National General Auto Insurance Review

Last Updated on October 7, 2026

By James Shaffer · Reviewed by Thomas Rockford, insurance industry executive and financial analyst, on October 5, 2026 · How we fact-check

National General (often called “NatGen”) says it has been insuring people since 1920. Today, it’s part of Allstate and sells policies through a large network of independent agents as well as online tools and self-service portals.

National General can be a solid option if you need flexible policy choices or you prefer buying through an independent agent. It has a history in non-standard auto, and it absorbed SafeAuto after Allstate bought that company in 2021, but its own pages don’t say whether it files SR-22s, so ask an agent. But like any carrier, it’s not a perfect fit for everyone—especially if customer service consistency is your #1 priority.

National General Auto Insurance at a Glance

• Best for: Drivers who want flexible coverage options, telematics discounts, and agent-based shopping.
• Also good for: Some higher-risk driver profiles (availability varies by state and underwriting company).
• May not be ideal for: People who want top-tier, consistently high customer service ratings in every region.

Types of Auto Insurance Coverage Offered by National General

National General sells both state-minimum policies and more robust “full coverage” packages. Your exact options can vary by state, driving history, and the underwriting company on your policy, but typical coverages include:

Liability Coverage: This is the foundation of most auto policies and is required in nearly every state. National General offers liability auto insurance, including bodily injury liability and property damage liability, to pay for injuries and damage you cause to others in an at-fault accident.

Collision Coverage: Optional in all states, collision coverage helps pay to repair or replace your vehicle after an accident with another car or object (minus your deductible).

Comprehensive Coverage: Also optional, comprehensive coverage helps pay for non-collision damage like theft, vandalism, weather losses, and animal strikes.

Medical Payments (MedPay) or Personal Injury Protection (PIP): Depending on your state, you may be able to add MedPay or may be required to carry PIP. These cover certain medical expenses after an accident, regardless of fault.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist: This helps protect you if you’re hit by a driver with no insurance or not enough insurance. Learn more about uninsured motorist coverage and when it’s worth adding.

Roadside Assistance: Roadside coverage can help with towing, jump starts, lockouts, and similar emergencies. For a deeper look at what’s usually included, see our roadside assistance guide. If you’re specifically researching National General’s options, you can also read our National General roadside assistance review.

Auto Protection Plan: National General also markets an Auto Protection Plan that functions similarly to an extended warranty (vehicle service contract), helping cover certain mechanical breakdown repairs. If you’re comparing options, it helps to understand what a car warranty typically covers before you buy.

What Makes National General Auto Insurance Stand Out?

National General isn’t always the first name people think of when shopping for auto insurance, but it does have a few notable perks—especially if you buy through an independent agent.

DynamicDrive® Telematics Discount: National General offers DynamicDrive®, a mobile-app-based program that can reward safer driving with discounts (and provides driving feedback). If you want to understand how these programs work in real life, see our review of National General’s telematics program.

24-Hour Claims Reporting + Faster Handling for Minor Claims: National General advertises 24-hour claims reporting on its personal auto insurance page, with “most minor claims handled right over the phone and paid within 48 hours.” That is the only place the company says it. Its claims site and its contact page don’t publish hours for any phone line, so don’t count on a specific window.

Gold Medal Repair Shops and Repair Guarantees: National General says collision repairs made at any of its “Gold Medal Repair Shops” are guaranteed for the lifetime of the vehicle. Remember: in many states you still have rights when choosing a repair shop—here’s what to know about whether your insurer can require a specific body shop.

Emergency Expense Allowance: National General covers up to $500 in food, lodging and travel expenses after a covered claim.

Easy Online Policy Management: Policyholders can handle common tasks online (payments, documents, ID cards, claims info) using National General’s self-service tools. National General placed first among all carriers in the shopping half of J.D. Power’s 2026 U.S. Insurance Digital Experience Study, with 553 points out of 1,000.

One-Stop Coverage for Drivers with Multiple Needs: National General also offers products like RV insurance. If you’re bundling or comparing, here’s a guide on whether you need RV insurance.

How Much Does National General Car Insurance Cost?

National General’s rates vary widely based on your state, ZIP code, driving record, vehicle, credit-based insurance score (where allowed), coverage level, and discounts. In other words: two drivers can get very different quotes from the same company.

National General doesn’t publish rates, and no company-by-company average comes from an official source. The figures you see for any insurer come from rate studies that price one sample driver, so treat them as a starting point. For scale, Bankrate’s True Cost of Auto Insurance study put the national average for full coverage at $2,638 a year, about $220 a month, in its February 2025 release. If you’re shopping on a budget, understanding minimum coverage auto insurance can help you avoid being underinsured.

Tip: If you’re comparing monthly vs. paid-in-full options, use this guide on paying car insurance in full vs. monthly to decide what’s best for your cash flow.

