Shannon Martin is a licensed insurance agent and Bankrate analyst with over 15 years of experience in the industry. She enjoys helping others navigate the insurance world by cutting through complex jargon and empowering readers to make strong financial decisions independently.
Amelia Buckley is an insurance editor for Bankrate.com and an insurance agent with a personal lines license. She emphasizes creating informative, engaging and nuanced content to support readers in making personalized insurance decisions with confidence.
Amelia Buckley is an insurance editor for Bankrate.com and an insurance agent with a personal lines license. She emphasizes creating informative, engaging and nuanced content to support readers in making personalized insurance decisions with confidence.
At Bankrate, we strive to help you make smarter financial decisions. To help readers understand how insurance affects their finances, we have 9 licensed insurance agents on staff who have spent a combined 78 years in the insurance industry. While we adhere to strict
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At a glance
Bankrate's take
California drivers looking for plenty of discount opportunities and free roadside assistance might find 21st Century to be an attractive auto insurer. However, the company doesn’t sell its own home insurance policies; instead, it partners with Farmers.
Offers complimentary roadside assistance
Offers four different good driver discounts
Offers SR-22s
Only available in California
Does not directly offer home or renters insurance
Auto
Avg. annual premium for full coverage
$3,400
Avg. annual premium for min coverage
$814
21st Century car insurance review
21st Century is a smaller insurer, only servicing California. However, it may be a good choice for Golden State drivers looking for coverage with a local provider. Although 21st Century is unrated by J.D. Power and AM Best — and therefore, wasn’t awarded a Bankrate Score — the company that owns 21st Century, Farmers, has a relatively high financial strength rating, indicating its historical ability to pay out claims. However, it is worth noting that 21st Century’s mobile app is rated poorly per the App Store and Google Play.
21st Century offers the standard auto insurance coverage types: liability-only policies and full coverage insurance. As a bonus, 21st Century offers complimentary roadside assistance coverage for eligible policyholders.
Its website also offers additional policy coverage types such as antique auto insurance, motorcycle and ATV insurance, boaters insurance and personal watercraft insurance. However, customers are redirected to Farmers and Foremost for these products.
Pros and cons of 21st Century car insurance
When shopping for car insurance, it’s essential to look at a company holistically by considering specific benefits and drawbacks.
Pros
Regional carrier in tune with local market
Free roadside assistance
Premiums are below the California average
Cons
Only available in California
Mobile app lacks functionality
Customer service and sales not available 24/7 (claims can be filed 24/7)
21st Century car insurance cost
According to rate data obtained from Quadrant Information Services, the average full coverage premium for 21st Century car insurance is $3,400 per year. For minimum coverage, the average is $814 per year. These rates are similar to the national averages of $2,685 and $800, respectively. However, compared to California’s average cost of car insurance — $2,975 for full coverage and $861 for minimum coverage — 21st Century’s average full coverage policies are cheaper.
How much is 21st Century car insurance?
Insurance companies use more than a dozen factors to determine your insurance premium. These include your age and location as well as your car's age, make and model. One factor that plays a large role is your driving record. A person with a clean driving record is likely to pay less for coverage than someone with a few marks on their license, all other factors being equal. That being said, if you do have past infractions, you may want to know that 21st Century offers SR-22 filings, which not all insurers do.
Since 21st Century only offers car insurance in California, it is worth noting that, unlike most other states, California does not allow the use of credit history or gender in auto insurance rating. The rates below are based on a 40-year-old driver with a single incident conviction.
Your age can have a considerable impact on how much you pay for car insurance. Typically, insurance is more expensive for new and teen drivers due to their lack of driving experience and maturity level. Teen driving statistics show that 79 percent of single-vehicle car accidents involving drivers between the ages of 16 and 19 involve speeding, and young drivers are more likely not to wear a seat belt and participate in distracted driving. While these risk factors are reflected in a youthful operator's premium, new drivers can find cheaper car insurance rates by staying on their parents' policy for as long as they are eligible to do so.
*All rates displayed are average annual rates. Rates are based on our good driver profile, with 16- and 18-year-old drivers added to their parents’ policy.
