Travelers auto insurance

Overview

Travelers is one of the oldest names in American insurance and one of the largest property casualty insurers in the country. It ranked #8 among U.S. private passenger auto insurers by 2025 direct premiums written, with $7.16 billion and a 1.93% market share, according to NAIC market share data. Auto is only part of the business: Travelers is best known for commercial insurance, and it is the only property casualty company in the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

The parent, The Travelers Companies, Inc., trades on the New York Stock Exchange (TRV). Its principal executive offices are at 485 Lexington Avenue in New York, with large operations in Hartford, Connecticut, and St. Paul, Minnesota; customer mail goes to One Tower Square in Hartford. Alan Schnitzer is chairman and CEO. The company has more than 30,000 employees.

Travelers sells personal auto mainly through independent agents and brokers. According to its 2025 annual report, it also sells directly to consumers, largely through direct mail and digital marketing, and through affinity partners such as employers, credit unions and associations, with those sales handled by its contact centers and its own agency. Travelers does not quote auto online in Alaska, Florida, Hawaii or Louisiana. In Texas, its auto policies are issued by Consumers County Mutual Insurance Company, a county mutual insurance company that is not a Travelers company, through Travelers Texas MGA; Travelers sells and services those policies.

History

James G. Batterson founded Travelers in Hartford on April 1, 1864, to bring accident insurance to the United States; according to the company, its first premium was two cents to insure a banker's walk home. Travelers wrote employers liability coverage in 1889 and, in 1897, issued what it describes as the first automobile insurance policy. In 1919 it added aircraft liability insurance and completed the Travelers Tower in Hartford.

The modern company took shape through a series of mergers:

• 1993: Primerica merged with the old Travelers and took the Travelers name.
• 1998: Travelers merged with Citicorp to form Citigroup.
• 2002: Citigroup spun off the property casualty business as Travelers Property Casualty Corp. through a public offering.
• 2004: Travelers merged with The St. Paul Companies on April 1, forming The St. Paul Travelers Companies; St. Paul Fire and Marine dated to 1853 in Minnesota.
• 2007: The company renamed itself The Travelers Companies, Inc., and kept its red umbrella logo.
• 2009: It joined the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

On January 2, 2026, Travelers completed the sale of its Canadian personal insurance business and most of its Canadian commercial business to Definity Financial for about $2.4 billion, keeping its Canadian surety operations. The sale did not affect U.S. auto customers.

Auto insurance coverage

Travelers' standard coverages are liability, uninsured/underinsured motorist, collision, comprehensive, personal injury protection where a state requires it, and medical payments. Optional coverages include:

• Loan/lease gap insurance, which covers what you still owe if a financed or leased car is totaled.
• Rental coverage and roadside assistance.
• Premier New Car Replacement, which pays for a new car of the same make and model if yours is totaled in the first five years you own it.
• Limited ridesharing coverage for drivers who use their cars for Uber or Lyft.
• Named non-owner liability coverage for people who drive but do not own a car.

Travelers packages its forgiveness features. The Responsible Driver Plan adds accident forgiveness and minor violation forgiveness, each covering one incident over a specified period. The Premier Responsible Driver Plan adds Decreasing Deductible, a disappearing deductible that earns a $50 credit for every six months without an accident or major violation (or $100 a year on annual policies), up to $500, plus a Total Loss Deductible Waiver. These features are not available in every state, including California.

Discounts and programs

Travelers' main usage-based program is IntelliDrive 365, offered in 38 states and Washington, D.C. All eligible drivers enroll in the app, which scores braking, speed, time of day (driving between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.) and phone use for the life of the policy. New customers can get up to 10% off for enrolling (up to 15% in some states and 5% in Montana and North Carolina). At each renewal, the premium is adjusted: Travelers says safer drivers can save up to 35%, while riskier driving can raise the premium by up to 45%, except in Montana and North Carolina, where no surcharge applies. The older IntelliDrive program is used in Maryland, Maine, Virginia and Washington.

Other discounts on Travelers' discounts page, several of which are unavailable in California, New York, Maryland or Washington:

• Multi-policy and multicar
• Home ownership, even if your home is insured elsewhere
• Safe driver (no accidents, violations or major comprehensive claims in three to five years) and continuous insurance
• Hybrid/electric car and new car (less than three years old)
• EFT, pay-in-full and good payer
• Early quote, for shoppers who quote before their current policy expires
• Good student (B average), student away at school (100 miles or more) and driver training

Claims

Travelers takes auto claims 24 hours a day at 800-252-4633, online through its claim center, or in the Travelers app (800-238-6225, also listed on its claims pages, is for business claims). Most simple claims can be filed online, and documents and photos can be uploaded through an online portal. Glass claims are handled through a separate online glass claim center. Roadside assistance is available around the clock at 800-252-4633 (option 3) for customers who carry roadside coverage. The claim center includes a tool to find service providers such as repair shops. See how to file a car insurance claim, step by step.

Ratings and reputation

Financial strength. In August 2026, AM Best affirmed the A++ (Superior) financial strength rating, its highest, and "aa+" long-term issuer credit ratings of the main Travelers insurance companies, citing balance sheet strength it assesses as strongest and very strong operating performance. See AM Best financial strength ratings explained.

Results. Travelers reported 2025 net income of $6.29 billion and a 89.9% combined ratio. Its Personal Insurance segment wrote $17.45 billion of net premiums (up 2%) with an 89.5% combined ratio, improved from 94.4% in 2024, and the auto line's underlying combined ratio improved to 78.0% from 83.9%.

Customer satisfaction. In the J.D. Power 2026 U.S. Auto Insurance Study (June 2026), Travelers ranked highest in the New York region with 657 (average 636). It scored below the regional average in the nine other regions where it was ranked, including 584 in California (average 633), 601 in the Central region (average 640) and 596 in the Northwest (average 636). In the J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study, Travelers scored 691, below the 700 study average.

Who it suits

Travelers suits drivers who want an independent agent to compare it with other insurers, homeowners who can bundle, and shoppers who put weight on financial strength: few auto insurers carry an A++ rating. Its forgiveness packages and new car replacement are useful for drivers with newer cars and clean records. Satisfaction scores are a weak point outside New York, and IntelliDrive 365 can raise as well as lower your premium.

• Strengths: A++ (Superior) from AM Best, affirmed August 2026; Responsible Driver Plan and Decreasing Deductible options; new car replacement for five years; highest J.D. Power score in New York in 2026.
• Weaknesses: Below-average J.D. Power satisfaction in nine of 10 regions in 2026 and a below-average 2025 claims score; IntelliDrive 365 can raise rates by up to 45%; no online quotes in Alaska, Florida, Hawaii or Louisiana; forgiveness features not offered in California.

How to contact Travelers