2023 The Hartford Review

Buying coverage from The Hartford makes the most sense if you are an AARP member since you can automatically qualify for lower rates through the AARP Homeowners and Auto Insurance Programs. Some of the company’s greatest strengths include its solid lineup of home and auto coverage types and the easy discount opportunities it offers to policyholders who bundle policies and enroll in a telematics program.

The Hartford insurance review continues below with more information about the company’s small business coverage options, customer satisfaction ratings and more.

The Hartford auto insurance review summary: Despite receiving a high number of complaints related to car insurance, The Hartford has an above-average customer satisfaction score for auto coverage. Along with offering policies that meet basic car insurance requirements, the company also provides unique coverage types that address the needs of AARP members such as transportation and everyday living support through RecoverCare following an accident. The Hartford home insurance review summary: On the flip side, The Hartford has an unimpressive customer satisfaction score for home insurance but is also the subject of few homeowners-related complaints. Despite offering a relatively small number of home insurance discounts, the company still provides numerous endorsements that AARP members can purchase to customize their policies in a way that best suits their needs.

The Hartford Insurance Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
No. 1 midsize auto insurer for a satisfying insurance shopping experience	Home insurance isn’t available in Florida and 12 other states
High customer satisfaction rating for car insurance and low rate of complaints for home insurance	Low customer satisfaction rating for home insurance and high rate of complaints for car insurance
TrueLane telematics app is well-reviewed and can lead to substantial discounts	Offers a relatively small number of homeowners insurance discounts
Provides a broad range of home and auto coverages that are well suited for AARP members

About The Hartford

The Hartford was founded as a fire insurance company in 1810. It later formed its Accident and Indemnity Company to cover vehicles in 1913 and opened a dedicated small business service center in 1983. In addition, The Hartford partnered with AARP to cover members through the AARP Homeowners Insurance Program and AARP Auto Insurance Program beginning in 1984.^[1]

In the more than 200 years since its founding, The Hartford has insured numerous historical figures and landmarks. For example, the company wrote insurance policies for Yale University in 1825, then-president-elect Abraham Lincoln’s Illinois home in 1861 and the Hoover Dam in 1931.^[1]

Availability

The Hartford offers car insurance in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia.^[2] Conversely, the company only offers homeowners insurance in 37 states, with coverage being unavailable in the District of Columbia and the following states:^[3]

• Alabama
• Alaska
• Delaware
• Florida
• Idaho
• Iowa
• Mississippi
• Montana
• Nebraska
• North Dakota
• Rhode Island
• South Dakota
• Wyoming

Coverage

The Hartford operates in multiple lines of business and has the potential to fully meet many potential customers’ insurance needs. Examples of the categories of coverage available through The Hartford include:

• Home
• Renters
• Condo
• Landlord
• Auto
• Classic car
• RV
• ATV
• Boat
• Golf cart
• Snowmobile
• Commercial
• Umbrella
• Flood
• Life
• Supplemental health

Consumer Experience

Line of Business	J.D. Power Score (Out of 1,000)[4][5]	NAIC Complaint Index[6]	NAIC Share of Complaints in U.S. Market[6]
General	N/A	0.38	0.04%
Auto	829*	3.97	0.07%
Home	807	0	0%

*Average score across four profiled regions

Customer Service

The Hartford’s primary phone number is 860-547-5000 and policyholders can also visit the company’s online customer service portal in order to select specific situations they need help with and receive pertinent support.^[7]

The Hartford stands out from the pack when it comes to customer satisfaction ratings related to its car insurance policies according to recent J.D. Power studies. It ranked first in the Northwest region for overall customer satisfaction, earned an above-average rating in every other region where it was rated and finished in the No. 1 spot among midsize insurers when it came to providing a satisfying car insurance shopping experience.^[4][8] Conversely, the company’s overall customer satisfaction rating for home insurance was below average.^[5]

Interestingly, The Hartford’s customer satisfaction ratings don’t seem to directly correlate with the number of complaints it receives according to data published by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. In 2022, The Hartford didn’t receive any complaints related to homeowners insurance but did receive nearly four times the number of auto insurance complaints that would be expected for an insurer with its market share.^[6]

