; CONNECT, powered by American Family for buyers who want to purchase direct (Costco and Ameriprise channels).3
Considerations
- Only 19 states for the American Family-branded policy. If you live outside Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, or Wisconsin, the agent-sold product is not available. CONNECT covers a broader footprint.3
- Modeled premiums run above the NerdWallet national benchmark. NerdWallet September 2026 puts the American Family full-coverage composite at $2,832 per year versus a $2,344 national benchmark. Treat as modeled; your quote depends on profile and state.10
- The General is no longer in the AmFam Group. Readers researching "AmFam The General" or who are American Family customers through The General should know the sale to Sentry Insurance closed December 31, 2024. The General post-sale carries an AM Best A+ FSR under Sentry.7
- J.D. Power 2025 regional and claims scores are mid-tier. Central region overall satisfaction 674 and North Central 642 in the 2025 Auto Insurance Study; Claims Satisfaction Study rank 11 at score 702 (study average 700).11
Corporate structure and sibling brands
American Family Insurance Group is a mutual holding structure with multiple consumer-facing brands:
- American Family — the captive exclusive-agent flagship brand in 19 states.
- CONNECT, powered by American Family — the direct channel, sold through Costco and Ameriprise partnerships in a broader 43 states + DC footprint.
- Homesite — direct home and renters insurance.
- Main Street America Group — independent-agent personal and commercial.
Note: The General, a non-standard direct-to-consumer brand acquired in 2012, was sold to Sentry Insurance; the sale closed December 31, 20247. The General is no longer part of American Family Group.
Coverage options
American Family writes standard personal auto coverages plus a broad add-on menu. State availability and endorsement limits vary; confirm at quote time.
- Bodily injury and property damage liability4
- Collision4
- Comprehensive4
- Uninsured and underinsured motorist4
- Personal injury protection: Where state requires.4
- Medical payments4
- Gap coverage4
- Rental reimbursement4
- Emergency roadside service4
- Accident forgiveness4
- Diminishing Deductibles: Reduces your deductible for each claim-free year.4
- Original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts endorsement4
- Rideshare coverage4
- Travel Protection4
- Classic Car program4
Discounts
American Family publishes a broad discount menu including Generational and Teen Safe Driver credits unique to the family-brand positioning. Expect the quote itself to be the authoritative amount; Early Bird timing in particular varies by state.
- Multi-vehicle: More than one vehicle on policy.5
- Loyalty: Scales with policy tenure.5
- Early Bird: Quote at least 7 days before current policy effective date; amount varies by state.5
- Multi-product (bundle): Bundle auto with home, life, or umbrella.5
- Steer Into Savings: Switch discount for new-to-AmFam customers.5
- Accident-free: Up to five years without an at-fault accident.5
- Violation-free: Up to five years without a violation.5
- Good Student: B average or better.5
- Young Volunteer: Qualifying volunteer activity for young drivers.5
- Teen Safe Driver / Generational: Teen driver programs plus multi-generational family-insurance credit.5
- Autopay: Automatic payments.5
- Paperless: Electronic policy delivery.5
- HomeOwner: Even without full home-policy bundling in some states.5
- Hybrid or electric vehicle: Qualifying hybrid or EV.5
- Military / affinity: Qualifying military or affinity-group membership.5
- KnowYourDrive telematics: 10% at signup; up to 20% at renewal; discount-only program (no surcharge for risky driving). (up to 20% at renewal)6
KnowYourDrive (telematics)
KnowYourDrive is American Family's smartphone-based telematics program. The app tracks speed, hard braking, time of day driven, phone use while driving, total mileage American Family positions KnowYourDrive as a discount program; there is no direct telematics-triggered surcharge for risky driving. Your premium can still rise at renewal if your earned discount shrinks or you drop out, but there is no telematics-driven rate increase on top of your base rate.6
- Enrollment discount: 10% at signup6
- Max renewal discount: up to 20% at renewal6
- Can it raise your rate? KnowYourDrive is reported as a discount-only program; the headline savings are the only published outcome. Confirm your state's rules at enrollment.6
KnowYourDrive is one of the few top-15 UBI programs that is discount-only — participation itself cannot raise your base rate through a telematics-driven surcharge. If your driving score deteriorates at renewal, the earned discount can shrink; your base rate is not increased by the program.
