National General Car Insurance Review 2025

3.8

Jerry rating

Our Take

National General car insurance is available in most states. The insurer may cover high-risk drivers, but premiums may be expensive.

Pros

• Covers high-risk drivers.
• Guarantees car repairs made at shops in its network.
• Owned and financially backed by Allstate.

Cons

• High volume of customer complaints.
• Premiums may be more expensive than competitors.
• May charge a cancellation fee.

National General car insurance review

Jerry rates National General 3.8 stars out of 5. This score is slightly below average compared to other insurers that Jerry rates and takes into account the insurer’s pricing, industry ratings, the company’s financial strength, customer ratings and national complaint data.

National General, also called “NatGen,” provides somewhat expensive car insurance to those with less-than-perfect driving records. The company can file SR-22s and FR-44s on behalf of drivers who need them, according to a customer service representative.

Industry studies and ratings on NatGen are less than stellar: The insurer has many more consumer complaints than its competitors and receives low consumer satisfaction scores from more than one industry report.

Drivers can get insurance from National General online, over the phone or from an independent agent. This insurer is licensed to sell insurance in all 50 states and Washington, D.C, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). However, insurance offerings can vary by state and change over time, so it is wise to contact a broker like Jerry or the insurance company directly to see what’s available in your state. 

In 2021, Allstate acquired National General for $4 billion.

Recent lawsuit with the Department of Justice

In July 2024, the United States Department of Justice sued National General for allegedly forcing additional insurance on hundreds of thousands of consumers who financed a vehicle through Wells Fargo from 2008 to 2016, even though they didn’t need it.

Asked about the lawsuit’s potential impact in an earnings call, Allstate CEO Tom Wilson said the program was transparent, auto loan borrowers were treated fairly and he’s confident that the company will “prevail.”

Is National General a good insurance company?

If you have a clean driving record and are looking for a low premium, you may be able to find more affordable coverage than National General can offer.

This insurer charges higher premiums on average, but may work with drivers who have a history of collisions, DUIs or tickets. If you’re struggling to get coverage, National General may be worth exploring. 

Compare quotes from National General and other insurers to get the best deal.

How much does National General car insurance cost?

The average cost for state minimum car insurance coverage with National General is 4.9% higher than the national average, according to aggregate data collected from over 400,000 policies quoted to real customers via Jerry in 2024 from 24 different insurance companies.

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.

National General car insurance rates

Here’s a look at National General’s car insurance rates quoted for real Jerry customers.

National General car insurance discounts

National General provides discounts for the following:

• Bundling your auto and home insurance policies.
• Paying your full premium up front.
• Maintaining a low mileage.
• Adding an anti-theft device to your vehicle.
• Insuring multiple vehicles.
• Driving safely.
• Going paperless.

Does National General offer insurance based on driving behavior?

Yes. National General’s DynamicDrive feature tailors policyholders’ rates according to their driving behavior, which the company tracks via a smartphone app. The company says those with the best records can save money with DynamicDrive.

Factors National General uses to determine your driving performance include:

• The time of day.
• Whether you’re using your phone while driving.
• Hard braking.
• Speeds above 79 mph.

National General car insurance coverage options

Like most insurers, National General offers collision, comprehensive, liability for bodily injury, liability for property damage, medical expense, personal injury protection and uninsured/underinsured motorist.

• Coverage definitions

  Coverage	Definition
  Collision	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	Covers damage to your vehicle caused by non-collision hazards, such as car theft, falling tree branches, hail and other unexpected events.
  Liability for Bodily Injury (BI)	Helps cover medical costs sustained by others in an accident you cause. It’s mandatory in most states.
  Liability for Property Damage (PD)	Helps pay for repairs or replacements of any vehicles or objects you damage. 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 Expenses (MedPay)	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 (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.

• ase at replied driving shift now masking win-win-win turn.

  driving experience, marital status, address/zip code

• ase at replied driving shift now masking win-win-win turn.

  driving experience, marital status, address/zip code

National General offers two tiers of its Custom360 coverage: Signature and Elite. Drivers can choose from a list of optional coverages, including:

• Accident forgiveness.
• Replacement of your vehicle with the current model year.
• Extra coverage when your car is used for ride-sharing.
• Deductible credits for every 12-month period without a claim.
• Coverage for portable electronics damaged in or on a vehicle.
• Car rental, public transit or other transportation coverage when your vehicle is disabled.

The insurer says it guarantees repairs made at any of their Gold Medal Repair Shops for the lifetime of the vehicle.

Industry ratings of National General car insurance

National general does poorly on average with most industry ratings, however, the company has a high financial strength rating from AM Best.

• NAIC details

  National General has had many more private passenger complaints (which includes auto insurance policies) than is expected for an insurer of its size from 2021 to 2023, according to the NAIC complaint index. Though their index dipped slightly in 2022, it’s remained well above average (meaning a high number of complaints) since 2021.

  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 governing body for insurance in the United States. It sets standards, analyzes insurer financial filings, maintains reporting and more for insurance companies.

• CRASH Network details

  CRASH Network, an automotive industry trade publication, gives National 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.” 

  National General was ranked No. 82 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.

• J.D. Power details

  National General is rated below average in J.D. Power’s 2024 Insurance Shopping Study. The insurer received a score of 624 out of 1,000, putting it at No. 17 out of 17 rated.
  
  National General also scored below average in J.D. Power’s 2024 Auto Claims Satisfaction Study. With a score of 672 out of 1,000, it’s No. 19 out of 21 rated insurers.

  J.D. Power is a market research company that evaluates customer satisfaction and industry performance across multiple sectors.

• AM Best details

  National General received an A+ from AM Best, which means it has superior financial strength and ability to pay out claims.

  AM Best is a credit rating agency that specializes in insurers’ ability to meet their financial obligations.

National General auto insurance customer reviews

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

Jerry Customers

4.4

1,366 Reviews

Ratings

5 Stars

65%

4 Stars

18%

3 Stars

10%

2 Stars

3%

1 Star

3%

How to contact National General

You can view documents, file a claim, make a payment or start a quote online at https://nationalgeneral.com/. The insurer has a chatbot for new and existing claims and a mobile app with a sub-par rating.

Here are the company’s phone numbers.

Get a quote: 1-800-462-2123

Customer service: 1-888-293-5108

File a claim: 1-800-468-3466

Methodology

We looked at over 400,000 actual policies quoted for real Jerry customers during 2024 across 24 different insurance companies. The pricing data included both those with clean driving records as well as those with a violation. 

How we rate car insurance companies

Jerry’s team of car insurance expert writers and editors analyze real customer ratings and industry reports to get a holistic view of an insurer’s performance. Our rubric emphasizes the shopping and claims experiences, customer complaints and reviews, repair shops’ evaluations of insurers, policy and quote pricing, and state availability.

We regularly reassess insurers’ star ratings and fact-check these reviews to ensure they’re accurate and up-to-date.

These individual factors roll up into one weighting system as follows:
20% Financial strength
20% Complaints
20% Industry ratings
20% Customer ratings
20% Cost and discounts