The General Car Insurance Review 2025

4.0

Jerry’s Score

Our take

The General’s car insurance may be a fit for “high-risk” drivers, including those who need SR-22 documents and those who have had a lapse in coverage. Rates may be high, but the company prioritizes flexible payment options.

Pros

• Provides SR-22 forms.
• May cover drivers with a coverage lapse.
• Flexible payment options.

Cons

• Rates may be high.
• Limited coverage options and discounts.

The General car insurance review

Jerry rates The General 4.0 stars out of 5. This score is average compared to other insurers Jerry rates, and takes into account the insurer’s pricing, industry ratings, financial strength, customer ratings and national complaint data.

The General offers no-frills car insurance policies that may be a fit for “high-risk” drivers, including those who require a SR-22, have had a lapse in coverage or have multiple at-fault accidents on their record.

Rates can be high compared to other insurers, but The General caters to folks who need predictable monthly payments and offers a low down payment option, which usually means policyholders only owe the first monthly payment to start a policy.

Consumers can get a quote from The General online or over the phone.

In January 2025, Sentry Insurance announced that it had acquired The General from American Family Insurance.

Who is The General best for?

The General may be best for drivers who:

• Need an SR-22 or are considered “high risk.”
• Qualify for one of the insurer’s discounts.
• Prefer to manage their policy online or via mobile app.

How much does The General car insurance cost?

The average cost for state minimum car insurance coverage with The General is 13% higher than the national average, according to our analysis of over 400,000 policies from 24 unique insurers quoted to real Jerry customers.

Your premium is determined by a number of factors, including your age, location, the type and age of vehicle you drive, your driving record, other drivers on your policy, and the amount of coverage you want.

The General car insurance rates

Here’s a look at The General’s car insurance rates quoted for recent Jerry customers:

The General car insurance discounts

The General may offer multiple discounts, but availability varies by state. To qualify for a discount, The General customers can:

• Insure more than one vehicle with The General.
• Be a homeowner.
• Insure a full-time student with good grades.
• Insure a vehicle with safety features.
• Complete a defensive driving course.

The General car insurance coverage options

The General offers standard coverage types including collision, comprehensive, bodily injury liability, property damage liability, medical payments, personal injury protection and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage.

• Coverage Definitions

  Coverage	Definition
  Collision insurance	An optional coverage type that pays to repair or replace your car if it’s damaged in a collision with another vehicle. You can only file an accident-related claim for your vehicle’s repairs if your policy has collision coverage.
  Comprehensive insurance	An optional coverage type that covers damage to your vehicle caused by non-collision hazards, such as car theft, falling tree branches, hail and other unexpected events.
  Bodily injury liability (BI)	Pays others’ medical costs in an accident you cause, up to your policy limits. It’s mandatory in most states.
  Property damage liability (PD)	Pays for repairs or replacements of any vehicles or objects you damage in a crash, up to your policy limits. It’s mandatory in most states.
  Personal injury protection (PIP)	Helps cover medical expenses for you and your passengers after a car accident, regardless of who caused it. This is required in some states.
  Medical payments	Additional coverage outside of PIP that pays for medical care for you and your passengers after an accident, regardless of who caused it. This is optional in most states.
  Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage (UM/UIM)	Covers you, your passengers and any property damage in a case where the other driver is at fault but doesn’t have insurance, or carries insufficient coverage to pay for your costs. This is required in some states.

The General may also offer the following types of coverage:

• Rental car reimbursement: Pays for a rental car while your vehicle is being repaired after a covered accident.
• Gap insurance: If your leased or financed vehicle is totaled, gap insurance pays the difference between the cash value of the car and what you owe on it.

Industry ratings of The General car insurance

The General is not rated in J.D. Power’s auto claims and shopping satisfaction surveys. The insurer is also not rated by AM Best, which scores insurers’ financial stability and gives valuable insights into whether an insurer can pay out claims. A lack of an AM Best rating isn’t an indication of financial instability, it just means the financial stability of the company has not been assessed.

• NAIC

  The General has an average NAIC complaint index of 2.9 on its private passenger policies, based on complaints filed to state regulators between 2022 and 2024. This is higher than expected for a company of its size. The index has risen over time, meaning the insurer is getting more complaints each year.

  Qualitative rating	3-year consumer complaint index
  High	Above 1.5.
  Moderately high	1 to 1.5.
  About average	Near 1.
  Moderately low	1 to 0.5.
  Low	0.5 to 0.

  The NAIC is the member group for state insurance commissioners in the United States. It makes recommendations, analyzes insurer financial filings, maintains reporting and more for insurance regulators.

• CRASH Network

  CRASH Network, an automotive industry trade publication, gives The General a D in its 2024 Insurer Report Card. The report card asks more than 1,000 collision repair professionals across the United States “how well an insurer’s claims handling policies, attitude and payment practices ensure quality repairs and customer service for motorists.” 

  The General was ranked No. 85 out of the 88 insurers rated.

  In 2024, the CRASH Network’s survey received responses from 1,134 repair professionals. Insurers that received a grade from at least 35 respondents were included in the 2024 report card. Read more about the report card methodology on the CRASH Network’s website.

The General auto insurance customer reviews

More than a thousand Jerry customers who have used and reviewed The General’s auto insurance have rated the company relatively well.

Jerry customer ratings

4.2

1,156 Reviews

5 Stars

58%

4 Stars

19%

3 Stars

14%

2 Stars

4%

1 Star

4%

How to contact The General

Policyholders can manage their accounts via the insurer’s mobile app or online. Consumers can contact The General by phone or through a form on the provider’s website (https://www.thegeneral.com/about/contact/). Here’s how to reach The General by phone: 

Customer service and quotes: Call 844-328-0306 from Monday to Thursday between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. CT, Friday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. or Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Claims: Call 800-280-1466 to file a claim any day or time. Existing claims service is available Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. local time.

MEET OUR EXPERTS

Annie Millerbernd

Annie is a writer and editor at Jerry and has more than a decade of experience writing and editing digital content. Before joining Jerry, she was an assistant assigning editor at NerdWallet, where she covered loans. Previously, she worked at USAA and newspapers in Minnesota, North Dakota, California, and Texas. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Minnesota.

Ben Moore

Ben Moore is a writer and editor at Jerry and an auto insurance expert. He previously worked as a writer, editor and content strategist on NerdWallet’s auto insurance team for five years. His work has been published in The Associated Press, Washington Post, Chicago Sun-Times, MarketWatch, Nasdaq and Yahoo News. He also served as a NerdWallet spokesperson, with appearances on local broadcast television and quotes in Martha Stewart and Real Simple magazine.

Ben has an extensive background in digital marketing, working on affiliate and programmatic advertising campaigns for brands like Cabela’s, H&R Block and Sears. He holds a bachelors degree in marketing from Olivet Nazarene University.