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The following reviews are based on my personal experiences. Your experience with these companies may be different.

I’ve had three different car insurance companies in the last year: AIG, Progressive, and Travelers. Here’s a quick rundown of my experience with each one:

AIG
I’ve actually had AIG for about 3 years. Fortunately, I haven’t had any reason to call of them for claims, but their customer service has always been pretty good when I have had to call. The rate quotes I received were some of the lowest I found.

One downside is that they bill you for the full six months, and will only split that into two payments. So paying month-to-month is not an option. I’d recommend them, provided you can make the higher lump payment.

Progressive
Signing up was easy and everything has been quite smooth. They are the most expensive insurance company of the three reviewed here. They don’t seem to have as many restrictions, and did not try to dictate anything about my policy to me.

Even though the rates I received were not very good, they had a very quick and easy application process. And they let you pay month-to-month. I decided to go with them for this reason. I’d rather pay more every month to a company who doesn’t try to dictate anything about my policy to me… like Travelers. Which leads me to the final company I’ve dealt with recently.

Travelers
When I first contacted them and received my rate quote, I was very happy. They had the lowest rates of any other company. A few weeks later I was told that I needed to conduct a sort of phone “interview” with them. I suppose I understand the reason for it, but it made me feel like I was being evaluated a little too closely for a simple car insurance policy. Then a few months later, I noticed my bill was suddenly huge and they added someone living in the same house with me (not a relative) without my knowledge or authorization. They would not budge or revert to the policy for which I originally signed up, so I canceled the policy. Read more about this from my blog entry at the time.

While they do offer low rates, I found Travelers too intrusive and authoritarian for my tastes. My experience with them was unfavorable, so I would not recommend them despite their low rates.

Sorry Geico, Farmers, and the rest. Maybe I’ll try you next time.