Is Workmen’s Auto Insurance Good?

Last Updated on October 22, 2026

By James Shaffer · Reviewed by Thomas Rockford, insurance industry executive and financial analyst, on October 22, 2026 · How we fact-check

Workmen’s Auto Insurance Company is now called Orion Indemnity Company, and the business is alive and still writing. The California Department of Insurance has the name change on record: the company previously known as “WORKMEN’S AUTO INSURANCE COMPANY” has been Orion Indemnity Company since August 19, 2021, NAIC number 13250, California-domiciled, license status UNLIMITED-NORMAL. Its old website, waic.com, now redirects to orionindemnity.com.

If you hold a policy that says Workmen’s Auto, your cover is intact and the company behind it did not go anywhere. It changed its name and it sits in the Mercury General group, which the regulator records as NAIC group 0660. Orion is still quoting California drivers on its own site today. The only thing that went away is the old name.

If you are shopping, the name to look for is Orion Indemnity, which describes itself as “California’s Premier Auto Insurer” and offers an online quote, or Mercury Insurance, the group’s main brand. Both are still nonstandard-friendly options for California drivers, and you will still see “WAIC” on legacy portals and old paperwork.

So, is this a good company to insure with? Under its current name it can be a practical choice if you do not fit “preferred” underwriting, or you need documentation like an SR-22 certificate. It is a single-state insurer with a small product menu, so it will not suit anyone who wants a national brand with a long list of extras.

What Is Workmen’s Auto Insurance (WAIC) Today?

Workmen’s Auto Insurance Company was authorized in California on December 8, 1949 and built a long presence in the state’s auto insurance market, particularly the nonstandard end of it. Mercury General announced a definitive agreement to buy it on October 23, 2014; both companies were based in Los Angeles. On August 19, 2021 the company changed its name to Orion Indemnity Company, which is the date the California Department of Insurance records.

Today the regulator lists Orion Indemnity Company with NAIC number 13250, a California domicile, a license status of UNLIMITED-NORMAL and an NAIC group of 0660, Mercury General Group. UNLIMITED-NORMAL is the ordinary active status: the company is licensed and transacting. Its lines include automobile, liability, fire, marine and surety among others.

And it is trading, which is a step beyond merely being licensed. orionindemnity.com invites visitors to get insured, advertises “an instant car insurance quote in less than 5 minutes,” and describes the company as “California’s Premier Auto Insurer.” Mercury Insurance appears on the site in the context of bundling a homeowner’s policy. The Workmen’s name itself appears nowhere on it.

The business is a nonstandard one, which means it may be an option for drivers who are harder to place with the biggest “preferred” carriers, including some drivers with DUIs or multiple violations. Insurance Journal described Workmen’s at the time of the Mercury deal as specializing in “underwriting non-standard personal auto insurance,” and that is still what the book is.

A note on where the name survives and where it does not. Missouri’s regulator shows Workmens Auto Insurance Company, NAIC 13250, as inactive, having withdrawn its property and casualty certificate of authority effective October 2, 2015. The old workmensauto.com address no longer works, while waic.com still forwards to Orion. So if an old document or an old bookmark points you at Workmen’s Auto, follow it to Orion and you are in the right place.

How to Get a Quote and Buy a Policy

There are two routes now. Orion’s own site offers a quote directly, and it advertises one in under five minutes. The traditional route is through independent agents (“producers”), which is how this book has historically been sold and is still how Mercury sells. Going through an agent usually means you will:

• Work with an agent to shop eligibility and coverage options
• Finalize your premium, down payment, and payment schedule through the agent
• Use online account tools to view documents and make payments after the policy is issued, including the legacy WAIC portal if that is where your policy lives

The agent route can be helpful if you are trying to find coverage in a market like Los Angeles or you have been declined elsewhere, because a producer can place you with whichever carrier in their book will take you.

Coverage Options You Can Expect

Orion Indemnity is an auto insurer above all, even though its licensed lines run wider. Coverage availability and limits depend on underwriting, vehicle type and where you live in California, and most drivers will recognize the core coverages:

• Bodily injury liability and property damage liability (required to drive legally)
• Collision coverage and comprehensive coverage (often required if you finance or lease)
• Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage (important in many California markets)
• Up to $1,000 of coverage for non-factory equipment, which Orion says is included for qualified drivers. Ask whether roadside assistance or rental reimbursement can be added.

If you’re unsure what you have, check your declarations page. It will list each coverage, deductible, and limit in plain terms.

Workmen’s Auto Insurance Discounts

Discounts can make a meaningful difference, and the exact savings depend on your risk profile and the company’s filed rating rules. Orion’s discounts page lists good student, multi-car, California good driver, anti-theft, loyalty, defensive driver, new vehicle, vehicle safety and emergency military deployment discounts, plus a multi-policy discount for Mercury homeowner policyholders. Alongside the most common auto insurance discounts, these are the ones to ask about by name:

• Multi-car: Insuring more than one vehicle can reduce your overall cost, similar to how multi-car discounts work at other insurers.
• California good driver: Drivers with a clean driving record may qualify for California’s “good driver” pricing rules (eligibility is specific and can be affected by tickets, accidents, or DUI history).
• Student and driver training discounts: Some policies offer savings for good students or defensive driving.
• Vehicle-based discounts: Anti-theft features, newer vehicles, and safety equipment can sometimes lower premiums.

