Selective Car Insurance Review


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Key Takeaways

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Selective Insurance lands at 19th for full coverage affordability and 27th for minimum liability coverage, with monthly rates averaging $120 and $66, respectively.

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The company ranks 13th nationwide for customer satisfaction, maintaining solid performance through reliable agent support and positive customer reviews across industry forums.

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Selective Insurance claims the second best position for coverage variety, providing distinctive options like accident forgiveness programs and new car replacement coverage.

Selective Car Insurance Ratings

Selective Insurance ranks 17th overall nationally, placing it as a moderately strong car insurance provider. The company stands out for its comprehensive coverage options and delivers above-average customer service.

This ranking reflects data for a 40-year-old male driver with good credit and no driving violations, so the company's position for you will vary based on your specific profile and coverage needs. 

Find out how Selective compares to other best car insurance companies to see if it's the right fit for your situation.

Overall Score4.2717
Customer Experience4.4513
Coverage4.832
Affordability4.0826

Who Is Selective Car Insurance Best and Worst For?

Selective Insurance works best for senior drivers, those with speeding tickets, and drivers with newer or older cars who want affordable coverage. However, young drivers and drivers with accidents should look elsewhere due to notably higher rates.

Below, you can compare how Selective Insurance stacks up for your unique profile.

Data filtered by:Results filtered by:
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Age Group:Adult Drivers
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Gender:Female
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Coverage Level:100/300/100,000 - 1000 comp_coll
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Credit Alignment:Below Fair
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Driving Record:At Fault Accident ($1000-$1999 Prop Dmg)
Overall Score4.1523
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How Much Does Selective Insurance Car Insurance Cost?

Selective Insurance  insurance costs range from $62 to $1,283 monthly, depending on your profile and coverage choices. To help you make the best decision, we've broken down national costs by age group, gender, coverage, credit score and driving record.

Data filtered by:Results filtered by:
Select
Age Group:Adult Drivers
Select
Gender:Female
Select
Credit Alignment:Below Fair
Select
Driving Record:At Fault Accident ($1000-$1999 Prop Dmg)
Select
Coverage Level:100/300/100,000 - 1000 comp_coll
$281$3,3732%24

Selective Car Insurance Rates by Driver Category

Selective Insurance ranks among the more expensive options for most driver categories, including young drivers, seniors, and those with accidents or violations. All driver types will find this company much more expensive on average compared to cheapest car insurance companies

Below you can review how affordable Selective Insurance is for your driving category.

Adult Drivers$70$12615%26
Drivers With A DUI$134$24017%25
Drivers With An Accident$120$20837%29
Drivers With A Speeding Ticket$70$126-5%16
Drivers With Bad Credit$143$23510%26
Drivers With Low Income$81$1455%23
Drivers With Newer Cars$74$133-9%17
Drivers With Old Cars$60$10912%24
Senior Drivers$70$126-7%14
Young Drivers$180$32031%28

*All profiles are modified based on a 40-year-old male driver with good credit and no driving violations, driving a 2012 Toyota Camry. Young drivers represent ages 25 and under, Adults 26 to 64, and seniors 65 and older. Older vehicles change the vehicle age to 2007, and newer vehicles change it to 2025.

Selective Car Insurance Discounts

Selective Insurance offers nine car insurance discounts, with average savings depending on your driving profile, involvement in programs and your area. Check out its offerings:

Multi-Policy/Bundle
Variable
Bundling auto with home, condo, or renters insurance through Selective
Available in all operating states
Advanced Quote
Variable
Receiving quote at least 8 days prior to current policy expiration
Available in all operating states
Loss-Free/Claims-Free
Variable
No auto insurance claims over a specified period of time
Available in all operating states
Safe Driver
Variable
Clean driving record with no accidents or violations
Available in all operating states
Anti-Theft
Variable
Vehicle equipped with qualifying safety or anti-theft features
Available in all operating states
Good Student
Variable
Students maintaining specified GPA or Dean's List status
Available in all operating states
Young Driver
Variable
Completion of approved driver training course and/or maintaining good grades
Available in all operating states
Defensive Driver
Variable
Completion of approved defensive driving course
Available in all operating states
Commercial Vehicle
Variable
Household member owns a commercial vehicle insured with Selective
Available in all operating states

Selective Car Insurance Customer Reviews and Reputation

Selective Insurance ranked 13th in overall customer satisfaction in MoneyGeek's comprehensive customer experience study. Customer reviews highlight strong performance in agent service and digital tools, though claims processing generates more complaints than other areas. 

