Erie vs. Foremost: Which Is the Best? (2025)
Erie’s lower rates and better reputation make the regional insurer a better choice than Foremost.
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Erie Insurance Group is the 12th-largest insurer in the United States. It operates in only 12 states, but the company consistently earns top marks for customer service in the states where it operates.[?]
Foremost Insurance Company is a subsidiary of Farmers Insurance, and it operates in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.[?] But the insurer has received an above-average number of complaints, and its coverage costs are more than Erie’s on average.
When deciding between Erie and Foremost, it’s important to consider the big picture, including rates, discounts, policies offered, restrictions on eligibility, customer service, coverage options, and limits. Here’s what you need to know about Erie and Foremost so you can find the best policy for your needs.
Quick Facts
Foremost specializes in coverage for high-risk drivers, while Erie offers more traditional coverage.
Auto insurance premiums are much lower from Erie than Foremost, on average.
Erie offers a telematics program, while Foremost doesn’t.
Erie vs. Foremost: The verdict
Erie’s average premiums are far lower than Foremost’s, coming in at less than half the cost. The insurer also received a below-average number of complaints with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) compared with an above-average number for Foremost.[?] Its affordable rates and top marks for customer service from clients make Erie the better choice if you live in one of the states where it’s available.
Foremost is known for covering high-risk drivers. People with poor credit history or a DUI may find Foremost to be a better option than Erie.
The table below provides a detailed comparison between Erie and Foremost, including their Insurify Quality (IQ) Score, third-party ratings, and average liability rates.
Factor  | Erie | Foremost |
|---|---|---|
| IQ Score | 8.4 | 7.4 |
| J.D. Power customer satisfaction score | 856 out of 1,000 | Not Ranked |
| Average quote: liability only | $80 | $118 |
| Number of discounts | 9 | 10 |
| Number of states where it operates | 12 | 50 |
Disclaimer: Table data sourced from real-time quotes from Insurify's 500+ partner insurance providers and quote estimates from Quadrant Information Services. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer's unique driver profile.
Our editorial team spent more than 350 hours developing the Insurify Quality (IQ) Score and scoring insurance companies. The IQ Score objectively analyzes and calculates a score for insurers using more than 15 crucial criteria. The team weighted criteria by importance to the consumer — factors such as customer reviews and affordability influence the score more than availability and third-party ratings.
We rate each company on a 1 to 10 scale based on five categories: financial ratings, customer satisfaction, affordability, customer support and transparency, and availability. Insurify updates ratings once a year or as more recent information becomes available.
- Third-party financial ratings: Insurify uses data from AM Best, S&P, Moody’s, and more to compare insurance companies’ credit and ability to pay out future claims.
- Customer satisfaction: To calculate this score, Insurify analyzed more than 55,000 customer reviews across 155 car insurance companies. We also consider third-party ratings from J.D. Power, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, and Trustpilot.
- Affordability: Our data scientists analyzed more than 90 million real-time auto insurance rates from our partners across the U.S., as well as available discounts, to calculate an affordability score.
- Customer support and transparency: This measures coverage options, ease of claims filing, and the insurer's transparency surrounding discounts, coverages, and claims process.
- Availability and reach: Insurify scores availability and reach by identifying the number of states in which insurers offer coverage and company size by market share.
Erie
Erie offers coverage in 12 states but has received favorable reviews, and it charges affordable premiums. Erie also boasts a below-average number of consumer complaints on the NAIC complaint index and the highest ratings of any insurer in several markets in J.D. Power’s 2023 U.S. Auto Insurance Study.
Foremost
Foremost typically charges higher premiums and has a higher-than-average number of consumer complaints with the NAIC. But it has a wider range of availability than Erie. Foremost also specializes in offering coverage to high-risk drivers and clients with poor credit, who might otherwise struggle to find coverage.
Erie YourTurn telematics program
Erie’s YourTurn is a mobile app that monitors driving behavior to see how safe you are behind the wheel. You’ll receive a score based on two weeks of data that takes into account factors such as smoothness of driving, speed traveled, and driver distraction.
Erie also allows you to earn monetary rewards if you have a high driver safety score. But Erie doesn’t adjust your premiums based on your performance on YourTurn, so it won’t directly affect your insurance rates.
Foremost doesn’t offer a telematics program, so if this is a feature you want in an insurance company, Erie would be a better choice.
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Erie vs. Foremost: Which is the cheapest?
Erie charges much lower premiums than Foremost, on average. Erie charges $80 for liability coverage and $121 for full coverage, while Foremost averages $118 for liability only and $274 for full coverage.
Erie’s costs are also competitive with the national average of $100 per month for liability insurance.
But it’s important to remember that insurers price policies based on each driver’s unique profile. Factors that affect your quote include your location, driving record, gender, credit history, and more.
