Updated October 31, 2026 · Facts checked against travelers.com, AM Best and the NAIC on October 31, 2026
Travelers is a big, long-established national insurer that sells personal auto mainly through independent agents, with a deep menu of optional coverages and a long discount list built around bundling, continuous insurance and good driving records. It suits drivers who want an agent to assemble the policy and who have a home, condo or renters policy (plus maybe a second car) to bundle. If you prefer to buy entirely online in a few minutes and never speak to anyone, other insurers are built more squarely for that.
Key facts
- US market share (NAIC)
- 1.9% (2025)
- Safe-driving program
- IntelliDrive
- How you buy
- Independent agents, Online or phone
Good for
- Drivers who want a local independent agent to shop and explain the policy
- Households bundling auto with home, condo or renters coverage
- Multi-car families and homeowners
- Parents insuring a student driver who can stack the student discounts
- People who want add-ons like gap, new car replacement or accident forgiveness
Watch out for
- No online quoting in Alaska, Florida, Hawaii or Louisiana — agent or phone only
- IntelliDrive is not available in every state, and telematics can raise a rate as well as lower it
- Optional coverages and discount rules vary by state, so confirm what actually applies to you
- Your policy may be issued by an affiliated Travelers company under a different name
- Not the quickest route if you want a fully self-service, no-conversation purchase
How you buy it
Travelers is primarily an independent agent company. That means the agent who quotes you can usually place your business with several insurers, so you get a comparison in one conversation rather than a single take-it-or-leave-it number. You can also start online or call Travelers directly.
One practical quirk: online quoting is not offered for risks in Alaska, Florida, Hawaii and Louisiana. Travelers still writes business in those markets — you just go through an agent or the phone instead of the website. If you live in one of those states, plan on a conversation rather than a self-service quote.
Coverage you can build
The core is standard — liability, uninsured/underinsured motorist, collision and comprehensive, plus personal injury protection or medical payments depending on your state's rules.
Where Travelers earns its "customizable" label is the add-ons:
- Gap coverage for a financed or leased car worth less than the loan balance
- New car replacement, relevant if you've just bought
- Accident forgiveness, so a first at-fault claim need not reset your record for rating purposes
- Rental reimbursement and roadside assistance
- Named non-owner coverage for people who drive but don't own a car
Not every option is available in every state, and terms (how long "new" lasts, who qualifies for forgiveness) vary. Get the specifics in writing from the agent before you assume you're covered.
Discounts and IntelliDrive
The discount list is long and leans heavily toward people with more than one thing to insure and a clean paper trail:
- Bundling a home, condo or renters policy, and multi-car on one auto policy
- Home ownership, even if the home is insured elsewhere
- Safe driver — no accidents, violations or major comprehensive claims in the household for the past several years
- Continuous insurance with no lapse, and an early quote discount for shopping before your current policy expires
- Hybrid or electric vehicle, and a new car discount for vehicles under three years old
- Payment-based discounts for paying in full, enrolling in electronic funds transfer or payroll deduction, and paying on time
- Affinity pricing if your employer, association or credit union participates
IntelliDrive is the telematics program: it uses your phone to score driving behaviour over a monitoring period. It is offered in most but not all states. Read the scoring rules first — telematics can move your rate in either direction depending on the state, and hard braking or late-night driving can count against you even when you're driving safely.
Younger drivers and students
There is no separately branded teen-driver program here, but the relevant discounts exist: a good student discount for a full-time high school or college student with a B average or better, a student away at school discount when a dependent attends school more than 100 miles away without a car, and a driver training discount when a young driver completes an approved driver education course.
If you're adding a teen, ask the agent to apply all three where they fit — they are not always triggered automatically, and the transcript or course certificate usually has to be supplied.
Financial strength and complaints
Travelers is one of the larger property-casualty groups in the country and is rated by AM Best; the current rating on file is shown alongside this review, kept up to date from our database, as is the company's complaint record relative to its size. Those two panels are the honest place to judge stability and service, rather than any marketing claim.
One thing worth knowing: Travelers writes personal auto through several affiliated underwriting companies, so the name on your declarations page may be slightly different from the brand on the ads. That is normal for a group this size, but it matters if you want to look up the complaint record for the exact entity that issued your policy — ask your agent which company you're actually insured with.
Discounts Travelers lists
- Multi-policy discount — Bundle your car insurance with a Travelers home, condo or renters policy.
- Multicar discount — Insure two or more vehicles on the same Travelers auto policy.
- Home ownership discount — Own a home or condo, even if it is insured with another company.
- Safe Driver Discount — Have no accidents, violations or major comprehensive claims in the household for the past three to five years.
- Continuous insurance discount — Keep car insurance with Travelers continuously with no lapse in coverage.
- Hybrid/electric car insurance discount — Own or lease a hybrid or electric vehicle.
- New car discount — Insure a car that is new or less than three years old.
- EFT, pay-in-full and good payer discounts — Pay your premium in full, enroll in electronic funds transfer/payroll deduction, or pay on time consistently.
- Early quote discount — Get a Travelers auto quote before your current policy with another insurer expires.
- Good Student Discount — Have a driver who is a full-time high school or college student with a "B" average or better.
- Student Away at School Discount — Have a dependent attending school 100+ miles away without a car there.
- Driver Training Discount — Have a young driver complete an approved driver education course.
- Affinity program discount — Be an employee or member of a business, association or credit union that participates in the Travelers Affinity program.
Questions
Can I buy a Travelers auto policy entirely online?
In most states, yes — you can quote and buy online or by phone. Online quoting is not offered for Alaska, Florida, Hawaii and Louisiana, where you would go through an independent agent or call instead. Travelers still writes coverage in those states.
Do I have to use an agent?
No, but it is the channel Travelers is built around. Independent agents can quote Travelers alongside other carriers, which is useful if you want one conversation to produce several options. Direct online and phone purchase is available elsewhere.
What is IntelliDrive?
It is Travelers' usage-based driving program. Your phone measures things like braking, acceleration, speed and time of day over a monitoring period, and your score influences your rate. It is offered in most states but not all, and depending on where you live your score can push the rate up as well as down, so read the program rules before enrolling.
What's the biggest discount opportunity?
Bundling. Pairing auto with a Travelers home, condo or renters policy is the headline saving, and a home ownership discount can apply even if the house is insured with someone else. Multi-car, continuous coverage with no lapse, and getting a quote before your current policy expires all stack on top.
Is Travelers financially strong?
It is a large, long-standing national insurer rated by AM Best. The current rating on file appears next to this review, drawn from a database we keep current — check it there rather than relying on general reputation.
How is its customer complaint record?
We show the complaint record beside this review, measured against what would be expected for a company of its size, because that is a fairer comparison than a raw count. Note that Travelers writes auto through more than one affiliated company, so ask which entity issues your policy if you want to look it up yourself.