Below, we break down the buying, policy management and claims process experiences based on our research.

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    Buying Process Experience

    Customers appreciate competitive bundling rates when combining auto and home insurance, along with flexible payment options. 

    The company offers a broad catalog of personal and commercial insurance products, though availability is limited to primarily Eastern and Midwestern states, and some customers report huge rate increases at renewal.

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    Policy Management

    The website is generally considered easy to navigate, but some customers mention issues with logging in and recurring billing issues that need repeated follow-ups.

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    Claims Experience

    Selective provides 24/7 claims reporting via phone, online, and mobile app, with multiple claim office locations for in-person assistance. 

    While the company promotes responsive service, customer reviews reveal major issues with claims handling including frequent denials, poor communication from adjusters, delayed responses, and lengthy processing times. 

    Many customers report having to escalate to supervisors or file BBB complaints to receive responses, with some describing the claims process as deliberately difficult and obstructive.

Selective Insurance Car Insurance Industry Customer Satisfaction Ratings

Selective Insurance ranks well for financial strength from all industry rating agencies, but in J.D. Power studies, the company finishes average or below average in most areas. Here are Selective Insurance's scores from industry agencies.

AM Best Financial Strength
A+ (Superior)
A++ to D-
Superior ability to meet financial obligations and pay claims
AM Best Long-Term Credit Standing
aa-
aaa to d
High credit quality
S&P Global Financial Strength
Not publicly rated
AAA to D
Data not readily available
Moody's Financial Strength
Not publicly rated
Aaa to C
Data not readily available
J.D. Power Auto Claims Satisfaction
Not specifically ranked
1,000-point scale
Regional carrier - insufficient data for national ranking
J.D. Power Digital Service Experience
Not specifically ranked
1,000-point scale
Regional carrier - insufficient data for national ranking
J.D. Power Auto Insurance Shopping Study
Not specifically ranked
Out of 1,000
Regional carrier - insufficient data for national ranking
J.D. Power Overall Customer Satisfaction
Not specifically ranked
Out of 1,000
Regional carrier - insufficient data for national ranking
NAIC Auto Complaints
Above average complaints
1.00 is average
Receives more complaints than expected

Selective Car Insurance Reddit and Forum Customer Satisfaction

On Reddit and other forums, the company receives mostly negative feedback, specifically about claim delays and denials. Some customers note fair pricing and coverage, but frustrations often arise once a claim is filed, with repeated mentions of slow responses, poor communication, and coverage disputes.

Common complaints include Selective Insurance using drone inspections instead of human adjusters, taking months to process claims, denying legitimate claims based on technicalities, and providing poor customer service during stressful claim situations. 

Despite high financial ratings, customer satisfaction appears to decline sharply when claims are filed.

Here's what real customers are saying about their experiences on forums:

Pricing and Value

Claims Processing

Customer Service

Digital Experience

Trust and Reputation

Coverage Options

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REVIEWS ON FORUMS AREN’T A PERFECT GAUGE

Negative reviews dominate forums and don't reflect overall service quality. For a complete picture, combine user reviews with industry resources like J.D. Power, independent agents, National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) and the Insurance Information Institute.

