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The General, a subsidiary of Sentry Insurance, is the 19th largest car insurance company by market share in the U.S. It's smaller than The Hartford but bigger than Amica, and it offers auto insurance in 47 states (not including New Jersey, Hawaii, or Alaska). In some states, like Michigan, it partners with other insurers to underwrite policies. The General has local offices only in Louisiana, and it uses very few independent agents compared to other companies.
Because this insurer offers quite limited policy options and discounts compared to others, I'd be most inclined to recommend The General to drivers with simple, straightforward insurance needs. It's a stand-out option for teenagers, but its rates are roughly average (or above average) for most drivers. The company is also known for insuring high-risk drivers, and I'd especially recommend it to those needing SR-22s, but I have to mention that premiums for this demographic aren't very competitive.
If you need specialty coverage or a wide selection of add-ons to choose from, The General would likely be a poor choice. I also don't recommend it for in-person support.
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.
The General pros and cons
- Relatively low premiums for teen drivers
- Auto insurance for drivers that have had accidents or tickets in the past
- Offers SR-22 insurance
- Prices are mostly average or slightly above
- Not available in all 50 states
- Limited coverage options
- Few discounts available
How much does The General cost?
The General's premiums leave something to be desired (that something being lower costs). This is likely to be a somewhat pricey insurer, even if you've got a clean driving record, if you choose full-coverage insurance. Its full-coverage rates are actually above average in many cases, though liability-only premiums typically fall on the favorable side of that line.
The best rates, interestingly, are offered for teen drivers. It's not common for companies to be most competitive with this driver group, which is notoriously expensive to insure. Seniors, people with perfect records, and people with accidents and incidents in their profiles should expect roughly average rates from this provider.
| Driver type | The General liability-only monthly premium | The General full coverage monthly premium |
| Clean driving record | $105 | $207 |
| Speeding ticket on driving record | $136 | $270 |
| At-fault accident on driving record | $141 | $279 |
| DUI on driving record | $171 | $338 |
| Teen driver | $158 | $312 |
| Senior driver | $82 | $162 |
| Data sourced from Insurify | ||
Compare those rates to the national averages below to get an idea of how The General 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 The General car insurance good?
Company ratings:
- AM Best: A+
- J.D. Power claims satisfaction: N/A
- BBB: A+
- NAIC complaints: 3.76
The General is a reputable and stable company, but it receives far more complaints than others.
The best car insurance companies receive high marks for customer satisfaction across many independent reviews. Research from third-party agencies like AM Best, J.D. Power, the Better Business Bureau (BBB), and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) all provide helpful insights into what it can be like as a customer of a particular company.
The General's NAIC complaint index of 3.76 is much, much higher than the national index of 1.00, meaning customers are generally less satisfied than most (or, at least, more likely to lodge formal complaints) when you account for how many policies the company has. Put more simply, The General has more than its share of unhappy customers. When I dug into complaints filed, I found that most of them fall under the categories of delays and unsatisfactory settlements, which is typical.
But despite complaints, The General has a BBB grade of A+, the highest grade possible for ethical standards and trustworthiness, and an AM Best rating of A+, the second-best grade possible for financial stability. Its AM Best grade was upgraded from A to A+ in 2025. Unfortunately, J.D. Power didn't include The General in its 2024 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study.
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Discounts
Compared to other companies, The General offers fewer discounts on car insurance policies. Many of its limited discounts also vary by state, so you might not know what you could qualify for until you get a quote or speak with a representative. It does offer defensive driving discounts, though.
The company also doesn't disclose how much you could lower your car insurance bill by with each discount, which is a bit frustrating. Other companies, like Progressive and State Farm, clearly state the maximum rate reduction you can qualify for on some or all discounts. For instance, "you could save an average of 7% when you bundle home and auto."
| Discount | Does The General have it? | GEICO | Progressive |
| Loyalty | Yes/No | No | No |
| Multi-policy/bundling | Yes (varies) | Yes | Yes |
| Multiple vehicle | Yes (varies) | Yes | Yes |
| Airbag | Yes (varies) | Yes | No |
| Anti-lock brakes | No | Yes | No |
| Anti-theft | No | Yes | Yes (select states) |
| Safe driver | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Good student | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Away-from-home student | No | Yes | Yes |
| New car | No | Yes | No |
| Pay in full | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Automatic payments | No | Yes | Yes |
| GAP insurance | No | No | No |
| Senior | No | No | No |
| Military | No | Yes | No |
| Defensive driving course | Yes (varies) | Yes | Yes (select states) |
MyDrive
The General's MyDrive program is your standard telematics-based safe-driving program. You enroll in the program and download the MyDrive mobile app, and the app tracks your driving habits to get a feel for how risky you are or aren't on the road. It looks at everything from accelerometer to location data to track how, when, and where you drive to determine your eligibility for a discount.
