Reviews Report
- Mercury full coverage car insurance costs an average of $1,558 per year in the United States, according to 2021 data from Bankrate.com.
- Mercury doesn’t have as many discounts and add-on coverage options available than its competitors.
Founded in 1961, Mercury car insurance is a no-frills coverage option for drivers who need basic, state-minimum car insurance. While it doesn’t offer as many add-on coverage options as other competitors, it does offer nearly average car insurance rates. However, a thorough Mercury car insurance review reveals that it lacks slightly in discounts, customer satisfaction scores by J.D. Power, and has a lower financial strength rating than other large car insurance companies. That said, Mercury car insurance is a boon for drivers who don’t need excess or specialty car insurance coverage.
We created a Mercury car insurance review based on its third-party ratings, discounts, coverage options, accessibility, and more.
Mercury Car Insurance Overview
Mercury car insurance may be a good option for high-risk drivers who typically pay more for car insurance as well as budget-conscious car owners in search of the lowest premiums possible. However, the carrier could improve in customer service. Respondents in the J.D. Power customer satisfaction study ranked Mercury as an average company — the carrier had a score of 816 out of 1,000 in the California region, which is on par with the region average of 816.
In addition, the NAIC keeps records of policyholder complaints for the largest car insurance carriers and assigns a complaint index score to better compare how a car insurance company performs when it comes to policyholder issues. Mercury’s NAIC complaint index score is 3.64, well above the average of 1.
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Mercury Car Insurance Highlights
Mercury’s Car Insurance Bundling Discounts for Cheaper Insurance
Mercury Insurance is best known for vehicle coverage. It’s what the company started selling almost 60 years ago when it was founded. However, the carrier expanded into homeowners insurance in 1972. Now, drivers can buy car, renters, condo, homeowners, umbrella, business, and landlord insurance as well.
Bundling more than one coverage with Mercury has its advantages. Mercury advertises that customers can save 15% on their home insurance policy and 14.5% on their auto insurance policy when they bundle home and auto together. Plus, drivers can simplify their coverage needs by managing policies and insurance premium bills from one company, in one place.
Mercury Car Insurance vs. The Competition
| J.D. Power Customer Satisfaction* J.D. Power scores are based on surveys for customer satisfaction and product quality. | AM Best AM Best rates insurance providers creditworthiness. Ratings are based on the provider’s ability to follow through with a payout when a consumer files a claim. | Discounts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pin Mercury | 816* | A | 8 | |
| Pin Travelers | 824* | A+ | 14 | |
| Pin Geico | 833* | A++ | 16 | |
| Pin Auto-Owners | 845* | A++ | 12 |
Information accurate as of June 2021
*J.D. Power 2021 Auto Insurance Satisfaction Study average rating across regions. Based on a 1,000-point scale.
Mercury vs. Travelers
Both Mercury and Travelers insurance offer rideshare coverage for drivers and delivery workers. However, Travelers has more car insurance policy options and discounts than Mercury. Travelers offers loan/lease gap, accident forgiveness, and new car replacement coverage, all of which Mercury does not make available to customers. Furthermore, Travelers scored a higher average J.D. Power customer satisfaction score than Mercury.
Mercury vs. Geico
Cost-conscious car owners are probably familiar with both Geico car insurance and Mercury car insurance companies. They both advertise cheap vehicle coverage, although Geico is available nationwide compared to Mercury, which operates in 11 states. Furthermore, Geico also offers more additional car insurance coverage options, including Mexico trip insurance, roadside assistance, and loan/lease gap.
Mercury vs. Auto-Owners
Mercury is at a disadvantage when compared to Auto-Owners insurance. Auto-Owners has a superior financial strength rating from AM Best. Customers have access to more discounts and optional coverages with Auto-Owners than they would with Mercury, such as diminished value, loan/lease gap, and additional expense coverage. Furthermore, Auto-Owners offers upwards of 12 discounts to customers while Mercury only offers eight.
Mercury Car Insurance FAQ
Methodology
We evaluated Mercury based on discounts, coverage, online resources, financial strength, and customer satisfaction to create our best car insurance reviews. To compare car insurance companies with other providers across the board, we analyzed:
- Discounts: Auto insurance companies that advertised more discounts received higher scores in our methodology.
- Financial Stability: Reviews.com utilized AM Best ratings to assign a score based on each car insurance company’s financial stability.
- Customer Satisfaction: J.D. Power ranks car insurance companies by customer satisfaction, so we used its 2021 Auto Insurance Satisfaction Study to compare the average rating of insurers across all regions.
- Coverage: Car insurance companies were awarded higher scores for advertised coverages beyond the body liability, property liability, collision, and personal injury protection.
- Online Resources: We reviewed the digital resources of each car insurance company and awarded higher scores to insurers with mobile claim estimates, digital insurance cards, and more.
As for average pricing, we used Bankrate.com’s data of car insurance, based on the profiles of a 40-year male and female. For full coverage, the details used were the following:
- $100,000 bodily injury liability per person
- $300,000 bodily injury liability per accident
- $50,000 property damage liability per accident
- $100,000 uninsured motorist bodily injury per person
- $300,000 uninsured motorist bodily injury per accident
- $500 collision deductible
- $500 comprehensive deductible
To determine minimum coverage limits, Bankrate used minimum coverage that meets each state’s requirements. Our base profile drivers own a 2019 Toyota Camry, commute five days a week and drive 12,000 miles annually.
These are sample rates and should only be used for comparative purposes.
About the Authors
Cynthia Paez Bowman is a contributing writer for Reviews.com. Over the last two years, she has covered insurance, home security and more. She has been featured in MSN, Bankrate, Coverage.com, The Simple Dollar and GOBankingRates. She has dual bachelors degrees in International Business and Journalism from American University in Washington, D.C. “Is It Getting Harder to Get Home Insurance in High-Risk Areas?” is Cynthia’s favorite story on Reviews.com.