Selective Car Insurance Coverage Options

Selective Insurance provides the same standard coverages as other top insurers, including liability, comprehensive and collision protection. Additional add-ons from the company include:

Accident Forgiveness
Waives premium increases resulting from your first at-fault accident
Protects your rates after one at-fault accident
Diminishing Deductible
Automatically reduces your deductible by $100, plus additional credits for claim-free years
Maximum $500 deductible reduction; rewards safe driving
Newer Car Replacement
Pays actual cash value for a car one model year newer with 15,000 fewer miles if totaled
Helps replace your vehicle with a newer equivalent
Selective Choice Replacement Cost℠
Pays to replace vehicle with latest model year available at time of loss
Coverage options for 2, 4, or 6 years from purchase date
The Selective Edge
Comprehensive package including roadside assistance, key replacement, and pet injury coverage
Available when bundling home and auto insurance
Roadside Assistance
24/7 emergency roadside service including towing, jump-starts, flat tire service, lockout help
Available through Selective Edge package or mobile app request
Key Replacement
Covers cost of replacing lost or damaged vehicle keys
Included in Selective Edge package
Pet Injury Coverage
Reimburses veterinary costs if your pet is injured in a covered auto accident
Included in Selective Edge package

Other Selective Insurance Coverage Options to Consider

You can bundle these insurance types with your auto policy or buy them separately:

Who Offers It?
Insurance Products

Selective Insurance (Directly Offered)

Personal auto insurance, homeowners insurance, renters insurance, commercial/business insurance (property, liability, workers compensation, umbrella), excess & surplus insurance (through Mesa Underwriters Specialty Insurance Company)

Third-Party Partner

Flood insurance (underwritten by the National Flood Insurance Program through Write Your Own program)

Selective Auto Insurance Review: Bottom Line

Selective Insurance excels in affordability, customer experience and coverage, earning strong rankings in our analysis. It placed 16th overall for full coverage and 22nd for minimum coverage. However, we recommend you compare different coverage options, do your own research and decide on coverage needs before buying to get the best deal.

Selective Car Insurance Reviews: FAQ

Here are MoneyGeek's expert answers to frequently asked questions about Selective Insurance car insurance:

Does Selective Insurance have a good reputation?

Where is Selective Insurance the best car insurance company?

How much does Selective car insurance cost on average?

Is Selective Insurance known for denying claims?

Is Selective a good option for high-risk drivers?

Does Selective Insurance raise car insurance rates over time?

Is Selective good for young drivers?

How We Rated Selective Car Insurance

MoneyGeek pulled auto insurance rate data from Quadrant Information Services and compared prices from 79 insurers in every U.S. ZIP code.

Standard Driver Profile Used for Analysis

We used a baseline driver profile to ensure consistent rate comparisons. Our standard driver has these characteristics:

  • Age: 40 years old, male
  • Vehicle: 2012 Toyota Camry LE
  • Driving history: Clean record
  • Annual mileage: 12,000 miles
  • Credit rating: Good
  • License status: Valid and active
  • Insurance history: Currently covered with no previous claims

We then modified specific variables, including age, driving record, credit score and military status, to determine which insurers offer the best rates for different driver categories. Our minimum coverage rates represent policies meeting state-required minimums. Full coverage includes 100/300/100 liability limits plus comprehensive and collision coverage with $1,000 deductibles.

Company Rating System

Our evaluation process weighted three key factors:

  • Cost (60% weight): We compared quotes across multiple driver profiles within each city, measuring how competitively each insurer prices its policies against local competitors.
  • Customer satisfaction (30% weight): We analyzed customer feedback from multiple sources, including Google reviews, J.D. Power ratings, AM Best scores and online forums like Reddit, to assess overall service quality and customer experience.
  • Coverage variety (10% weight): We evaluated each provider's coverage options, considering the breadth of available policies and any unique benefits or features.

About Mark Fitzpatrick


Mark Fitzpatrick headshot

Mark Fitzpatrick, a Licensed Property and Casualty Insurance Producer, is MoneyGeek's resident Personal Finance Expert. With over five years of experience analyzing the insurance market, he conducts original research and creates tailored content for all types of buyers. His insights have been featured in publications like CNBC, NBC News and Mashable.

Fitzpatrick holds a master’s degree in economics and international relations from Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor’s degree from Boston College. He's also a five-time Jeopardy champion!

Passionate about economics and insurance, he aims to promote transparency in financial topics and empower others to make confident money decisions.


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