Mercury Auto Insurance: Is It Worth The Hype?

Mercury Insurance is a Los Angeles-based insurance company that offers auto insurance, home insurance, and umbrella insurance. The company was founded in 1961 and now has over $4 billion in assets. Mercury car insurance is available in 11 states: Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Texas, and Virginia. The company offers a range of insurance products, including business auto insurance, business owners insurance, homeowners insurance, mechanical protection, and umbrella insurance.

Mercury car insurance offers standard coverage options such as liability protection, collision insurance, comprehensive coverage, medical payments coverage, personal injury protection, and uninsured/underinsured motorist insurance. The company also offers roadside assistance and rideshare insurance for drivers who work for companies like Uber or Lyft.

Mercury has received recognition and awards from various organizations, including Forbes and J.D. Power. The company has been included in Forbes' lists of Best Insurance Companies, Best Employers for Women, and America's Best Mid-Size Employers. It has also been recognized by J.D. Power for customer satisfaction in the insurance digital experience study.

In terms of customer satisfaction, Mercury has received mixed reviews. While some customers praise its customer service, others have complained about its claims servicing process, unexpected rate increases, and slow claims payouts. The company has a rating of 2.51 from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), indicating that it has received more complaints than the average car insurance provider, adjusted for size.

Overall, Mercury Insurance is a pretty good insurance company, especially for drivers of all types, including those with less-than-perfect driving records. The company offers competitive rates, a wide variety of discounts, and 24/7 roadside assistance. However, it is important to note that Mercury's policies are only available in a limited number of states, and there have been some concerns about customer service and claims handling.

Mercury's customer satisfaction ratings

Mercury Insurance has received mixed reviews from its customers. While some customers have praised its customer service, others have expressed dissatisfaction with its claims servicing process, unexpected rate increases, and slow claims payouts.

Mercury has received recognition from Forbes and J.D. Power for its customer satisfaction. However, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Complaint Index, Mercury has nearly twice the number of customer complaints compared to other companies in its market.

Reviews on platforms like WalletHub and Trustpilot reveal a range of experiences. Some customers have shared positive experiences, highlighting efficient and professional handling of claims, while others have expressed frustration with issues such as denied claims, poor customer service, and lack of communication.

Overall, Mercury's customer satisfaction ratings appear to be mixed, with some customers reporting positive experiences and others encountering challenges and expressing dissatisfaction.

Mercury's insurance coverage options

Mercury offers a range of insurance products, including auto, home, renters, condo, business, and umbrella insurance. While the company provides the standard types of auto insurance coverage, it also offers several add-ons and unique coverage options.

Standard Coverage Options

Mercury offers all six standard car insurance options that can be modified to fit your needs. These include:

• Liability Protection: Pays for damage caused to others if you’re at fault in a covered loss, including legal fees.
• Collision Protection: Covers damages to your vehicle incurred in a covered loss, regardless of fault.
• Comprehensive Coverage: Protects your vehicle from damage caused by something other than a collision, such as theft, vandalism, or fire.
• Personal Injury Protection (PIP): Helps pay for your medical costs after a collision, regardless of fault.
• Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist: Covers bodily injury caused by an uninsured or underinsured driver.
• Medical Payments Coverage: Supplemental coverage for medical expenses arising from a covered accident.

Add-On Coverage Options

In addition to the standard coverage options, Mercury offers several add-ons to supplement your policy:

• Emergency Roadside Assistance: Covers roadside services like towing, lockouts, tire repair, and battery charging.
• Rental Car Insurance: Reimburses you for the cost of a rental car if your vehicle is inoperable or inaccessible after an accident.
• Ride-Hailing Insurance: Protects drivers working for rideshare services like Uber or Lyft. This insurance costs less than $1 per day.
• Mechanical Protection: Covers unexpected repairs due to engine, transmission, or electrical issues. Includes 24-hour roadside assistance, rental vehicle assistance, and trip interruption coverage.

