SAFECO Auto Insurance

SAFECO Auto Insurance

 3.8/5 (1447 reviews)
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3.8(1,447)
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Overall Rating3.8 out of 5
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About SAFECO Auto Insurance

Safeco Insurance is a Liberty Mutual company that offers several different insurance products, including home, life and auto coverage. It has a wide variety of auto insurance policy options and customizable plans to suit your needs.

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • New car replacement
  • Pet coverage
  • Backed by Liberty Mutual

Cons

  • Not available nationwide
  • No focus on high-risk drivers

Bottom Line

Safeco is backed by Liberty Mutual. It offers several discounts, coverage options and driver services, including new car replacement and pet insurance. Its auto plans are customizable.

Top SAFECO Auto Insurance Reviews

Rated with 5 stars
Verified

The price is about half of what the other quotes are. Paying for the policy is easy and convenient. They also have an app to view the policy and pay the bill... When we have quest...

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Rated with 5 stars
Verified

I purchased the policy online and it was an Easy process. I was able to compare rates and coverage on the website. The Price was very good, compared to other insurance companies a...

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What is Safeco auto insurance?

Safeco Insurance offers auto policies for a variety of vehicles. It has customizable coverage plans and a wide array of services, and all its policies cover up to $10,000 in reimbursement for others’ first aid following an accident. After a number of years of accident-free driving, your policy will qualify for accident forgiveness.

Safeco provides comprehensive, collision and roadside assistance coverage, as well as rental car reimbursement, which grants access to its claims valet service. It also offers Personal Injury Protection (PIP), medical payments (Med Pay), bodily injury liability, property damage liability and uninsured and underinsured motorist insurance options.

Additional coverage options include emergency assistance, which provides roadside assistance, coverage up to $100 for expenses and up to $500 for meals, lodging and transportation if you’re in an accident more than 25 miles from home. It also covers personal belongings damaged by an accident or taken in a stolen vehicle. Its other add-on options include:

  • Loan and lease coverage
  • Electronic key and lock replacement
  • CD and DVD replacement
  • Pet coverage
  • New car replacement
  • Personal property coverage
  • Audiovisual and custom equipment coverage

How does Safeco auto insurance work?

Safeco is backed by Liberty Mutual, the third largest property and casualty insurer in the U.S. It partners with local independent agents to help with policies and claims. You can customize your policy based on your auto needs, but Safeco’s standard car insurance policy provides essential liability protection and other coverages required by law, as well as coverage in the event of an accident while someone else is driving.

Safeco also has add-on coverage options with extra protection for damages, emergencies, repairs and personal property. You can manage your policy online and report and track a claim 24/7.

Safeco auto insurance quotes and costs

Safeco doesn’t disclose its car insurance costs online, but you can apply for a quote on its website. The company offers a variety of discounts; for drivers who’ve never made a claim, Safeco reduces the collision deductible by $100 with each annual policy renewal, up to $500 or five years. It also provides discounts for completing a driving course, multicar policies and more.

Safeco auto insurance FAQ

Does Safeco auto insurance have a low mileage discount?
Safeco offers a discount of up to 20% for vehicles with low annual mileage.
Where is Safeco auto insurance available?
Safeco is in several states, but it’s not available nationwide. In order to check availability, contact a local agent.
Who owns Safeco?
Hawthorne K. Dent is the founder and executive of Safeco Insurance.
Is Safeco a part of Liberty Mutual?
Yes. In September 2008, Safeco became part of Liberty Mutual, the third largest property and casualty insurer in the United States.

Is Safeco a good car insurance company?

Safeco is a solid car insurance provider. Backed by Liberty Mutual, it offers a comprehensive range of services. Its plans are customizable, and it has several discount options. It provides PIP and Med Pay, as well as comprehensive and collision coverage. Its add-ons include paid travel expenses, electronic key and lock replacement, new car replacement, personal property coverage, audiovisual and custom equipment coverage and pet coverage.

