Curious if anyone's had experiences where one clearly outweighed the other.
Had a similar dilemma last year choosing between these two. Went with State Farm for the claims ease—glad I did. When my Audi got rear-ended, smooth claims processing mattered way more than daily customer service. Personal touch is nice, but hassle-free repairs were priceless...
I've been with both, and honestly, as someone who's had a few too many speeding tickets (oops...), Farm Bureau ended up being way better for me. State Farm was great at first, but after my second ticket, my rates jumped pretty noticeably. Farm Bureau seemed more forgiving about my driving record and kept things reasonable. Haven't had to file a claim yet (knock on wood), so can't speak to that side of things, but if you're like me and your driving history isn't exactly spotless, FB might save you some cash. Just my two cents—good luck deciding!
I can second this experience. Farm Bureau was noticeably more affordable for me as well, especially after I had an at-fault fender bender a couple of years back. State Farm initially offered competitive rates, but once that accident showed up on my record, they bumped my premiums significantly. FB seemed to weigh the incident less harshly, and their renewal increases were far more manageable.
One thing I'd add though—it's worth considering discounts beyond just your driving history. Farm Bureau gave me a pretty decent break for bundling home and auto policies together. Not sure if State Farm offers something similar (they probably do), but FB's bundle discount was pretty generous in my case. Also, I've found FB agents tend to be pretty upfront about ways to reduce your bill, which is great if you're budget-conscious like me.
Haven't dealt with claims personally either, so can't comment there...but purely from a price standpoint, FB has consistently come out ahead for my situation too.
- Good points on FB pricing, but I'd caution against judging purely on cost alone.
- Had a buddy who switched to Farm Bureau for similar reasons—great rates initially—but when he had a claim after hitting a deer on a road trip, the process was painfully slow and frustrating.
- State Farm might bump premiums quicker, but their claims handling seems smoother from what I've heard.
- Just something else to weigh in your decision...cheaper isn't always better if you're stuck waiting weeks for repairs.
"cheaper isn't always better if you're stuck waiting weeks for repairs."
Totally agree with this. My sister had State Farm when she backed into a mailbox (yeah, rookie mistake lol), and they handled it super quick and easy. Definitely worth considering the claims experience, not just price...