Features

Auto & Home at The Hartford is a mobile app that lets policyholders pull up a digital ID card, request roadside assistance, file claims and more. The Hartford insurance reviews for the mobile app suggest users have encountered a less-than-stellar experience, especially on Google Play.^[9][10]

Platform	Number of Reviews	Star Rating
App Store (Auto & Home)	644	3.8/5
Google Play (Auto & Home)	969	2.6/5
App Store (TrueLane)	766	4.5/5
Google Play (TrueLane)	783	4/5

Conversely, reviews have been more favorable for The Hartford’s telematics app, TrueLane.^[11][12] Signing up for usage-based insurance (UBI) through TrueLane will earn you a discount of up to 12%, while practicing safe driving habits could earn you a discount of up to 25% at policy renewal.^[13]

Like multiple other car insurance companies, The Hartford partners with TrueCar to give customers access to a car-buying program. By using this service, you can connect with prescreened car dealers and view vehicle reports that show how much previous vehicle owners paid for their cars.^[14]

Pricing

The Hartford’s small business customers pay an average of $86 per month for workers’ compensation insurance, $85 per month for business owners policies (BOPs) and $67 per month for standalone general liability insurance policies.^[15] Of course, insurance prices can vary greatly depending on your personal characteristics, so you should reach out to the company directly for a more specific quote.

Meanwhile, the company reported that policyholders who switched to The Hartford in 2022, bundled their home and auto policies and shared information about their previous insurance costs saved an average of $120 per year on homeowners insurance and $507 per year on car insurance.^[16]

Claims

On The Hartford’s website, a policyholder can select the type of claim they need to file and then log into their account to begin the claims process from there or view phone numbers listed on the individual claims portals that they can call if they need further information.^[17]

The Hartford Car Insurance

The Hartford auto insurance policies are tailored to the needs of members of AARP, an organization that focuses on supporting people over the age of 50. These policies typically include the basic coverage types that are often required by law and by lenders along with optional add-ons you could purchase to enhance your coverage.

What’s Covered

If you decide to buy auto coverage from The Hartford, you should be able to add coverage types like these to your policy:^[16][18][19]

• Bodily injury and property damage liability coverage
• Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage
• Personal injury protection (PIP)
• Medical payments coverage
• Comprehensive and collision coverage
• Rental car reimbursement
• Rental car insurance
• Gap insurance
• Roadside assistance and towing coverage
• Full glass coverage
• Accident forgiveness
• Disappearing deductible coverage
• New car replacement insurance
• RecoverCare (post-accident assistance coverage)
• Lifetime car repair assurance

What Isn’t Covered

Car insurance exclusions can differ among policies but some exclusions you could potentially encounter in a policy from The Hartford include the following:^[20]

• Commercial activities
• Accidents involving members of your household who you haven’t added to your policy
• Punitive damages
• Uninsured motorist claims for someone who settles the claim without going through the insurer or drives a car without having a reasonable belief that they are allowed to do so

The Hartford Home Insurance

Similarly, The Hartford homeowners insurance policies provide coverage for AARP members through both standard home insurance coverages and a considerable selection of optional endorsements.

What’s Covered

Here are the coverages you may be able to add to your AARP homeowners insurance through The Hartford:^[21]

• Dwelling insurance with the option to upgrade to extended replacement cost coverage
• Other structures coverage
• Personal property insurance with the option to upgrade to “new for old” protection (replacement cost value coverage)
• Loss of use coverage
• Personal liability coverage
• Medical payments coverage
• ProtectorPLUS Zero Deductible Benefit (large loss deductible waiver)
• Disappearing deductible coverage
• Lock replacement coverage
• Identity theft coverage
• Equipment breakdown insurance
• Valuables and scheduled personal property coverage
• Green rebuilding coverage
• Ease of living upgrade coverage
• Water backup and sump pump overflow coverage

What Isn’t Covered

Meanwhile, perils that generally won’t be covered by your home insurance policy from The Hartford include the following:^[22]

• Floods
• Earthquakes
• Losses related to a home-based business
• Wear and tear
• Neglect or poor maintenance

Additional Policies The Hartford Offers

See below for information about some of the other major insurance products you may be able to purchase from The Hartford.

