Finding the best homeowners insurance in Connecticut requires you to look at multiple factors. Yes, cheap premiums are good, but so is having a company with the financial strength to pay out on claims no matter what the circumstances. Customer service matters, as does the range of coverage options and discounts that allow you to customize your policy to your own specific needs. With all that in mind, we chose the companies in Connecticut that give you the most bang for your buck.
The Five Best Homeowners Insurance Companies in Connecticut
| Amica | USAA | State Farm | Allstate | Liberty Mutual | |
| Our review | Our review | Our review | Our review | Our review | |
| AM Best Financial Strength Rating | A+ | A++ | A++ | A+ | A |
| J.D. Power Overall Customer Satisfaction Score | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 3/5 | 2/5 |
| Online Quote Tool | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Compare rates | Compare rates | Compare rates | Compare rates | Compare rates |
Average Cost of Homeowners Insurance in Connecticut
The average cost of a homeowner insurance policy in Connecticut is $1,067, which puts it slightly under the national average of $1,211. High property values coupled with uncertain weather patterns — especially in the winter — play a role in those costs.
Your own premium will vary depending on multiple factors, including the age and location of your home, your own credit rating, and your ability to take advantage of discounts. Every insurance company uses its own proprietary logarithm to determine your premium, so you may get vastly different quotes from different companies. All the more reason, then, to gather several quotes before you make your decision on homeowners insurance in Connecticut.
Home Insurance Add-ons That Will Further Protect You
With its long eastern coastline, Connecticut is susceptible to fierce summer storms and even hurricanes coming up from the south. One amendment, or add-on, that you may want to consider is flood insurance, which is available through your insurer from the National Flood Insurance Program. This does not come standard in most policies, but is worth asking about, even if you are not in a flood plain. Not sure if you are? FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center lets you plug in your address and find out.
Sewer and sump pump backup coverage is usually not part of a basic HO-3 homeowner policy, but is available as an endorsement. Coverage here is a little tricky. Your basic policy may cover clean-up in your home if there’s an overflow that starts in the pipes in your house, but not if the blockage is at the street level — that requires additional coverage. Your best bet is to talk this out with your agent and see exactly what’s covered.
Helpful Resources for Connecticut Homeowners
Connecticut’s Insurance Department website is a good resource for basic information on homeowners insurance. There’s even a page with specific info for coastal homeowners. It’s also the place to go if you have a complaint about your homeowners insurance or if you have questions regarding a claim.
Another good resource is the free e-booklet A Shopping Tool for Homeowners Insurance from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. It answers many questions you might have, such as what information you’ll need to give your agent and the steps to take to find the best policy. There are forms you can fill out for a home inventory, and a handy glossary of insurance terms.
Methodology
We used the methodology developed for our national review of the best homeowners insurance companies to find the Connecticut stand-outs. We started with those companies that are writing the most policies in the state — these are the ones whose agents understand what’s important for Connecticut homeowners to protect.
We looked at organizations like Consumer Reports and J.D. Power that analyze customer satisfaction, and those that measure financial strength like A.M. Best and Standard & Poors. We took a deep dive into each company’s website to see how easy it made things like getting a quote or filing a claim.
Lastly, we looked at the breadth of offerings each company had once you move past the basics. Was there a nice range of endorsements? An extensive list of discounts? These are the elements that allow you to personalize your policy to fit your own specific needs. We also asked each company for a sample quote, based on an average home in Torrington.
Best Connecticut Homeowners Insurance Companies
Amica
Best Connecticut Homeowners Insurance
Pros
- Excellent customer service
- Reasonably priced premiums
- Great claims satisfaction
Cons
- Not much digital functionality
Amica’s great strength is its superior customer service. It came in first place in J.D. Power’s 2019 U.S. Home Insurance Study, where it earned five out of five Power Circles. Not surprisingly, it’s also number one in Consumer Reports homeowner insurance list, with 94 out of 100.
Its premiums rank in the middle of the group we queried, with $884 as an average cost. That’s not bad, and the fact that the company has a reputation for paying claims quickly and efficiently makes it money well spent.
About the only negative thing we can say about Amica is that its website isn’t as useful as some of the other top companies. You can get a quote and pay your bill, but it lacks the educational resources that you find at, say, State Farm. That’s a small quibble, though, and we’re confident that Amica is one of the top insurers in Connecticut.
USAA
Best Connecticut Homeowners Insurance
Pros
- High customer service rankings
- Financially strong
- Reasonable rates
Cons
- Only available to Military
USAA generally runs neck-and-neck with Amica in homeowner insurance rankings. In fact, it’s number two behind Amica with Consumer Reports’ listing and in the same spot on J.D. Power’s Property Claims Satisfaction Study. It’s known for personalized customer service and low premium rates, and is financially solid, with an A++ from AM Best. That means it will be able to pay out claims no matter how the economy does.
There’s only one catch to doing business with USAA: only current and former members of the military and their families are able to purchase policies. If you are in that category, we highly recommend you get a quote from the company.
As you might expect, USAA excels with a range of coverages designed specifically for service members. Military uniforms, for example, are covered, and if you bundle your car insurance with homeowners, you’ll save 10% — and be eligible for even more savings if you garage your car on base.
