Insurance shopping trends: how customers compare, buy and switch

Insurance shopping trends over the last two years show customers comparing more often than at any point J.D. Power has measured. Its 2025 U.S. Insurance Shopping Study found 57% of auto insurance customers actively shopped for a new policy in the prior year, up from 49%, which J.D. Power called the highest shopping rate in the study's 19-year history. The 2026 study, based on 12,437 consumers surveyed from January 2025 through January 2026, put the rate at 53%. That is lower, but still at what J.D. Power describes as historic levels.

Shoppers are also doing more homework. In the 2026 study, customers collected an average of about three and a half quotes before deciding. For an agency, that means most prospects who call are already comparing you with two or three other options, and most existing clients will look around at least once during a period of rising rates.

This report compiles four studies: J.D. Power's 2025 and 2026 shopping studies, J.D. Power's 2025 and 2026 Independent Agent Satisfaction Studies (run with the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America), and Vertafore's 2025 survey of policyholders who work with independent agents. The shopping studies focus on auto insurance, which is where most of the published data sits.

Price was the trigger, and the habit has outlasted it. J.D. Power reported that the rate of auto premium increases fell from 13% at the start of 2024 to less than 2% by year end, yet shopping kept climbing through its 2025 study period. Once customers have shopped once and found the process manageable, they are more willing to do it again.

Bundling is the main retention lever the data points to. In the 2025 study, 33% of active auto shoppers wanted to bundle auto with homeowners coverage, and customers who bundle had stayed with their insurer an average of 7.0 years compared with 5.5 years for those who do not. That gap of a year and a half is worth knowing if your agency writes both lines.

Both, and the digital share is growing. J.D. Power's 2026 study found nearly half (48%) of new auto policies are purchased digitally, up from 36% five years earlier. A customer may start with an online quote, call to ask questions and finish the purchase on a phone, so an agency needs every step to work.

Customers who already use an independent agent still lean heavily on that person. Vertafore surveyed 604 policyholders with at least one policy through an independent agent in September 2025. 85% said they prefer an agent-assisted search when shopping, 62% want to work only with their agent to compare coverage, and 23% combine agent help with online research. Nearly 90% want the agent involved in managing their policy, either alone or alongside digital tools.

How those clients found their agent matters for marketing. 58% were referred by family or friends and 17% found the agent through a local office visit, while 12% found their agent through an online search. Younger buyers behave differently: half of respondents under 25 used online comparison tools, compared with under 10% of other age groups. Vertafore notes its sample leans toward policyholders aged 58 and older, so these figures describe an agency's existing book more than the next generation of buyers.

Within the business day. In Vertafore's survey, 83% of policyholders expect a response within one business day, and 35% expect one within an hour or immediately (14% immediately, 21% within an hour). Another 48% expect a same-day reply. 15% named slow response times as a challenge they already face with their agent.

The phone is still the preferred channel for this group by a wide margin, which shapes how an agency should staff and route calls. For agencies, Monvell's Communications work covers call answering, callbacks and renewal follow-up, so replies go out within the business day even in busy weeks.

Mostly for better options, then for better service. Vertafore found 65% would switch agents for more competitive policy options, 32% for better customer service, 25% for more personalized service, 21% for a stronger reputation or more trust and 19% for a clearer explanation of their options. When judging whether a policy is competitive, 92% said premium cost mattered most, followed by policy details (63%) and bundling or discounts (50%).

The same survey shows a gap in proactive contact. Only 21% of policyholders said they receive proactive outreach from their agent. 54% review their policies at least once a year, and 18% do so only when prompted. Put those together and most clients are reviewing coverage on their own schedule, often when a renewal notice with a higher number arrives, which is also when they are most likely to shop.

Trust and ease of doing business. J.D. Power's 2025 Independent Agent Satisfaction Study, based on 6,893 evaluations from agents fielded May through July 2025, found 61% of independent agents said working with their insurer overall was not "very easy." Satisfaction was 274 points higher in personal lines (on a 1,000-point scale) when agents rated ease as very easy compared with low ratings. A quarter (25%) of personal lines agents and 22% of commercial lines agents said their insurers do not value them, and those agents were four and seven times more likely, respectively, to write less business with that carrier.

The 2026 study, covered by Insurance Business, found 48% of agents see their primary carriers as trusted partners, 29% as providers and 18% as vendors. Agents who see a carrier as a partner were 37 points more likely to write more business with it. When asked what earns partner status, 76% named trust and only 17% named being the lowest-cost carrier. The same study found 67% of independent agents now use AI tools, rising to 73% among Gen Y and Gen Z agents.

These findings matter beyond carrier relationships. The same things agents want from carriers (easy processes, quick answers, being treated as valued) are what policyholders want from agents. Independent agents write about 62% of U.S. property and casualty policies, according to the Big I's 2026 market share figures cited in that coverage, so the client experience at the agency level carries a lot of weight.

If you run or market an insurance agency, plan as if every client will shop at some point. The practical moves follow directly from the data:

• Contact clients before the renewal notice lands. With only 21% reporting proactive outreach, a scheduled review call or email 30 to 60 days ahead of renewal sets you apart and gives you the first chance to re-quote.
• Answer within the business day, and faster for new quote requests. 83% expect a reply within one business day; prospects collecting three or four quotes will often go with the first agency that responds with useful answers.
• Keep the phone line covered. 63% prefer a phone call, so missed calls during busy periods or after hours cost more here than in many industries. A callback process and clear routing help.
• Make bundling part of every review. Bundled customers stayed 7.0 years compared with 5.5, per J.D. Power.
• Ask for referrals on purpose. 58% of policyholders found their agent through family or friends, so a simple, well-timed referral request after a good claim or review is worth building in.
• Make the online path work for younger buyers. Half of under-25 respondents used comparison tools, and 48% of new auto policies are bought digitally. A quote request form that actually reaches someone quickly is the bridge between the two.
• Tell clients when you use AI. 85% of Vertafore's respondents said it is important to know when their agent uses AI, and only 38% were comfortable with it.

We used published summaries of each study. J.D. Power's own press pages did not load during our research, so we cite the full press releases as distributed through Business Wire and, for the 2026 shopping study, detailed trade coverage in Repairer Driven News. The 2026 agent study figures come from Insurance Business's report on that release. J.D. Power's shopping studies cover auto insurance customers who requested a quote from at least one competing insurer in the prior six months, so they describe active shoppers rather than all policyholders.

Vertafore sells agency management software and commissioned its survey of 604 policyholders; the sample skews older and includes only people who already work with an independent agent. We report its figures as a view of an agency's existing clients.