Is Bear River Good for Auto Insurance?

Last Updated on April 24, 2023

Bear River Mutual is a car insurance company based in Utah.

With 110+ years of experience in Utah, Bear River Mutual is one of the state’s best-known providers. The company maintains 125+ agency offices across Utah and has strong reviews for customer service, claims satisfaction, and pricing.

Is Bear River good for auto insurance? Should you buy car insurance with Bear River Mutual? Find out everything you need to know about the Utah-based insurance company today in our review.

Key Takeaways:

• Bear River Mutual is Utah’s oldest mutual property and casualty insurance company and has been in operation since 1909.
• The company offers auto, renters, home and condo, dwelling, and umbrella insurance exclusively to Utah residents.
• Policyholders own the company, which operates as a mutual insurance company, and premiums are paid into a pool to cover claims.
• Bear River Mutual offers a range of car insurance products, including liability coverage, collision coverage, comprehensive coverage, uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, and personal injury protection.

About Bear River Mutual

Bear River Mutual is Utah’s oldest mutual property and casualty insurance company.

Founded on July 1, 1909, Bear River Mutual was initially formed to protect farmers in the community of Garland, Utah, along the banks of the Bear River. The mutual insurance company emerged soon after the town of Garland was founded.

The goal was to help local farmers obtain insurance at more affordable rates than competing Utah insurance companies. Farmers in the area realized there were advantages to buying into an insurance pool with like-minded people, and the company continued to grow.

Like other mutual insurance companies, Bear River Mutual is owned by policyholders. Policyholders pay into a pool, and the company draws money from this pool to cover claims.

Many of America’s largest insurance companies were founded as mutual insurers but have since moved away from that model. Bear River Mutual continues to operate as a mutual insurance company.

There are several advantages to a mutual insurance company. In Bear River Mutual’s first year of operations, no fires occurred, so the company returned all premiums to policyholders. Today, unlike for-profit insurance companies, Bear River Mutual maintains its allegiance to policyholders and not outside stockholders. The company aims to keep costs low while making insurance affordable and accessible.

As of 2018, Bear River Mutual had over $179 million in premiums for policyholders across Utah. The company only insures drivers in Utah, although policyholders are automatically covered when driving in any state or in Canada.

Today, Bear River Mutual is the oldest and largest personal lines auto and home insurance provider in Utah.

Bear River Mutual Products and Services

Bear River Mutual is more than just a car insurance company. The company also sells renters insurance, home insurance, dwelling coverage, umbrella insurance, and other products:

Auto Insurance: Bear River Mutual offers liability coverage, collision coverage, uninsured motorist coverage, roadside assistance, and other insurance products exclusively to customers in Utah. You can buy minimum liability insurance or full coverage insurance, depending on your needs.

Renters Insurance: Bear River Mutual sells renters insurance to protect the contents of your rental property. Like other Bear River Mutual insurance products, the company only sells renters insurance in Utah. It covers personal property, loss of use, and certain perils for renters.

Umbrella Insurance: If you have assets worth protecting, then umbrella insurance can protect those assets. Bear River Mutual sells umbrella insurance with liability limits of $1 million to $2 million. Umbrella insurance can cover certain damages, lawsuits, and other items for which you are liable.

Home & Condo Insurance: Bear River Mutual exclusively insures homes in Utah, which means the company doesn’t base its rates on claims for homes built in hurricane zones or areas with a high risk of tornados, among other natural disasters. Bear River Mutual’s home and condo insurance policies can cover primary residences, secondary residences, personal liabilities, earthquakes, condos, and more.

Dwelling Insurance: Bear River Mutual sells dwelling insurance on personally owned homes, buildings, duplexes, and fourplexes. Landlords typically use dwelling insurance for rental properties, which makes it different from home insurance or renters insurance.

How Does Bear River Mutual Car Insurance Work?

Bear River Mutual’s car insurance works similarly to the car insurance products of other products. You can buy minimum liability coverage or full coverage car insurance, customizing your policy with several options.

Auto insurance policies, products, and coverages offered by Bear River Mutual include the following:

Liability Coverage: Bear River Mutual offers liability coverage to protect you financially after an at-fault accident. If you caused an accident that led to medical bills, vehicle damage, and other costs, then you are liable for these costs, and your car insurance policy could cover these expenses. All states, including Utah, require a certain minimum amount of liability insurance coverage. Your Bear River Mutual car insurance policy can match or exceed these minimum limits. Utah requires drivers to have $25,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person, $65,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident, and $15,000 of property damage liability coverage (expressed as a 65/25/15 policy).

Collision Coverage: Bear River Mutual offers collision coverage on car insurance policies, which covers the cost of repairing your own vehicle after an accident you cause.

