Bristol West Insurance Review 2025

Here’s the deal: Bristol West will not be the cheapest quote you get. However, if your circumstances prevent you from purchasing a standard auto insurance policy, then cost may not be the most important factor to consider. Bristol West offers nonstandard insurance for high-risk drivers, which includes the following classification categories:

• No prior insurance history: Bristol West accepts drivers with no previous insurance coverage.
• Require SR-22 or FR-44s: These forms certify you have liability insurance for your vehicle (usually following a DUI, a conviction for driving without insurance, etc.). You can request an SR-22/FR-44 when you purchase a policy or add it to an existing policy provided you maintain liability insurance coverage.
• Low credit scores: Bristol West offers insurance to customers with poor credit or no credit history.
• History of violations or accidents: Bristol West offers insurance to drivers with multiple traffic violations, at-fault accidents, and DUIs.

If you’re not considered a high-risk driver, it’s best to look elsewhere for insurance coverage. Bristol West’s premiums are just too high without extenuating circumstances. For a minimum coverage (liability only) policy, the average rate is $2,295 and for full coverage, Bristol West runs an average of $3,584. Compared to the national average, Bristol West’s minimum coverage is 261 percent higher and its full coverage is 49 percent higher. Now, the main advantage of Bristol West is its willingness to cover drivers in less-than-ideal circumstances. Here’s what you should expect to pay:

Bristol West does not offer as many discounts on auto insurance as larger, more mainstream providers; however, here are four ways to save with discounts from Bristol West:

• Sign up for automatic payments
• Go paperless
• Maintain a good driving record
• Buy multiple policies from Bristol West, Farmers, or Foremost Insurance

Payment Options

Payment plans don’t necessarily save you money, but can help you budget. You can opt to pay your premium in installments and Bristol West will provide you a payment plan that includes additional installment fees. You can avoid paying those fees on future payments by paying your policy balance in full, or by making your installment payment at least one month in advance.

One offering I like is Bristol West’s text alert program. You can enroll into Bristol West’s text alert program to receive payment reminders or if you miss a payment (before your policy gets cancelled).

Here are the ways you can pay your Bristol West policy:

• Online via checking account, debit card, or credit card with no processing fees
• Via an automated phone system (1-888-888-0080) with a convenience fee for processing one-time payments added to your current installment payment
• On the phone with a service operations advocate between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm local time with a convenience fee for processing one-time payments added to your current installment payment (same number as above)
• Automatically through your checking account, savings account, debit card, or credit card each month
• Through the mail:
  • Customers in Arizona, California, Nevada and Texas:
  • Bristol West Insurance Group
  • PO Box 7142
  • Pasadena, CA 91109-7142

  
  

  • Customers in all other states
  • Bristol West Insurance Group
  • PO Box 371329
  • Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7329
• To your agent directly
• Through the nearest Western Union Quick Collect (City code: POLICY, State Code: FL)
• At a MoneyGram retail payment location (receive code: 4978)

Bristol West’s insurance offerings may not be standard, but its quote process is pretty typical. You can start a quote from Bristol West online by submitting your zip code.

You can also use Bristol West’s website to search for a local agent or broker. Either can help you obtain an insurance policy.

Bristol West offers the following required and optional auto insurance coverages:

• Liability coverage pays the cost of the other driver’s property and bodily injury expenses if you are at-fault in an accident
• Comprehensive coverage provides reimbursement for physical damage from events out of your control, like theft, vandalism, or natural disasters
• Collision covers damage when your vehicle collides with another car or object, regardless of who is at-fault
• Uninsured/underinsured motorist (UIM) protects you if the person at-fault has no insurance or not enough insurance
• Rental reimbursement pays up to $50 per day for up to 30 days for a rental car after a covered loss
• Medical payments pays up to $10,000 if you need medical care due to a car accident (note: other companies, like Progressive, go up to $25,000)
• Rideshare coverage to extend your personal auto insurance limits and coverage if you use your personal vehicle for a gig
• Towing and roadside assistance applied to each disablement on a covered vehicle up to your policy limit
• Permissive user coverage, which gives a driver permission to use your vehicle and extends them coverage
• $500 trailer physical damage coverage if attached to a covered vehicle
• Rental car coverage equal to your personal, Bristol West insured vehicle

