Farm Bureau Financial Services auto insurance

Overview

Farm Bureau Financial Services (FBFS) is the consumer brand of the Iowa-based Farm Bureau insurance and financial companies; regulators group them as the Iowa Farm Bureau Group. FBFS ranked #42 among U.S. private passenger auto insurers by 2025 direct premiums written according to NAIC market share data, with $831.0 million in auto premiums and a 0.22% national share.

Auto, home and farm policies are written by Farm Bureau Property & Casualty Insurance Company and its affiliate Western Agricultural Insurance Company in eight states: Arizona, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota and Utah. Both sit under Farm Bureau Mutual Holding Company, and FBL Financial Group manages them for a fee alongside Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company. AM Best describes the property-casualty group as the largest farmowners insurer in the United States, with more than $2 billion in policyholders' surplus. Coverage is sold through exclusive, multiline Farm Bureau agents, a version of the captive agent model, and the company calls its customers "client/members," reflecting its ties to the state Farm Bureau federations.

History

The company traces its start to 1939, when the Iowa Farm Bureau founded Iowa Farm Mutual Insurance Company in Des Moines to cover the liability needs of farmers. Auto, home, life and investment products followed; Farm Bureau Life began serving members in 1945 under the name Iowa Life Insurance Company. In 2002 the Iowa mutual, by then called Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company, proposed merging with the Farm Bureau property-casualty mutuals of Kansas and Nebraska, and both states remain core to its territory.

Farm Bureau Mutual was reorganized and renamed Farm Bureau Property & Casualty Insurance Company in 2010. In May 2021 it completed the purchase of all FBL Financial Group shares that it and the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation did not already own, paying $61 a share; FBL left the New York Stock Exchange on May 26, 2021. The years 2022 to 2024 were difficult: inflation, unfavorable reserve development and severe weather, including hail and wildfire losses, pushed combined ratios well above break-even, and the company responded with rate increases, higher minimum deductibles and tighter underwriting.

Auto insurance coverage

FBFS policies include the standard building blocks:

• Liability coverage for injuries and property damage you cause
• Collision and comprehensive coverage for your own vehicle
• Medical payments or no-fault coverage, which varies by state; Kansas, Minnesota and Utah require personal injury protection
• Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage

Optional features include replacement cost coverage, which can pay for a new car after a total loss if the vehicle is up to four model years old (five in select states), and Emergency Roadside Assistance, which pays up to $200 per service call ($500 for farm truck tractor-trailers and RVs) through a 24-hour dispatch network in the U.S. and Canada. FBFS also insures motorcycles, RVs, farm vehicles and collector cars. Its Farm Bureau Member's Choice policy packages auto and home coverage into one policy with one premium and one deductible.

Discounts and programs

Driveology is FBFS's usage-based program. Drivers get a 10% discount on select coverages for enrolling; savings are then recalculated after 91 days of driving and again at each annual renewal based on speeding, hard braking, excessive acceleration and phone use. The company's car insurance page describes a small device that plugs into the vehicle, and an app shows a rolling two-week score, trip details and a family leaderboard that parents can use to review teen drivers' trips. FBFS says the average enrolled driver saves $351 per vehicle, based on its eight-state customers enrolled as of January 15, 2026. Driveology cannot be combined with the low mileage discount.

Other discounts:

• Bundling auto and home on a Member's Choice policy, plus a multi-car discount
• Claim-free discount (eligibility varies by state)
• Good student (B average or higher) and a safe young driver discount for drivers under 25 who complete the Young Driver Safety Program
• Low mileage, for vehicles driven 7,500 miles a year or less
• Continued in-force credit for renewing customers, and a paid-in-full discount

Agents also run an annual "SuperCheck" review intended to catch missed discounts and coverage gaps.

Claims

Customers in the eight-state territory can report an auto claim online, through their agent, or by calling the 24-hour customer service line at 800-226-6383. Claim status and the assigned adjuster's contact details are available after logging in to an FBFS account. Glass repairs are scheduled through Safelite, online or by calling 800-226-6383 and choosing option 7.

FBFS's Preferred Auto Repair Shops (PARS) program is a direct repair network of pre-screened body shops in each state. Using a PARS shop means only one estimate is needed, the shop can order parts and schedule repairs immediately, FBFS pays the shop directly, and repairs are guaranteed for as long as you own the vehicle.

Ratings and reputation

AM Best affirmed the A (Excellent) financial strength rating of Farm Bureau Property & Casualty Insurance Company and Western Agricultural Insurance Company in September 2026 and revised the outlook to stable from negative. Two years earlier, in August 2024, AM Best had lowered the group's issuer credit rating after policyholders' surplus fell more than 30% through mid-2024, driven by a large May hailstorm and a June wildfire. The 2026 review credited a combined ratio in the sub-80s for 2025 and sizable underwriting profits continuing into 2026, while noting that concentration in eight states leaves results exposed to severe weather.

In the J.D. Power 2026 U.S. Auto Insurance Study, Farm Bureau Financial Services scored 620 in the Central region, which includes Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota. That placed it 12th of 15 ranked brands and below the 640 regional average; Shelter Insurance led with 674. FBFS is not ranked in the Southwest region, which covers Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.

Who it suits

FBFS is built for farm, ranch and rural families who want auto, home, farm and life coverage from one local agent, and it remains the country's largest farmowners writer. Drivers outside its eight states cannot buy it, and urban drivers who mainly want a low auto price may find stronger satisfaction scores elsewhere in the region.

• Strengths: One agent for auto, home, farm, life and investments; Driveology pays 10% up front and can raise savings at renewal; replacement cost coverage for cars up to four or five model years old; AM Best restored a stable outlook in September 2026 after a profitable 2025.
• Weaknesses: Sold only in eight states; below-average 2026 J.D. Power score in the Central region; recent storm losses led to higher deductibles and rate increases; sold only through exclusive agents, so you cannot compare other insurers' quotes in the same office.

How to contact Farm Bureau Financial Services