21st Century

Offering you some of the fastest savings available, in only a matter of minutes.

Overview

21st Century Insurance started in 1958 as 20th Century Insurance serving California. In 2005 they were purchased by AIG and then Farmers Insurance in 2009. With Farmers Insurance they rebranded and doing one better with a 7-minute process. They are a direct-buy insurance company, and as such, can keep their costs low. 21st Century today offers the big three in automotive insurance, with their home and life insurance products offered through Farmers and Foremost, allowing 21st Century policy holders to easily bundle those services for big savings.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• 21st Century has a huge network of agents and can give personal touch with quotes and questions.
• Fantastic car rental services
• Complimentary road side service.

Cons

• Premiums can increase without warning or cause.
• Claims process can be awkward and require frequent follow-up calls.
• Quotes can be higher than advertised so it is important to do research before committing.
• Only available in California.

21st Century Insurance Coverage

21st Century insurance has very little information on what services they provide so it is difficult to ascertain whether or not there are any specialty coverage options, add-ons, or product lines. Their tag on advertisements is “the same great coverage for less,” so with that information and the few details we could find we surmise that they have liability, collision, and comprehensive insurance policies. In a comparison to competitors there was a listing of services in a side by side comparison. It indicated several optional coverage categories with check marks indicating each company's offerings. Among those offerings 21st Century had boxes checked below is a short list of those categories. That being said, an agent would likely be able to help you with coverage options through their website or over the phone.

• Roadside Assistance adds coverage for tires, towing or lockout services
• Rental Reimbursement adds coverage for rental vehicle in the event of an accident. 21st Century is also a car rental agent in California and this service is one of the hallmarks of their company.
• Glass Coverage offers coverage for broken windows. There may be specifications for how much is covered.
• Gap Insurance pays the difference between cash value of the vehicle and the amount left on a loan or lease on the vehicle.
• Antique or Collector Car insure collector vehicles or antique cars as an add-on.
• Mechanical Breakdown Insurance covers some cost of breakdown mechanical issues with the vehicle.
• Accidental Death, Dismemberment, Disability adds a payout for loss of life, loss of limbs, sight and other injuries as specified by 21st Century Insurance.
• Comprehensive Claim Forgiveness this add-on dismisses any penalty if the vehicle is stolen or damaged by weather.

There are also bundling options through Farmers and Foremost for home insurance but overall 21st Century's focus is on automobile insurance.

Standard Insurance Coverage

• Liability
• Collision
• Comprehensive

Car Insurance Rates

As a direct-buy company 21st Century can bring their price lower on average. On average 21st Century is cheaper than the average annual insurance policies nationally, however there are several discounts available to bring their initial price down. The initial comparison 21st Century is a little more expensive then they advertise but the discounts they offer bring the price down considerably. In a comparison a married couple in CA paid $1,302 with 21st Century compared to $1,171.

Driver Age	Sample Quote
21 years old	$435 per month
30 years old	$292 per month
42 years old	$245 per month

Car Insurance Discounts

Discounts us where 21st Century save their customers money and they offer several options. Listed below are discounts available to 21st Century Insurance customers.

• Anti-Theft Devices allows a discount of up to 5% for employing an anti-theft device on an insured vehicle.
• Good Student Discount is offers to a 20% discount for maintaining a B average or higher.
• Group Program Credit for being members of 21st Century approved organizations.
• Multi-Car Discount gives up to 30% for insuring more than one vehicle with 21 Century.
• Persistency Credit is a discount for having continuous coverage.
• Multiple Policy Discount up to 20% for bundling home and automobile insurance.
• Good Driver Discount up to 16% for driving without an at-fault traffic incident.
• Passive Restraint Discount 30% discount for having passive restraint seatbelt in the insured vehicle.
• Defensive Driver up to 2% for taking an approved defensive driving course.
• Military allows for a variable discount for members of military.
• E-Billing gives a variable discount for utilizing online billing services.

This list is not comprehensive and is just a sampling of the discounts offered, there are many more on their website.

Discount Type Discount % Good Credit Discount up to 60% Passive Restraint Discount up to 30% Multiple Vehicle Discount up to 30% Good Student Discount up to 20% Good Driver Discount up to 16% Organization Discount up to 14% teenSMART Discount up to 10% Multiple Policy Discount up to 10% Anti-Theft Device Discount up to 5% Anti-lock Brake Discount up to 5% Defensive Driver Discount up to 2%

21st Century Insurance Vs. Competitors

21st Century is an insurance company that only operates in California so any comparison will have to take that into account but they are in direct competition with Progressive so the comparisons below will touch on those companies. As always with insurance research is key to finding the best deal for a consumer’s individual needs.

21st Century Vs Progressive: With the exception that Progressive is substantially lower than 21st Century for the same coverage. The rate is almost twice Progressives rate with few exceptions. The other elements are largely parallel. 21st Century offers more discounts but it is unlikely that those discounts would drop the rate to the level progressive maintains as their average. 21st Century may be a good option with an impeccably clean driving record but if you're like most people won't be able to drop the price to the level Progressive can offer.

21st Century Vs Allstate: 21st Century stacks up well against Allstate. Allstate has higher premiums in general than 21st Century but as has been mentioned there are more options with Allstate than there is with 21st Century. It comes down to what you want to pay for and what it is worth to you. Allstate offers some excellent discounts and has a more stable feel than 21st Century. 21st Century has a reputation for spontaneously raising rates without warning and for no reason. The lack of stability may leave some people with higher premiums without any of the benefits of increased service. Overall 21st Century may be cheaper than its competitors and you may have some versatility through the myriad discounts but they just seem chaotic which is the opposite of what a consumer wants in an insurance agency.