You’ll find low rates, rare coverage options, and premium insurance options at National General, but customer service issues may outweigh the benefits for some.
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Updated January 18, 2024 Compare.com Rating ?Pros
Cons
Bottom Line
National General offers some unexpected coverage options at a great price, especially to drivers with poor credit or a recent driving under the influence (DUI) conviction. But the company is plagued with service issues — including billing and policy cancellations — so be sure to compare National General with some of its competitors before buying.
| Founded | 1920 |
| Available in | 44 states (not available in AK, HI, MD, MI, NJ, or RI) |
| Owned by | Allstate |
| National average premium | $107 per month |
| Mobile app | Android, iOS |
| Customer service | (800) 462-2123 |
| Claims | (800) 462-2123 |
| Primary competitors | Dairyland, Direct Auto, SafeAuto, The General |
Founded as Motors Insurance Corporation by General Motors in 1920, National General has offered auto insurance policies for more than 100 years. The company — which specializes in high-risk drivers — has also changed hands three times in the last 20 years and is now part of the Allstate family.
At $107 per month, National General’s average premiums are cheaper than what you’ll find from most companies. The company offers the best deals to drivers with a DUI, but most people can uncover savings with National General. But better service could be found elsewhere.
Read on to learn what it’s like to have your car insured by National General.
Compare Quotes from America’s Best Companies
| Category | Score |
|---|---|
| Cost | 4.7/5 |
| Customer satisfaction | 2.7/5 |
| Ease of use | 4.8/5 |
| Availability | 4.3/5 |
| Industry reputation | 5/5 |
| Overall Score* | 4.30/5 |
| *Company ratings for each category are determined using our proprietary, objective rating formula. You can find more information on our unique scoring methodology at the bottom of this article. | |
National General can be a good choice for some drivers, especially those with driving record issues looking for a better deal on their auto insurance policy. But good rates — and other benefits, like its DynamicDrive telematics program and convenient payment options — come with a trade-off.
The company trails the competition in terms of customer care. And, though National General offers a premium selection of auto insurance coverage packages, you won’t find options for some of the more popular specialty coverages, like rideshare or gap insurance.
National General offers affordable rates to drivers who traditionally have to pay more for auto coverage, especially drivers with a DUI and those with poor credit. The company also offers some hard-to-find coverage options and an excellent website.
National General scores below average for claims handling, and many negative reviews describe a poor experience with their claims. Customer satisfaction ratings are also below average, and the company has more than double the industry average number of complaints.
Overall, feedback skews negative for many National General customers. Review scores are low across several well-known review sites:
It appears the reason for the low ratings is largely related to National General’s claims handling. Most of the complaints I found talk about a terrible experience with the claims process. For example, the reviewer below highlights several main themes — lack of communication and more than a 90-day wait for their claim to be resolved.
Another theme I found was billing errors. This reviewer claims to have canceled their policy but was suddenly charged two and a half months later — and they had a difficult time getting their money back. The company’s response also falls a bit short.
Among the positive feedback are customers thanking specific representatives, showing appreciation for low rates, or being generally happy with the buying process.
We’ve mentioned low rates, but exactly how much can you expect to pay for car insurance from National General? Here are the average monthly rates for National General, based on Compare.com data.
| Liability Only | Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| $66 | $148 |
Both average rates put National General well below the national averages of $131 for liability and $271 for full coverage. But national averages don’t tell us much about how the company will price your policy. Several factors — such as your age, location, vehicle, driving record, insurance history, and more — affect how much you pay for car insurance.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at how National General stacks up against competitors and how rates change based on a few of the most relevant factors.
First, let’s check out how National General’s average rates compare to some of its direct competitors.
| Company | Liability Only | Full Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| National General | $66 | $148 |
| Dairyland | $76 | $316 |
| Direct Auto | $109 | $186 |
| SafeAuto | $85 | $187 |
| The General | $130 | $244 |
Compared to other “non-standard” insurers that specialize in high-risk car insurance, National General is among the cheapest for both liability and full-coverage policies. In fact, liability rates are 13% less than the next cheapest option, while full-coverage rates are 20% cheaper. But most of the companies on the list offer rates below the national average.
