Bristol West Auto Insurance Review 2025

3.5

Jerry rating

Our Take

Bristol West insurance is an option for high-risk drivers who may struggle to buy insurance elsewhere. This insurer offers some discounts and coverage add-ons, but more customizable coverage may be available elsewhere.

Pros

• May insure drivers with poor credit, DUIs and those who lack prior coverage.
• Can file SR-22s and FR-44s.

Cons

• High volume of consumer complaints.
• Premiums may be high for drivers who aren’t high risk.
• Fewer discounts than some competitors.
• Does not reward good driving behavior with lower premiums.

Bristol West car insurance review

Jerry rates Bristol West 3.5 stars out of 5. This score is lower than average compared to other insurers that Jerry rates and takes into account the insurer’s pricing, industry ratings, consumer ratings, financial strength and national complaint data.

Bristol West is part of the Farmers Insurance Group of Companies, meaning it’s backed by one of the largest insurers in the United States. This no-frills insurer tailors its product to high-risk drivers who may struggle to find insurance but lacks discounts and coverage add-ons.

Bristol West may insure drivers who have a DUI or DWI on their record and can file an SR-22 FR-44 on a driver’s behalf. The insurer says it won’t deny coverage to those with poor credit or who lack prior insurance.

Though it has a good financial strength rating from AM Best, the company has more complaints than average with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).

Drivers can get Bristol West car insurance online, over the phone or from an agent or broker. The insurer provides coverage in 43 states.

Is Bristol West a good insurance company?

Bristol West receives low marks from some customers, but may be a good fit for high-risk drivers who struggle to find coverage elsewhere and can afford a higher-than-average premium.

Drivers who haven’t lost insurance recently, have strong credit and a clean driving record may be offered more affordable coverage with a better-rated insurer.

Even if your driving record is less-than-perfect, it’s a good idea to compare quotes from multiple insurers to find the most affordable option.

How much does Bristol West car insurance cost?

The average cost for state minimum car insurance coverage with Bristol West is 16.2% higher than the national average, according to aggregate data collected from over 400,000 policies quoted to real customers via Jerry in 2024 from 24 different insurance companies.

Your premium is determined by a number of factors, including your age, location, the type and age of vehicle you drive, your driving record, other drivers on your policy and the amount of coverage you require.

Bristol West car insurance rates

Here’s a look at Bristol West’s car insurance rates quoted for real Jerry customers.

Bristol West car insurance discounts

Drivers covered by Bristol West can get discounts for:

• Signing up for automatic premium payments.
• Going paperless.
• Maintaining a good driving record.
• Buying multiple policies with Bristol West, Farmers or Foremost Insurance.

Does Bristol West offer insurance based on driving behavior?

Bristol West does not price insurance based on driving behavior, according to a customer service representative.

Other insurers let you use their mobile app to track your driving behavior and may reward good drivers with lower premiums. Though Bristol West has a well-rated mobile app, it doesn’t include this feature.

Bristol West car insurance coverage options

Like most insurers, Bristol West offers collision, comprehensive, liability for bodily injury, liability for property damage, medical expense, personal injury protection and uninsured/underinsured motorist.

• Coverage definitions

  Coverage	Definition
  Collision	Pays to repair or replace your car if it’s damaged in a collision with another vehicle. You can only file an accident-related claim for your vehicle’s repairs if your policy has collision coverage.
  Comprehensive	Covers damage to your vehicle caused by non-collision hazards, such as car theft, falling tree branches, hail and other unexpected events.
  Liability for Bodily Injury (BI)	Helps cover medical costs sustained by others in an accident you cause. It’s mandatory in most states.
  Liability for Property Damage (PD)	Helps pay for repairs or replacements of any vehicles or objects you damage. It’s mandatory in most states.
  Personal Injury Protection (PIP)	Helps cover medical expenses for you and your passengers after a car accident, regardless of who caused it. This is required in some states.
  Medical Expenses (MedPay)	Additional coverage outside of PIP that pays for medical care for you and your passengers after an accident, regardless of who caused it. This is optional in most states
  Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM)	Covers you, your passengers and any property damage in a case where the other driver is at fault but doesn’t have insurance or carries insufficient coverage to pay for your costs.

This insurer also provides the following coverages:

• Insurance for drivers with your permission to use the vehicle.
• Rental car inclusion.
• Optional rideshare add-on.

Bristol West may also offer roadside assistance, accident forgiveness and replace your car with a new one of the same make and model if it’s damaged, according to a customer service representative.

Industry ratings of Bristol West car insurance

Bristol West isn’t listed on some industry reports, including J.D. Power’s consumer satisfaction studies and the CRASH Network report card.

• NAIC details

  Bristol West has had a higher-than-average complaint index between 2021 and 2023, according to the NAIC. This means the insurer has received more consumer complaints than is expected for a company of its size.

  Qualitative rating	3-year consumer complaint index
  High	Above 1.5.
  Moderately high	1 to 1.5.
  About average	Near 1.
  Moderately low	1 to 0.5.
  Low	0.5 to 0.

  The NAIC is the governing body for insurance in the United States. It sets standards, analyzes insurer financial filings, maintains reporting and more for insurance companies.

• AM Best details

  Bristol West received an A from AM Best, which means it has excellent financial strength and ability to pay out claims. Being a part of the Farmer’s Insurance family likely helps in this regard.
  

  AM Best is a credit rating agency that specializes in insurers’ ability to meet their financial obligations.

Customer reviews of Bristol West

More than a thousand Jerry customers who have used and reviewed Bristol West’s auto insurance have rated the company well.

Jerry customer reviews

4.5

1,581 Reviews

Ratings

5 Stars

70%

4 Stars

15%

3 Stars

9%

2 Stars

3%

1 Star

3%

How to contact Bristol West

Policyholders can file a claim, review claim status, make payments, view policy information and manage their accounts at https://www.bristolwest.com/ or on the company’s mobile app.

Here are Bristol West’s phone numbers.

Customer service and phone payments: 1-888-888-0080.

File a claim: 1-800-274-7865.

Methodology

We looked at over 400,000 actual policies quoted for real Jerry customers during 2024 across 24 different insurance companies. The pricing data included both those with clean driving records as well as those with a violation. 

How we rate car insurance companies

Jerry’s team of car insurance expert writers and editors analyze real customer ratings and industry reports to get a holistic view of an insurer’s performance. Our rubric emphasizes the shopping and claims experiences, customer complaints and reviews, repair shops’ evaluations of insurers, policy and quote pricing, and state availability.

We regularly reassess insurers’ star ratings and fact-check these reviews to ensure they’re accurate and up-to-date.

These individual factors roll up into one weighting system as follows:
20% Financial strength
20% Complaints
20% Industry ratings
20% Customer ratings
20% Cost and discounts