Is Pioneer State Mutual Good for Auto Insurance?
Last Updated on December 30, 2020
Pioneer State Mutual is a Flint, Michigan-based insurance company with 100 years of industry experience.
Founded in 1908 as a fire insurance specialist, Pioneer State Mutual insures thousands of drivers and homeowners across Michigan.
Pioneer State Mutual is the right choice for some drivers but not others. Today, we’re explaining everything you need to know about Pioneer State Mutual and how the company operates.
About Pioneer State Mutual
Pioneer State Mutual was founded in 1908 by a group of farmers seeking protection from fires. Farmers pooled resources together to protect themselves against lightning strikes. In fact, the company was originally known as the Farmers Mutual Lightning Protected Fire Insurance Company of Michigan.
In its early days, Pioneer State Mutual focused specifically on fire damage insurance claims. The company sold products like lightning rods to help farmers reduce the risk of lightning strikes and fire damage. Farmers could buy a fire damage insurance policy through Pioneer State Mutual and receive a lightning rod.
Over the years, Pioneer State Mutual expanded to offer more insurance products. Today, the company is headquartered in Flint, Michigan, and continues to sell insurance across the state of Michigan.
Although Pioneer State Mutual insures thousands of policyholders across the state, the company has never expanded beyond Michigan. However, Pioneer State Mutual insures more than just farmers, offering homeowners insurance, auto insurance, farm insurance, and business insurance, among other insurance products.
Pioneer State Mutual Insurance Products & Services
Pioneer State Mutual offers four core insurance products and services, including homeowners insurance, auto insurance, farm insurance, and business insurance.
Homeowners and Renters Insurance: Pioneer State Mutual sells insurance for all types of dwellings, including homeowners insurance, renters insurance, condo insurance, mobile home insurance, and rental dwelling insurance. The company also sells personal umbrella insurance to homeowners.
Auto Insurance: Pioneer State Mutual sells all types of car insurance throughout the state of Michigan, including basic liability plans and full coverage plans.
Farm Insurance: Farmers can buy car insurance through Pioneer State Mutual. Core insurance products and services include farmers insurance, farm equipment insurance, farm employment practices liability coverage, farm dwelling and property advantage coverage, and more.
Business Insurance: Pioneer State Mutual offers business insurance for business owners, contractors, garage owners, and more. You can buy commercial auto insurance, workers’ compensation insurance, commercial umbrella insurance, and other insurance products.
How Does Pioneer State Mutual Auto Insurance Work?
Pioneer State Mutual offers similar auto insurance products to other Michigan insurance companies. Although Michigan has the highest average auto insurance prices in the United States, Pioneer State Mutual aims to offer competitive prices on a range of auto insurance products.
Key auto insurance products and services available with Pioneer State Mutual include:
Personal Auto Insurance: Pioneer State Mutual offers personal auto insurance to drivers across the state of Michigan. You can buy minimum liability insurance or full coverage car insurance – or anything in between. Like other Michigan insurers, Pioneer State Mutual offers bodily injury liability coverage, property damage liability coverage, collision coverage, comprehensive coverage, and other auto insurance products and services.
Commercial Auto Insurance: Pioneer State Mutual offers commercial auto insurance, allowing businesses to buy car insurance to cover a company vehicle – or a fleet of vehicles.
Personal Injury Protection (PIP): Michigan, like many other no-fault insurance states, requires drivers to carry personal injury protection, or PIP. Pioneer State Mutual may also refer to this coverage as no-fault PIP benefits. PIP can reimburse you for medical expenses, lost wages, attendant care (like in-home nursing services), and replacement services (help with household tasks), among other costs you may need to pay after being seriously injured in an accident.
Property Protection Insurance (PPI): Michigan is also one of the only states that require drivers to carry property protection insurance, or PPI. Like the property damage liability coverage in other states, PPI covers damage you cause to other properties. All Michigan car insurance policies have a mandatory $1 million of PPI coverage.
Residual Bodily Injury Liability (BI): Michigan is also one of the few states that require drivers to carry residual bodily injury liability coverage, also labeled as BI by Pioneer State Mutual and other insurers. This coverage provides reimbursement to drivers who require medical treatment for serious injuries. Michigan state law requires $250,000 of BI coverage per person and $500,000 per accident.
Roadside Assistance: Pioneer State Mutual offers roadside assistance coverage. In exchange for a few extra dollars per year, you receive coverage for fuel deliveries, towing, spare tire replacements, and similar unexpected expenses that occur due to a roadside emergency.
Motorcycle Insurance: You can buy motorcycle insurance through Pioneer State Mutual. You can buy a motorcycle policy as a standalone plan. Or, you can bundle it with an existing car insurance policy.
RV and Motorhome Insurance: Pioneer State Mutual also sells insurance for motorhomes, travel trailers, utility trailers, and RVs, among other alternative vehicles.
Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage: Pioneer State Mutual sells uninsured motorist (UM) and underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage, allowing drivers to add protection for bodily injuries, property damage, and other expenses incurred after an incident with an uninsured or underinsured driver.
