National General Auto Insurance Review

Last Updated on September 11, 2023

National General is an American car insurance company that traces its roots back to 1939. Today, the company offers a range of auto, health, home, motorcycle, and RV insurance policies.

National General is available across the United States. But is National General the right auto insurance company for you? Should you buy car insurance through National General? Keep reading to discover everything you need to know about National General auto insurance.

Types of Auto Insurance Coverage Offered by National General

National General offers car insurance to meet and exceed minimum requirements in your state. You can buy minimum liability coverage through National General. Or, you can buy full coverage car insurance. Available coverage options include:

Liability Coverage: National General offers liability auto insurance, including bodily injury and property damage liability coverage. Most states require liability coverage, which protects other drivers from your actions.

Collision Coverage: Optional in all states, collision coverage is part of full coverage car insurance and pays for damage to your vehicle after an accident.

Comprehensive Coverage: Also optional in all states, comprehensive coverage covers theft, weather damage, collisions with animals, and other incidents not covered by collision coverage. National General offers comprehensive coverage in all states.

Medical Payments Coverage: Medical payments coverage covers certain medical bills resulting from a car accident. It’s optional in all states and functions similar to health insurance.

Personal Injury Protection (PIP): Required in a small number of states, personal injury protection works similar to medical payments coverage and covers certain medical expenses resulting from a car accident.

Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage: In some states, nearly 20% of drivers do not have car insurance. Some states require uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. Some motorists also carry this coverage for added protection. National General offers uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage throughout the country.

Roadside Assistance: National General offers roadside assistance to policyholders via the National General Motor Club. You can pay a few extra dollars per month for unlimited towing, 24/7 roadside assistance, fuel deliveries, tire changes, emergency expense reimbursements, and other coverage options.

Auto Protection Coverage: National General offers auto protection plans that function like an extended warranty. Available on new cars, National General’s auto protection coverage helps pay for unexpected breakdowns on newer vehicles.

What Makes National General Auto Insurance Unique?

National General isn’t one of the largest or best-known insurance companies in the United States. However, the company insures thousands across the country. National General differentiates itself from the competition with the following features:

Fast Claims Processing: National General claims to process claims more quickly than many of its competitors. In fact, National General claims to process most small claims within 48 hours of filing.

Guaranteed Claims Satisfaction: National General also emphasizes strong claims satisfaction. The company is so confident in its claims handling, in fact, that it will refund all or part of your deductible if unsatisfied with claims service.

Affordability: According to National General, the company aims to keep its prices affordable by offering numerous discounts for customers. Customers can save money with multi-vehicle policies, safe driving habits, and paperless billing, among other options. According to our research, National General’s prices are cheaper than the average insurance company in the United States.

Gold Medal Repair Shops: National General has partnered with a network of Gold Medal Repair Shops across the United States. The insurer offers guaranteed collisions repairs at any of these repair shops. Drivers who repair their vehicle at a Gold Medal Repair Shops have additional protection and satisfaction guarantees. Drivers can also track their repairs via SmartServices.

Rental Car Delivery: National General offers rental car deliveries after covered accidents. If you are involved in an accident and your car needs to be repaired, then National General may deliver a rental car to your location. National General sometimes advertises this service as SmartValet.

Affordable RV Insurance: National General may be the best option for those who need RV insurance. The company makes it easy to add RV and auto insurance onto one policy. RV owners can save 20% over the cost of buying RV insurance on their own while paying just one deductible for the same covered accident.

National General Motor Club: National General offers its own in-house roadside assistance program called the National General Motor Club. Available to all National General auto insurance customers, the National General Motor Club starts at $59 per year and includes 24/7 roadside assistance, discounts on entertainment and dining, and other benefits. You can dine, shop, travel, and save with the National General Motor Club.

Affiliation with General Motors: National General was founded as the Motors Insurance Company as a subsidiary of General Motors. Until 2013, the company was known as GMAC Insurance. The company had a special relationship with General Motors, offering cheaper rates to General Motors employees and drivers using General Motors products. Today, National General continues to offer discounts to drivers using General Motors products and services.

Acquired by Allstate in 2021: Allstate acquired National General in January 2021. The company continues to offer its own policies under its own brand and name. However, Allstate may integrate National General’s customers within its own umbrella of products and services moving forward.

How Much Are National General’s Insurance Rates?

The average National General driver in the United States pays around $1,399 per year for full coverage car insurance, which is around $50 less than the nationwide average of around $1,450 per year.

Drivers who buy minimum liability insurance through National General can pay less than $700 per year for coverage, depending on your state. Liability insurance meets minimum requirements in your state but provides limited protection for your own vehicle.

Generally, National General’s rates are competitive with the rates charged by other insurers in most states. National General is also well-known for its extensive range of discounts: although rates may seem higher upfront, your premiums can drop substantially by qualifying for additional discounts and savings.