MyDrive isn't available in every state, so check with the company about whether you'd qualify. The General does not offer pay-per-mile policies to help you save money on car insurance, but these are not terribly common.
Average rate:
Coverage
The General offers little outside of basic car insurance coverage to fulfill your state's minimum car insurance requirements, with a couple of exceptions. Many common optional add-ons are missing, but the company does stand out for offering GAP coverage and SR-22 insurance.
- Liability protection
- Comprehensive coverage
- Collision coverage
- Uninsured and underinsured motorist insurance
- GAP coverage
- Roadside assistance
- SR-22 insurance
Remember how I mentioned that The General specializes in insuring high-risk drivers? SR-22 forms are part of that, and not all insurance companies will help you file them. The General claims that it can "give most drivers an auto insurance policy that will keep them insured" in reference to people with histories of accidents or incidents.
Editor's note
I found it difficult to find coverage details on the insurer's site, including which states it covers and what plan add-ons are available. The site is full of educational resources, but pages dedicated to insurance details are sparse, so I decided to call for some clarification. I live in Michigan, where The General doesn't underwrite policies itself. When I called customer support, I was greeted first by a) a recording of Shaquille O'Neal where he thanked me for calling and b) by another recorded message stating that insurance isn't available in my state but that The General partners with Progressive to provide policies.The General vs. competitors
As mentioned, The General's prices are close to the average. This means that its rates are high compared to many of its top competitors, which beat the average — sometimes by a wide margin.
We've compiled the most popular insurers into the table below to give you an idea of where different companies fall in relation to each other, but it doesn't include The General because it's a much smaller company. That said, this insurer would be between the average and Farmers Insurance.
| 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 | ||
The General vs. GEICO
Between The General and GEICO's prices, there's no contest — GEICO's average premiums are lower across the board. The much larger insurer also provides many discounts and is available in every state. You're likely to pay below-average rates with GEICO, especially if you qualify for discounts, while you're likely to pay at or above the average with The General. I would recommend The General above GEICO for drivers who present greater risk, though.
If you're interested in both, there's no harm in getting quotes from both.
The General vs. Progressive
Progressive is the second largest insurer by market share, and it provides a broader range of coverage options and discounts than many of its competitors, The General included. Progressive's rates are often lower than the national average as well, but this can vary widely depending on where you live and what policy you need.
Compared to The General, Progressive would probably cost less, and the company has a much lower NAIC index (which is notable given how many premiums it writes). Progressive also offers car insurance in every state. In some cases, The General and Progressive partner to issue policies. Choose Progressive if you need specialty coverage or have a perfect record.
FAQs
How do I contact The General?
You can get in touch with The General's customer service by calling 1-844-328-0306, scheduling a call, or live chatting with a representative. The hours for customer support are 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. CT Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. through 8 p.m. on Friday, and 8 a.m. through 4 p.m. on Saturday.
Is The General the same as National General?
No, The General and National General are not the same company or owned by the same company. National General is a subsidiary of Allstate, and it also provides car insurance.
Is The General cheap car insurance?
I wouldn't classify The General as "cheap car insurance," and you probably wouldn't either after seeing its prices. With rates that are roughly average or a little higher, you can certainly find cheaper insurance elsewhere. However, The General also isn't the most expensive I've seen.
Bottom line
The General would not be my first choice for many drivers just because its average prices are far from the lowest you can find, and it offers few policy options. It's certainly not among the best car insurance companies we've looked at. But I would recommend it to teens, drivers who have been in accidents or incidents, and drivers who need uncomplicated policies without add-ons, at least as an option to consider when comparing quotes.
I also want to point out that my experience researching this company was a bit more difficult than it has been when analyzing other insurers. This is because The General's website is somewhat less user-friendly, and I had to dig for information that I feel should have been featured much more prominently. Keep this in mind as you browse, but I wouldn't consider it a dealbreaker.
Average rate:
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