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Your age has a substantial effect on your car insurance costs. Let’s review how age affects average premiums with National General.
| Age | Liability Only | Full Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Teens (18 years old) | $298 | $613 |
| Young adults (25 years old) | $79 | $187 |
| Adults (40 years old) | $68 | $154 |
| Seniors (65 years old) | $78 | $164 |
When you’re young, you typically pay the highest rates due to a higher likelihood of causing an accident. Fortunately, rates tend to decrease with age, with drivers in their retirement years typically having the lowest rates. National General mostly follows this pattern but favors middle-aged drivers more than seniors, according to data from Compare.com.
Let’s take a closer look at rates for two of the most cost-affected age groups: teens and seniors.
Rates for 18-year-olds are higher than the national average ($263 for liability and $530 for full coverage), but that trend reverses for 25-year-old drivers. Rates drop significantly by the time you reach age 25: 73% for liability rates and 69% for full coverage.
National General doesn’t offer special programs or incentives targeting young drivers, but you can take advantage of several discounts, including the company’s DynamicDrive telematics program.
Typically, 65-year-old drivers pay higher rates than drivers in middle age, but rates are about average for this age group with National General. The national average for 65-year-olds is $80 for liability and $164 for full coverage, and National General’s average rates are within a couple dollars for both.
While the insurer doesn’t offer senior-specific discounts or programs, its low-mileage discount (among others) often applies to drivers older than 65. Seniors may also enjoy the additional benefits offered by National General’s Auto Protection Plan.
Your driving record significantly influences car insurance rates — nearly as much as your age. The table below shows how various driving records affect rates at National General, based on research from Compare.com.
| Driving History | Liability Only | Full Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Clean record | $66 | $148 |
| Speeding ticket | $110 | $244 |
| At-fault accident | $134 | $277 |
| DUI | $93 | $269 |
Drivers with a clean record earn lower premiums, while those with accidents, traffic violations, and claims pay higher costs. National General follows this trend, but, unlike many competitors, the insurer offers lower rates to drivers with a DUI than those with an at-fault accident or a speeding ticket.
Let’s review these rates more closely.
The average driver sees their rates increase by 37% after a single ticket, according to Compare.com data. These rate increases are larger at National General — more than 65% higher for both liability and full coverage. Still, liability premiums are the same as the national average, while full coverage is $8 less per month.
If you have a recent speeding ticket, avoiding future tickets is the best way to lower your rate. The further away in time from the incident, the lower your rate.
A single at-fault accident can have a substantial effect on how much you pay for car insurance. Nationally, rates increase by 44% after an at-fault accident, according to Compaer.com data. But rates more than double after an accident for liability-only policies and increase by 88% for full coverage with National General.
Drivers with an at-fault accident should consider the company’s DynamicDrive program. It encourages safe driving, lowering the chance of another accident and reducing premiums.
Driving under the influence usually comes with large rate increases: 94% for a single DUI conviction, according to data from Compare.com. But that isn’t the case with National General. Liability rates increase by just 41% with the insurer, and full-coverage policies see increases of 82%, so you may find a great deal if you have a recent DUI charge.
In most states, your credit score can also affect rates — drivers with higher credit scores typically pay lower premiums, while those with lower scores pay more. Here’s how your credit history can affect monthly premiums with National General.
| Credit Score | Liability Only | Full Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Excellent | $65 | $148 |
| Good | $68 | $154 |
| Average | $83 | $217 |
| Poor | $106 | $267 |
Liability and full-coverage rates for drivers with excellent credit are near the national average, but liability rates for people with good, fair, and especially poor credit are significantly cheaper than the national averages for each category. In fact, National General offers average rates that are 42% less than the national average for drivers with poor credit scores.
National General offers a handful of discounts to policyholders, including:
The company doesn’t advertise the value of each discount on its website, but it mentions that discount availability and value differ by state.
National General offers the following coverage options:
The Auto Protection Plan, a membership club product, provides these additional coverages:
You can purchase a policy from National General quickly and easily online. The quoting process is fast — it took me just four minutes to get my quote. You can also customize your coverage options online.
Buying is simple as well. You need your license, VIN, and payment information to activate your new policy.
National General also gives you the option to buy over the phone — but when I called, I couldn’t get an agent on the phone.
I began the quoting process by going to National General’s home page and entering my ZIP code.
Next, I answered basic questions about my policy needs and insurance history. The site also prompted me to select potential discounts, like the DynamicDrive program.
Vehicle details were next. I only had to enter my year, make, and model from the drop-down menus. I also let the company know that I’m still making payments on my car (which means I need comprehensive and collision coverage).