National General Auto Insurance Discounts

Discount availability depends on your state and policy type, but National General commonly offers savings similar to other major insurers. You can see a fuller breakdown in our guide to National General auto insurance discounts.

National General names seven discounts on its own auto insurance page: bundling with home, pay in-full, low mileage, security device, multi-vehicle, safe driver and paperless. The rest below are common across insurers, so confirm them with your agent before you count on them.

• Multi-vehicle: Insuring more than one car can reduce the cost per vehicle. Here’s how multi-car discounts typically work.
• Pay-in-full: Many insurers discount policies paid upfront in full (instead of monthly installments).
• Low mileage: National General names a low mileage discount. If you drive less than average, say so when you quote.
• Safe driver: National General names a safe driver discount, separate from the DynamicDrive app.
• Automatic payments: National General names AutoPay on its commercial vehicle page, not on its personal auto page. Here’s how automatic payment options affect price and billing convenience.
• Paperless billing: Switching to electronic documents can sometimes trigger paperless billing discounts.
• Security/anti-theft devices: If your vehicle has security features, you may qualify for anti-theft discounts.
• Defensive driving: Some drivers can save by taking an approved course—here’s how defensive driving discounts typically work.
• Driver education: Many insurers cut the rate for a young driver who finishes an approved driver’s education course. National General doesn’t list one, so ask.
• Affinity discounts: Certain employers, associations or groups may unlock savings. National General names a trade association discount on its commercial vehicle page, not on its personal auto page. See examples of organizations that offer insurance discounts.

Pros and Cons of National General

National General can be a strong match for some drivers, especially if you value flexible coverage options and buying through an independent agent. But it also has meaningful drawbacks that are worth weighing before you commit.

Pros

• Allstate-backed insurer with broad availability and a large agent network
• Telematics option (DynamicDrive®) that may lower rates for safer drivers
• Fast handling for some minor claims (especially straightforward, low-severity claims)
• Repair guarantees when using approved repair facilities (program availability varies)
• Flexible billing/payment options and a large menu of potential discounts

Cons

• Customer experience can vary by state, agent, and claims office
• Complaint volume and reviews are mixed compared to top-rated customer service carriers
• Rates aren’t consistently “cheap”—some drivers will find better pricing elsewhere after comparing quotes

National General Reviews and Financial Strength

When reviewing any insurance company, it helps to separate financial strength (ability to pay claims) from customer experience (how smooth the process feels).

AM Best Financial Strength: AM Best rates National General Insurance Company A+ (Superior) with a stable outlook, dated September 2, 2026 on AM Best’s own rating disclosure. If you want a quick primer on what these ratings mean, read our guide to AM Best ratings.

BBB Profile: The Better Business Bureau (BBB) lists National General Insurance Company with an A+ BBB rating and says the business is not BBB accredited (checked October 5, 2026). BBB complaint and review activity can be useful context—but it’s not the same thing as an insurance “claims-paying” rating.

J.D. Power: National General came first in the shopping segment of the 2026 U.S. Insurance Digital Experience Study, ahead of the Automobile Club Group and Erie. It isn’t named anywhere in the free text of the 2025 U.S. Auto Insurance Study, which only discloses regional winners, so there is no published overall satisfaction ranking for it. J.D. Power studies and regional rankings can be helpful, but not every insurer is included every year. If you’re comparing carriers based on these results, start here: how J.D. Power auto insurance rankings work.

Bottom line: National General has strong financial backing and a wide product menu, but customer satisfaction can be inconsistent. If you want the smoothest experience possible, compare quotes and service reputations with other carriers known for high satisfaction in your state.

FAQs on National General Auto Insurance

National General Contact Information

If you’re already a customer (or considering a quote), here are the National General contact options the company publishes itself. It prints no hours of operation for any of them. Always check the numbers on your policy documents for the fastest routing.

If you want more ways to reach National General (including department-specific options), see our guide to the National General customer service contact number.

Final Word on National General Auto Insurance

National General is a legitimate, Allstate-backed insurer with a wide range of coverage options and a strong financial strength rating. It can be a particularly good fit if you like working with an independent agent, need flexible underwriting, or want telematics-based discounts.

That said, customer experience isn’t always consistent across states and claims offices. The smartest move is to compare multiple quotes, ask an agent about available discounts in your state, and review your policy details carefully before you buy. My advice is to find out which underwriting company would actually issue your policy, since that is the name on your claim, and get a quote from a standard carrier at the same time so you know what the non-standard option is costing you.

Sources

Checked October 5, 2026

• National General — About Us
• National General — Auto Insurance
• National General — Contact Us
• National General — Claims Center
• National General — Claims FAQs
• AM Best — Rating Disclosure for National General Insurance Company, September 2, 2026
• BBB — National General Insurance Company Profile
• J.D. Power — 2026 U.S. Insurance Digital Experience Study, May 13, 2026
• Allstate — Acquisition Closing Announcement
• Allstate — True Cost of Auto Insurance Release