Foremost insurance review 2024

Foremost auto insurance may be ideal for customers who have trouble qualifying for car insurance with traditional carriers. As part of Farmers Insurance Group, Foremost underwrites its own policies and offers insurance through affiliated partners.

Foremost car insurance is available through several partner companies, including Bristol West, Coast National, Economy Preferred and Security National. Foremost's auto insurance includes all the standard car insurance coverage types, plus many add-ons like rental reimbursement, roadside assistance, rideshare coverage and gap insurance.

Partner company Bristol West specializes in high-risk car insurance for drivers who may have trouble finding insurance with standard car insurance carriers. Bristol West can also file an SR-22 or FR-44 for drivers who require it.

One thing to remember is that Foremost partners with so many different carriers it can be hard to know what level of service you may receive. Foremost has an Auto Bankrate Score of 4.1 but is not ranked with J.D. Power for customer satisfaction and has a higher-than-average amount of customer complaints filed on the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Complaint Index.

Pros and cons of Foremost car insurance

The best auto insurance company for you may vary based on your needs and preferences. The advantages and disadvantages of Foremost car insurance that we’ve outlined below may help you decide if it's the right carrier for you.

Our editorial team awarded Foremost a Bankrate Score of 3.7 for its homeowners policies. To determine the Bankrate Score, we assessed Foremost’s affordability, availability and more, along with the carrier’s ability to meet claims obligations.

Foremost stood out for its home insurance options, specifically the fact that it insures seasonal and vacant homes, which many home insurance companies do not. Its standard home insurance is customizable with a long list of optional add-ons, including home-sharing coverage, scheduled personal property, water backup coverage and extended replacement cost. Foremost also offers flood insurance as a separate policy underwritten through the National Flood Insurance Program.

Not all Foremost home insurance policies are underwritten by the same company, and coverage options may not be available in all states. Potential policyholders may want to speak with a Foremost agent about availability in their area. Unlike its car insurance, Foremost's home insurance product does offer online quoting. However, quotes are sent via email within two to three business days.

Pros and cons of Foremost home insurance

If you're trying to narrow down your home insurance options, it may help to compare pros and cons across companies. Here are some of the key perks and drawbacks we identified with Foremost homeowners insurance.

Insurance companies do not offer one-size-fits-all products, so it may be important to compare providers to find the right fit for you. If this review of Foremost suggests that it is not the right carrier for you, you could consider one of these insurers.

When analyzing Foremost insurance reviews by third-party rating companies, Bankrate discovered Foremost was not scored by J.D. Power. It does, however, have a strong financial strength rating from AM Best, and some of its underwriting companies (like Farmers) received average scores per J.D. Power for claims satisfaction.

In addition, Foremost’s National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Complaint Index is a mixed bag based on the underwriting company available in your region, so prospective policyholders may want to speak with existing customers for more feedback on their customer experience.

While Foremost does not offer life insurance, the carrier offers less common vehicle and property insurance options that could appeal to high-risk drivers or those with non-traditional insurance needs.

What are real-life customers saying about Foremost?

One of the best ways to understand if other policyholders are happy with their insurance carrier is by asking them. Online review platforms are a modern-day take on word-of-mouth advertising. Sites such as Reddit or Quora can provide insight on claim payouts and customer service interactions that you can only get from people who have put insurance companies to the test.

Getting helpful reviews for Foremost is more challenging than it is for other insurance carriers. Since Foremost can be sold and serviced through various partnerships across the country, the level of service policyholders receive is inconsistent and indistinguishable from the agency that sold the policy and Foremost itself. We want to provide you with recent feedback; however, most of the reviews dated within the past year focus solely on how much the cost of insurance with Foremost has increased and that they have started non-renewing policies in California. While those are valid concerns, most insurance companies have taken fairly large rate increases over the past few years, and many are leaving high-risk states.

One common theme we can comment on is the repeated mention that policyholders felt that they were not communicated with in a fair and timely manner. This refers to claim handling, rate increases and policy nonrenewals.