Next up, my driver information: name, address, contact information, and information about my gender, marital status, driving record, and payment history.
And that was it! I got my quote, plus the option to compare rates through other companies. The deductibles were automatically set to $500, and the roadside assistance option was automatically checked.
If I clicked the light-blue button, “See All Discounts and Edit Coverages,” I could see more details about my quote, including the applicable taxes and fees.
Clicking on the “View Details” link expanded the coverage options and provided detailed information about what each did and didn’t cover.
I could also use the drop-down menu to customize my coverage. Most had several coverage levels to choose from.
Overall, the process was smooth and simple. I appreciated how easy it was to customize the policy, making the pricing fairly clear. And the information about coverage options was more detailed than what I found on competitor websites.
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With the hope of learning how National General’s customer service fares, I called the company at 1:30 p.m. on a weekday. Selecting “get a quote” from the automated system led me to a dead end. I tried the existing customer option and waited four minutes to speak with a knowledgeable and friendly customer service rep. A bit frustrating, but it’s nice to be able to speak to someone in less than five minutes.
However, actual customers give National General a lower-than-average satisfaction rating, according to J.D. Power, and a higher-than-average complaint rating, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). Plus, I found low ratings on several notable review sites as well.
Beyond claims complaints, which we’ll get to next, there were many negative reviews about the payment process and sudden cancellations. This reviewer talks about their cancellation and being charged unexplained fees.
The positive reviews tend to mention a specific agent, as in this review below.
You can file a car insurance claim with National General in a few short steps. The easiest way is to report the claim online through the online claims form. You’ll need to answer questions about the claim and your policy information. In some cases, you can upload photos of damage from your smartphone to receive a virtual estimate, speeding up the claims process.
But how does this work in real life? The reviews are mixed. Several customers wrote about the lack of communication with the claims agent and adjuster, plus an excessively long process. This review below neatly sums up this common complaint.
Positive reviews of the claims process were pretty scarce. Across review sites, this short review is the only positive one I could find for National General.
Though National General focuses primarily on car insurance, it offers several other insurance products — some of which you can bundle with your auto policy for a discount. Additional types of insurance available at the company include:
Insurance offerings (and discounts) vary by state, so check with your agent about which options are available to you.
National General offers affordable rates to drivers with diverse backgrounds, especially those with a DUI. The company provides a wide range of coverage options, plus additional insurance products if you want to bundle policies.
However, National General struggles with customer service, claims service, and billing. Be sure to weigh your options carefully before deciding on your next policy.
National General has been in business for over 100 years, but people still have questions about the company. Below are answers to the questions most commonly asked about National General.
National General scores below average in the 2023 J.D. Power U.S. Auto Insurance Customer Satisfaction survey, and customer reviews online are mixed. So, National General may be a good insurance company for some drivers and less advantageous for others. The best way to know if it’s right for you is by comparing quotes from multiple companies.
You might find inflated rates with National General for a variety of reasons. However, National General is about average in terms of cost, and it’s one of the cheapest options among companies specializing in high-risk policies.
Yes. National General will easily file an SR-22 or FR-44 on your behalf. The company specializes in high-risk car insurance and markets specifically to drivers with a DUI on their driving record, so the company is well-versed in SR-22 filings.
Allstate acquired National General in 2020. The company was previously owned by General Motors and known as GMAC Insurance. It became National General in 2013.
With a complaint index almost twice the national average and a score of 863 (below average) in the J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study, it appears that National General is difficult to deal with when filing insurance claims.
Methodology
Data scientists at Compare.com analyzed more than 50 million real-time auto insurance rates from more than 75 partner insurance providers in order to compile the quotes and statistics seen in this article. Compare.com’s auto insurance data includes coverage analysis and details on drivers’ vehicles, driving records, insurance histories, and demographic information. All the quotes listed in this article have been gathered from a combination of real Compare.com quotes and external insurance rate data gathered in collaboration with Quadrant Information Services. Compare.com uses these observations to provide drivers with insight into how auto insurance companies determine their premiums.
Sources
J.J. Starr is an insurance writer for Compare.com who specializes in auto insurance and personal finance. She has a passion for helping people save money by explaining complex topics like car insurance in a way that is simple and easy to understand. Prior to writing for Compare.com, J.J was a registered banker and life insurance consultant. She holds a master's degree in writing from New York University and a bachelor's degree from Stephens College.
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