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Los Angeles-based Mercury Insurance is one of California's top 10 auto insurers. The company also offers auto coverage in 10 other states and aims to expand its operations as an affordable car insurance provider.
Mercury Insurance can be an affordable option for people looking for an auto insurance policy in the states it serves. However, the company receives more customer complaints than the average for other auto insurance companies, and online reviews from policyholders give it a low score.
How we evaluate products
FinanceBuzz researches a number of factors in each auto insurance provider to create our reviews. These factors include cost and discounts, complaints and customer satisfaction, coverage, and ease of use. We also gather information from sources such as Insurify, J.D. Power, AM Best, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), and the Better Business Bureau to ensure we provide the most useful information to our readers.
Mercury Insurance pros and cons
- RealDrive program allows you to pay per mile and potentially save money
- Special coverage for mechanical breakdowns and rideshare drivers can be added to your policy
- Claim can be filed online
- Availability limited to 11 states
- Low claims satisfaction scores
- Above-average number of customer complaints
How much does Mercury Insurance cost?
Mercury Insurance sold its first policy in 1962. Today, the insurer's products are sold through more than 6,300 independent insurance agents in 11 states across the country.
According to insurance data aggregator Insurify, Mercury's average rates are cheaper than the national average, but not by too much. As you can see below, for liability-only coverage, Mercury charges an average of $84 per month if you've got a clean driving record. For full-coverage insurance, the company quotes an average rate of $158 per month.
Ultimately, your own rate will vary based on a range of factors. As you can see in the table below, having a speeding ticket, DUI, or accident on your record could all raise your rates with Mercury — or most any insurer, for that matter.
| Driver type | Mercury liability-only monthly premium | Mercury full coverage monthly premium |
| Clean driving record | $84 | $158 |
| Speeding ticket on driving record | $118 | $220 |
| At-fault accident on driving record | $126 | $236 |
| DUI on driving record | $122 | $228 |
| Teen driver | $156 | $291 |
| Senior driver | $72 | $134 |
| Data sourced from Insurify | ||
Compare these numbers to the national averages below to get an idea of how Mercury stacks up:
| Driver type | National average liability-only monthly premium | National average full coverage monthly premium |
| Clean driving record | $105 | $192 |
| Speeding ticket on driving record | $141 | $265 |
| At-fault accident on driving record | $146 | $274 |
| DUI on driving record | $166 | $313 |
| Teen driver | $194 | $364 |
| Senior driver | $85 | $160 |
| Data sourced from Insurify | ||
Is Mercury car insurance good?
Company ratings:
- AM Best: A
- J.D. Power claims satisfaction: 663/1,000
- BBB: Not rated
- NAIC complaints: 0.95 (Private Passenger), 4.03 (Overall)
Mercury earns an "A" rating for its financial strength from AM Best, a credit rating company focused on insurance companies. Such a solid financial strength rating is always a good sign in that you can likely rely on Mercury to be able to actually pay out on claims, but it doesn't tell you much about the general customer experience.
Data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) shows that Mercury Insurance receives slightly fewer customer complaints than the average in the auto insurance industry, scoring 0.95 for private passenger policies against the baseline index of 1. That being said, the company overall across all policy types, auto or otherwise, scores 4.03, indicating that Mercury in general receives roughly four times the expected number of complaints.
The lower-than expected complaints on auto insurance in particular is encouraging, but when considered alongside the company's overall index and Mercury's last-place ranking on J.D. Power's 2024 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study — it scored 663 against the study average of 697, the lowest out of the 22 companies analyzed — there's reason for concern.
The whole picture seems to indicate that your customer experience with Mercury may leave something to be desired.
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Discounts
There are many factors that affect car insurance rates, but Mercury Insurance offers several discounts to help bring those costs down. For example, Mercury customers who bundle their car insurance with their homeowners, condo, or renters insurance can get a discount.
| Discount | Does Mercury have it? | GEICO | Allstate |
| Loyalty | No | No | No |
| Multi-policy/bundling | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Multiple vehicle | Yes | Yes | No |
| Airbag | No | Yes | No |
| Anti-lock brakes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Anti-theft | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Safe driver | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Good student | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Away-from-home student | No | Yes | Yes |
| New car | No | Yes | Yes |
| Pay in full | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Automatic payments | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| GAP insurance | No | No | No |
| Senior | No | No | No |
| Military | No | Yes | No |
| Defensive driving course | No | Yes | No |
MercuryGO and Mercury RealDrive
Mercury Insurance offers two special programs that can help auto insurance policyholders save money on their premiums. Both programs, MercuryGO and Mercury RealDrive, offer a 5% participation discount just for enrolling in the programs.