Pricing
Every American Family quote is personal. What follows are modeled premiums for defined driver profiles from reputable publisher analyses — not personalized quotes. Use them to calibrate what to expect, not to replace a real quote in your state.
NerdWallet (September 2026): NerdWallet-collected quote data; standard driver profile.10
- Full-coverage average: $2,832 per year
Publisher national benchmark: $2,344/yr
How to read these numbers. Different publishers model different profiles and may use different underlying data (Quadrant Information Services is the most common dataset). Your quote depends on your driving record, credit-based insurance score where allowed, vehicle, garaging ZIP, mileage, prior insurance history, age, household composition, telematics participation, and the coverages and deductibles you select.
Claims experience
American Family offers first-notice-of-loss reporting through amfam.com, the MyAmFam mobile app, and by phone, with service through your captive agent. The 2025 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study ranked American Family 11 at score 702 — two points above the 700 study average12.
Customer experience
In the 2025 J.D. Power U.S. Auto Insurance Study (regional overall satisfaction), American Family scored 674 in the Central region (regional average ~647) and 642 in North Central11. AmFam ranks in the regions that match its 19-state footprint, so the regional read is geographically correct — scores from Southeast, Southwest, or Northwest regions do not apply to AmFam-branded customers.
Complaints and regulatory record
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners publishes a complaint index that normalizes complaint counts against a company's share of premium written. A value of 1.0 represents the baseline expected complaint volume for a company of that size; lower is generally better.
Complaint indices should be looked up per-entity, per-state on NAIC CIS. State-level sample: Kansas 2024 auto reported an American Family Mutual Insurance Company S.I. index of 0.47 (below the 1.00 national baseline). Permanent General Assurance Corp (The General) is no longer part of AmFam Group after the December 31, 2024 sale to Sentry Insurance.13
To look up the current complaint index for the specific American Family underwriting entity that writes policies in your state, use the NAIC Consumer Information Source or your state Department of Insurance. The entities most commonly rated for American Family are:
- American Family Mutual Insurance Company, S.I.
- American Family Insurance Company
- American Standard Insurance Company of Wisconsin
- IDS Property Casualty Insurance Company (CONNECT underwriting entity)
- Homesite Insurance Company
Complaint index measures regulator-filed complaints, not overall service quality; treat it as one input among several. Index values vary by underwriting entity and by state and can shift year over year, so pull the current number for your state before signing.
Financial strength
AM Best affirmed American Family at Financial Strength Rating A (Excellent) and Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating a+ (Excellent) on September 24, 2025 with a stable outlook2. AM Best affirmed FSR A (Excellent) for the 23rd consecutive year and ICR a+ for the eighth, on September 24, 2025. No negative rating action in the last 24 months.
What these ratings mean and do not mean. A high financial-strength rating indicates the insurer has the resources to pay claims under a wide range of adverse scenarios. It is not a guarantee of any specific claim outcome, service quality, or price competitiveness in your quote. Ratings can change; check the affirmation date.
Material news (last 24 months)
- The General sold to Sentry Insurance; sale closed December 31, 2024 (December 2024): American Family divested its non-standard DTC brand The General to Sentry Insurance for approximately $1.7B total value (~$1.1B cash). The 2024 group market-share figures still include The General; readers researching "AmFam The General" should now reference Sentry.7
- AM Best affirmed FSR A (Excellent) and ICR a+ with stable outlook (September 2025): FSR A affirmed for the 23rd consecutive year; ICR a+ for the eighth consecutive year. Signals balance-sheet stability.2
- 2025 full-year financial results: combined ratio 84.6%; underwriting gain $2.6B P&C (March 2026): Materially improved versus 2024 (combined ratio 96.6%); catastrophe claims paid $2.4B in 2025 versus $3.3B in 2024. Signal of underwriting discipline post-divestiture.8
- Arizona and Wisconsin homeowners depreciation class-action settlements closed (October 2025): Group-level litigation activity in homeowners (not auto): Arizona $2.4M settlement final approval 10/20/2025; Wisconsin $16.37M; Illinois $3.83M; Missouri resolved. These are property-depreciation settlements and do not implicate auto claims practices.9
YesWeSure Fit Check
Is American Family a fit worth quoting?
American Family tends to fit if you
- You live in one of the 19 American Family-branded states and want a named captive agent for the full lifecycle.