RV

The Hartford offers recreational vehicle (RV) coverage that can come with liability insurance, medical payments coverage and collision insurance. You can also purchase new RV replacement coverage that allows you to buy a similar RV if your current one is totaled.

ATV

An off-road or all-terrain vehicle (ATV) insurance policy from The Hartford can also include many of the same coverage types as other vehicle insurance policies the company offers such as liability, uninsured motorist, medical payments, collision and comprehensive coverage.

Commercial

The Hartford’s commercial insurance policies are primarily targeted toward small businesses and can include coverage types like these:^[23]

• BOP with general liability insurance, commercial property insurance and business interruption insurance
• Workers’ compensation insurance
• Commercial auto insurance
• Professional liability insurance
• Commercial flood insurance
• Commercial umbrella insurance
• Data breach insurance
• Employment practices liability insurance (EPLI)
• Inland marine insurance
• Management liability insurance
• Home-based business insurance
• Multinational business insurance

Renters

While your landlord’s insurance should already cover the structure of the home you rent, you can get renters insurance to protect your personal belongings from specified perils. Renters policies from The Hartford also typically come with liability and loss of use coverage.

Condo

Similarly, The Hartford condo insurance can help you avoid major financial losses related to the parts of your unit that aren’t covered by your condo association’s master insurance policy. Specifically, this includes coverage for your belongings and the internal structure of your unit including built-in appliances and fixtures.

Life

The Hartford doesn’t sell individual life insurance policies but does provide group life insurance through employers. These term life insurance policies can be portable and may come with the option to convert into whole life insurance at the end of the term. You can also enhance your coverage by adding accelerated death benefit, accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) and disability waiver of premium riders.^[24]

The Hartford Discounts

Check out the below tables for an overview of some of the discount opportunities available to AARP members whose homes or vehicles are insured by The Hartford.^[25][26]

Auto Insurance Discounts

Discount Name	Discount Description
AARP Member	AARP members automatically qualify for savings of up to 10% on their car insurance premiums
Bundle Insurance Savings	You’ll get lower rates on your car insurance if you also buy home, renters or condo insurance from The Hartford
Paid-in-Full	You won’t have to spend as much on car insurance if you pay your entire premium up front rather than paying in monthly installments
Quote Online To Save	In most states, you can secure a discounted rate by requesting your car insurance quote through The Hartford’s website
Drive Safe and Save	This discount applies to policyholders who sign up for TrueLane and drive safely during the coverage period
Safety Features	Installing safety features like anti-lock brakes and extra airbags can also earn you an auto insurance discount
Vehicle Fuel Type	If you drive a hybrid car or electric vehicle (EV), you may be eligible for a discounted premium
Safe Driver Training	Drivers who are younger than 25 in Georgia and younger than 21 elsewhere can get a discount by completing an approved training course
Defensive Driver Course	Similarly, drivers who verify that they have gone through an approved defensive driving course will earn a three-year car insurance discount

Home Insurance Discounts

Discount Name	Discount Description
Fire Protection	One way to earn a homeowners insurance discount is to install fire protection devices such as sprinkler systems
Retiree Credits	The Hartford offers discounts to policyholders who work less than 24 hours per week
Home Security Systems	Up your home security by adding a burglar alarm or similar security device and you could qualify for additional savings
Auto & Home Bundle	You’ll get lower rates on your homeowners insurance if you also buy AARP auto insurance from The Hartford
Claim-Free	In general, your policy will be cheaper the longer you’ve gone without filing a homeowners insurance claim

How Does The Hartford Compare to Other Car Insurance Companies?

Hartford vs Ameriprise	Hartford vs Arbella
Hartford vs Foremost	Hartford vs Kemper
Hartford vs MetLife	Hartford vs National General
Hartford vs Plymouth Rock	Hartford vs Utica National