The Hartford auto insurance review 2026: 4.3 out of 5 stars

Post Content

​

The Hartford is a strong choice for auto insurance if you’re an AARP member (or are open to becoming one). Rates are cheaper than average, and perks like accident forgiveness, new car replacement, and diminishing deductibles add solid value.

That said, its claims record is mixed, and non-AARP policies have to be purchased through an agent, not online. If you qualify through AARP and want affordable coverage with senior-friendly benefits, The Hartford is worth considering. But as always, compare it with a few other insurers before you commit.

Learn more: How does car insurance work? The basics explained

Learn more: Cheapest car insurance for seniors

The Hartford has the following third-party ratings, coverage options, and discounts.

We gave The Hartford a call to double-check a few details for this review and were connected to an agent in less than a minute. They were friendly, knowledgeable, and answered every question we had.

Learn more: Car insurance discounts: 17 ways to save

The Hartford offers these coverage options:

The Hartford also has a RecoverCare benefit, which will help pay for house cleaning and other services if you’re injured and unable to do them after a covered accident.

Learn more: Most common types of car insurance explained

Yes, The Hartford offers accident forgiveness to drivers through its AARP Auto Insurance Program. If everyone on your policy goes five years without an accident while insured with The Hartford, your first accident won’t cause your premium to jump.

Learn more: Is accident forgiveness insurance worth it?

Yes, The Hartford includes emergency roadside assistance as part of its auto insurance. If your car breaks down, your insurer will arrange towing to the nearest repair shop (up to 100 miles), so you’re not stuck paying out of pocket for a tow.

However, the coverage doesn’t extend to trip interruption costs, like meals or lodging, if you’re stranded far from home.

Learn more: Do I need emergency roadside assistance coverage?

The Hartford’s auto insurance rates are lower than average for both full and basic coverage. The average policy cost is $153 per month for full coverage and $90 per month for basic.

For context, basic coverage usually refers to state-minimum liability insurance, which covers damage you cause to others but won’t pay for your own car repairs. Full coverage includes liability, collision insurance, and comprehensive insurance, so you could get reimbursed for more if your car is damaged in an accident, theft, fire, or natural disaster.

Yahoo Finance generally recommends getting full coverage if your budget allows.

Learn more: Minimum car insurance requirements in all 50 U.S. states

The Hartford’s car insurance rates for full coverage car insurance are cheaper than average — about $153 a month for full coverage versus $190 industry-wide. That puts it on the more affordable side of the list, with rates lower than big insurers like State Farm, GEICO, and Progressive.

The Hartford’s average monthly premium for liability-only car insurance is $90, well below the national average of $113. This makes it one of the cheaper options for drivers who only want liability coverage, tied for second place in affordability.

There are several discounts you could qualify for with The Hartford auto insurance:

Learn more: Cheapest car insurance in the U.S.

The Hartford makes it pretty simple to start a claim. You can do it online, over the phone, or even as a non-policyholder if the accident involved one of their customers. If you’ve been in an accident, follow these steps to make a claim:

  1. Gather your info: You’ll need to have your policy number (if applicable), billing ZIP code, and the details of the accident handy. Photos and witness info are helpful, too.

  2. File your claim: You can start your claim online in about 10 minutes or call 877-805-9918 (AARP members) or 800-243-5860 (non-AARP). Glass-only claims have their own line at 800-892-8484.

  3. Work with your adjuster: An adjuster will walk you through what’s covered, explain any deductible, and let you know if they need extras like photos or a police report.

  4. Get a repair estimate: Sometimes photos are enough, but The Hartford may also send out a damage expert.

  5. Receive payment: Once everything’s approved, payments are usually processed within 48 hours. Your adjuster can also help line up a rental car if needed.

Learn more: How to file a car insurance claim

The Hartford doesn’t have a strict cutoff for submitting car insurance claims. However, the sooner you report your accident, the better.