State Farm
Best Connecticut Homeowners Insurance
Pros
- A++ financial rating
- Detailed quote tool
- Decent customer service
Cons
- Limited discounts
As the #1 writer of homeowner insurance policies in America, State Farm has the experience and financial depth to offer some nice features to its customers. The company has AM Best’s highest ranking, A++, which means your claim check will be on time even if there’s a regional calamity such as a hurricane.
Allstate has a good reputation for customer service, with more than 19,000 independent agents servicing the country, including many on the ground in Connecticut communities. It also makes the online experience pleasant and informative for its customers, with an online quote tool that is the most detailed and exact of any we checked, and an excellent blog.
Surprisingly, State Farm has a small list of discounts: a multi-line discount, discounts for fire, smoke, or burglar alarms, and one for using certain types of roofing products. If the company comes in high on a requested quote, you won’t be able to save much by applying discounts — which may matter if you’re pinching pennies.
Allstate
Best Connecticut Homeowners Insurance
Pros
- Excellent digital experience
- Customizable coverage options
- Extensive discounts
Cons
- Average customer service rankings
Another big name in the industry, Allstate has a solid presence in Connecticut. In addition to basic coverages, it offers some innovative options, like green improvement reimbursement and electronic data recovery costs, that allow you to home in on exactly what you’d like to cover in your policy.
Allstate’s discounts are just as extensive and include some more uncommon ones, like a discount if you’re over 55 and retired, discounts for a newly constructed house, and a welcome discount of 10% just for switching to Allstate.
Allstate’s website makes getting a quote or filing a claim easy. It also has a number of extras, including one we suggest you take a look at even if you’re not going to go with the company: Common & Costly Claims lets you plug in your address and see the five most common and most costly claims that are made in your zip code. This is valuable information and may help you tailor your policy for the specific type of disasters that occur in your region.
Liberty Mutual
Best Connecticut Homeowners Insurance
Pros
- Inflation protection
- Extensive discounts
Cons
- Below-average customer satisfaction
Liberty Mutual is the most popular writer of homeowner insurance policies in Connecticut and there are some good reasons why. It has a decent A ranking from AM Best — the lowest for our five choices, but still indicative of a financially stable company. It has an extensive discount list that includes all the basics, like multi-policy and claims-free, along with some you don’t see often, like a military discount and one if you insure your home up to 100% of the cost to replace it.
Liberty Mutual doesn’t have a lot of optional coverages but it has one that’s unique and worth considering: the company will automatically adjust your coverage limits each year when you renew so that you can stay on top of inflation. Doing that also nets you a discount, so it’s more than worth it, since a home purchased, say, ten years ago will have increased in value due to inflation, and you want your coverage to increase proportionately.
Liberty Mutual’s website didn’t wow us. You can handle tasks like paying your bill, getting ID cards, and filing and tracking a claim. But there are few of the robust educational elements you get at State Farm or Allstate, although a simple blog does provide some information.
The Cheapest Homeowner Insurance Companies In Connecticut
| Homeowner Insurance Companies | Average Annual Premium |
| Narragansett Bay Ins Co | $387.00 |
| Vermont Mut Ins Co | $436.00 |
| National Specialty Ins Co | $512.00 |
| Century Natl Ins Co | $548.00 |
| Metropolitan Insurance | $563.00 |
| Integon Natl Ins Co | $781.00 |
| USAA | $863.33 |
| Amica | $884.00 |
| Encompass | $968.00 |
| Safeco | $974.00 |
| State Farm | $1,067.00 |
| Merrimack Mut Fire Ins Co | $1,087.00 |
| Farmers Insurance | $1,090.00 |
| MAPFRE | $1,098.50 |
| Homesite | $1,144.00 |
| Chubb | $1,197.00 |
| Cambridge Mut Fire Ins Co | $1,242.00 |
Homeowner Insurance by Age of Home
| Age of Home Tier | Average Annual Premium |
| 5 | $904 |
| 20 | $1,106 |
| 35 | $1,128 |
| 50 | $1,132 |
| Average Across Age Tiers | $1,067 |
Quadrant home insurance rate data as of 12/01/2019.
These rates are a sample set meant only for general comparison. Your own premium will vary.
Top 3 Cheapest Homeowner Insurance Companies in Connecticut
- Narragansett Bay Insurance Co. – $387
- Vermont Mutual Insurance Co. – $436
- National Specialty Insurance Co. – $512
Top 3 Most Expensive Homeowner Insurance Companies in Connecticut
- Cambridge Mutual Fire Insurance Co. – $1,242
- Chubb – $1,197
- Homesite – $1,144
Most of the cheapest and most expensive insurance averages in Connecticut are with regional companies, rather than large national insurers. Regional companies may be more familiar with the locales in which they write policies, so their agents can cue you in on what you should be getting coverage for. On the other hand, the larger companies frequently have expanded resources, more extensive coverage options, and a higher rate of financial stability.
The rates we’ve listed here are based on general profiles, and your own experience with any of the companies we researched will likely yield different numbers. The best way to ensure that you’re getting the coverage you need at a price that works for you is to talk to agents, gather a handful of quotes, and make your decision based on data that’s specific to your circumstances.
Homeowners Insurance FAQ
About the Authors
Mary Van Keuren has been covering auto and home insurance for Reviews.com for nearly five years, and has published numerous reviews of state-specific insurance trends and how to find the best insurance deals for your money. She earned B.S. and M.A. degrees from Nazareth College in Rochester, N.Y. and has been writing professionally, both in print and online, for 30+ years.
Recently Added
