Amica Auto Insurance Review

Founded in 1907 as a mutual insurance company, Amica has kept its mutual company structure, owned by its customers and paying dividends on qualified policies. In many ways, Amica is one of the best-kept secrets in the insurance industry, lacking the household name recognition of some other competitors but outperforming many of those same competitors in regard to customer satisfaction.

Depending on policy type, and sometimes by location, Amica offers two types of coverages: both dividend-paying policies and non-dividend policies. Competitive premiums combined with high customer satisfaction ratings make Amica an excellent choice for consumers who seek overall value, and not just the lowest auto insurance rates.

Of note, Amica’s dividend-paying auto insurance policies are currently not available in California, Florida, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Missouri, North Carolina, New Jersey and Texas.

Amica Vehicle Insurance Policy Types

Amica doesn’t offer the full gamut of insurance products that some of its competitors bring to the market. Additionally, some insurance products may not be available in all locations.

For example, a customer can purchase auto insurance through Amica in New Jersey but if that same customer owns a motorcycle, the motorcycle will have to be insured by another company. Amica doesn't write motorcycle insurance in New Jersey. We found the same limitation as marine insurance, which covers boats or personal watercraft.

Because some policy types are not available in some states, choosing Amica for auto insurance if you own additional vehicle types may require purchasing additional insurance policies elsewhere. Owners of specialty or recreational vehicles are likely accustomed to having policies with multiple insurers due to the need for specialized insurance for those vehicles.

While not all policy types are available in all states, Amica offers these types of vehicle insurance:

Auto: Amica’s auto insurance policies are among its core products. In most states, Amica offers a choice of dividend or non-dividend policies for auto insurance.

Motorcycle: Motorcycle insurance isn't available in all states. In states where motorcycle insurance is available through Amica, an additional discount is available by bundling auto and motorcycle insurance with the insurer. 

Boat/Personal Watercraft: Boat/personal watercraft is not available in all states, either.

Amica Auto Insurance Policy Options

Liability: Auto insurance liability coverage pays toward bodily injury liability and property damage liability. Coverage limits options may vary by state but nearly every state requires a minimum level of liability coverage. State minimum levels are generally not recommended because once policy limits are exhausted, any remaining liability after the policy limits have been reached becomes the responsibility of the insured.

Collision: Collision coverage is required by most auto senders, but is still a common coverage for vehicles less than 10 years old, even if the vehicle is paid off. This coverage pays toward repair or replacement for damage caused by impact with another vehicle or a stationary object. As an added bonus with Amica, new vehicles that are declared a total loss will not be depreciated in a claim during the first year of ownership. This feature prevents a situation where you could owe money on a new car you no longer have due to a total loss claim.

Comprehensive insurance: While collision coverage pays toward damage to your vehicle due to an impact with another vehicle or stationary object, comprehensive coverage helps to cover damage to your vehicle due to most other causes. Fire, theft, vandalism, impact with an animal, and glass breakage is all covered with collision coverage, subject to policy limits and chosen deductibles.

Medical: Coverage options for your own medical care and medical care for other drivers on your policy if injured by an automobile will vary by state, with some states offering a structure called med pay and other states offering a different structure called personal injury protection.

Road Service: As an option, Amica offers roadside assistance to policyholders. Coverages include towing, flat tire repair, jump-starts, and fuel delivery if you run out of gas.

Platinum Choice Auto: Amica's Platinum Choice Auto policy provides all the standard coverages expected, with a few additional features available. Good Driving Rewards lets you earn points you can use later to waive an accident surcharge or pay down (or even eliminate) your deductible if you have a claim. Points can be earned by referring others to Amica, by adding new policies with Amica or renewing existing policies, or by good driving.

Policy Options Rating: 5 Stars

Available Discounts

Homeowner Discount: Similar to many other auto insurers, Amica’s rates will generally be lower if you are a homeowner. Additionally, the company touts that up to 15% in savings on premiums are available when bundling both home and auto policies with Amica. Adding more policies, such as an umbrella or life insurance policy, can further increase discounts for bundling.

Tenure: If you've been continuously insured with another auto insurance company for several years and then switch to Amica, you may be eligible for an additional discount.

Customer loyalty: In a business where rates often increase at renewal, seemingly without any good reason, it's refreshing to find a company that offers a customer loyalty discount. Your time invested as a customer of this insurer is rewarded with a discount.

Multi-car discount: Adding cars to your policy will generate a multi-car discount on all the cars on your policy. Conversely, if you have multiple cars on your policy and are earning a multi-car discount and you remove all but one of those vehicles, the remaining vehicle will lose the multi-car discount.

Driver training discounts: Driver training courses, often offered by schools, provide a discount for younger drivers. Amica also offers a discount for drivers who have completed an approved defensive driving course for accident prevention. The availability of this discount may be limited by age in some states.

Bill payment discounts: Additional discounts are available for either paying your bill in full or for choosing automatic payments.

E-Bill discount: Amica offers a discount to drivers who select to receive their bills and policy documents electronically.

Good student discount: Discounts are available for good students or students away at school, with the away-at-school discount available if the campus is more than 100 miles away from home.

Available Discount Rating: 5 Stars

Amica Auto Insurance Coverage Selections

Important Coverages & Considerations: Key coverage areas for an auto insurance policy are generally standardized but rules and coverage options may vary by location because insurance is regulated at the state level.