SAFECO Auto Insurance Reviews

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Page 1 Reviews 0 - 10
Rated with 1 star
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Verified Reviewer
Original review: Feb. 26, 2023

DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH Safeco/Liberty Mutual. Won't pay out for anything whether it's your fault or not. It's been 4 years ago now that a Safeco driver crashed into my wife's car and causing her to be 60% disabled for the rest of her life. Her medical bills are over $200k from the wreck. We hired an attorney to sue but still no avail after all this time. The car was totaled and to date, my insurance company still hasn't been able to get them to pay out for our car. They are a complete scam. Even if you have them for insurance and you are at fault, they'll drop you and you will get personally sued.

Be the first one to find this review helpful
Rated with 1 star
Verified Reviewer
Original review: Jan. 28, 2023

A Safeco representative helped me to make changes to my policy on the day before my automatic payment processed. He asked for a credit card payment which would ensure the policy change. I provided this new lower payment through my bank card. The next day the original, much higher, payment processed as it was on automatic withdrawal. I called to clarify this situation and get a refund of the extra payment.

From this moment on, Safeco has sent me on a wild chase trying to recover the 395$ payment they took on top of the newer policy of 187$ payment they also took. Each time I call, I get a representative that tells me to do something (ie -wait 5 days, ask for a letter from the bank, provide a transaction history to prove my bank didn’t stop payment, email them new bank records, etc, on and on). This went on for 2 weeks. Meanwhile I’m down almost 600$ from my checking account. They refuse to refund my payment or prorate the original automatic deduction. Safeco has proved to have representatives who are not knowledgeable. They have put my family in financial stress. I strongly recommend a different insurance company.

3 people found this review helpful

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    Rated with 1 star
    Verified Reviewer
    Original review: Dec. 27, 2022

    This has been one of the most frustrating experiences I have ever had with a company, with my blood pressure elevating to sky high levels every conversation I have had with them. To summarize, I experienced the classic "Bait and Switch" sales technique. I paid my yearly premium in full, then two months later I got a bill with an additional $200.00 premium. They said they removed two discounts, due to lack of paperwork verification (low mileage data and homeowner insurance declaration.) I immediately sent them documentation, confirming with the salesperson that they received. (They put me on hold while they verified with the underwriting department.)

    The salesperson then actually said they were sending me a $175.00 check refund due to the low mileage affidavit. But, I then received a bill in the mail then for an additional $101.73! When inquiring, they said they never received a homeowner's declaration. I showed them where my email went through to the documents department, and how the salesperson had verified both documents had been received-they said they made a mistake. At the end of the day, we settled on an additional $22.21 premium, just to prevent me having a stroke from elevated blood pressure. At the end of the policy, I will immediately fire them, even if I have to pay a higher premium from another company. Spare yourself the emotional distress from dealing with an unethical company like Safeco? Brent

    Be the first one to find this review helpful
    Rated with 1 star
    Verified Reviewer
    Original review: Oct. 30, 2022

    30 October, 2022. Anytime, as consumers, we must deal with an insurance claim (even worse when it is our own), there are standard cringes / hope-nots / fears:

    • The insurance company won’t respond.
    • The insurance company DELAYS.
    • The insurance company blames us.
    • Claim denied for reasons buried on p. 36 of a 52-page document which we are supposed to read, understand, and know!

    • And worst, requires us to do things they refuse to fund.

    Not to worry. With Safeco / Liberty Mutual / all owned by First National Insurance Co. of America, and their GRN (Guarantee Repair Network) Fix Auto of Mt. Vernon, you get it all! And, as a bonus, they actually make the situation worse than when you started. If you’re OK being scammed and gaslighted, you’ll feel right at home. And there’s a bonus: it’s at your expense! Reasonably pathetic?

    Experience: Upon the advice of Safeco, to remove a rodent nest in the engine compartment of our daughter’s car, we took our car to their GRN, Fix Auto in Mt. Vernon, Washington. Our daughter’s car, a 2005 Ford 500 was detailed and perfect except for ratso’s creation upfront. To remove the nest and clean up the heater / air conditioning runs they removed:

    • The entire interior dash
    • The steering wheel
    • The transmission lever

    • The front seats

    It looked like an IED had gone off inside the driver’s compartment. The photos tell the story: WIRES EVERYWHERE. We had to take it back because the A/C and heater were cross-connecting and cooling and heating at the same time. They fixed that and Liberty Mutual paid for the work. A few weeks later the steering system began groaning and jerking. Two days later we could put the transmission lever in gear…but nothing happened. It would not go into gear. It would not move. Never happened before…either problem. We then had to have the car towed to Fix Auto to fix the fix and they kept it for a few weeks…to no avail. They called to ask us the address of our mechanic. No explanation why. Aren't you FIX Auto? They had the car towed there.