When comparing car insurance rates, you may be surprised to find that each insurer quotes you a different premium. Every carrier uses its own proprietary algorithms to determine rates. Some may, for example, weigh past infractions more heavily than another. Others may offer a higher number of relevant discounts to lower your rate. We compared average 21st Century rates to other major insurers to give you a point of reference while shopping.
Like many insurance carriers, 21st Century auto policies are underwritten by several different companies, making it difficult to assess customer satisfaction. 21st Century does not have a J.D. Power score since it is a super-regional carrier. Those interested in reviewing how the company fares in terms of customer complaints could turn to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners Complaint Index. However, you’ll need to browse complaints recorded with the individual underwriting companies. For this reason, it may be easier to search customer reviews online or talk to friends and family insured with 21st Century to get an idea of what it’s like to be a policyholder.
21st Century car insurance discounts
21st Century Insurance offers several discounts for auto insurance savings, especially for a regional provider. Customers are typically allowed to stack as many discounts as they are eligible to receive. The company’s available car insurance discounts include a few that may be particularly easy to qualify for:
Good driver: Drivers who have been on the road for at least three years and have remained ticket-free could save 20 percent or more on their car insurance.
Superior driver: Drivers who have maintained a clean driving record for four years or more could save between 10 to 20 percent on their car insurance.
Anti-theft: If your vehicle is equipped with updated systems to deter theft, you may be able to save around 15 percent.
Good student: You might save up to 15 percent on your car insurance if you are under the age of 25 and maintain a B average or better.
Multi-car: Including more than one car or driver on your policy could lower your rate.
Mature driver discount:Drivers over the age of 55 can save an average of 2 percent off their liability coverage by completing a state-approved safe driving course.
This advertisement is powered by Coverage.com, LLC, a licensed insurance producer (NPN: 19966249) and a corporate affiliate of Bankrate. The offers and links that appear on this advertisement are from companies that compensate Coverage.com in different ways. The compensation received and other factors, such as your location, may impact what offers and links appear, and how, where and in what order they appear. While we seek to provide a wide range of offers, we do not include every product or service that may be available. Our goal is to keep information accurate and timely, but some information may not be current. Your actual offer from an advertiser may be different from the offer on this advertisement. All offers are subject to additional terms and conditions.
Coverage.com, LLC is a licensed insurance producer (NPN: 19966249). Coverage.com services are only available in states where it is licensed. Coverage.com may not offer insurance coverage in all states or scenarios. All insurance products are governed by the terms in the applicable insurance policy, and all related decisions (such as approval for coverage, premiums, commissions and fees) and policy obligations are the sole responsibility of the underwriting insurer. The information on this site does not modify any insurance policy terms in any way.
Get personalized auto insurance quotes
Answering a few quick questions to check your availability with 21st Century
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This advertisement is powered by Coverage.com, LLC, a licensed insurance producer (NPN: 19966249) and a corporate affiliate of Bankrate. The offers and links that appear on this advertisement are from companies that compensate Coverage.com in different ways. The compensation received and other factors, such as your location, may impact what offers and links appear, and how, where and in what order they appear. While we seek to provide a wide range of offers, we do not include every product or service that may be available. Our goal is to keep information accurate and timely, but some information may not be current. Your actual offer from an advertiser may be different from the offer on this advertisement. All offers are subject to additional terms and conditions.
Coverage.com, LLC is a licensed insurance producer (NPN: 19966249). Coverage.com services are only available in states where it is licensed. Coverage.com may not offer insurance coverage in all states or scenarios. All insurance products are governed by the terms in the applicable insurance policy, and all related decisions (such as approval for coverage, premiums, commissions and fees) and policy obligations are the sole responsibility of the underwriting insurer. The information on this site does not modify any insurance policy terms in any way.
Compare 21st Century with other insurers
21st Century Insurance isn’t for everyone. If your needs don’t align with what it has to offer, this list of car insurance providers may help you find the right carrier for you.
21st Century vs. State Farm
State Farm is one of our 2023 Bankrate Awards winners for best car insurance for high-risk drivers. The company boasts national availability, high customer satisfaction scores and excellent financial strength ratings. If you’re looking for multiple product lines, State Farm could also be a good choice as one of the 2024 Bankrate Awards winners for best term life insurance.