- KnowYourDrive discount-only mechanics appeal to you more than Progressive Snapshot or Allstate Drivewise rate-up risk.
- You plan to bundle auto with home or life and want the Generational family-insurance identity.
- You value Diminishing Deductibles (claim-free years lower your deductible) as a named feature.
Look carefully if you
- You live outside the 19 American Family-branded states — the agent-sold product is not available; consider CONNECT instead.
- You are researching The General specifically — American Family divested that brand to Sentry Insurance on December 31, 2024.
- Pure-price modeled benchmarks matter to you; NerdWallet puts AmFam above the national average.
- You want a direct-first digital purchase — AmFam-branded is captive-agent, not direct.
This is decision-support reasoning, not personalized advice. Your real decision depends on your quote in your state, current regulator data, and how much of your total budget an incident could disrupt.
Ready to compare American Family against alternatives?
Compare car insurance quotesCommon questions
Where does American Family write personal auto?
The agent-sold American Family-branded policy is available in 19 states: Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin. The direct sibling brand CONNECT, powered by American Family, writes in a broader 43 states plus DC footprint.
What is CONNECT, powered by American Family?
CONNECT is American Family Insurance Group’s direct-channel brand. It sells through the Costco auto program and the Ameriprise financial-advisor network, with no captive agents. It is a sibling brand to the agent-sold American Family policy and is underwritten by group entities including IDS Property Casualty Insurance Company.
Can KnowYourDrive raise my premium?
No. American Family positions KnowYourDrive as a discount-only program: it does not apply a telematics-triggered surcharge for risky driving. The earned discount can shrink at renewal if your driving score deteriorates, but your base rate is not increased by the program itself.
What happened to The General?
American Family sold The General to Sentry Insurance; the sale closed December 31, 2024 at an approximate $1.7B total enterprise value. The General is no longer part of American Family Group. If you are a current customer, your policy continuity depends on Sentry’s post-sale operations.
How is American Family rated by AM Best?
AM Best affirmed American Family Mutual Insurance Company, S.I. and its core affiliates at Financial Strength Rating A (Excellent) with Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating a+ (Excellent) on September 24, 2025, with a stable outlook. The FSR has been A for 23 consecutive years.
What are Diminishing Deductibles?
An American Family auto endorsement that reduces your deductible each year you remain claim-free. It is one of several named-product features in the AmFam coverage menu; state availability varies.
How do I know which American Family entity writes my policy?
Look for the exact entity name on your declarations page. The group includes American Family Mutual Insurance Company, S.I., American Family Insurance Company, American Standard Insurance Company of Wisconsin, and the CONNECT underwriting entities (IDS Property Casualty Insurance Company). Different entities write in different states.
Sources & methodology
- [TIER 1] AM Best affirmation of American Family Mutual Insurance Company, S.I. (September 24, 2025) (AM Best)
- [TIER 1] American Family: Company directory and brand structure (American Family)
- [TIER 1] American Family: Auto insurance overview (coverages) (American Family)
- [TIER 1] American Family: Auto insurance discounts (American Family)
- [TIER 1] American Family: KnowYourDrive telematics (American Family)
- [TIER 1] American Family: Sale of The General to Sentry Insurance (closed December 31, 2024) (American Family Newsroom)
- [TIER 1] American Family: 2025 full-year financial results (reported March 4, 2026) (American Family Newsroom)
- [TIER 3] American Family Mutual Insurance Co. Wisconsin depreciation class-action settlement ($16.37M) (Top Class Actions)
- [TIER 3] NerdWallet: American Family Auto Insurance Review (September 2026 rate analysis) (NerdWallet)
- [TIER 2] J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Auto Insurance Study (regional segment reporting) (J.D. Power)
- [TIER 2] J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study (J.D. Power)
- [TIER 1] NAIC Consumer Information Source (per-entity complaint and financial lookup) (National Association of Insurance Commissioners)
Evidence hierarchy on this page: Tier 1 (regulators, insurer documentation, rating agencies), Tier 2 (independent authoritative research including J.D. Power and industry datasets), Tier 3 (reputable publishers with transparent methodology). Every material claim traces to a source in this list, with the tier shown next to each source. Modeled rate figures are premiums produced from Quadrant Information Services or publisher proprietary data for defined driver profiles; they are not personalized quotes. Last reviewed .