Bristol West: The auto insurance to try if you’ve been rejected for bad credit or a poor driving record

Getting car insurance can be challenging if your driving record isn't spotless, you're a new driver or you have bad credit. However, some brands, like Bristol West, are more friendly to customers in these situations.

Bristol West offers coverage for those who have difficulty getting insurance elsewhere. While prices can still be high for these customers, Bristol West has monthly payment plans and options with low down payments.

That's helpful as auto insurance prices overall jumped 18% year over year, according to data from insurance comparison site The Zebra.

Here's what you need to know if you're considering Bristol West car insurance.

Bristol West offers the following types of auto insurance:

• Liability insurance: Covers damages you may cause to others and their property.
• Collision coverage: Helps you repair or replace your vehicle if you hit another car or object.
• Comprehensive coverage: Pays to repair or replace your car if something beyond your control occurs that isn't a collision, such as theft or weather damage.

Some level of liability insurance is required in almost every U.S. state. A car insurance policy that's just liability insurance is considered state minimum car insurance. There may be other coverages required by your state, like personal injury protection (PIP), that would also be included in a state minimum car insurance policy.

Collision and comprehensive coverage are optional in all states, but it's necessary if you want your insurance to repair or replace your car after something unexpected happens. These types of coverage are typically required by the terms of leases or loans, so if you're financing through one of those options, you likely need to keep both policies until you complete payments.

Bristol West offers the following discounts:

• Paperless discount: Receive your statements and documents digitally for a discount.
• Automatic payments: Set up automatic payments from your debit or credit card to save.
• Maintain a good driving record: Avoid accidents, tickets and other infractions for savings.
• Bundling: Get your homeowners or renters insurance policies from Farmers or Foremost — which are both part of the same insurance group — or insure multiple cars with Bristol West.

Bristol West customers reported some troubles with the company.

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners — which tracks the number of complaints it receives about companies relative to their market share — found that Bristol West had more complaints than would be expected for a company of this size. The reasons for the complaints are not publicly available on the website.

On Trustpilot, the company earned 1.5 out of five stars based on 64 customer reviews. Complaints centered around contact with agents. Bristol West didn't respond to a request for comment from CNBC Select.

To buy a car insurance policy from Bristol West, you need to work with an agent or broker. You'll give them your information — including the make, model and year of your car, your driver's license number and other relevant personal information — and they'll get a quote for you.

If you work with a broker, who represents you and helps you explore coverage from many insurers, they can likely help you comparison shop and get quotes from a few companies.

When you've received a quote you're happy with, you'll sign your policy and make your first payment. Bristol West offers the option to pay by credit card, debit card, or check. There are also options for affordable down payments and monthly payments to help your coverage fit your budget.

In our research on the best car insurance companies for high-risk drivers, we also considered Geico and Dairyland, which insure such drivers. Here's how Bristol West compares:

Bristol West vs. Dairyland

Dairyland was one of our top picks for drivers with bad credit. While Bristol West also works with drivers with poor credit, Dairyland stands out for its customer service.

The company received 4.4 stars out of five, with an average of over 10,000 ratings. That's significantly better than Bristol West's star count.

However, there could be possible discount opportunities with Bristol West that aren't available with Dairyland. Bristol West offers discounts if you purchase a policy through other companies in the Farmers Insurance Group, including Farmers or Foremost. Dairyland doesn't offer homeowners or renters insurance policies to bundle.

Bristol West vs. Geico

Geico stood out for offering affordable rates for those with speeding tickets on their record. While neither Geico nor Bristol West stands out for customer service, both have widely available policies and the ability to bundle and save with homeowners or renters insurance.

Geico also offers additional discounts, like 15% off for owning a newer vehicle and 15% off for good students. There are even discounts with Geico for getting quotes online before your old policy ends. Discounts like these aren't available from Bristol West, and could make your policy cheaper.

However, Bristol West could be more tolerant of drivers with DUIs or other infractions than Geico. Getting quotes online can let you see if you're eligible and easily compare rates.

If you're a driver with a poor credit score, limited driving history, a few tickets or a major violation like a DUI on your record, Bristol West could offer coverage when other insurers won't.

While rates may be higher from this insurer than a typical driver's policy from another insurer, it might help you keep your car and yourself covered on the roads, allowing you to get where you need to go.

If you have a clean driving record and a good credit score, however, there's a good chance you'll find cheaper coverage with better customer service elsewhere.

To find out if Bristol West is right for you, start with your agent or broker, who can help you get a quote and explore options.

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At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed financial decisions. Every car insurance review is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of insurance products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics.

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