If you’re a tech-savvy shopper, you may want to request a quote from Geico. It has a highly rated mobile app and a full-service website, allowing hands-on policy management. Additionally, Geico was one of the 2024 Bankrate Awards winners for best auto insurance. It offers coverage to high-risk drivers, provides dozens of discount opportunities and scores well for customer satisfaction with J.D. Power. However, like 21st Century, Geico does not write its own homeowners insurance policies.
If you live in California and are looking for a highly rated provider, you may want to consider Wawanesa. Wawanesa is a subsidiary of the Automobile Club of Southern California, which scored the top spot in J.D. Power's 2024 U.S. Auto Insurance Study in the California region, although Wawanesa itself scored below average on the same survey. Unlike 21st Century, it also offers home insurance. However, customers don’t have access to perks like 21st Century’s complimentary roadside assistance, which may be important for some.
The insurance market can be complicated, but Bankrate's insurance editorial team used our unique perspective to bring readers the information they need to make educated decisions when shopping for a policy.
78
years of industry experience
9
licensed staff
34.5K
ZIP codes examined
120
carriers reviewed
Is 21st Century a good insurance company?
Bankrate’s insurance editorial team, which includes licensed agents, is committed to helping drivers choose the coverage that fits their needs and budgets best. The company’s rates are lower than the California average, and it offers a respectable list of discounts that could help you save even more.
To find out more about the company’s quality of service, it may be worth asking friends or family with 21st Century Insurance about their experience — especially since you can’t turn to J.D. Power ratings.
What are real-life customers saying about 21st Century?
If you are considering signing up with an insurance carrier that is not reviewed by an independent customer satisfaction company, finding customer reviews may be a crucial step in your research. To help you with the process, Bankrate has scoured reviews from social media platforms to give an accurate synopsis of what you may find.
The common theme among 21st Century insurance reviews is the frustration around the lack of customer service and agent availability. From customers trying to make changes or pay their bills to drivers involved in an accident with 21st Century policyholders, there is trouble connecting with claims and customer service. Notably, reviews dated before 2017 are positive, but they take a downward turn after Farmers bought 21st Century.
21st Century company details
For those considering 21st Century for their insurance needs, here are some key contact details and resources to help you get started or manage your existing policies:
For customer service, call 1-877-401-8181
If you are looking for sales quotes or to start a new policy, call 1-800-807-9458
To file a claim, call 1-888-244-6163 or submit your claim online at myclaim@21st.com
For general correspondence, mail should be sent to 21st Century Insurance, 3 Beaver Valley Road, 4th Floor, Wilmington, DE 19803
State availability
21st Century is only available in California. However, its sister company Toggle, another subsidiary of Farmer's, offers auto, home and renters in several other states.
21st Century tools and benefits
21st Century Insurance offers the following perks that may be of interest to drivers looking for insurance in California:
Mobile app: Although its reviews are not especially favorable, 21st Century Insurance does have a mobile app, which may be attractive to policyholders who prefer to handle their policy digitally.
Free roadside assistance: Another feature not always offered by other insurers, 21st Century automatically signs up policyholders for roadside assistance, free of charge.
Digital articles: The company’s website features how-to and informational articles to help readers navigate auto insurance and make informed decisions about coverage and policy limits.
Toggle: Through 21st Century’s sister company Toggle, you have more insurance options and state availability for auto, home and renters insurance.
Frequently asked questions about 21st Century Insurance
You can submit a claim with 21st Century Insurance online using the company’s claims portal or by calling 1-888-244-6163. The claims department is open 24/7, and an adjuster will contact you within 72 hours to start working through the process.
21st Century Insurance is owned by Farmers Insurance Group.
21st Century is underwritten by Farmers Insurance Group and only offers auto insurance in California under this name. While we attempt to score every carrier that we review, it can be difficult to tie an accurate score to smaller insurers that utilize additional products and underwriting from third parties. The quality of service, along with other factors, from other companies, could potentially impact 21st Century policyholders in a way that can not be justly quantified.
To cancel a new policy, you can call 21st Century at 1-800-241-1188 before it goes into effect. Otherwise, you must send the request in writing by regular mail or fax. You’ll need to provide the name of the policyholder, the address of the policyholder, the policy number and the date of cancellation. The company’s mailing address is 21st Century Insurance, P.O. Box 15510, Wilmington, DE 19886-9252. In California, the fax number is 1-800-842-3057; outside California, it’s 1-866-447-2611.
