Nationwide Car Insurance Review

Nationwide in 2026 is a post-2020 independent-agent-model mutual with a December 2023 AM Best downgrade still in the file. Three facts shape a decision: the FSR is A (Excellent) with Stable outlook (not A+ anymore for P&C), the two-track telematics (SmartRide discount-only in most states; SmartMiles pay-per-mile) is more structurally honest about trade-offs than most competitor programs, and the J.D. Power 2025 Auto Claims result places Nationwide fourth nationally at score 729 — plus it won the UBI segment at 698 for a second year running. Vanishing Deductible is the signature feature.

At a glance

Strengths & considerations

Two-track telematics

Nationwide is one of the few top-15 writers that runs two distinct telematics products side by side:

• SmartRide — behavior-based program. 10% at enrollment on nationwide.com (5% in California; 10% in NC, FL, PA, NY, ND, NJ, OK); up to 40% at renewal in most states. Discount-only in all but Virginia and Washington, where the earned discount can decrease at renewal based on changes in driving behavior⁹. Not a surcharge, but your discount can shrink.
• SmartMiles — pay-per-mile product. Flat monthly base rate plus a variable per-mile charge, capped at 250 miles per day for billing purposes. Total bill rises as mileage rises by design, but SmartMiles does not surcharge for risky driving behavior and includes a first-renewal safe-driving discount of up to ~10%¹⁰.

Nationwide topped the J.D. Power 2025 UBI segment at score 698 for a second consecutive year¹³.

Coverage options

Nationwide writes standard personal auto coverages plus the signature Vanishing Deductible feature. State availability and endorsement limits vary.

• Bodily injury and property damage liability⁶
• Collision⁶
• Comprehensive⁶
• Uninsured and underinsured motorist⁶
• Personal injury protection: Where state requires.⁶
• Medical payments⁶
• Towing and labor⁶
• Rental car expense (rental reimbursement)⁶
• Gap coverage⁶
• Accident Forgiveness⁶
• Roadside assistance⁶
• Vanishing Deductible: Signature feature. Earn a $100 credit toward your collision deductible each safe-driving year, up to a $500 maximum reduction.⁷
• Total Loss Deductible Waiver⁶

Discounts

Nationwide publishes a discount menu including the SmartRide and SmartMiles telematics programs plus traditional bundle, accident- free, good student, defensive driving, and anti-theft credits.

• SmartRide telematics: Behavior-based program; 10% at enrollment per the primary page; up to 40% at renewal in most states. See telematics section. (up to 40% at renewal)⁹
• SmartMiles pay-per-mile: Variable per-mile pricing with a flat monthly base and daily mileage cap. See telematics section.¹⁰
• Multi-policy (home + auto bundle): Average $1,032 savings per Nationwide materials when bundling home and auto.⁸
• Accident-free / Safe driver: Five or more years free of at-fault accidents and major violations.⁸
• Good student: Ages 16–24 with B average or better.⁸
• Defensive driving: State-approved course.⁸
• Anti-theft: Qualifying anti-theft devices.⁸
• Automatic payments (EFT setup): One-time discount for setting up autopay.⁸
• Paperless: Recurring discount for e-documents.⁸

SmartRide (telematics)

SmartRide is Nationwide's smartphone-based telematics program. The app tracks hard braking, time of day driven, total mileage, phone use while driving SmartRide is a discount-only program; it cannot raise your base rate. However, per Nationwide’s own SmartRide page, "in Virginia and Washington, the discount may decrease at renewal based on changes in driving behavior." SmartMiles is a separate pay-per-mile product: the premium rises as mileage rises by design, but SmartMiles does not surcharge for risky driving behavior and includes a first-renewal safe-driving discount of up to ~10%.⁹

• Enrollment discount: 10% instant per nationwide.com (state variants: 5% in California, 10% in NC, FL, PA, NY, ND, NJ, OK)⁹
• Max renewal discount: up to 40% in most states⁹
• Can it raise your rate? SmartRide is reported as a discount-only program; the headline savings are the only published outcome. Confirm your state's rules at enrollment.⁹

Pricing

Every Nationwide 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.

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

Nationwide ranked 4 nationally in the J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study at score 729, behind only Erie (743), NJM (731), and Liberty Mutual (730)¹⁴. Study average 700.

Customer experience

In the 2025 J.D. Power U.S. Auto Insurance Study (regional overall satisfaction), Nationwide ranked #1 in Texas with a score of 657¹³. Nationwide also topped the J.D. Power Usage-Based Insurance segment at 698 for a second consecutive year.

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. Secondary aggregators cite a group-level auto index around 0.63 (below the 1.00 baseline), but verify current per-entity values before signing. In 2025–2026 Nationwide settled multiple UIM-related class actions (allegations about offset of UIM claims by at-fault driver payments) and a TCPA case related to pet-insurance renewal robocalls.¹⁵

To look up the current complaint index for the specific Nationwide 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 Nationwide are:

• Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company
• Nationwide Mutual Fire Insurance Company
• Nationwide General Insurance Company
• Nationwide Property and Casualty Insurance Company
• Nationwide Insurance Company of America
• Nationwide Insurance Company of Florida
• Allied Property and Casualty Insurance Company
• AMCO 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 Nationwide at Financial Strength Rating A (Excellent) and Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating a+ (Excellent) on November 7, 2025 with a stable outlook³. AM Best affirmed Nationwide P&C Group at A (Excellent) with a+ ICR and Stable outlook on November 7, 2025. The prior action was a December 7, 2023 downgrade from A+ (Superior) to A (Excellent) and from aa- to a+ ICR, which AM Best justified by operating results persistently below peers and the strategic de-emphasis of less profitable personal/commercial lines. The A+ rating still applies to Nationwide Life entities (a different group).

The downgrade is small (one tier within the Excellent tier) and the Stable outlook signals balance-sheet continuity at the new rating. A still sits well above the industry median.

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)

• AM Best downgraded P&C Group FSR from A+ (Superior) to A (Excellent) (December 2023): The single most important consumer-trust signal in this file. AM Best cited operating results persistently below peers and strategic de-emphasis of less profitable personal/commercial lines. ICR cut from aa- to a+.²
• AM Best affirmed A (Excellent) with Stable outlook (November 2025): Affirmation after the Dec 2023 downgrade. Stable outlook signals balance-sheet continuity at the new rating.³
• Multiple UIM class-action settlements and TCPA pet-insurance robocall settlement (March 2026): Companion UIM settlements (allegations around offset of UIM claims by at-fault driver payments) totaling millions of dollars. Separately, a ~$1.4M TCPA settlement (preliminary approval October 2025) for allegedly unsolicited pet-insurance renewal robocalls.¹¹
• Nationwide won J.D. Power 2025 UBI segment for second consecutive year (SmartRide) (June 2025): Score 698 topped the J.D. Power U.S. Auto Insurance Study UBI segment two years running. Material positive signal for SmartRide specifically.¹³

Common questions