    • No reasons
    • No instructions about what was supposed to happen

    • No written instructions to our mechanic

    The story Fix Auto told Liberty Mutual about conversations was not at all what occurred, but Liberty swallowed it and decided they had to stay with their GRN. So began the troubles. The car sat. I had to call Liberty Mutual to ask what was going on. They gave me a list of diagnostics to run on the car. WHY ARE YOU TELLING ME THIS? I’m not going to do the work. No time-frame. Call the mechanic…which they finally did. The mechanic already had cars backed up for repair but did as instructed, but who was he supposed to send it to? Why would he ask that? Where are the instructions? The car sat on his lot, thus far, from June 3, 2022 until October 19, 2022: 145 days @ $7.50 per diem = $1,087.50. Who is supposed to:

    • Pay the mechanic for diagnostic work?
    • Pay for the storage?

    • What is going to happen with the car?

    WHO KNOWS? Liberty Mutual said they would cover the steering and transmission repairs ONLY if it could be determined that the damage was caused by the RODENT, not human error: VERDICT FIRST, INVESTIGATION AFTER. So we asked our mechanic his determination. “There is no way a rodent could possibly cause this much damage” was his response. HUMAN ERROR was his determination, sent to Liberty Mutual. We received a courtesy copy. Liberty Mutual responded with the same words,4 times: “We have completed our inspection for your vehicle and determined the additional damages are not related to this incident. Please see attached partial denial letter.”

    My take: Humpty-Dumpty syndrome. They did such irreparable damage pulling the interior, functional components and wiring apart NASA would be challenged to put it back together. Apparently, they couldn’t. Our worst fears are now reality. We’re stuck. We don’t know:

    • What we are supposed to do.
    • What Liberty Mutual will do.
    • What the Office of Consumer Protection in Washington State will do to help resolve this.

    • What to do with our daughter’s car, which she saved for on her own from ages 10-15.

    WE’RE STUCK! It may occur to you to contact the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) for assistance and advice. We did. DON’T BOTHER. OIC acts more like the Office of Corporate Enablement. With all of the obfuscation and false reports that Liberty both swallowed and foisted, the OIC didn’t see (or look for) anything wrong. Bottom line:

    1. Before starting a repair claim, get it in writing from your insurance “adjuster.”
    2. STAY WITH YOUR AGENT. Ours has done all she can to help us.
    3. Document, document, document

    4. Don’t expect your insurance company is “in your corner “. Disregard their slogans and advertising.

    It begs the question: Is all of this hassle worth the paltry money this claim will cost vs. the business they will lose? News travels – good or bad. This is bad…and we don’t mind sharing it.

    4 people found this review helpful
    Rated with 1 star
    Verified Reviewer
    Original review: Oct. 21, 2022

    I was a customer for a year or so, had to file claim someone pulled out in front of me and police didn’t provide me with the basic report for over a week. So I had no way to file under the at fault and was lied to immediately after filing the claim by agent Giovanni ** who from the start unempathetic, callous, and just blatantly rude. Not to mention a liar and had to be told what my policy covered by the at fault insurance because what he told me the one conversation we had and it was the day after the accident was a bold face lie. I won’t get too into detail because I have filed a formal complaint with BBB, Commissioner of Insurance and have been dealing with a lawyer for the legalities that have occurred in one month span. The accident we on 09/12/22.

    Today is 10/21/22 and I have never gotten a email, text or call returned about helping me with the accident. I was clueless on what to do, how I need to do it, etc. Not one person has reached out to me after 09/13/22 the day after the accident. Not a follow up, not an email returned and I do have proof of everything I am detailing in this review. If I can help one consumer make a better decision than I had by going with this company because Jerry said they were great. Yes greatly disappointing, great liars, great at bad faith insurance. On the night of 09/28/22 I thought to myself my insurance didn’t come out on the 26th or maybe I just wasn’t notified of it so I jumped on my checking account which whom I have my SAFECO payment pre authorized to take out my payment through my routing number. Sure enough no payment posted so I jumped on the SAFECO app and went to pay it.