Though it does not advertise many community programs, 21st Century’s parent company, Farmers, has strong corporate citizenship initiatives and supports nonprofits that focus on disaster recovery, youth fostering and financial support for low-income military families.
Methodology
Auto
Bankrate utilizes Quadrant Information Services to analyze April 2025 rates for all ZIP codes and carriers in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Rates are weighted based on the population density in each geographic region. Quoted rates for our base profile are based on the following characteristics and coverage levels:
40 year old
Single male and female driver
2023 Toyota Camry
Primary vehicle
Good credit score
Clean driving record
Commutes 5 days
Bodily injury liability
$100,000 per person
$300,000 per accident
Property damage liability
$50,000 per accident
Personal injury protection
$100,000 per accident
Uninsured motorist bodily injury
$100,000 per person
$300,000 per accident
Collision deductible
$500
Comprehensive deductible
$500
Other profiles
Rates were calculated by evaluating our base profile with the following incidents applied: clean record (base), at-fault accident, single speeding ticket, single DUI conviction and lapse in coverage.
Rates were calculated by evaluating our base profile with the ages 18-60 (base: 40 years) applied. Depending on age, drivers may be a renter or homeowner. Age is not a contributing rating factor in Hawaii and Massachusetts due to state regulations.
These are sample rates and should only be used for comparative purposes.
What policyholders are saying about 21st Century
21st Century has 51 reviews
Dive into community reviews below and see what others think about 21st Century.
4.2
51
ratings
Star ranking and total number reflects the lifetime customer reviews received while this lender has been an advertiser on Bankrate.
To help serve you with relevant information, the customer reviews shown are limited to only those that this advertiser has received during the past 12 months.
84% of consumers recommend this insurer
Score breakdown
5 stars
41%
4 stars
43%
3 stars
12%
2 stars
2%
1 star
2%
Score by category
Overall rating4.2 / 5
Original cost4.1 / 5
Coverage4.2 / 5
Customer Support4.2 / 5
How we got these ratings
In May 2024, Bankrate collaborated with market research firm SliceMR to survey over 1,500 insurance customers nationwide, asking policyholders to rate their insurer’s cost, coverage, customer support and overall experience on a five-point scale. Bankrate and SliceMR collected and analyzed these customer ratings, along with website analytics and responses to three open-ended questions regarding customer experience. Responses are based on individual policyholders’ policy details and personal experience, and therefore cannot be verified for accuracy. Users received an incentive for their feedback. All ratings are unedited and have not been reviewed or approved by insurance carriers. User-generated ratings are separate from carrier Bankrate Scores — which are calculated based on our proprietary methodology — and may not match.
Community Reviews
See what users like you are saying about 21st Century.
Anonymous Policyholder
April 10, 2025
What made you choose this insurer over others for your auto and/or home insurance?
They are easy to contact and friendly, and have fair pricing
Insurance Type
Auto
Score by category
Original cost4/ 5
Customer Support4/ 5
Coverage4/ 5
Anonymous Policyholder
April 10, 2025
What made you choose this insurer over others for your auto and/or home insurance?
Because they're a great company. I would recommend it to my family and friends
Insurance Type
Auto
Score by category
Original cost5/ 5
Customer Support5/ 5
Coverage5/ 5
Anonymous Policyholder
April 10, 2025
What made you choose this insurer over others for your auto and/or home insurance?
Nice staff, lower rates in quicker payouts
Insurance Type
Auto
Score by category
Original cost2/ 5
Customer Support2/ 5
Coverage3/ 5
Anonymous Policyholder
April 10, 2025
What made you choose this insurer over others for your auto and/or home insurance?
Seemed like the best fit at the moment with timing and circumstances
Insurance Type
Auto
Score by category
Original cost4/ 5
Customer Support5/ 5
Coverage4/ 5
Anonymous Policyholder
April 10, 2025
What made you choose this insurer over others for your auto and/or home insurance?
