MetLife vs. Erie Insurance

You cannot get Erie Insurance in Florida. Erie Insurance (based in Erie, Pennsylvania) only sells policies in 11 states and the District of Columbia. North Carolina and Tennessee are the southernmost states in which Erie operates.

If you are a permanent resident looking for cheap car insurance in Florida, Progressive, GEICO and Liberty Mutual offer some of the most competitive rates in the state to many drivers.

If you spend only part of the year in Florida and your car is registered in an area covered by Erie, you could get Erie auto insurance to protect you wherever you drive. As long as the policy meets Florida's minimum insurance requirements, it will cover you there, too.

Where You Can Get Erie Insurance:

• Illinois
• Indiana
• Kentucky
• Maryland
• North Carolina
• Ohio
• Pennsylvania
• Tennessee
• Virginia
• Washington DC
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin

Yes, Erie offers rideshare insurance in the form of a business-use endorsement. Erie's business-use endorsement is an optional add-on to a personal car insurance policy that covers rideshare drivers at every stage of the process, including while drivers are waiting for a ride request and once a passenger is in the car. Drivers can contact a local Erie agent to get a rideshare insurance quote and add rideshare coverage to an Erie policy.

In general, rideshare policies are important because the coverage provided by Lyft and Uber varies depending on where the driver is in the process of a ride. When a driver is online and waiting for a ride request, Uber and Lyft provide liability-only insurance.

Once the driver has accepted a ride request, Uber and Lyft provide up to $1 million in liability insurance, plus any other type of coverage required in the state. Both companies also provide collision and comprehensive insurance during this period – for drivers who have these types of coverage on their personal policy. Uber's deductible is $1,000, however, and Lyft's is $2,500. These are significantly more expensive than the average car insurance deductible of $500.

Finally, Uber and Lyft don't provide any coverage for drivers when the app is not on. For more information, check out WalletHub's complete guide to rideshare insurance.

MetLife is rated A+ by AM Best, a credit rating agency that determines an insurance company's financial strength and ability to pay claims. MetLife also received a rating of 1.00 from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), meaning MetLife has an average number of consumer complaints.

MetLife Insurance Ratings

• AM Best: A+
• NAIC: 1.00
• BBB: C-
• Standard & Poor's: AA-
• Moody's: Aa3
• Average User Rating on WalletHub: 3.7/5

To learn more, check out MetLife's profile on WalletHub.

No, MetLife does not offer rideshare insurance anymore. MetLife no longer provides any kind of auto insurance coverage, since the company sold its home and auto insurance business to Farmers Insurance in April 2021.  

Current or prospective MetLife auto insurance policyholders can reach out to Farmers Insurance to ask about rideshare coverage, since Farmers does offer rideshare insurance. 

The main MetLife NAIC number is 65978. MetLife's NAIC number is the five-digit code given by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), which assigns numbers to authorized insurance providers in order to track customer complaints and ethics violations across state lines.

With MetLife's NAIC number, anyone can learn more about the company's financial data, the kinds of complaints that have been filed by customers, and any enforcement actions taken against the company. Customers will need MetLife's NAIC number to report fraud or file an insurance claim, as well.

Although the main MetLife NAIC number is 65978, the NAIC has assigned a separate code for each of MetLife's affiliate companies, which are listed below. You can find the number that applies to your particular policy on your MetLife insurance card. 

MetLife NAIC Numbers 

Yes, MetLife does offer free towing for customers who have the company's roadside assistance coverage. MetLife roadside assistance generally costs $5-$7 per year and includes towing services up to $50 for basic plan subscribers. MetLife customers can request roadside assistance online, or they can call 1-800-854-6011.

MetLife Roadside Assistance Covers:

• Towing services up to $50 for basic plan subscribers
• Jump starts
• Flat tire change
• Lockout services
• Winching

While MetLife's roadside assistance covers towing and other services, it doesn't cover the cost of repair parts, replacement keys, or major fixes due to things like engine failure or structural damage.

A MetLife umbrella policy covers claims beyond the financial limits of an existing auto or home insurance policy. An umbrella policy from MetLife costs about $200 per year, and it can add $1 million to $5 million in additional liability coverage.

What MetLife Umbrella Policies Cover

• Damage, medical expenses, and lawsuit settlements if a guest is injured at your home
• Property damage you cause to others
• Liability exceeding your current limits

MetLife's umbrella policies are a good choice for customers with a high net worth who want extra coverage for property damage, injuries, and possible lawsuits that could result from various types of accidents. Umbrella policies may also cover claims that might not be covered by standard liability policies, like slander, libel, and psychological harm.

You can get a quote for MetLife umbrella insurance by calling (855) 206-8769. To be eligible, you will also need an auto policy from MetLife.

Yes, Erie has accident forgiveness for car insurance customers. Erie accident forgiveness applies to one accident every three years, and it can be earned for free if you've been an Erie customer for at least three years. 

Keep in mind that Erie accident forgiveness is per policy, not per driver. As a result, if one driver on a shared policy caused an accident in the past three years, the other named drivers cannot have an accident forgiven.

On average, Erie premiums go up by 35% after an at-fault accident. This just goes to show how much of a money-saver accident forgiveness can be. But even if you don't qualify for Erie accident forgiveness, there are still other ways to lower your rate after an accident.

To learn more, check out WalletHub's guide to accident forgiveness.

Yes, Erie insurance rates are competitive, since the company is one of the five cheapest insurers nationally, according to WalletHub's cheap car insurance analysis. Erie car insurance costs an average of $481 annually, or $40 per month.

Erie's car insurance rates are based on your driving record and experience, along with factors like the type of car you drive, your ZIP code, your insurance history, and more. Your coverage and deductible choices also impact your final quote, as do your eligibility for discounts.

Sample Erie Car Insurance Rates

These sample quotes are representative of Erie's insurance prices, but individual results will vary. To learn more about how we obtained these sample quotes, check out the methodology section of our complete Erie car insurance review.  

No, Erie does not offer gap insurance, which is a type of coverage that pays the difference between a totaled car's value and the policyholder's loan or lease value. The company does offer new car replacement, though, which will pay off the policyholder's lease balance if a leased car is totaled. Erie's new-car replacement add-on will also help customers who don't have a lease purchase a new vehicle.

You have several options if you're a current Erie customer, don't have a lease, and are looking for gap insurance. You could switch insurers and purchase a policy from a company that does offer gap insurance (or loan/lease payoff coverage, which is similar), like Nationwide or Progressive. You could also maintain your policy with Erie and purchase gap insurance from a dealership or a stand-alone company. However, it's worth noting that dealership gap insurance is often the most expensive option, since it's usually rolled into your loan and charged interest.

For more information, check out WalletHub's complete guide to gap insurance.