Is MetLife Insurance Good for New York Drivers?

Last Updated on October 4, 2026 by James Shaffer

If you are searching for MetLife car insurance in New York, there is an important change to know: MetLife no longer operates its former U.S. Auto & Home business under the MetLife brand. Farmers Insurance completed its acquisition of MetLife Auto & Home in April 2021, and the business was subsequently rebranded.

That means many of the rates, discounts, coverage features, and MetLife auto insurance tools described in older reviews are no longer current. Today, New York drivers looking for personal auto insurance should compare current insurers and policies rather than trying to buy a new MetLife-branded auto policy.

What Happened to MetLife Auto Insurance?

MetLife was once a major seller of personal auto and home insurance in the United States. That changed when Farmers Insurance acquired the MetLife Auto & Home property and casualty business.

Farmers announced that the acquisition closed on April 7, 2021. Farmers said the transaction included approximately 2.4 million policies that were in force at the time.

Farmers initially said existing MetLife Auto & Home policies would remain the same other than rebranding. Because several years have passed since the acquisition, however, anyone who originally had a MetLife Auto & Home policy should review their current declarations page and renewal documents for the insurer, coverages, limits, discounts, and terms that apply today.

Does MetLife Still Offer Car Insurance in New York?

MetLife itself is not the same personal auto insurance option it was before the 2021 sale. MetLife’s current consumer insurance offerings focus on products such as life insurance, employee benefits, dental, vision, pet insurance, and related financial products rather than the former MetLife Auto & Home business.

There is one important distinction: some employees and association members may encounter auto insurance through a MetLife benefits program. MetLife’s current Auto and Home Insurance Program identifies the product as Farmers GroupSelect, not MetLife-branded auto insurance.

Farmers says its GroupSelect program may provide auto insurance and group discounts to employees of participating employers and members of participating organizations. Eligibility, availability, coverage, and discounts can vary, so drivers should confirm current terms when requesting a quote.

What About Former MetLife Auto Insurance Coverage?

Older MetLife policies offered many of the coverages commonly found in personal auto insurance. The important question today is not what MetLife offered years ago, but what your current insurer offers and what appears on your current policy.

When comparing New York policies, start with the coverage required by the state and then decide whether you need additional protection. Our guide to minimum auto insurance coverage explains the baseline, while our guide to liability protection explains coverage for injuries or property damage you may cause to others.

Drivers who want protection for their own vehicle can also compare collision coverage and comprehensive coverage. These coverages are generally separate from New York’s legally required liability and no-fault protections and may be required by a lender or leasing company.

Other protections to review can include personal injury protection, uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, rental car coverage, and GAP coverage.

Depending on the policy, you may also have options involving roadside assistance, glass coverage for windshield damage, and coverage related to medical expenses. You can learn more in our guide to medical payments coverage.

New York’s no-fault system can also cover qualifying economic losses after an accident, including certain lost earnings. See our guide to car insurance and lost wages for more detail.

How to Compare Car Insurance After the MetLife Sale

If you found this page because you were considering MetLife, the most useful next step is to compare currently available insurers using identical coverage limits and deductibles. A lower premium is not necessarily a better deal if the quote also reduces your protection.

Compare the Same Coverage on Every Quote

Use the same liability limits, physical damage coverage, deductibles, optional endorsements, and driver information on each quote. If you change the deductible or coverage limits between insurers, the resulting premiums are not directly comparable.

Some companies may also offer programs commonly described as diminishing or vanishing deductibles. The eligibility rules and value of these programs vary, so review the actual policy terms rather than assuming an older MetLife feature is still available.

Get Quotes Based on Your Current Driving Profile

Old MetLife sample rates should not be used to estimate what you would pay today. Auto premiums can vary significantly based on the driver, location, vehicle, coverage choices, claims history, and the insurer’s current rating plan.

Your driving record can matter as well. If you have recently had an accident, review how a not-at-fault accident can affect insurance issues in New York. Drivers with violations can also review our discussion of speeding tickets and car insurance.

Understand How Credit Information Is Treated

Do not rely on the old MetLife claim that a particular credit score automatically produces a specific premium. Insurance scoring and underwriting are more complicated than a single score threshold, and insurer practices can change. Read more about how a credit score may affect auto insurance and options for drivers seeking car insurance with poor credit.

Check Discounts You Actually Qualify For

Discounts vary by company and state. Instead of assuming the former MetLife discounts still apply, ask each insurer about current eligibility requirements.