It’s ok still expensive but it’s there for what it is needed cheaper insurance always a plus
Insurance Type
Auto
Score by category
Original cost5/ 5
Customer Support5/ 5
Coverage4/ 5
Anonymous Policyholder
April 10, 2025
What made you choose this insurer over others for your auto and/or home insurance?
The way they explain stuff to me on how the insurance company works and would do for me
Insurance Type
Auto
Score by category
Original cost5/ 5
Customer Support3/ 5
Coverage4/ 5
Anonymous Policyholder
April 10, 2025
Name the number one reason that you’d recommend staying with this insurer and the number one reason that you’d consider leaving for a different company.
I always keep an eye out for something better. There are a lot of competition.
Insurance Type
Auto
Score by category
Original cost4/ 5
Customer Support5/ 5
Coverage5/ 5
Anonymous Policyholder
April 10, 2025
Name the number one reason that you’d recommend staying with this insurer and the number one reason that you’d consider leaving for a different company.
I would reccomend staying with them because they are high quality and they have amazing quality customer service
Insurance Type
Auto
Score by category
Original cost5/ 5
Customer Support4/ 5
Coverage4/ 5
Anonymous Policyholder
April 10, 2025
What made you choose this insurer over others for your auto and/or home insurance?
Their rates were better than other companies
Insurance Type
Auto
Score by category
Original cost5/ 5
Customer Support5/ 5
Coverage4/ 5
Anonymous Policyholder
April 10, 2025
Name the number one reason that you’d recommend staying with this insurer and the number one reason that you’d consider leaving for a different company.
I wouldn't recommend,and am changing due to overcharges,and claim problems.
Shannon Martin is a licensed insurance agent and Bankrate analyst with over 15 years of experience in the industry. She enjoys helping others navigate the insurance world by cutting through complex jargon and empowering readers to make strong financial decisions independently.
Amelia Buckley is an insurance editor for Bankrate.com and an insurance agent with a personal lines license. She emphasizes creating informative, engaging and nuanced content to support readers in making personalized insurance decisions with confidence.
Bankrate follows a strict editorial policy, so you can trust that we’re putting your interests first. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions.
Key Principles
We value your trust. Our mission is to provide readers with accurate and unbiased information, and we have editorial standards in place to ensure that happens. Our editors and reporters thoroughly fact-check editorial content to ensure the information you’re reading is accurate. We maintain a firewall between our advertisers and our editorial team. Our editorial team does not receive direct compensation from our advertisers.
Editorial Independence
Bankrate’s editorial team writes on behalf of YOU — the reader. Our goal is to give you the best advice to help you make smart personal finance decisions. We follow strict guidelines to ensure that our editorial content is not influenced by advertisers. Our editorial team receives no direct compensation from advertisers, and our content is thoroughly fact-checked to ensure accuracy. So, whether you’re reading an article or a review, you can trust that you’re getting credible and dependable information.
How we make money
You have money questions. Bankrate has answers. Our experts have been helping you master your money for over four decades. We continually strive to provide consumers with the expert advice and tools needed to succeed throughout life’s financial journey.
Bankrate follows a strict
editorial policy, so you can trust that our content is honest and accurate. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions. The content created by our editorial staff is objective, factual, and not influenced by our advertisers.
We’re transparent about how we are able to bring quality content, competitive rates, and useful tools to you by explaining how we make money.
Bankrate.com is an independent, advertising-supported publisher and comparison service. We are compensated in exchange for placement of sponsored products and services, or by you clicking on certain links posted on our site. Therefore, this compensation may impact how, where and in what order products appear within listing categories, except where prohibited by law for our mortgage, home equity and other home lending products. Other factors, such as our own proprietary website rules and whether a product is offered in your area or at your self-selected credit score range, can also impact how and where products appear on this site. While we strive to provide a wide range of offers, Bankrate does not include information about every financial or credit product or service.
Insurance Disclosure
Coverage.com, LLC is a licensed insurance producer (NPN: 19966249). Coverage.com services are only available in states where it is licensed. Coverage.com may not offer insurance coverage in all states or scenarios. All insurance products are governed by the terms in the applicable insurance policy, and all related decisions (such as approval for coverage, premiums, commissions and fees) and policy obligations are the sole responsibility of the underwriting insurer. The information on this site does not modify any insurance policy terms in any way.
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