Home Insurance Shopping Hits Record High as Auto Activity Ticks Up in Q1

Home insurance shopping reached its highest rate in the history of J.D. Power’s Insurance LIST study during the first quarter of 2026, according to the Q1 2026 Insurance Shopping LIST Report published by J.D. Power in collaboration with TransUnion.

Home insurance shopping climbed to 7.4%, up 0.5 percentage points from the prior quarter and up 0.8 percentage points year over year. Auto insurance shopping also increased quarter over quarter, rising to 13.6%, though that figure sits 0.5 percentage points below the same period last year. Renters insurance shopping edged down slightly to 6.4%.

On the switching side, trends moved in different directions across the lines. Auto insurance switching increased slightly to 4.2%, up 0.1 percentage points both year over year and quarter over quarter. Among auto switchers, the median amount of premium moving to a new carrier exceeded $3,200. Home insurance switching declined to 2.2%, down 0.2 percentage points in both comparisons. Renters switching also fell, dropping to 3.0%, down 0.8 percentage points from last quarter.

Month-by-month data showed auto insurance shopping peaked in February 2026, then dropped by a full percentage point in March. Home insurance shopping continued to climb throughout the quarter, extending a trend that began in November 2025. Switching for home insurance hit an all-time low in January before beginning a gradual recovery. Renters insurance shopping held steady through March, while renters switching started increasing in February.

State Farm led the home insurance market among bundlers, capturing both the highest volume of home quotes and the most new home business from bundlers in Q1. State Farm also recorded the highest level of new renters insurance business. Progressive led in renters insurance quotes.

In the loyalty rankings, ACSC topped the auto and renters insurance higher-loyalty lists, while The Hanover ranked first for homeowners loyalty. On the lower-loyalty side, Root led in auto, Alfa Insurance in home, and CSAA in renters.

TransUnion data through December 2025 showed auto shopping up 10.6% year over year and property shopping up 5.3%. The report identified lower-credit-score consumers as the primary drivers of that growth, pointing to ongoing pricing normalization. TransUnion also noted that affordability challenges have turned insurance shopping into a routine consumer activity. In Q3 2025, nearly four in five consumers shopped only one or two insurers, suggesting faster decision-making with fewer options under consideration. Single-insurer shoppers skewed toward older baby boomers, less-populated zip codes, and captive-agent customers.

The report also highlighted findings from J.D. Power’s 2026 Insurance Shopping Study, published April 21. That study found generational differences in how consumers bundle products when quoting auto insurance. Boomers and pre-boomers quoted homeowners insurance alongside auto at a rate of 31%, compared with 21% for Gen X and 14% for Gen Y/Z. Younger shoppers, by contrast, were more likely to quote life insurance. Boomers and pre-boomers also quoted the most additional products overall, averaging 0.7 products alongside auto, versus 0.6 for both Gen X and Gen Y/Z.