Liability: Liability coverage can be thought of as coverage for other people and for other people's property. Most policies will break out these coverages independently, allowing consumers to choose their own coverage limits for each type of coverage.

The most common structure this called split limits, which allows separate coverage amounts for bodily injury to one person, bodily injury liability for the entire accident, and for property damage. With a split limit policy, independent limits can be chosen for each coverage.

Nearly all states require a minimum level of liability coverage, but most consumers will want to choose limits higher than the state minimums to protect their assets from liability lawsuits. A common choice the coverage limits for homeowners is $100,000 for bodily injury for a single person, $300,000 for bodily injury for the entire accident, and $100,000 for property damage liability.

Collision: Auto insurance collision coverage pays for the repair of your vehicle if damaged due to an impact with another vehicle, a stationary object, or in vehicle rollovers. This coverage is required by most auto lenders to protect their investment but many consumers keep this coverage in place after the vehicle is paid off.

Bear in mind that collision coverage is covering the depreciating value of your vehicle. An older vehicle is worth less than when it was new. Correspondingly, collision coverage for an older vehicle usually costs less than for a newer vehicle, assuming the same driver or no other changes in rating criteria, making this coverage more affordable for older vehicles.

Comprehensive: Auto insurance comprehensive coverage is also known as “other than collision” coverage. This alternate name makes the coverage very easy to understand because it covers most types of damage to a car that is not caused by a collision.

Fire, theft, vandalism, impact with animals, other damage caused by animals, and glass breakage all fall within the realm of comprehensive auto insurance coverage. Be careful with your chosen deductibles for this coverage. Choosing a high deductible usually doesn't save much money on your premiums and can prevent you from making smaller claims because the deductible is higher than the repair amount.

Medical: Depending on your state of residence, you will usually have one of two options for medical payments on your automobile insurance policy. These choices, med pay or personal injury protection, will often have several coverage selection options of their own.

Personal injury protection, in the states where it's available, is a more comprehensive solution for injuries suffered by you or the covered drivers on your policy because it includes options for other losses, such as lost pay. When discussing your auto Insurance policy with an agent, invest the most time during the conversation on liability coverage and medical payment options.

These are the two areas of your policy that can create the most personal financial exposure if not structured properly for your individual needs.

Other Insurance Offered by Amica

Amica doesn't have the same breadth of product selection as that offered by some competitors, but the core products, which meet the needs of most families, are well-represented.

Discounts are available for bundling policies, so an auto policy can earn a discount by adding a home insurance policy, a renter's insurance policy, an umbrella policy, and/or a life insurance policy.

Amica also offers:

• Home insurance
• Life insurance
• Small business insurance
• Motorcycle
• Marine
• Event insurance
• Annuities

Completeness of Line Rating: 4 Stars

Customer Service

Call 1 (800) 242-6422 available 24 hours a day, and follow the prompts. Hours of operation: Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Agencies: Amica does most of its sales and customer service online or by phone. As such, there isn't a brick-and-mortar presence besides a small scattering of customer service centers. Despite the company's lack of a wide agency network, Amica consistently garners high marks for customer service, including claims service.

Website: As may be expected for a company with little retail presence, Amica's website features nearly all the tools and information a consumer might need to educate themselves regarding coverage, to bind policies, and to manage existing policies.

Mobile app: Amica offers a mobile app, which enables customers to make payments for their auto or other policies with Amica. Customers can also place claims, view insurance ID cards, or request roadside assistance through Amica's mobile app.

Customer Service Rating: 4 Stars

Claims Support

The possibility of a claim is the reason we purchase insurance and Amica is rated above average for claim satisfaction. The company's commitment to customer service carries over into claim service, recognizing that claims are the primary reason that customers purchase and that delivering consistently good claim service helps the company to maintain and grow its customer base.

Some other competitors with equal ratings in price or product selection begin to falter when it comes to their ratings for customer service or claim service. By all appearances, Amica is putting its focus on the right areas to benefit its customers.

Claims can be placed by phone, online, or through the mobile app. Claim status can also be monitored online for the mobile app.

Claims Support Rating: 5 Stars

Pricing and Value

Amica was awarded four stars for pricing by customers surveyed in JD Power’s 2017 Insurance Shopping Study. This rating ties the insurer with a small handful of competitors bested only by USAA, which scored five stars for pricing.

Price is certainly an important consideration in many households, but overall value often trumps price alone. Customers who place a priority on customer service and claim service will find value in Amica as an auto insurer.

Assuming that your insurance needs aren't too exotic, Amica offers a solid product for auto insurance, homeowners insurance and other common insurance types. The availability of dividend-paying policies in some states can enhance the value of an already strong offering.

Final Thoughts

With regard to price, insurance companies fall into three groups: least expensive, average, and most expensive. However, premium costs don't tell the whole story. When you have a claim or require customer service, providers with a lower price can cost more in time, frustration, or less-than-perfect claims performance. Amica provides a competitive price without sacrificing customer service, and for most policy types, it excels in claim satisfaction.

As for caveats to an overall positive review, Amica's weaknesses are in policy-type offerings, limited availability of dividend-paying policies, and its lack of a brick-and-mortar presence, preventing face-to-face consultations with an agent.

Customers who are comfortable doing their insurance business online but with the assistance of a top-notch customer service phone team will likely find exceptional value in Amica's product offering and its commitment to customer service excellence.

Overall Rating: 4.67 Stars

Frequently Asked Questions