Mercury Auto Insurance reviews have one thing in common: they’re a highly recommended company for people who are looking for basic auto insurance. Compared to other insurance providers, they have very basic add-ons, which may help to keep your premiums lower than expected. You will also realize they are far less advanced than other providers in terms of convenience and reliability.
About Mercury Auto Insurance
Available in 11 states, Mercury is best for young or first-time drivers who are looking for low-cost rates. You may also want to take them into consideration if you’re looking for mechanical breakdown insurance. In fact, most of their policy options pertain to their homeowners’ insurance rather than auto insurance.
If you’re someone who puts customer service above all else, you may want to consider searching for a different insurance company. Especially as Mercury is known to have exceptionally long claim processing times and poor customer service. Overall, most of the reviews are mixed, depending on what you expect from an insurance provider.
Coverage Options
Unfortunately, Mercury doesn’t have an extensive list of coverage options, including optional add-ons. There will be very little chance for a customized policy, which is why they are mostly recommended to first-time drivers. Here are what they offer:
- Bodily Injury Liability: This coverage is useful for people who are injured from an accident where you are declared at-fault.
- Property Damage Liability: In situations where you harm another person’s property with your vehicle, you’ll want to have property damage coverage.
- Collision: Designed to protect your vehicle, collision will cover any damages to your car caused by an accident.
- Comprehensive: Not every incident is under your control. Comprehensive coverage is essential for protecting your vehicle against flooding, fire, natural disasters, theft, and more.
- Medical Payments: This is particularly important to consider, as medical bills are easily the most expensive part of an accident. With medical payment coverage, all individuals in your vehicle will have assistance with covering medical bills. This kicks in regardless of who is found at fault.
- Personal Injury Protection: PIP covers medical and rehabilitation expenses including funeral costs, loss of wages, and more.
- Under and Uninsured Motorist: It’s quite often drivers get into accidents with uninsured or underinsured drivers. This coverage helps to cover medical bills and damages if you get into an accident with someone with a lacking policy.
- SR-22 Filing: SR-22s are required after license suspensions, DUIs, and multiple vehicle infractions. Your provider will help you file for SR-22 insurance.
Benefits of Mercury Auto Insurance Policies
When you compare Mercury to other insurance providers which are recommended for first-time and high-risk drivers, you’ll find their premiums are comparable if not lower. Some of their other benefits include:
1. Multiple Discounts
There are a wide variety of ways which you can cut costs on your insurance premiums as soon as you sign up with Mercury. Their most notable discounts include:
- Anti-Theft: If you have anti-theft features installed in your vehicle, you could be eligible for savings.
- Good Driver: By maintaining a clean driving record, you’ll be able to save a percentage off of your premiums.
- Good Student: All young drivers who maintain a “B” average (or better) will be eligible for discounts.
- Multi-Car: As with any other provider, the more vehicles you have insured on your plan, the higher your savings will be.
- Multi-Policy: If you bundle your auto insurance with Mercury Home Insurance, you could qualify for discounts.
- Paid in Full: If you’re able to pay your entire policy upfront, you’ll save a percentage off the lump sum payment.
- RealDrive: Being able to verify your mileage can help you to get even better rates.
2. Good for High-Risk Drivers
Although Mercury might not sign potential policyholders with horrible driving records, they are more likely than other providers to work with you if your history is spotty. They have the tendency to sign clients who are riskier than standard drivers.
3. Personalized Services
The main objective of this insurance provider is to give you a more personalized experience when you sign up for a policy. They have over 8000 independent agents whom you can get in contact with to get a quote or when you want to sign up.
Cons of Mercury Auto Insurance Policies
Although there are a few advantages to the provider, you’ll find the majority of Mercury Auto Insurance reviews are negative. Between an unclear website and poor customer service, they may not be the right fit for you and your family. Some of the most notable disadvantages include:
1. Poor Customer Service
If you value customer service that takes your needs into account, you may want to consider signing with another provider. Customers have complained that Mercury has poor follow-through methods after accidents. You may also find it’s quite difficult to get answers to general questions about your account.
2. Expensive for High-Risk Drivers
If you’re someone with a spotty record, you can likely find less expensive rates from other nonstandard insurance providers. Mercury’s rates are substantially higher than other providers that specialize in poor driving histories.
3. Inconvenient Website and Quotes
You’ll immediately realize how difficult it is to find information about the insurance provider and the policies they have to offer. This is especially because you’re unable to apply for their policies online. In addition, their website is poorly constructed and doesn’t offer a lot of information about special programs and discounts.
There are far more providers with more advanced and user-friendly online portals for you to use to your advantage. You also won’t be able to process your claims online, they can only be processed via telephone or in-person.
Mercury Auto Insurance Reviews: Final Thoughts
First-time drivers are easily the demographic who will benefit the most from Mercury Auto Insurance, especially as their policies have plenty of discounts for you to use. If you’re someone with a driving history that is less-than-perfect, you will want to consider opting for a more affordable provider. Also, with poor customer service ratings, it can be difficult to work with their agents to get answers to important questions.
Although Mercury attempts to provide a more personalized experience when signing up for insurance, their lack of online tools makes the process inconvenient. It’s highly recommended you consider other modernized providers prior to signing up for a policy with Mercury.
