Liberty Mutual insurance review: National carrier with competitive rates

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Liberty Mutual insurance pros and cons

Liberty Mutual auto insurance is slightly more expensive than its competitors, but it offers a number of discounts

Liberty Mutual Auto began in 1912 to provide workers with compensation insurance. By 1918, Liberty Mutual offered its first auto insurance policy. Today, Liberty Mutual is available nationwide and is one of the largest global property and casualty insurers. 

Liberty Mutual Auto ranks #11 on J.D Power's auto claims satisfaction survey. It scores 876 points on a 1,000-point scale, below the industry average of 880. 

Liberty Mutual Auto excels in offering a wide array of discounts to curtail your auto insurance rates. You can qualify for a student, driver safety, and purchasing discounts. By enrolling in the RightTrack program, you can also qualify for up to 30% of additional savings. Like many insurers, Liberty Mutual offers discounts for bundling multiple insurance products. 

Liberty Mutual Auto also offers many additional coverage options like 24-hour road assistance, better/newer car replacement, and GAP insurance for purchase. The Teacher's Auto Insurance program is a special coverage unique to Liberty Mutual that offers protection for teachers' vehicles and stolen or damaged school property. 

Most insurers offer four primary coverages: comprehensive, collision, liability (required by most states), and full coverage. Your lender may require comprehensive and collision coverage if you lease and finance your car. We've outlined the differences between the various coverage types in the table below:

Liberty Mutual auto insurance quotes 

Liberty Mutual isn't extraordinarily expensive for drivers age 30 with no previous accidents or traffic violations. However, Liberty Mutual may be a costly option for many young drivers.

We gathered quotes for 30-year-old males and 18-year-old males living in Illinois with a 2018 Honda Civic Ex. Your rate will vary based on your age, location, driving history, coverage type, coverage amount, and other factors.

Below are the coverage amounts we used to determine Liberty Mutual's auto insurance rates.

Liberty Mutual auto insurance features and discounts

These discounts are available for Liberty Mutual's auto, homeowners, and renters insurance policies: 

• Claims-free discount— Get a discount if you've been claim-free for five years or more with your previous insurance provider.
• Multi-policy discount — Get a discount for having more than one policy with Liberty Mutual.
• Preferred payment discount — Get a discount by enrolling in automatic payments or paying for your policy in one or two payments. 
• Early shopper discount — Get a discount for obtaining a renters insurance quote with Liberty Mutual before your current policy expires. 
• Paperless policy discount — Get a discount for enrolling in paperless billing and delivery of documents.
• Online purchase discount — Receive a discount for purchasing your policy online. 

Here are Liberty Mutual auto insurance's available discounts: 

• Homeowner discount — Save on your premium for being a homeowner.
• Military discount — Active, retired, or reserved US armed forces members qualify to receive a discount.
• Early shopper discount — Get a discount for obtaining a car insurance quote with Liberty Mutual before your current policy expires. 
• Good student discount — Students who have a GPA of B or better will qualify for a discount.
• Student-away-at-school discount — Get a discount if you are a student, away at school, and only occasionally drive your car. 
• Violation-free discount — Get a discount for being violation-free. 
• RightTrack discount —  Receive up to 30% off for good driving behavior by enrolling in the RightTrack program. 
• Alternative energy discount — Get additional savings if you own a hybrid or electric vehicle. 

Below are some of Liberty Mutual auto insurance's additional features: 

• Lifetime repair guarantee — With this optional coverage, Liberty Mutual will help you find an approved direct repair shop after an accident. 
• New car replacement insurance — This optional coverage will ensure you get compensated for your vehicle's purchase price and not the depreciated value if your new car is totaled in the first year. 
• Liberty mutual deductible fund — This optional coverage allows you to pay extra on your premiums to reduce your deductibles by $100 each year. 
• Better car replacement insurance — This optional coverage will allow you to get compensated for a newer car of the same model if your vehicle is totaled. 
• Rental car reimbursement — This optional coverage will ensure you are covered with a rental car if your vehicle is at the repair shop. 
• 24-hour roadside assistance — This optional coverage will provide roadside assistance if your car breaks down. 
• Gap coverage — This optional coverage will cover the remaining amount of your financed car if it's totaled. 
• Original parts replacement — This optional coverage will pay to replace damaged parts of your vehicle. 
• Teacher's auto insurance — If you're a teacher, this optional coverage will protect your car and stolen applies or school property in your car. 
• Mexico car insurance — This coverage is required for vehicles traveling to Mexico. 

