Our take
Commonwealth Casualty only sells insurance to drivers in Arizona, Texas and Ohio. While rates tend to be lower than average, policy options and features are also limited.
Pros:
- Below-average premiums.
- Vanishing deductible.
- New claim estimates in 24 hours, on average.
Cons:
- Only available in three states.
- Higher-than-average consumer complaints.
- No mobile app or online claims process.
Commonwealth car insurance review
Jerry did not give Commonwealth a star rating due to a lack of available data. Each year, Jerry revises its rating system and may rate this insurer in the future.
Commonwealth is a Phoenix-based auto insurer with a relatively small market share but high ratings from Jerry customers.
There is no AM Best financial strength rating for Commonwealth, and the company is not included in J.D. Power industry rankings. Potential customers can shop for a Commonwealth policy online, over the phone or through a local agent.
Who is Commonwealth best for?
Commonwealth auto insurance may be an affordable option for drivers in Arizona, Texas or Ohio who are looking to bundle their homeowners or renters insurance and potentially save money. Deductible discounts are available to drivers who maintain constant coverage and stay claims-free.
There is no mobile app and limited online functionality, so Commonwealth is best for drivers who prefer to handle policy changes, claims and account settings over the phone or with an agent in person.
If you’re considering purchasing Commonwealth auto insurance, be sure to compare quotes from multiple companies in your area to find the right coverage at the best possible price.
How much does Commonwealth car insurance cost?
The average cost for the state-required minimum car insurance with Commonwealth is 26.1% lower than the national average, according to our analysis of over 400,000 policies quoted to real Jerry customers from 24 unique insurers.
Your premium is determined by a number of factors, including your age, location, the type and age of vehicle you drive, your driving record, other drivers on your policy, and the amount of coverage you want.
Commonwealth car insurance rates
Here’s a look at Commonwealth’s car insurance rates quoted for real Jerry customers:
Commonwealth car insurance discounts
With Commonwealth, you can lower your rates by:
- Bundling your car insurance with a home or renters policy.
- Staying accident- and claims-free.
Commonwealth car insurance coverage options
Commonwealth offers the most common types of coverage, including collision, comprehensive, bodily injury liability, property damage liability and uninsured/underinsured motorist protection.
-
Coverage Definitions
-
Who it pays: The other person, for injuries when you’re at fault in a crash.
-
What it covers: Medical bills, lost wages and legal costs for people injured in an accident you cause.
-
How it pays: Up to your policy limits, shown as two numbers. For example, 50/100 means $50K per person and $100K per accident.*
-
Do you need it? Required by law in every state except New Hampshire. Your state sets a minimum, but Jerry recommends considering limits of at least 100/300.
Property damage liability (PD)
-
Who it pays: The other person, for property you damage in a crash.
-
What it covers: Costs to repair or replace another person’s car, fence, mailbox or other property you hit.
-
How it pays: Up to your policy’s limit. For example, $50K.*
-
Do you need it? Required by law in every state except New Hampshire. Your state sets a minimum, but Jerry recommends considering limits of at least $100K.
*Bodily injury liability and property damage liability are typically shown as three numbers on your policy, like 100/300/100. The first two numbers represent your bodily injury limits per person and per accident, while the third number represents your property damage limit.
-
Who it pays: You, for damage to your own car.
-
What it covers: Costs to repair or replace your own car after a crash with another car or object, like a guardrail or pole.
-
How it pays: You pay a deductible first, then insurance covers the rest, typically up to your car’s current market value.
-
Do you need it? Required if you’re financing or leasing your car. Optional otherwise, but recommended if your car is worth more than $5,000. May not be worthwhile for older, lower-value cars.
-
Who it pays: You, for damage to your own car.
-
What it covers: Damage from non-crash events like theft, vandalism, hail, flooding, falling trees, fire or hitting an animal.
-
How it pays: You pay a deductible first, then insurance covers the rest, typically up to your car’s current market value.
-
Do you need it? Required if you’re financing or leasing your car. Optional otherwise, but recommended if your car is worth more than $5,000. May not be worthwhile for older, lower-value cars.
Uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM)
-
Who it pays: You and your passengers, for injuries and property damage.
-
What it covers: Your own injuries and property damage when the at-fault driver has no insurance or not enough to cover your costs, including hit-and-runs in many states.
-
How it pays: Up to your chosen limits, which often match your BI limits. There’s usually no deductible for UM, but UIM may have one.
-
Do you need it? Required in some states, but Jerry recommends every driver get it, since about 1 in 8 drivers does not have car insurance.
