Mercury Insurance Review 2024

Mercury is best for people looking for solid coverage, individuals with a speeding ticket or DUI, and drivers who want to bundle multiple Mercury policies.

Mercury Is Best for Those Who:

• Live in one of 11 states Mercury is available:
  • Arizona
  • California
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Illinois
  • Nevada
  • New Jersey
  • New York
  • Oklahoma
  • Texas
  • Virginia
• Plan to bundle with other Mercury insurance products
• Have accidents or DUIs on their records
• Need rideshare coverage

Mercury Is Not Best for Those Who:

• Have bad credit
• Want accident forgiveness or vanishing deductible

On average, Mercury costs drivers $1,872 annually for full coverage ($156 monthly) and $624 annually for minimum coverage ($52 monthly). While your rates may be higher or lower based on your driving profile and coverage needs, this is a good starting point to get an idea of where your costs might lie.

Mercury’s average rates are slightly below average for drivers with a clean record and, as we saw above, far below the average for drivers with a speeding ticket or DUI. Regardless of a provider’s average rates, I think it’s always worth it to ask for and compare quotes (they’re free!) if you’re interested in an insurance company’s policy or coverage options. Because insurance providers determine your premium based on your unique background and driving profile, you never know what your rates will be until you request a quote.

Here’s how Mercury’s rate lines up with other major providers in the country.

As I mentioned above, I benefit from loyalty, safe driver, and bundling discounts that I could only get by being a State Farm for a long period of time and sharing my insurance needs with other family members. Mercury offers many of those same opportunities — bundling and safe driver discounts — along with some other savings that I’ll highlight below.

Here are a few of Mercury’s advertised discounts that can help you lower your auto insurance bill:

• Anti-theft device discount
• Automatic billing discount
• Paperless/e-signature discount
• Paid-in-full discount
• Multi-car discount
• Multi-policy discount (up to 14.5 percent)
• Good student discount
• Good driver discount
• MercuryGO usage-based safety discount (up to 40 percent)
• RealDrive pay-per-mile discount (up to 20 percent)

Discount Highlight #1: MercuryGO

If I was looking for a way to earn significant savings on my policy, one of the first things I’d consider is a usage-based driving program, like MercuryGO. MercuryGO is a tracking program that measures your driving habits, scores you based on how safe you drive, and implements discounts (or premium increases) based on your score.

On top of all the standard auto insurance coverages (liability, collision, comprehensive, etc.), Mercury offers some additional coverage options that may appeal to you.

Here’s the breakdown of those options:

Mechanical protection insurance is similar to your vehicle’s warranty. The only difference is the length of protection and cost, which will differ based on where you live and what vehicle you’re driving.

Rental reimbursement coverage is important for people who need a car for their daily needs. If you don’t have a second car to use, don’t know anyone to carpool with, or can’t access public transportation, this is a good option that ensures you’ll have a rental handy in times of need.

I always drive with roadside assistance because I want to be prepared for unexpected but common roadside emergencies. The peace of mind of having a service rep just a few buttons away, day or night, is worth the cost to me.

Umbrella insurance is important if you own a home, vehicles, and items of value (jewelry, collector’s items, etc.).

Although I can’t speak from personal experience, according to third-party data, Mercury has seen a drop in customer service scores in recent years.

Just a couple of years ago, it was among the highest-ranked regional providers for customer satisfaction and claims satisfaction across several rating agencies. It even won J.D. Power’s Digital Experience Study award, given to companies that offer the best digital consumer experience (think managing claims on your phone or navigating an online dashboard).²

In 2023, it scored a bit lower on J.D. Power’s claims satisfaction and auto insurance studies, but it remains high for financial strength. Here’s how those rankings look from some of the country’s top third-party rating systems:

Here’s what those score mean:

• AM Best Financial: AM Best Financial’s Issuer Credit Rating (ICR) rates providers based on their ability to meet financial obligations, like fulfilling claims and financing repairs, to their customers. An A rating is the third-highest rating and a great indication that Mercury is financially stable and able to meet its financial obligations.
• CRASH Network: CRASH Network surveys collision repair shops to find out which providers are easiest to work with when you need a repair. In CRASH Network’s 2024 survey, Mercury received a C+ rating, a slight bump from its 2023 rating of C. While a  may not seem very good, it is higher than the D+ average for out-of-network repair shops.
• J.D. Power studies: J.D. Power regularly rates and awards insurers based on how satisfied their customers are. Although Mercury ranked well below the average for auto insurance claims satisfaction, it is ranked fifth highest among all midsize providers in J.D. Power’s Insurance Shopping Study, which is based on responses from over 10,000 prospective insurance customers who requested an auto insurance quote from at least one provider.

Between its website, two auto insurance apps, and informative articles and FAQs, Mercury offers a wide selection of digital tools and resources. You can manage your policy, follow up on bills, and learn more about how to maximize your plan through its digital tools, which we’ll look at closely below.

I rely on my mobile app a lot to manage my insurance needs, so robust digital tools are important to me. Mercury has a highly rated mobile app (more on those ratings below) and offers many of the same major digital offerings that you’d find from any major provider.

With Mercury’s auto insurance app, you’ll be able to:

• Request roadside assistance
• Access your digital insurance ID
• Make changes to your policy, like adding a new vehicle or driver
• File a new claim
• Track the progress of a claim
• Reach out to customer support
• Update your payment method

We review auto insurance companies based on the following metrics:

1. Pricing and coverage: We look at auto insurance providers’ coverages and how much those coverages cost on average. A key part of this involves segmentation, where we identify the best coverage and prices based on specific driver types, such as married couples, people with bad/good credit, and people with a spotty driving record.
2. Customer experience: As customers ourselves, we know firsthand how important customer experience is when filing a claim, changing a policy detail, or simply asking a question. We leverage our personal experiences to help us understand the needs of the average customer in terms of customer experience, communication lines, and ease of filing claims and other insurance processes.
3. Claims handling: Fulfilling claims is the primary service of any insurance company, which is why it’s so important to evaluate. Our team analyzes insurers’ claims processes using third-party data, our personal experiences, and customer reviews.
4. Industry ratings and reviews: We look at the largest and most thorough third-party rating and review agencies, including AM Best, the Better Business Bureau, J.D. Power, and CRASH Network.
5. Digital tools and technology: Digital tools are becoming a central part of daily life, whether that’s banking, social media, or auto insurance. We review insurers’ technological efficacy based on our personal knowledge of their digital tools and customer reviews.