    As it’s not late yet, Autopay always comes a little early, and you have some time after due date to make the payment I thought it was just a glitch in their system and it didn’t pull it. I have statements from my bank showing that on the 26th of September I had approximately $9000.00 in my account and also a statement from them for my lawyer I am working with showing SafeCo did NOT try and run the payment. Well during this time in my account on the mobile app, in small print under a balance different than my regular payment of $61.00 and under this amount it says a remainder balance after cancellation of your policy as of 10/15/22. I was shocked how can they cancel me for no reason. Scrambling and so upset contact SafeCo, it took three days and many hours on hold when finally an agent through Jerry the insurance app that I went through to get the policy.

    For whatever reason I could never get an actual SafeCo or Liberty Mutual rep not even the ones supposed to be handing my claim. So I go into detail explaining that it was supposed to come out on its own and it didn’t. She said, "Well it looks like the reason listed is that SafeCo has a policy that if your payment isn’t made more than once by the autopay, then they will cancel you." I explained that it’s only been two days and first time it happened was when I first joined with them and it was immediately paid. My debit card was locked and I do that often to prevent theft and that is why I decided to go directly though my routing to prevent that from happening and it was paid then and there. This was also part of the first policy.

    This is a second policy which started in June and meaning this technically was the first for this policy but according to Wells Fargo they did not try to pull it and they gave me a statement saying so to give to the lawyer helping me. I also was advised to go in and take screenshots of every transaction every correspondence that I had with them but I ultimately literally took a screenshot of every page every crook every corner of that app in my account so they couldn’t change anything once the complaints have been filed. Because what they did to me and are still doing to me is called Bad Faith Insurance and I was advised to formally complain to the insurance Commissioner, BBB and he would be assisting me with all the steps to take and help me with the legalities of this whole mess.

    They took my money for over a year and the minute I needed them to do what they are paid to do they disappeared, did not follow up on my claim. As of now it’s still open and I cannot get a person to answer me. I was covered during the accident so even though they decided to cancel me for nonpayment but then not allow me to make the payment either! When I spoke with Jerry about it they were just as confused because you cannot cancel a policy just because the auto pay didn’t work. It wasn’t my fault and furthermore I was there to make the payment and was told I couldn’t. She was just as shocked and confused as I was. She kept saying, "This can’t be right."

    I also know that there are laws that prevent insurance companies doing this which the legal term is ‘Bad Faith Insurance’. They also have to give you time. They can’t cancel you because your auto pay didn’t come out correctly. It wasn’t even late when I went to pay it or figure out what happened. There are different dates for different reasons but as a whole they can’t cancel you for nonpayment but yet not let you make the payment. What they did was illegal, shady, sad and against Insurance Ethics by law. They lied to me and did not give me the correct information to help me move forward, they refused me by text, chat, email and phone even though I was just in an accident and had called everyday, emailed Giovanni several times and have yet to speak to ANYONE at Liberty or SAFECO was not notified about the payment either.

    What they are doing and did to me is illegal and I can tell you this, if you are considering going with them or Liberty Mutual don’t. Do not trust a company that will blatantly practice BAD FAITH INSURANCE! I don’t care how long it takes, what measures I have to go through. I want them to understand that you can’t treat people this way that are your paid for a service and that means you must provide the service. You also cannot just decide you don’t want to represent me or anyone and not follow the rules the rest of the world have to follow. They are shady. They are con artist and they are thieves. I would die before I would never recommend this company even to my worst enemy. Shameful degrading tactics that are being investigated now because they will not steal my money that they did not work for.

    4 people found this review helpful
    Rated with 1 star
    Verified Reviewer
    Original review: Oct. 20, 2022

    By far the WORSE INSURANCE COMPANY. STAY AWAY. My car was hit 9/13/22 by their client. As of today I've left over 20 messages with no call back. This accident was their fault. All I want is my car fixed.