In the sections that follow, you’ll see how rates fluctuate based on different driver profiles.
Erie: Cheapest for drivers with a clean driving record
Erie Insurance has much lower average premiums for drivers with a clean record than Foremost. Erie is a good option for drivers looking for an affordable rate.
Driver Type | Erie | Foremost |
|---|---|---|
| Clean driving record | $80 | $118 |
Disclaimer: Table data sourced from real-time quotes from Insurify's 500+ partner insurance providers and quote estimates from Quadrant Information Services. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer's unique driver profile.
Erie: Cheapest for drivers with a speeding ticket
Erie’s average premiums for drivers with a speeding ticket are much less than Foremost’s, as you can see in the table below.
Driver Type | Erie | Foremost |
|---|---|---|
| Drivers with a speeding ticket | $109 | $163 |
Disclaimer: Table data sourced from real-time quotes from Insurify's 500+ partner insurance providers and quote estimates from Quadrant Information Services. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer's unique driver profile.
Erie: Cheapest for teen drivers
Teen drivers pay the highest car insurance rates due to a lack of experience behind the wheel. But Erie offers lower rates for teen drivers than Foremost.
Driver Type | Erie | Foremost |
|---|---|---|
| 18-year-old | $152 | $224 |
Disclaimer: Table data sourced from real-time quotes from Insurify's 500+ partner insurance providers and quote estimates from Quadrant Information Services. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer's unique driver profile.
Erie: Cheapest for drivers with bad credit
Erie’s average premiums for drivers with bad credit are considerably lower than Foremost’s, as the table shows.
Driver Type | Erie | Foremost |
|---|---|---|
| Drivers with bad credit | $136 | $142 |
Disclaimer: Table data sourced from real-time quotes from Insurify's 500+ partner insurance providers and quote estimates from Quadrant Information Services. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer's unique driver profile.
Erie: Cheapest for senior drivers
Most senior drivers will find Erie’s rates to be much lower than Foremost’s.
Driver Type | Erie | Foremost |
|---|---|---|
| Senior drivers | $54 | $92 |
Disclaimer: Table data sourced from real-time quotes from Insurify's 500+ partner insurance providers and quote estimates from Quadrant Information Services. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer's unique driver profile.
Compare coverages: Erie vs. Foremost
Both Erie and Foremost offer standard coverage options, such as bodily injury liability, property damage liability, uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, collision coverage, and comprehensive coverage.
But Erie offers many unique options most insurers, including Foremost, don’t offer. With Erie’s coverage for pets and personal items in your vehicle, as well as locksmith coverage, you’ll be protected from many losses that would otherwise come out of your pocket. Here, you can see the coverage options available from each insurer.
Coverage | Erie | Foremost |
|---|---|---|
| Pet coverage | Yes | No |
| Personal item coverage | Yes | No |
| Locksmith service | Yes | No |
| Gap insurance | Yes | Yes |
| Rideshare insurance | Yes | Yes |
| Rental reimbursement | Yes | Yes |
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Compare discounts: Erie vs. Foremost
Both Erie and Foremost offer many opportunities to save, but Foremost offers a few more discounts than Erie does, including a good student discount and special savings for being a homeowner.
You can see a collection of the discounts each insurer offers in the table below.
Discount | Erie | Foremost |
|---|---|---|
| Clean driving record | Yes | Yes |
| Defensive driving course | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-policy | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-car | Yes | Yes |
| Low mileage | No | No |
| Telematics (safe-driving app) | Yes (but it offers rewards, not discounts) | No |
| Anti-theft device | Yes | Yes |
| New car | No | No |
| Military/affiliation | No | No |
| Good student | No | Yes |
| Loyalty | Yes | No |
| Auto pay | No | No |
| Student away at school | Yes | Yes |
| Homeowner | No | Yes |
| Accident forgiveness | Yes | No |
Erie vs. Foremost FAQs
Still have questions about Erie and Foremost? Here are some more details about these two insurers so you can decide which one best meets your specific needs.
Is Foremost Insurance a reputable company?
Foremost has been offering auto insurance for 65 years, and the business is licensed to operate nationwide, so it’s a legitimate insurer. But it has received a higher-than-average number of complaints with the NAIC, which suggests some customers haven’t had positive experiences with the company.
Is Foremost Insurance pulling out of Florida?
No. Foremost is a subsidiary of the Farmers Insurance Group, and Farmers is pulling out of Florida. But Foremost will continue to sell policies in the Sunshine State.[?]
Who owns Foremost Insurance?
The Farmers Insurance Group acquired Foremost in 2000. It’s a subsidiary of the Farmers Casualty Insurance Company.
What are the main differences between Erie and Foremost insurance?
Erie offers more affordable average premiums than Foremost and has a lower number of complaints with the NAIC. But Erie offers coverage in only 12 states, while Foremost covers drivers nationwide.
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