Selective Insurance Review

About Selective Insurance

Selective Insurance is a commercial property-and-casualty carrier founded in 1926 and based in Branchville, New Jersey, with an AM Best A+ (Superior) rating and a long-standing reputation for serving contractors. While not a household consumer name, Selective is well-regarded among independent agents as a quality commercial market, and it writes the full trades stack — business owner's policy, general liability, workers' comp, commercial auto, umbrella, and commercial property — with genuine contractor underwriting expertise.

For a contractor, Selective's appeal is a financially strong, contractor-experienced carrier accessed through an independent agent who knows the relationship. Its A+ strength backs large claims, and its commercial focus means agents place real contractor risks with it rather than treating it as a personal-lines afterthought. Agents and brokers frequently rate it well in carrier surveys, a signal of consistent underwriting and service on the commercial side.

The trade-offs are distribution and consumer-review noise. Selective is agent-only, so there is no self-serve online quote — you reach it through a broker. Consumer review aggregators show mixed scores (some 4.5, some closer to 2.9), which, as with most carriers, reflects claims-experience variance more than its strong financials and agent reputation. Availability is broad but not every state.

For an established trades or construction business that wants a financially strong, contractor-focused commercial carrier through an independent-agent relationship, Selective is a quality, if lower-profile, option worth having your agent quote alongside the bigger names (CNA, Travelers, The Hartford). Small shops wanting a fast online policy should look at a direct carrier or digital broker instead.