Liberty Mutual homeowners insurance has a great selection of discounts, but received mixed reviews for customer satisfaction

Liberty Mutual homeowners ranks #18 in J.D. Power's homeowners insurance customer satisfaction survey. While it does rank in customer satisfaction, reviews are generally mixed. It scores 806 points on a 1,000-point scale, which is below J.D. Power's home insurance segment average of 825. 

Liberty Mutual homeowners offers a host of discounts for being claim-free, installing home safety devices, and having a new roof or recently renovating your home. Like most insurance companies, Liberty Mutual offers discounts for bundling multiple insurance products and enrolling in paperless billing and automatic pay. 

Liberty Mutual homeowners also has a few optional coverages you can choose to customize your policy. This includes insurance for your jewelry, water damages, inflation, and personal property. However, its selection of additional coverages is somewhat limited compared to other big-name providers. To obtain quotes for Liberty Mutual's homeowners policy, you must input your social security number. 

Homeowners insurance protects your dwelling, protects your personal belongings, and offers personal liability coverage for injuries that occur on your property. The table below includes coverages provided by standard homeowners insurance but will vary depending on your provider. 

*Available as add-on coverage if not part of the policy

**Flood insurance is available through the NFIP and approved insurers

***If you live in hurricane or tornado areas, additional windstorm rider may be required

Liberty Mutual homeowners insurance features and discounts

Here are some of Liberty Mutual's homeowners insurance discounts: 

• Safe homeowner program — Save on your premiums by being claim-free with Liberty Mutual for 3 years or more. 
• Newly purchased home discount — Receive a discount on your policy for being a new homeowner. 
• New/renovated home discount — Get a discount if you have a relatively new home or a recently renovated home. 
• New roof discount —  Receive a discount for installing a new roof. 
• Insured to value discount — Receive a discount for insuring up to 100% of the cost to replace your home.

Below are a few of Liberty Mutual's homeowners insurance additional coverages available for separate purchase: 

• Blanket jewelry coverage —  This optional coverage replaces your jewelry if it's lost or stolen with no deductible or up-front appraisal necessary. 
• Water damage: This optional coverage pays for damages by water back up and overflow.
• Inflation protection — This optional coverage allows you to adjust your coverage limit at your policy's renewal to account for inflation. You will also receive a discount on your policy's premium. 
• Personal property replacement cost — This optional coverage will cover the actual cash value for your belongings in the event of a loss, and up to the full amount of the cost in today's market. 

Liberty Mutual renters insurance has some of the most affordable rates

Liberty Mutual renters ranks #8 in J.D. Power's renters insurance customer satisfaction survey. While it ranks in renters customer satisfaction, Liberty Mutual was only assigned 823 points based on a 1,000-point scale. This is lower than J.D. Power's renters insurance segment average of 848.

Liberty Mutual renters offers discounts for being claim-free, going paperless, and purchasing your policy online. Like most policies, it has discounts for bundling multiple insurance products. However, Liberty Mutual does not offer any discounts specific to renters insurance. 

With Liberty Mutual renters, you have the option of customizing your policy with jewelry insurance or personal property replacement insurance at an additional cost. 

Renters insurance will cover your personal property in the event of damage and theft. Your landlord is responsible for insuring the building and structure, so you won't need to pay for dwelling coverage, unlike standard homeowners insurance. 

A renters insurance policy has three main parts: personal property coverage, personal liability coverage, and "loss of use coverage." The table below includes coverages provided by standard renters insurance but will vary depending on your provider. 

*Available as add-on coverage

**Flood insurance is separate coverage

Data from Hippo Insurance

Here are some of Liberty Mutual's additional coverages for renters insurance: 

• Blanket jewelry coverage —  This optional coverage replaces your jewelry if it's lost or stolen with no deductible or up-front appraisal necessary. 
• Personal property replacement cost — This optional coverage will cover the actual cash value for your belongings in the event of a loss, and up to the full amount of the cost in today's market. 

Liberty Mutual renters insurance quotes

Liberty Mutual renters insurance starts at $5 per month. Its premiums are cheaper than the national average, which is $179 per year, or about $15 per month. Liberty Mutual also starts at a cheaper rate than its competitors — GEICO and Lemonade. 

Liberty Mutual life insurance includes term life, whole life, and fixed income policies

Liberty Mutual Life does not rank in J.D. Power's life insurance customer satisfaction survey.

Liberty Mutual Life only offers term life insurance, whole life insurance, and fixed income insurance. You will not have the option of selecting universal life insurance or variable life insurance. However, Liberty Mutual has a simple application and medical exam process.