Comprehensive Coverage: Comprehensive coverage covers the cost of damage to your vehicle outside of an accident, including a hurricane, fire, or hail damage. It also covers vehicle theft, vandalism, and other incidents.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage: Utah is one of several states where drivers are required to have uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. Utah drivers must have $20,000 to $65,000 of uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. Bear River Mutual sells uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage throughout Utah, allowing drivers to match or exceed minimum insurance limits.

Personal Injury Protection: Utah is one of several states that require drivers to have personal injury protection coverage. You must have at least $3,000 of PIP coverage in Utah. Bear River Mutual can match this required amount or exceed it.

24/7 Roadside Assistance: Like most insurance companies, Bear River Mutual lets you add roadside assistance to your policy. Bear River Mutual’s 24/7 roadside assistance can help with towing, lockout, gas delivery, and other items. It’s available as bonus coverage (at an added cost) on all Bear River Mutual policies.

Rental Car Reimbursement: If your primary vehicle is in the shop for repairs and you need to rent a car, your Bear River Mutual car insurance policy could reimburse you for rental car costs.

RV, Motorhome, and Trailer Coverage: Bear River Mutual offers affordable insurance for alternative vehicles, including RVs, motorhomes, and trailers.

Bear River Mutual sells insurance through a network of agents across Utah. The company maintains 125+ offices across the state. You can find an agent near you by visiting BearRiverMutual.com.

You can also use the BearRiverMutual.com website to request a quote. Enter basic information online, then get an estimate for how much your Bear River Mutual car insurance policy will cost.

Bear River Mutual Auto Insurance Discounts

Bear River Mutual offers a standard range of auto insurance discounts, including:

Multi-Policy Discount: Bear River Mutual offers a range of insurance products, including home insurance, condo insurance, dwelling coverage, RV insurance, and renters insurance. If you bundle any of these policies with your auto insurance, you could get a bundling discount.

Multi-Vehicle Discount: If multiple vehicles are registered at the same address and insured with Bear River Mutual, you could qualify for a multi-vehicle discount.

Higher Deductible Discount: Bear River Mutual lets you customize the size of your deductible to lower premium costs. If you want cheaper premiums with Bear River Mutual, you can increase your deductible to $1,000 or higher.

Bear Care Direct Repair (DRP) Program: Bear River Mutual’s Bear Care Direct Repair Program (DRP) aims to take the stress and uncertainty out of auto repair costs. If you repair your car at a body shop part of the Bear Care DRP, the company guarantees the work and provides policyholders with additional benefits.

Safe Driving Discounts: If you have a clean driving record over the last 3 to 7 years, you could qualify for Bear River Mutual’s safe driving discount. The state of Utah has a lookback period of 10 years for DUIs, however, which could validate your safe driving discount.

Other Discounts: Unlike other insurance companies, Bear River Mutual does not publish its full list of discounts upfront. However, you can speak to a Bear River Mutual agent to ask about available discounts.

Bear River Mutual Reviews: What Do Customers Have to Say?

Bear River Mutual tends to be well-reviewed by drivers across Utah. The company has an average Google review rating of 4.6 stars out of 5, which is one of the highest ratings we’ve seen among major insurance companies. It also has a “superior” NAIC rating, which indicates it has far fewer complaints than the average insurer.

Bear River Mutual has a strong financial rating, although not quite as strong as some of its larger competitors. Bear River Mutual has an A- (Excellent) rating from A.M. Best. This strong rating indicates Bear River has historically been able to pay claims on time.

Like many insurance companies, Bear River Mutual has a poor rating on the Better Business Bureau. The company’s BBB page has a rating of 1.1 stars out of 5, with just five customer reviews. The company has nine complaints closed in the last three years and four complaints closed in the last 12 months. Typically, policyholders do not review their insurance company unless unsatisfied with a recent claim, which drops average ratings across the industry – even for good companies.

Other review websites have higher ratings for Bear River Mutual, including Finder, Clearsurance, Yelp, and WalletHub. In fact, Bear River Mutual may have the best online presence of any insurance company we have reviewed based on overall average ratings. The company has 1,300+ WalletHub reviews and an average rating of 4.6 stars, for example.

Other Frequently Asked Questions

Bear River Mutual Contact Information

Bear River Mutual Company Information
Address	778 East Winchester St. (6600 South) Murray, UT 84107
Phone Number	1-801-267-5000
Hours	Mon – Fri: 10am – 7pm Sat: Closed Sun: Closed
Contact Page	https://www.bearrivermutual.com/contact/
Website URL	https://www.bearrivermutual.com/