The General Auto Insurance: User Reviews and Quotes (2024)

The General has expensive premiums, limited coverage options, and fewer discounts. But it has largely positive customer reviews.

5+ years writing insurance and personal finance topics

Auto, home, health, and life insurance expertise

Elizabeth has extensive insurance industry experience, having written for Insureon, Rate Retriever, and Insurify. She’s also finance and insurance editor for Car and Driver.

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Licensed auto and home insurance agent

3+ years experience in insurance and personal finance editing

Katie uses her knowledge and expertise as a licensed property and casualty agent in Massachusetts to help readers understand the complexities of insurance shopping.

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Corporate communications director for Insurance Information Institute

20+ years in insurance and communications

As Director, Corporate Communications for Triple-I, Mark serves as the non-profit’s national spokesperson, sharing information and education on a wide array of insurance issues.

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7+ years experience in data analysis

Ph.D. in Computational Biology

Konstantin has led data teams across multiple industries, including insurance, travel, and biology. He’s led Insurify’s engineering team for more than three years.

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Updated June 11, 2024

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The General is a Nashville-based insurance company founded under a different name in 1963.[1] The company now specializes in insuring high-risk drivers who have problems finding affordable coverage due to their poor credit history, bad driving record, or past insurance lapses.

While The General can be a great option for high-risk drivers, people with a clean driving record and a lower risk profile may find that the company has very expensive premiums. You should always compare quotes from multiple insurers before purchasing a new car insurance policy.

Here’s what you need to know about coverage options from The General.

The General has an impressive star rating on Trustpilot of 4.7 out of 5, based on more than 90,000 customer reviews.

You can purchase The General car insurance in 46 states and Washington, D.C.

The General earned an A (Excellent) financial strength rating from AM Best.

How The General compares to other insurance companies

The General

Before choosing an insurance company, it’s a good idea to compare multiple companies based on features like cost, coverage options, discounts, and customer service.

The General’s average car insurance premiums are similar to average rates from some of its competitors, like Bristol West and Direct Auto. But The General offers fewer discounts than some competitors, so you might find cheaper coverage with another insurer.

In terms of customer service availability, The General is similar to its biggest competitors. You can reach a customer support agent by phone or email during business hours, and you can manage your policy through the online portal or by using the mobile app. The General also has online quotes and online claims.

Competitively priced options for high-risk drivers or those with violations

SR-22 filing available in most states

Not available in all states

Mixed reviews for customer service

Great, but Price is Everything with Old Cars

Poor

High Automobile Insurance

Our editorial team spent 350 hours developing the IQ (Insurify Quality) Score and scoring insurance companies. The IQ Score objectively analyzes and calculates a score for insurers using more than 15 crucial criteria. Criteria are weighted by importance to the consumer — factors such as customer reviews and affordability influence the score more than availability and third-party ratings.

We rate each company on a 1 to 5 scale based on five categories: financial ratings, customer satisfaction, affordability, customer support and transparency, and availability. We update ratings once a year or as more recent information becomes available.

Third-party financial ratings: We use data from AM Best, S&P, Moody’s, and more to compare insurance companies’ credit and ability to pay out future claims

Customer satisfaction: To calculate this score, Insurify analyzed more than 28,000 customer reviews across 155 car insurance companies. We also considered third-party ratings from J.D. Power, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, and Trustpilot. 

Affordability: Our data scientists analyzed more than 90 million real-time auto insurance rates from our partners across the United States, as well as available discounts, to calculate an affordability score.

Customer support and transparency: This measures coverage options, ease of claims filing, and the insurer’s transparency surrounding discounts, coverages, and claims process.

Availability and reach: Insurify identified the number of states in which insurers offer coverage and company size by market share to score availability and reach.

How The General rates compare to competitors

Average rates from The General are much higher than the national average and premiums from many top insurers. But the company has similar rates to competitors also selling insurance to high-risk drivers.

Compare average full-coverage quotes from The General and a few of its competitors below.

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Average cost of The General auto insurance

Your driving record and age affect your car insurance premiums.[2]

People with a clean driving record earn the cheapest rates, and drivers with one or more past speeding tickets, car accidents, or DUIs pay higher premiums on average. Based on driver age, teen drivers pay the highest premiums due to a lack of driving experience and a higher likelihood of accidents. Rates tend to decrease with age, but senior drivers 70 and older may face slight upticks in cost.

Below, you can compare average liability insurance quotes by driver type from The General to the national averages.

The General car insurance cost by state

Car insurance rates and minimum coverage requirements vary by state. Some location-specific factors that can affect insurance premiums include the state’s percentage of uninsured drivers, weather risks, and vehicle theft rates.

The General has more expensive average premiums than many insurers operating in the same states. But the company specializes in coverage for high-risk drivers, so it makes sense that its average premiums exceed the state averages.

See how average monthly liability insurance costs from The General compare to state averages below.

The General car insurance discounts

The General offers several car insurance discounts that can help you save money on your auto insurance. But it offers fewer discounts than many of its competitors, which you should keep in mind when comparing The General to other insurers.

Here are the discounts that The General advertises on its website, though availability may vary by state.

How customers feel about The General

The General has positive customer reviews overall on online rating websites. The company has an average rating of 3.78 out of 5 stars on the Better Business Bureau (BBB) website and a 4.7-star rating on Trustpilot, based on more than 90,000 reviews.