Discounts

Mercury offers a wide range of discounts to make their auto insurance coverage more affordable. Some of the available discounts include:

• Mercury RealDrive®: A 5% discount for policyholders who sign up for this program, which tracks your mileage.
• Multi-Policy Discount: Discount for bundling your home and car insurance.
• Multi-Car Discount: Discount for insuring more than one vehicle with Mercury.
• Anti-Theft Feature Discount: Discount for installing an alarm or anti-theft device in your vehicle.
• Good Driver Discount: Discount for policyholders who maintain a clean driving record.
• Good Student Discount: Discount for students who maintain good grades.
• Autopay Discount: Discount for setting up automatic payments.
• E-Signature Discount: Discount for signing insurance documents electronically.

Mercury's insurance discounts

Mercury Insurance offers a wide range of discounts to its customers. The availability of these discounts varies by state, so it is always best to check with a local Mercury agent to see which discounts are available to you.

Anti-Theft Discount

Mercury rewards drivers who install an anti-theft device in their vehicle, such as a GPS tracking system or car alarm. These devices help to reduce and resolve theft claims.

Autopay Discount

Mercury offers a discount to customers who enrol in automatic payments.

E-Signature Discount

Mercury offers a discount to customers who sign up to sign their policy documents electronically.

Good Driver Discount

Mercury offers a discount to policyholders who have gone a specified period of time without getting into an accident or receiving a ticket. This includes the Defensive Driver Discount, which is available to policyholders who complete a defensive driving course approved by the state, and the Five-Year Accident-Free Discount, which is available to policyholders who haven't had an at-fault accident in the past five years.

Good Student Discount

Mercury offers a discount to students with good grades. To qualify, students must be single, full-time students under the age of 23 with a B average (3.0+ GPA) or better.

Multi-Car Discount

Mercury offers a discount to customers who insure multiple vehicles on their Mercury policy.

Multi-Policy Discount

Mercury offers a discount to customers who bundle their home, renters, or condo insurance with their auto insurance policy.

Pay-in-Full Discount

Mercury offers a discount to customers who pay their annual policy cost upfront.

Other Discounts

Mercury also offers various other discounts, including discounts for military service, vehicle safety features, and participation in the MercuryGo driver behaviour tracking app.

Mercury's insurance cost

Mercury Insurance offers car insurance at rates that are higher than the national average. The average annual rate for auto insurance with Mercury is $2,929, 89% higher than the national average of $1,547. However, Mercury's rates for seniors and drivers with a DUI are comparable to the national average.

Your exact rates with Mercury will depend on your age, location, driving history, vehicle type, and the level of coverage you need. Mercury's rates for teen drivers are significantly higher than the national average, with teen females paying around $3,000 more and teen males paying about $3,500 more. As drivers get older, the rates decrease, but they are still higher than the national average for young and adult drivers.

Mercury offers various types of coverage, including liability, collision, comprehensive, personal injury protection, uninsured/underinsured motorist, rental car reimbursement, and medical payments coverage. They also provide additional options such as mechanical protection and ride-hailing insurance.

Mercury also offers discounts to help lower your insurance premiums. These include the anti-theft feature discount, auto-pay discount, e-signature discount, good driver discount, good student discount, multi-car discount, multi-policy discount, and pay-in-full discount.

In summary, while Mercury Insurance provides a range of coverage options and discounts, their rates are generally higher than the national average, especially for teen drivers.

Mercury's customer complaints

Mercury Insurance has received numerous customer complaints, with 332 total complaints filed in the last 3 years and 112 closed in the last 12 months. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) reports that Mercury has nearly twice the number of customer complaints expected for a company in its market.

Complaints about Mercury Insurance include poor customer service, premium increases, a lack of communication, and denied or delayed claims. Some customers have also reported issues with the company's mobile app and website, including difficulty filing claims online.

In response to complaints, Mercury has addressed the issues raised and attempted to resolve them. However, in some cases, customers have not accepted the company's response or notified the Better Business Bureau (BBB) of their satisfaction.

It is worth noting that Mercury Insurance has also received positive reviews and awards for its service. Forbes, for example, has recognised Mercury as one of the best insurance companies in the world, and J.D. Power ranked Mercury first in customer satisfaction for the digital insurance shopping experience in 2021.

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