Personal Umbrella Insurance: Many Michigan drivers opt for higher insurance limits via umbrella insurance. Umbrella insurance extends your liability coverage, giving you added protection if you cause an accident or inflict other damage.
Overall, Pioneer State Mutual’s car insurance works similar to the products of other Michigan car insurance companies.
What Makes Pioneer State Mutual Car Insurance Unique?
Michigan drivers have plenty of options for car insurance. However, Pioneer State Mutual has several products and services that make it unique from other Michigan insurance companies, including:
Exclusively for Michigan: Many Michigan drivers prefer working with a Michigan-based and Michigan-operated company. Pioneer State Mutual was founded in Michigan over 100 years ago, and the company has never branched outside the state. Today, the Flint-based company continues to provide a local auto insurance experience to drivers across the state.
New Car Replacement: Not all insurance companies in Michigan offer new car replacement coverage, but Pioneer State Mutual does. Pioneer State Mutual’s new car replacement coverage allows you to replace a new vehicle if it’s involved in a total loss incident within the first 15,000 miles on it.
Trip Interruption Coverage: Pioneer State Mutual offers trip interruption coverage. You can claim up to $100 in food and lodging expenses if you’re stuck over 100 miles from home.
Pioneer Advantage: Pioneer offers a suite of bonus coverage under its Pioneer Advantage plan. Pioneer Advantage comes with rental gap coverage, preferred location towing, transportation expense coverage, personal property protection, and pet injury and death coverage, among other bonuses. Drivers can add the Pioneer Advantage endorsement for $25 for six months or $50 for one year.
Loaner Car Coverage: If your ordinary vehicle is in the shop for repairs, then Pioneer State Mutual provides you with loaner car coverage, allowing you to rent a car until your ordinary car is repaired.
Pet Injury and Accidental Death Coverage: Pioneer State Mutual can cover veterinary expenses related to the death or injury of a pet. If you are involved in a car accident that injures or kills a family pet, then Pioneer State Mutual may cover these costs.
Customized Equipment Coverage: Pioneer State Mutual can cover customized equipment on your vehicle, including disability equipment, stereo equipment, and third party electronics, among other equipment. You must inform Pioneer State Mutual of this customized equipment to obtain coverage.
Mobile App: Some smaller insurance companies have no mobile app, but Pioneer State Mutual offers a mobile app for iOS and Android.
Pioneer State Mutual Discounts
Pioneer State Mutual offers similar discounts to other major Michigan insurance companies, including:
Anti-Theft Discounts: Like most insurance companies, Pioneer State Mutual offers discounts for anti-theft devices, including remote disabling features.
Multi-Policy Discount: Pioneer State Mutual offers discounts for multiple policies, allowing drivers to save money by bundling multiple auto, home, or business policies together.
Multi-Vehicle Discount: Pioneer State Mutual offers discounts to drivers who own multiple vehicles. If you own multiple vehicles and they are all registered to one address, then you can qualify for Pioneer State Mutual’s multi-vehicle discount.
Student Away from Home Discount: Students living away at home can continue driving family vehicles on weekends – as long as they are living away from home while attending school full-time.
Affinity Group Discounts: If you are a member of certain affinity groups, then you could qualify for Pioneer State Mutual’s affinity group discounts.
Pioneer State Mutual Reviews & Ratings: What Do Customers Have to Say?
Pioneer State Mutual has an A- rating with the Better Business Bureau. The company has a rating of 1.86/5 from the BBB, although the page has just 7 customer reviews.
A.M. Best has awarded Pioneer State Mutual an A+ (Superior) rating. The company has been rated A+ for 59 consecutive years. This is one of the highest ratings available with A.M. Best, which assesses the financial strength of insurance companies across the country.
This rating is especially impressive given the small size of Pioneer State Mutual: many other small, regional insurance companies have weaker financial ratings because of the small geographic diversity of their policyholders. According to A.M. Best, Pioneer State Mutual is one of the top 200 insurance carriers nationwide for increasing net written premiums.
J.D. Power does not typically rank Pioneer State Mutual because it’s not one of the largest insurance companies in the United States or in any subregion. Again, Pioneer State Mutual only insures drivers in the state of Michigan.
Pioneer State Michigan has average to strong ratings on insurance review websites, including a 4.1 rating out of 5 on Clearsurance.com. Generally, customers give the company average to good ratings for customer service and claims satisfaction.
Final Word on Pioneer State Mutual
Pioneer State Mutual is a Michigan car insurance company with a long and proven reputation for providing effective car insurance across the state.
To learn more about Pioneer State Mutual or to request a quote today, visit the company online at PSMIC.com.
| Pioneer State Mutual Insurance Company | |
|---|---|
| Company Address | 1510 N. Elms Road Flint, Michigan 48532 |
| Phone Number | 1-810-733-2300 |
| Website URL | https://www.psmic.com/ |