Personal injury protection (PIP)
-
Who it pays: You and your passengers, for medical bills and lost income, no matter who caused the accident.
-
What it covers: Medical bills, lost wages, childcare, funeral costs and other expenses after an accident, regardless of fault.
-
How it pays: Up to your policy limit. There’s usually no deductible, though this varies by state.
-
Do you need it? Required in no-fault states. If available in your state, it’s worth considering.
-
Who it pays: You and your passengers, for medical bills.
-
What it covers: Medical expenses after an accident, regardless of fault.
-
How it pays: No deductible. Pays up to your policy’s limit.
-
Do you need it? Optional in most states, but can be valuable if you don’t have health insurance or have a high-deductible health plan.
-
Commonwealth also offers the following optional protections:
- Rental reimbursement helps cover the cost of a rental car while your vehicle is being repaired after a covered loss.
- Roadside assistance helps pay for on-the-road help when you need it, including towing, jump-start, winch and lockout services, as well as tire changes and fuel delivery.
- Safety equipment coverage waives your comprehensive coverage deductible if your vehicle’s glass components (windshield, headlights, taillights) need repair or replacement.
Industry ratings of Commonwealth car insurance
Since Commonwealth operates in a limited number of markets and has a relatively small market share, few industry ratings are available for it. Unlike top insurance companies, Commonwealth hasn’t received some of the more common ratings from agencies like AM Best or J.D. Power. While a lack of rating isn’t necessarily a negative thing, it limits the information available to drivers who are considering a policy.
NAIC
Commonwealth receives more consumer complaints than expected for its size and market share, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). While there was no complaint index issued to the insurer in 2024, indices in 2023 and 2022 were 3.02 and 6.11, respectively.
| Qualitative rating | 3-year consumer complaint index |
|---|---|
| High | Above 1.5. |
| Moderately high | 1 to 1.5. |
| About average | Near 1. |
| Moderately low | 1 to 0.5. |
| Low | 0.5 to 0. |
The NAIC is the member group for state insurance commissioners in the United States. It makes recommendations, analyzes insurer financial filings, maintains reporting and more for insurance regulators.
How to contact Commonwealth
Get a quote: Get Commonwealth coverage quotes online, by calling 877-603-1310 or by using the insurer’s Find an Agent feature to contact a local independent agency.
Customer service: Call 877-603-1310. Customer service representatives are available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. MST, Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and closed on Sunday.
File a claim: Claims can be filed over the phone by calling 877-603-1310 and following the prompts to initiate a new claim.
Methodology
We looked at over 400,000 actual policies quotes from real Jerry customers during 2024 across 24 different insurance companies. The pricing data included both those with clean driving records as well as those with a violation.
How we rate car insurance companies
Jerry’s team of car insurance expert writers and editors analyze real customer ratings and industry reports to get a holistic view of an insurer’s performance. Our rubric emphasizes the shopping and claims experiences, customer complaints and reviews, repair shops’ evaluations of insurers, policy and quote pricing, and state availability.
We regularly reassess insurers’ star ratings and fact-check these reviews to ensure they’re accurate and up-to-date.
These individual factors roll up into one weighting system as follows:
20% Financial strength.
20% Complaints.
20% Industry ratings.
20% Customer ratings.
20% Cost and discounts.
Stephanie Colestock is a professional writer, CFEI®, and licensed insurance agent specializing in personal finance. With over 14 years of experience, she crafts insightful and accessible content on a wide range of financial topics, including insurance, loans, credit/debt, investing, retirement planning, and banking.
Her bylines appear in top-tier publications such as TIME, Fortune, MSN, Business Insider, USA Today, Money, Fox Business, and CBS. Stephanie’s deep understanding of complex financial concepts and her ability to communicate them clearly have made her a trusted voice in the industry.
When she’s not writing, Stephanie enjoys SCUBA diving, reading a good book, and traveling the world with her family.
Annie is a writer and editor at Jerry with more than a decade of experience writing and editing digital content. Before joining Jerry, she was an assistant assigning editor at NerdWallet. Her past work has appeared in the Associated Press, USA Today and The Washington Post. Her work has been cited by Northwestern University and Harvard Kennedy School. Annie served as a spokesperson for NerdWallet during her time at NerdWallet and has been featured in New York Magazine, MarketWatch and on local television and radio stations.
Previously, she worked at USAA and newspapers in Minnesota, North Dakota, California and Texas. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Minnesota.