National General Auto Insurance Discounts

National General offers similar car insurance discounts to other small and large insurance companies. If you have a safe driving record, carry multiple vehicles on your policy, or sign up for automatic payments with National General, then you could save hundreds per year.

Available National General auto insurance discounts include:

Safe Driver Discount: Drivers who complete a defensive driving course can qualify for National General’s safe driver discount.

Teen Driver Education Course: Drivers under 20 who complete an approved driver’s education course could qualify for a teen driver discount.

Automatic Payment Discount: If you sign up for National General’s automatic payments program, then you can save around 3% per year.

Paid in Full Discount: Drivers who pay for their entire car insurance policy upfront (every six or 12 months) can receive additional discounts.

Multi-Policy and Multi-Vehicle Discounts: If you insure multiple vehicles with National General, or if you buy multiple insurance products through National General, then you qualify for a multi-policy and multi-vehicle discount.

General Motors Discount: National General offers specific discounts for drivers who use General Motors products, including OnStar.

RV Insurance Discounts: RV owners can save 20% by buying a National General insurance policy. Plus, drivers who insure their RVs and cars on a single policy can pay one deductible for a single accident.

Paperless Billing: National General allows drivers to save money by switching to electronic billing.

Anti-Theft Discount: If your car has anti-theft features, then you could save money on car insurance. National General offers anti-theft discounts for both aftermarket components and factory-installed components.

Affinity Discounts: National General has partnered with a range of memberships, professional organizations, unions, and other groups across the United States to offer affinity discounts.

Motorcycle Discounts: Drivers with a motorcycle on their National General policy could qualify for safe rider and multi-cycle discounts, among other perks.

SmartDrive Discount: Drivers who enroll in National General’s SmartDrive program could save money by having their driving tracked. SmartDrive is an app that National General policyholders can download. It monitors

Pros and Cons of National General

Generally, National General is well-rated for its claims satisfaction, customer service, and overall pricing. However, some customers have complaints about all three aspects of the company. As with most insurers, experiences vary widely between states and drivers.

Some of the pros and cons of National General include:

Pros

• Unique perks like SmartValet and SmartServices for guaranteed repairs and easy rental car deliveries after an accident
• Affiliation with General Motors and discounts for using General Motors services like OnStar
• Competitive prices with an extensive range of discounts
• Deductible waived (all or partially) if unsatisfied with claim
• Fast processing for small claims (aims to cover claims within 48 hours)
• Strong financial strength rating from A.M. Best (A+ Superior)

Cons

• Higher than average NAIC complaint index
• Some customers have had poor claims handling experiences with National General
• More complaints about homeowners insurance than auto insurance

Overall, National General has similar pros and cons compared to other small and large insurers online. While most customers are satisfied with their experience, National General also has its fair share of complaints from customers across the United States.

National General Reviews: What Do Customers Have to Say?

National General has average to good reviews from policyholders, ratings organizations, and business analysis services.

A.M. Best tracks the financial strength and stability of insurance companies across the United States. According to A.M. Best, National General has an A+ (Superior) rating, which means the company should have no issues covering its financial liabilities, obligations, and insurance claims in the near future. National General first achieved this high rating in June 1973 and has maintained the rating ever since, with A.M. Best most recently affirming this rating in July 2021.

National General has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. According to the BBB, National General has an average rating of 1.73 stars out of 5 based on 210+ customer reviews. The company has 698 complaints closed in the last three years, including 293 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

J.D. Power previously rated National General when the company operated under the name GMAC Insurance. J.D. Power rated the company a 2/5 for purchase experience, a 3/5 for claims satisfaction, and a 3/5 for overall customer satisfaction, all of which were considered below average. However, National General has no current rating from J.D. Power.

National General has an unusually high National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) complaint score. The NAIC tracks complaints about specific insurance companies. According to the NAIC, National General has an NAIC score of 9.44, which means the company receives more than 9 times as many complaints as competing insurers of its size.

National General has above-average reviews on insurance review aggregator websites. On Clearsurance, National General has an average rating of 3.30 stars out of 5 with 370+ reviews. WalletHub, meanwhile, has an average rating of 4 stars out of 5 with 3,080+ reviews.

Final Word on National General

Founded in 1939, National General has grown to become one of the largest insurance companies in the United States. The Winston-Salem, North Carolina-based company offers auto, home, RV, and motorcycle insurance across the United States.

In 2021, insurance giant Allstate acquired National General. The company closed the $4 billion acquisition on January 4, 2021. Moving forward, National General will be headquartered in New York City and maintain a network of 42,300 independent agents across the United States while adding 1% to Allstate’s nationwide market share.

To learn more about National General or to request an auto insurance quote today, visit the company online at NationalGeneral.com.

National General
Company Address	P.O. Box 3199 Winston-Salem, NC 27102
Phone Number	1-800-847-2886
Website URL	https://nationalgeneral.com/