There are two types of life insurance: permanent life and term life. Some financial advisors recommend a combination of term and permanent life insurance.

Liberty Mutual life insurance policies and additional features 

• Simplified issue term life —  Select a coverage period of 10, 15, 20, or 30 years with the option of converting to a permanent life insurance policy at the end of your term. 
• Whole life — Receive an income-tax-free death benefit, a cash value that can grow tax-deferred, and a selection of optional riders at a guaranteed level premiums without a lengthy application process or medical exam. 
• Fixed annuities/fixed income — Guarantees a stream of income for your retirement at one lump-sum premium payment. 

Liberty Mutual pet insurance includes accident, injury, and wellness policies with stackable discounts  

While many big insurance companies offer pet insurance through providers that specialize in pet insurance like Embrace or Trupanion, Liberty Mutual pet offers its own pet insurance policy. 

Liberty Mutual pet offers accident, accident and illness, and accident and illness plus wellness coverage. Coverage for alternative medicine is not available in Florida and Alaska. Additionally, while Liberty Mutual does not cover pre-existing conditions like all pet insurance providers, it does cover a pre-existing condition if your pet has been cured and has been symptom and treatment-free for six months. 

Liberty Mutual pet starts at approximately $50 a month or $598 per year, however, rates vary based on the type of pet you have, your pet's age, breed, and location. According to the Insurance Information Institute, the average cost of pet insurance is $594 for accident and illness coverage. So, Liberty Mutual's pet insurance is about the cost of the national average. Liberty Mutual also offers stackable discounts which can save you up to 20% on your policy. 

Pet insurance usually offers two types of coverage: accident-only and accident and illness coverage. Wellness plans are usually available for additional purchase. 

Accident-only coverage only reimburses the cost of injuries your pet suffers as a result of an accident. Accident and illness policies cover both accidents and sickness or diseases your pet develops after your policy begins. No pet insurance carrier covers pre-existing conditions. 

*Curable pre-existing conditions may qualify for coverage 

Liberty Mutual insurance vs. the competition

Liberty Mutual Auto, GEICO, and Progressive are nationwide providers that sell auto, homeowners, renters, life, and pet insurance.  Liberty Mutual ranks higher in auto insurance claims and renters insurance satisfaction than its competitors. However, if you are only purchasing homeowners insurance, you may opt to choose a different provider based on Liberty's Mutual's mixed reviews. 

Liberty Mutual Auto also offers competitive rates. While Liberty Mutual is not extraordinarily inexpensive, it does offer a number of discounts that have the potential of curtailing your premiums exponentially. 

Liberty Mutual Auto's financial strength is a bit lower than that of its competitors with a rating of A (Excellent) from AM Best. 

Is Liberty Mutual trustworthy?

Among all policy types, the NAIC Complaint Index shows that Liberty Mutual Auto has significantly more complaints compared to other top insurance companies. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) is an insurance regulatory organization that protects consumer interests. The complaint index compares a company's performance to other performance of other providers in the industry.

Liberty Mutual Auto's financial stability is fairly good, with an AM's Best rating of A (Excellent). AM's Best is a credit rating agency that assesses an insurance company's ability to pay claims to its policyholders. A company that receives an A++ to B+ is stable in financial strength, while anything lower than a B means that a company is unstable or unable to meet its financial obligations. 

While Liberty Mutual Auto is a legitimate insurance provider, it's important to do your own research to ensure that Liberty Mutual is the right insurance company for you. 

Liberty Mutual — Frequently Asked Questions 

Where is Liberty Mutual available? 

Liberty Mutual is offered in all 50 states. 

How do I get a quote from Liberty Mutual?

With Liberty Mutual's free online quoting tool you can get a home, life, and renters quote in minutes. You can also call Liberty Mutual's customer service at 1-844-411-9591 or contact a local agent.

How do I file a claim with Liberty Mutual? 

To file a Liberty Mutual claim, you must log in to your Liberty Mutual account, and fill out a form with the date of the incident and basic details of the incident. You can file a claim here. 

How long does it take Liberty Mutual to pay a claim?

Once you've filed a claim, a Liberty Mutual representative will contact you in one to two days. The claims process will usually vary on the type of claim and the severity of the damage. You can track your claim's progress in your Liberty Mutual online account.

Do I have to pay a deductible if I was not at fault at Liberty Mutual?

Yes, you will need to pay a deductible even if the claim wasn't your fault. However, Liberty Mutual customers may enroll in Liberty Mutual Deductible Fund and receive up to $70 annually towards their deductible.