Unfortunately, Bristol West’s customer satisfaction data is less-than-satisfactory. The company’s NAIC score, which measures customer complaints via a market index, is 5.19, meaning Bristol West receives over 5 times as many complaints as expected in the insurance market. When I filtered by personal passenger vehicle complaints, Bristol West earned 2.01 which is better, but still means it has twice as high a complaint index as expected in the overall insurance market.¹

Bristol West did not appear on any of J.D. Power’s customer satisfaction reports, which could reflect its smaller market share.

Now for the positive news: one of the most important things to look for in an insurance company, especially high-risk drivers, is financial stability. Bristol West received a financial stability rating of A (excellent) from AM Best.² That means you can rely on Bristol West to pay out claims.

Bristol West allows you to file a claim online 24/7, which is convenient for policyholders who need to report a claim outside of business hours. You can also call the company’s toll-free number at 1-800-274-7865 to speak with a representative.

Unlike most carrier websites, Bristol West lets you make a payment, report a claim, and view your insurance ID without logging in. I think that’s a helpful feature, especially if you’re the type of person who forgets passwords or misplaces login information. You will, of course, need to provide identifying information.

To make a payment, you’ll need your account/policy number and zip code to start.

As discussed above, you can report a claim online or on the phone and check on the status of that claim online or via your claims representative.

To view your insurance ID card, provide your zip code and two of three pieces of identifying information requested: last name, date of birth, and policy number.

At times, I found Bristol West’s website difficult to navigate. Often, I had to Google a specific question in order to find the answer on Bristol West’s hidden FAQ page.

On the app side, Bristol West receives 4.7 out of 5 on the iOS App Store (Apple devices) and 3.7 out of 5 on the Google Play store (Android devices).

Apple users note affordable rates and good customer service in difficult situations. In January 2024, one user wrote: “the app is very easy to use and navigate….It doesn’t freeze up or crash. Making payments and getting proof of insurance is quick and easy.”

Android users are less-than-thrilled with the app’s performance—especially when it comes to making payments—which leads me to believe it works better and/or was developed first for iPhone users. Here’s what someone said in January 2025: “App design isn’t great, and I can’t pay on the app. The last five times I tried didn’t work and I have to call and pay.”

Here’s a rundown of what you can expect to be able to do on your mobile device:

• Review your bills and make payments
• Access auto insurance ID cards
• View your policy
• Find your agent

At AutoInsurance.com, we assess auto insurance providers on four factors:

• Price (40%): We analyze average premiums for both full and minimum coverage across different driver profiles, including those with accidents, limited driving experience (such as teens), low credit scores, or DUIs. Discounts for high-risk drivers and the availability of SR-22 filing are also taken into account. Our full coverage calculations use the following limits:
  • Bodily injury liability: $100,000 per person/$300,000 per accident
  • Property damage liability: $50,000 per accident
  • Uninsured/underinsured motorist bodily injury: $50,000 per person/$100,000 per accident
  • Comprehensive and collision: $500 deductible
• Claims Handling (25%): We prioritize a claims process that is quick, clear, and efficient. Our evaluation uses data from sources such as the CRASH Network Insurer Report Card, J.D. Power Claims Satisfaction Study, and financial ratings from AM Best and S&P. Whenever possible, we also factor in real-life customer feedback.
• Customer Experience (25%): A seamless customer journey—from getting a quote to managing your policy—is critical. We request quotes ourselves and evaluate interactions through both online and agent-assisted channels, in addition to reviewing the insurer’s website and mobile app. Our research includes insights from J.D. Power studies, NAIC complaint data, BBB ratings, and user feedback from app stores.
• Coverage Options (10%): We analyze the variety of coverage options offered, with added value for those that go beyond basic state requirements, such as accident forgiveness, gap insurance, and rideshare coverage.

For more information, visit our ratings and methodology page.