Foremost company details 

You can reach out to Foremost directly or through one of its partner companies, depending on how your policy was issued. Here are the key ways to communicate with Foremost and manage your policy:

Foremost 

• Website: foremost.com
• Customer service: 1-800-527-3905
• Claims: 1-800-527-3907 or myclaim@foremost.com
• Foremost Signature claims: 1-800-854-6011
• Mailing Address: Foremost Insurance Group, P.O. Box 0915, Carol Stream, IL 60132-0915

Partner companies

• AARP customers: 1-800-752-2461
• AARP claims: 1-800-752-2461
• Bristol West customers: 1-888-888-0080
• Bristol West auto claims: 1-800-274-7865

State availability

Foremost is licensed to sell insurance policies in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. However, products offered and underwriting companies may vary by state. Contact a Foremost representative for a specific description of products available in your area.

Foremost tools and benefits

In addition to basic car and home insurance, Foremost offers other insurance products, as well as tools and other perks that may help policyholders better manage their insurance coverage. Here are some of Foremost's other offerings:

• Other types of insurance: Foremost offers a wide range of insurance products covering nearly every type of home and vehicle. Customers may be able to find policies for motorcycles, boats, RVs, trailers, luxury vehicles, golf carts, commercial vehicles, snowmobiles and more. Home insurance options include mobile homes, vacant homes, seasonal homes and condominiums.
• Educational articles: Foremost also has a learning center with articles on common queries. Featured topics include how to buy a snowmobile, fireplace safety, cleaning mobile home siding and winter driving tips. It also has articles, especially for older customers in the AARP Center, that help you learn how to spot a scam and more. 
• Severe events center: Policyholders have access to an online resource that allows them to report claims, track wildfires and learn more about how to handle emergency situations, such as hurricanes and wildfires.
• AARP program: Foremost has special mobile home and motorcycle insurance policies for AARP members. You can get quotes online or over the phone.
• Mobile apps: You can download free Foremost Insurance apps from the App Store or Google Play to manage your coverage. These apps allow you to view and pay your bill, view your ID cards and read your policy.

Frequently asked questions about Foremost insurance

These are sample rates and should only be used for comparative purposes. 

Additional profiles:

• Coverage A, Dwelling: $150,000, $350,000, $450,000
• Coverage B, Other Structures: $15,000, $35,000, $45,000
• Coverage C, Personal Property: $75,000, $175,000, $225,000
• Coverage D, Loss of Use: $30,000, $70,000, $90,000
• Coverage E, Liability: $500,000
• Coverage F, Medical Payments: $1,000

These are sample rates and should only be used for comparative purposes. 

Bankrate Scores

Our 2024 Bankrate Score considers variables our insurance editorial team determined impacts policyholders’ experiences with an insurance company. These rating factors include a robust assessment of each company’s product availability, financial strength ratings, online capabilities and customer and claims support accessibility. Each factor was added to a category, and these categories were weighted in a tiered approach to analyze how companies perform in key customer-impacting categories.

Each category was assigned a metric to determine performance, and the weighted sum adds up to a company’s total Bankrate Score — out of 5 points. Our scoring model provides a comprehensive view, indicating when companies excel across several key areas and highlighting where they fall short.

• Tier 1 (Cost & ratings): To determine how well auto and home insurance companies satisfy these priorities, average quoted premiums from Quadrant Information Services (if available), as well as any of the latest third-party agency ratings from J.D. Power, AM Best, Demotech and the NAIC, were analyzed.
• Tier 2 (Coverage & savings): We assessed companies’ coverage options and availability to help policyholders find a provider that balances cost with coverage. Additionally, we evaluated each company’s discount options listed on its website.
• Tier 3 (Support): To encompass the many ways an auto and home insurance company can support policyholders, we analyzed avenues of customer accessibility along with community support. This analysis incorporated additional financial strength ratings from S&P and Moody’s and factored a company’s corporate sustainability efforts.

Tier scores are unweighted to show the company's true score in each category out of a possible five points.