Once your claim is approved, The Hartford usually processes payments within about 48 hours. Your adjuster should keep you updated along the way.

The Hartford’s mobile app is available on both Android and iOS devices. You can use the app to pull up digital ID cards, check your coverage, pay your bill, and even file and track claims. It also supports fingerprint and face ID login, so you don’t have to remember another password.

The Hartford mobile app ratings:

The answer is a bit of a mixed bag. The Hartford gets more complaints than average, according to the NAIC, and auto repair shops only gave it a C+ in the 2025 CRASH Network report card. On the flip side, J.D. Power’s claims satisfaction survey shows Hartford landing slightly above average, so many drivers do report a smooth process.

It depends on your specific situation. If you’re an AARP member (or thinking about joining), The Hartford is one of the most affordable options out there. Coverage is cheaper than average, and the company offers unique perks like RecoverCare and a diminishing deductible. However, if you’re not an AARP member and don’t want to go through an agent, it may not be the best fit.

Yes. Although many AARP-branded policies are purchased online or over the phone, The Hartford also works with independent agents across the country. You can search for a local agent on The Hartford website.

Tim Manni edited this article.

We researched the coverage details and prices for 13 auto insurance plans. We then weighted categories, and each auto insurer was scored relative to the others to find the best auto insurance companies. Here are the factors we incorporated.

Coverage types: 20% of score. We examined all the coverage options available, and assessed whether each insurer offered the following: new car replacement (5%), GAP insurance (5%), accident forgiveness (5%), and diminishing deductible (5%).

Average cost: 40% of score. The average cost was generated by Trellis’ in-house machine learning models based on over 3 million data points, and includes more than 15 of the largest insurance companies in Trellis’ nationwide data set. These estimates are for policies with full coverage for the average policyholder who owns one car. Average policyholder here is defined as a 48-year-old driver, driving a 13-year-old car, in an average-income ZIP code with full coverage.

Customer satisfaction: 30% of score. We factored in information from three major sources: 1) National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) complaints (10%), in which we took the total number of complaints each company had over a three-year period (2022-2024), 2) CRASH scores (10%) from the Crash Network which share how well each company ensures quality repairs and customer service, and 3) J.D. Power scores (10%) from the J.D. Power U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study and the U.S. Auto Insurance Study.

Discounts: 10% of score. We gave points for each type of discount that each auto insurer offers.

All app ratings were accurate at the time of publication.

Unless stated otherwise, the estimates above are provided by Savvy Insurance Solutions (“Savvy”). Savvy operates a marketplace for home and auto insurance, plus an agency licensed in all 50 states. Estimates are generated using Savvy’s in-house machine learning models based on over 3 million data points, and include more than 15 of the largest insurance companies in Savvy’s nationwide data set. This includes data from more than 2 million insurance accounts connected through Trellis Connect, an in-house technology allowing consumers to “link” their insurance accounts before searching for insurance, and tens of thousands of policies bound by Savvy’s own agents. It takes into account a myriad of factors to create predictions, such as:

Savvy creates estimates by running models against multiple inputs to the parameters of interest. For instance, the “teen driver” estimates were created by adjusting the policyholder age input into the pricing model while keeping all other variables steady from the baseline for “full coverage.” The models enable hyper-personalized estimates that take into account a plethora of user attribute permutations (e.g., teen drivers in specific states, teen drivers with new vehicles, teen drivers in specific states with new vehicles) to provide individuals with a unique and tailored experience. The charts above are a subset of the kinds of personalization Savvy can do.

The following are definitions used by Savvy when providing its rate estimates for various types of coverage.

Full coverage car insurance: A policy with comprehensive, collision, and liability coverage.

Average policyholder: A 48-year-old driver who owns a 13-year-old vehicle and lives in an average-income ZIP code.

Senior driver: A 70-year-old policyholder with full coverage car insurance.

Good driver: Drivers across all coverage types, vehicle types, and locations who have no tickets, accidents or DUIs.

 

error: Content is protected !!