Liberty Mutual car insurance review

Founded in 1912, Liberty Mutual issues auto insurance policies in all 50 states and offers a wide variety of coverage options, including gap insurance and a lifetime repair guarantee.

We love that Liberty Mutual offers customized benefits for educators — including no deductible to cover damage from vandalism or collisions on school grounds — as well as a deductible fund that can decrease anyone's out-of-pocket expenses.

And if you have an antique roaster, Liberty Mutual offers classic car insurance through its subsidiary Safeco.

Liberty Mutual car insurance: Pros and cons

Liberty Mutual offers auto insurance in all 50 U.S. states and Washington, DC.

Basic coverage

A full coverage policy is typically required if you're financing or leasing your car.

• Liability coverage: The minimum coverage allowed in most states, liability insurance covers damages and expenses if you or someone else driving your vehicle is at fault for an accident. 
• Collision coverage: Pays to repair or replace your vehicle after a collision.
• Comprehensive coverage: Covers damages not caused by a collision, including theft, weather damage or animal encounter.

Additional coverage

These policies are required in some states and optional in others.

• Personal injury protection: Also known as no-fault insurance, PIP covers medical bills, lost wages, child care and even funeral costs.
• Medical payments coverage: MedPay covers medical bills for you, your passengers and any pedestrians, regardless of fault.
• Uninsured/underinsured motorist insurance: Pays for repairs and medical bills if you are in an accident with a driver with little or no coverage.

Add-ons

Liberty Mutual has a wide variety of optional coverage options

• Accident forgiveness: You may be eligible for this benefit if you have 5 years of accident-free driving.
• Gap insurance: Pays the difference between your car's actual cash value and the balance of your loan or lease if the vehicle is totaled or stolen.
• Liberty Mutual deductible fund: Participants are charged $30 a year and Liberty Mutual contributes another $70, providing a $100 credit toward your deductible if you need to file a claim.
• Lifetime repair guarantee: Covered repairs made at one of Liberty Mutual's 2,000 partner garages are guaranteed for as long as you own the vehicle. Liberty Mutual can also pay for repairs directly, and members can track the progress online or through the mobile app.
• Mexico car insurance: MexPro offers customizable coverage options for Liberty Mutual customers driving in Mexico.
• New car replacement coverage: Vehicles totaled or stolen within the first year or with fewer than 15,000 miles are covered for their full value, not accounting for depreciation.
• Original parts replacement: If your vehicle is under 10 years old, covered repairs are made with the same parts your vehicle was built with.
• Rental car reimbursement: If your vehicle is being repaired after a covered accident, Liberty Mutual will pay for a rental car, up to $90 per day for 30 days.
• Roadside assistance: You can use the Liberty Mutual app 24/7 to request common services like towing, jump-starting, fuel deliveries and changing flat tires.
• Teachers' auto insurance: Educators pay no deductible if their car is vandalized or in a collision on school grounds or during a school-related event. Teaching materials or school property stolen or damaged while in your vehicle is covered up to $2,500 per occurrence.

Liberty Mutual offers a variety of discounts, though not all are available in every state and some discounts may not be able to be combined.

• Claims-free discount: Maintaining a claims-free driving history can help you save.
• Early-shopper discount:  Get a rate quote with Liberty Mutual before your current policy expires and you could save.
• Good student discount: Students who maintain at least a B average can earn a rate reduction.
• Homeowner discount: Homeowners can earn a discount, regardless of whether their home insurance policy is with Liberty Mutual.
• Military discount: Available to active-duty service members, veterans and members of the National Guard and Reserves.
• Multi-car discount: Insuring several vehicles under one policy can save you money.
• Multi-policy discount: New customers who bundle home and auto insurance can save over $950 per year.
• Online purchase discount: Save by buying your policy online and filing paperwork electronically.
• Paperless discount: Ditch the paper statements in favor of the digital option.
• Preferred payment discount: Liberty Mutual provides a discount for auto pay in addition to a discount for paying your policy in one or two payments.
• RightTrack: The program tracks your driving habits and could earn you a discount of up to 30%.
• Student-away-at-school discount: You may be eligible if a student on your policy is away at school and only occasionally drives your car.
• Violation-free discount: If you have a violation-free driving history you could be saving more.

Liberty Mutual ranked below average in J.D. Power's 2024 U.S. Auto Insurance Study, which surveyed customers on price, ease of doing business, level of trust, product offerings, problem resolution and digital channels.

It also rated below average in separate J.D. Power surveys on insurance shopping and the claims process.

While Liberty Mutual did earn an A- from the Better Business Bureau, it receives more than double the number of complaints expected for an insurer its size, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. 

Liberty Mutual's customer service line is available 24/7. While there is no online chat function, policyholders can pay bills, make coverage changes, request roadside assistance and file claims on the company's mobile app.

Liberty Mutual offers a variety of insurance in addition to its vehicle policies, including:

• Condo insurance
• Flood insurance
• Homeowners insurance
• Life insurance
• Business insurance
• Mobile home insurance
• Renters insurance
• Pet insurance
• Umbrella insurance

Here's how Liberty Mutual stacks up against two leaders in the auto insurance space.

Liberty Mutual comes out on top in terms of availability, with auto insurance available in all 50 states. Policies from Farmers, meanwhile, are not available in eight states or Washington, D.C.

They offer comparable add-ons, like accident forgiveness and new car replacement insurance and, while Farmers offers rideshare insurance and customized equipment coverage, only Liberty Mutual has gap insurance.

Neither is a standout for customer service, with below-average scores on J.D. Power's surveys on auto insurance and the insurance shopping experience. Farmers did fare better with the claims process, however, and has a much lower volume of complaints than Liberty Mutual.

If you're looking for discounts, Farmers far outpaces Liberty Mutual. It has reductions for paying on time, renewing and for older drivers who complete a safe driver course.

Liberty Mutual and Amica are closely matched for availability, although you can't buy car insurance from Amica in Hawaii. In addition, Amica is transitioning away from year-long terms in favor of 6-month policies in most states, which could mean more frequent rate increases.

While Liberty Mutual does not make rate information publicly available, Amica's premiums for auto insurance are higher than the industry average.

Amica is a step ahead with customer service, though: It earned the top spot from J.D. Power for the claim process and overall customer satisfaction in the New England region.

You can apply for auto insurance on the Liberty Mutual website and qualify for a discount if you do.

You'll need to share some personal details — including your location, age and driving history — as well as details about your vehicle's make and model.

Once you customize your policy features coverage limits and deductible, you'll receive a quote.

You can also apply over the phone at 800-290-6150 or work with a local Liberty Mutual insurance agent. 

Customer service is available 24/7 at 800-290-8711. You can pay bills, make policy changes, download insurance cards, request roadside assistance and report and track claims on the Liberty Mutual website and mobile app.

With nationwide availability and coverage options like gap insurance, accident forgiveness and rental car reimbursement, Liberty Mutual could be the right company for many kinds of drivers.

It's an especially good fit for safe motorists, who could earn up to 30% off for good driving habits with its RightTrack telematics program, and for teachers, since collisions or acts of vandalism on school grounds or at school events are covered without a deductible.

At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. 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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