- MercuryGO: This program uses a mobile app that tracks your driving and generates a driving skill score based on excessive speeding, hard braking, and distracted driving habits. Drivers who get good scores could get up to a 40% insurance discount on their auto insurance premiums when they renew their policy, according to Mercury.
- Mercury RealDrive: This program uses the odometer data you report to Mercury to offer pay-per-mile car insurance. People who don't drive a lot may be able to save money by using this program.
Average rate:
Coverage
Mercury offers several standard auto insurance options and some unique coverage options, such as mechanical protection. It also offers non-vehicle policies, including homeowners and renters insurance.
- Liability protection
- Medical payments
- Personal injury protection (PIP)
- Uninsured/underinsured motorist insurance
- Collision coverage
- Comprehensive coverage
- Custom equipment coverage
- Gap insurance
- Rental car reimbursement
- Roadside assistance
- Rideshare insurance
- Mechanical protection
Keep in mind
Most states require drivers to carry a certain level of bodily injury and property damage liability coverage. Make sure to have the minimum liability protection required by law in your state.Mechanical protection insurance comes in a standalone policy form that covers non-accident related repairs. It can help with repairs after your warranty expires, including engine problems, transmission issues, and faulty electrical system systems. This insurance doesn't cover routine tune-ups, damages due to normal wear and tear, or car owner negligence.
Mercury state availability
Mercury auto insurance is only available in the following states:
- Arizona
- California
- Florida
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- New York
- Oklahoma
- Texas
- Virginia
Additional Mercury insurance products
Besides auto insurance, Mercury Insurance also offers the following products:
- Homeowners insurance
- Condo insurance
- Renters insurance
- Landlord insurance
- Business owners insurance
- Business auto insurance
- Umbrella insurance
Mercury Insurance vs. competitors
In general, Mercury is pretty middle-of-the-pack among its competitors industrywide, but is a little more expensive than some of the biggest names in auto insurance like Progressive, GEICO, State Farm, and Allstate.
| Company name | Average monthly full coverage | Average monthly liability-only coverage |
| USAA | $99 | $46 |
| GEICO | $118 | $55 |
| State Farm | $119 | $55 |
| Allstate | $132 | $62 |
| Progressive | $148 | $101 |
| American Family | $157 | $72 |
| Nationwide | $181 | $85 |
| Travelers | $191 | $90 |
| National average | $199 | $105 |
| Farmers | $236 | $110 |
| Liberty Mutual | $250 | $169 |
| Data sourced from Insurify | ||
Mercury Insurance vs. GEICO
Your final car insurance rate will vary based on a range of factors, including the levels of coverage you choose and any discounts you might qualify for. But looking at the data, you can likely expect to pay less with GEICO than you would with Mercury, regardless.
Mercury's $158 monthly average rate for full-coverage insurance is a little steep compared to GEICO's $114. Mercury is also more expensive for liability-only, charging an average of $84 per month for such policies, while GEICO only charged $53 on average.
Mercury Insurance vs. Allstate
Again, your own quote may vary, but if you were to compare Mercury against Allstate, you'd find that it's also just a little bit more expensive. Allstate charges an average of $128 per month for full-coverage insurance, and $60 per month for liability only.
Despite this, keep in mind that though Mercury may be more expensive than these two popular providers, it's also much cheaper than others, like Liberty Mutual, which quotes an average rate of $241 per month for full-coverage insurance, illustrating just how wide a range of pricing is available on the auto insurance market.
FAQs
How do I contact Mercury Insurance?
Mercury customer service is available 24/7 and can be reached via phone or customer support form.
- Call 800-503-3724
- Send a message through the online contact form
Is Mercury good at paying claims?
Mercury Insurance ranked dead last on J.D. Power's 2024 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study. Mercury Insurance overall receives more customer complaints than the average for other insurance companies, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).
What states does Mercury cover?
Mercury auto insurance is available in 11 U.S. states. These states are Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia.
Bottom line
Mercury Insurance provides several ways for its policyholders to save money through discounts and telematic programs. If you need homeowners, renters, or condo insurance, you could save even more by bundling more than one Mercury policy.
However, Mercury ranks low on claims satisfaction and has more customer complaints overall than the average industry level. The company may not be the right insurer for you — it may not even be available in your state — so be sure to review our list of the best car insurance companies for other options.
Average rate:
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