The General also has a solid financial strength rating from AM Best, which indicates the company can meet policyholder obligations and pay car insurance claims.

But The General has many more complaints than expected for its size, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Complaint Index.

The General customer reviews

Reviews of The General insurance from customers are generally positive. Many of the reviews mention good customer service, cheap premiums, and an excellent user experience for its online quote generator.

Here are some examples of recent customer reviews from verified users.

Great, but Price is Everything with Old Cars

Poor

High Automobile Insurance

Good Company

The General ratings

The General has a high financial strength rating with AM Best, but it receives a high number of customer complaints with the NAIC in relation to its size. Below, you can learn more about The General’s third-party ratings.

The General car insurance coverage options

The General offers several types of auto insurance. You can purchase liability insurance that meets your state’s minimum coverage requirements or purchase a full-coverage policy that includes collision and comprehensive insurance.

The General offers fewer coverage options than its competitors. Here are a few of the add-ons available:[3]

If you have a car accident or collide with another object, collision insurance can cover your damages to your car.

Comprehensive insurance can pay to repair or replace your vehicle after damage from non-collision incidents, like severe weather, theft, and vandalism.

If you total your leased or financed car, gap insurance will pay the difference between the car’s actual cash value and the amount you still owe the lender.

If you need to file an SR-22 form to reinstate your driver’s license, The General can file it on your behalf.

The General offers roadside assistance through Nation Safe Drivers (NSD). It covers services like towing, tire services, battery services, jump-starting, and rental car reimbursement.

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Other options for The General customers

The General offers a good selection of insurance products, which makes bundling a great option. The company sells some insurance policies through partner companies.

In addition to auto insurance, The General sells the following types of coverage:

Homeowners insurance: Home insurance covers the physical structure of your home and your personal belongings. It also covers third-party liability claims, guest medical expenses, and loss of use.

Life insurance: Life insurance provides financial support for your loved ones if you pass away. Some life insurance policies also include a cash value or investment component.

Boat insurance: The General sells boat insurance through Progressive. It covers third-party property damage, theft, and accidents involving boats and other personal watercraft.

Motorcycle insurance: Motorcycle insurance provides similar coverage to personal car insurance, like collision coverage, uninsured motorist coverage, and liability coverage, but it’s specifically for motorcycles.

The General Insurance FAQs

If you’re thinking about purchasing car insurance from The General, the following information can help you decide if it’s a good option for your coverage needs.

Is The General legitimate?

Yes. The General is a legitimate car insurance company. It’s a subsidiary of PGC Holdings Corp., which is an affiliate of American Family Insurance. The General hasn’t had fraudulent business practices, and its customer reviews are mostly positive.

What is the average cost of The General car insurance?

The average cost of car insurance from The General is $244 per month for full-coverage insurance and $114 for minimum-coverage insurance.

Why is The General so cheap?

Compared to many other car insurance companies, The General doesn’t have cheap rates. But The General specializes in insuring high-risk drivers, who typically pay higher rates than low-risk drivers. The General might have competitive rates or even cheaper rates than other insurers for drivers who need non-standard auto insurance.

Is The General good at paying claims?

Yes. The General is good at paying claims. The General has an AM Best financial strength rating of A (Excellent), which means it has an excellent ability to meet its financial obligations and settle auto insurance claim payments.

How do you cancel an insurance policy from The General?

To cancel a high-risk car insurance policy with The General, call customer service at 1 (844) 328-0306. In some states, you may have to pay a penalty fee equal to 10% of the unused premiums if you request to cancel before the policy period is over.

Methodology

Insurify data scientists analyzed more than 90 million quotes served to car insurance applicants in Insurify’s proprietary database to calculate the premium averages displayed on this page. These premiums are real quotes that come directly from Insurify’s 50+ partner insurance companies in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Quote averages represent the median price for a quote across the given coverage level, driver subset, and geographic area.

Unless otherwise specified, quoted rates reflect the average cost for drivers between 20 and 70 years old with a clean driving record and average or better credit (a credit score of 600 or higher).

Liability-only premium averages correspond to policies with the following coverage limits:

Quotes for Allstate, Farmers, GEICO, State Farm, and USAA are estimates based on Quadrant Information Services’ database of auto insurance rates.

Sources

Elizabeth Rivelli is a freelance writer covering insurance and personal finance. She has extensive knowledge of various insurance lines, including property and casualty, health, and life insurance. Her byline has been featured in dozens of publications, including Investopedia, Forbes, Bankrate, NextAdvisor, and Insurance.com. 

Licensed auto and home insurance agent

3+ years experience in insurance and personal finance editing

Katie uses her knowledge and expertise as a licensed property and casualty agent in Massachusetts to help readers understand the complexities of insurance shopping.

Read Editorial Guidelines

Featured in

Corporate communications director for Insurance Information Institute

20+ years in insurance and communications

As Director, Corporate Communications for Triple-I, Mark serves as the non-profit’s national spokesperson, sharing information and education on a wide array of insurance issues.

Read Editorial Guidelines

7+ years experience in data analysis

Ph.D. in Computational Biology

Konstantin has led data teams across multiple industries, including insurance, travel, and biology. He’s led Insurify’s engineering team for more than three years.

Read Editorial Guidelines

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