• Student discounts: Families with younger drivers can ask about a good student discount.
• Students living away from home: Some insurers offer discounts when an eligible student attends school away from home and has limited access to a household vehicle. See our guide to the student-away-from-home discount.
• Multi-policy discounts: Buying multiple types of insurance from the same insurer can sometimes reduce premiums. Learn more about bundling auto insurance with other policies.
• Employer or association programs: Farmers GroupSelect may offer discounts to members of participating employers, associations, or other eligible groups.

Consider Special Driving Situations

If you use your vehicle for rideshare work, do not assume an ordinary personal policy covers every stage of an Uber or Lyft trip. Coverage can vary based on your location, platform status, and policy. See our guide to insurance for Uber and Lyft drivers in New York.

Should New York Drivers Consider Farmers Instead?

Farmers acquired the former MetLife Auto & Home business, but that does not mean Farmers will automatically be the right insurer for every former MetLife customer. Rates and underwriting can differ substantially from one household to another.

If Farmers or Farmers GroupSelect is available to you, treat it like any other current quote: compare its premium, limits, deductibles, endorsements, discounts, and claims-related features with competing insurers. Our guide to the cheapest auto insurance companies in New York can help you understand why the lowest-cost carrier varies by driver.

Farmers currently provides information about personal auto coverage at Farmers.com. Eligible employees and association members can also review the Farmers GroupSelect auto program.

How the Former MetLife Auto Companies Rank on Complaints

New York’s Department of Financial Services ranks auto insurers every year by upheld complaints per $1 million of premiums. A complaint is upheld when DFS agrees the insurer handled something wrong, such as a late no-fault payment or an improper nonrenewal. The 2025 report covers complaints closed in 2024 and ranks 128 companies. Across all of them combined, the ratio was 0.0341.

MetLife no longer sells car insurance, but the companies that wrote its auto policies still exist under new names. Farmers bought MetLife Auto and Home in 2021, and the companies were renamed: Metropolitan Casualty Insurance Company became Farmers Casualty Insurance Company, Metropolitan Group Property and Casualty became Farmers Group Property and Casualty Insurance Company, and Metropolitan Property and Casualty became Farmers Property and Casualty Insurance Company. If you had a MetLife auto policy, it was most likely moved to one of these three.

Company	Rank (of 128)	Upheld Complaints	Complaint Ratio
Farmers Casualty Insurance Company	6	0	0.0000
Farmers Group Property and Casualty Insurance Company	76	5	0.0409
Farmers Property and Casualty Insurance Company	77	5	0.0429

Taken together, the three former MetLife companies had 10 upheld complaints on about $275 million of yearly New York auto premiums, a combined ratio of 0.0363. That’s worse than the 0.0341 figure for the whole market. In the previous report (complaints closed in 2023), the same companies had 15 upheld complaints and a ratio of 0.0624, against 0.0275 for all insurers that year.

Those premiums add up to 1.5% of the private passenger auto premiums counted in the DFS report. That share is our own calculation from the DFS figures, not an official market share number, but it gives a rough sense of how much of the New York market these companies insures.

DFS points out that the ranking counts only complaints filed with the department, and that one or two extra upheld complaints can move a smaller insurer a long way. Use it alongside price, coverage and claims service, and match it to the company named on your quote or declarations page.

What Does MetLife Do Today?

MetLife remains a major New York-based financial services and insurance company even though its former U.S. Auto & Home business was sold. According to MetLife’s corporate history, the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company officially opened in 1868 after earlier origins dating to a company formed during the Civil War.

MetLife today focuses on insurance, employee benefits, annuities, retirement-related products, asset management, and other financial services in markets around the world.

MetLife Company Information	Current Information
U.S. Personal Auto Status	Former MetLife Auto & Home business acquired by Farmers in 2021
Headquarters	200 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10166
MetLife Phone	1-800-638-5433 (1-800-METLIFE)
Online Contact	MetLife Contact and Support
MetLife Website	MetLife.com
Current Group Auto Program	Farmers GroupSelect for eligible participating employers and organizations

The Bottom Line on MetLife Auto Insurance in New York

MetLife was once a direct personal auto insurance option for New York drivers, but an old MetLife Auto & Home review no longer reflects the current marketplace. Farmers completed its acquisition of the business in 2021, and the former MetLife auto operation was rebranded.

If you had a MetLife Auto & Home policy, check your current policy documents to see which insurer now underwrites or services your coverage and what terms apply. If you are shopping for a new policy, compare current quotes from multiple insurers rather than relying on historical MetLife prices, discounts, ratings, or product features.

FAQs on MetLife Auto Insurance in New York