You may also be able to save by changing how you pay. Some insurers offer a discount for paying in full rather than monthly—ask your agent what applies to your specific policy and billing plan.

The group connection is worth using. Orion’s own site raises bundling with a Mercury homeowner’s policy, so if you are trying to bundle home and auto insurance, ask what combinations are eligible in your situation. Mercury writes in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Texas and Virginia, by its own count eleven states, so a bundle is possible for a Californian even though Orion itself is California-only.

What Makes WAIC/Orion Indemnity Different?

Most insurers sell similar core coverages. The differences usually come down to underwriting appetite, distribution (agents vs. direct), and claims/service experience. Here’s what typically stands out with WAIC/Orion:

• California only: the company is California-domiciled, markets itself as “California’s Premier Auto Insurer,” and names no other state. If you move out of California you will need a different policy.
• Agent or direct: a producer can guide you through a complex record, and Orion’s own site will also quote you directly, which was not true of the old Workmen’s operation.
• Nonstandard market option: Drivers who are shopping with bad driving records may find options here when preferred carriers are expensive or unwilling to write the risk.
• Mercury behind it: the regulator puts Orion in NAIC group 0660, Mercury General Group, and Orion’s site raises Mercury bundling. That is a meaningfully larger group than a standalone nonstandard carrier. Many nonstandard carriers also offer customizable down payments, useful if you are looking for low down payment options when available and approved.

If you’re struggling to find coverage at all, your agent may also discuss alternatives like assigned risk auto insurance, depending on your eligibility and what’s available in your area.

SR-22 Filings and High-Risk Coverage

This book has long handled SR-22 filings, which states use to verify that a driver is maintaining liability coverage, and the legacy WAIC portal carried guidance on them. If you are required to file one, confirm:

• Whether your policy supports SR-22 filing in your state
• When the SR-22 gets submitted and how you’ll verify it was accepted
• How long you’re required to keep it (see: how long an SR-22 lasts)

Keep in mind: the SR-22 itself is not “extra insurance.” It’s a filing that confirms you carry the state-required coverage, and it typically comes up after serious violations, suspensions, or uninsured-driving cases.

Workmen’s Auto Insurance Reviews and Customer Reputation

Because this is a single-state insurer smaller than the national household names, it does not show up in major ranking lists of car insurance companies, and the five-year-old name change makes third-party reviews harder to read than usual: some are filed under Workmen’s, some under Orion, and the ones under Workmen’s describe a brand that stopped existing in 2021.

The better place to look is the regulator. The California Department of Insurance publishes a company profile for Orion Indemnity Company, which is where the name change, the NAIC number and the license status on this page come from, and California also publishes complaint data by company. Search it under Orion Indemnity Company, NAIC 13250, rather than under Workmen’s.

Third-party review sites carrying old Workmen’s listings tend to concentrate on claims communication and billing, which are the usual complaints about nonstandard carriers anywhere. Those listings are stale now and the star averages on them are not a reading of the current company, so weigh them lightly.

Final Word on Workmen’s Auto Insurance (WAIC)

Workmen’s Auto Insurance is Orion Indemnity Company now, and has been since August 2021. It is a California insurer in the Mercury General group, still licensed, still writing and still quoting. For anyone holding old Workmen’s paperwork, that is the whole story: your cover did not lapse and your insurer did not fail, the name on the letterhead changed. For anyone shopping, it is a reasonable option if you need nonstandard underwriting or help staying compliant after a serious driving event, and it is worth comparing against Mercury and against two other California carriers before you commit.

My advice: if you are holding a policy and the name on it has changed, the one thing to check is that your SR-22 filing, if you have one, still names the right company. Filings follow the insurer and they are the paperwork most likely to come apart quietly during a rename. Call and ask whether the state has the current name on file. It is a two-minute question and a suspended license is not a two-minute problem.

FAQs on Workmen’s Auto Insurance (WAIC) / Orion Indemnity

Orion does not publish service hours or a mailing address on its site. If an older listing gives you a Santa Ana address or other phone numbers for Workmen’s Auto, use the numbers above or the one on your own policy documents.

Sources

Checked October 5, 2026

• Mercury Insurance — About
• Mercury Insurance — Contact
• California Department of Insurance — Orion Indemnity Company
• Orion Indemnity — Company
• Orion Indemnity — Auto Insurance
• Orion Indemnity — Discounts
• Orion Indemnity — Home Page
• Insurance Journal — Mercury Agrees to Acquire Workmen’s Auto Insurance in California, October 23, 2014