    3 people found this review helpful
    Rated with 1 star
    Verified Reviewer
    Original review: March 31, 2022

    Refused to cover anything in our policy, had a deck leak and they said we didn't contact them in time because we waited over the weekend to call them, refused to replace the flooring or do anything when our dishwasher caught on fire. Also, they consistently (at least every 2-3 months) don't send a bill, and then send a follow up demanding late fees. I never miss any of my other mail, and never miss the late fee notice, but the bills are consistently not sent. I wonder how much they make just off doing this to people. This is a vile company that shouldn't even be in business. Never trust them to insure your home or anything else. I was able to get the same or better coverage in every category for about half what they were charging me, and from a reputable company. Only regret is that I didn't drop them sooner. Absolutely the worst insurance experience ever.

    5 people found this review helpful
    Rated with 1 star
    Verified Reviewer
    Original review: Aug. 4, 2021

    I'm an independent insurance agent and a policy holder with Safeco. I've been disappointed and frustrated with the extra long hold times I've had with Safeco in regards to service and claims. I assisted a client with a claim and was on hold for 2 hours! This is unacceptable.

    15 people found this review helpful
    Rated with 1 star
    Verified Reviewer
    Original review: July 22, 2021

    I got a new car insurance policy because Safeco is way too expensive. In fact the company I went to is affiliated with Safeco (Liberty Mutual). My Safeco policy was paid in full and due to expire at midnight on the expiration date. I got a new policy that picked up at 12:01 am the day after expiration. Safeco claims they had to have a policy in place because I did not notify them. My notification was my non payment; something I have done in the past. They billed me for their extra day coverage. They claim I needed to come to their office and sign a form that says I wanted to stop coverage. They went all they way to a collection agency for payment. I have since paid them because talking to them was non-productive. I believe that all insurance is a scam and this just re-enforces my view.

    12 people found this review helpful
    Rated with 1 star
    Verified Reviewer
    Original review: March 14, 2021

    Why Safeco is a horrible company will be clear in a moment. Communication is key in any business to maintain a good relationship. For the past 2+ years I’ve been a Safeco customer because of 3 factors when I moved to Arizona:

    1) Fair rates based on the higher insurance I wanted to carry
    2) Backed by Liberty Mutual as a parent company

    3) Was told they are really good communication & customer service

    Last November, 2020, I had my bank card ID compromised, so reach out to Safeco and updated my new account number and get the card back on auto-pay like it was. They took care of that and confirmed all information for me. I looked at the bank statement and the Safeco website to confirm this information was updated and the payment was pulled. It was.

    At the beginning of March 2021, I received a collections company notice that I owed a balance for December 2020 for Safeco and needed to pay. I looked at the Safeco website and found that my account was charged for November and not for December+, and my policy was cancelled in Dec. When I called my broker he looked into it and found that they sent out 3 letters over 3 weeks, that I never saw, stating there was an issue with payment. They Never called me or emailed me, not even once. They Never contact the broker, which they are supposed to do, so they could address it before cancellation. (So he was really upset as well). I was under the impression I, my wife and Son driving were covered, and found we had been without insurance for 3 months. That was the scariest part!!!

    Granted, I should have checked my statements to make sure this was still coming out, Totally my bad. However, since I was on auto pay for 2 years without an issue, and called to change to the correct information, they confirmed payment, I did not worry. When I explained to the Safeco agent what happened, they offered me new rates that were $150 more per month than I was paying with them due to the Lapse. I asked them to look at my payment history who confirmed, I was consistent, wasn’t late, and always communicated with I had a change in payment type.

    They didn’t care and were not willing or able to help. Because of this lapse in insurance my costs went up with other companies as a result. I will NEVER do business again with them or Liberty Mutual because of the lack of trust and communication from Safeco. I hope you don’t go with Safeco or stay with them if you are. Please find another company that will actually help protect you.

    18 people found this review helpful
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    SAFECO Auto Insurance Company Information

    Company Name:
    SAFECO Auto Insurance
    Year Founded:
    1923
    Address:
    P.O. Box 6476
    City:
    Carol Stream
    State/Province:
    IL
    Postal Code:
    60197
    Country:
    United States
    Website:
    www.safeco.com