Mercury Car and Home Insurance Review (2024)
- Mercury Insurance charges an average $133 a month for full-coverage car insurance.
- Mercury’s car insurance quotes are 15% less than the average for full coverage.
- Mercury has bad customer service ratings and reviews. Its complaint rating for homeowners insurance is particularly poor.
Mercury insurance pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Affordable auto and home insurance Discounts for scientists, engineers, public safety professionals and others Quotes available online Convenient smartphone app Pay-per-mile car insurance in California | Poor complaint ratings Gap insurance not available ID fraud protection does not include credit monitoring |
Is Mercury a good insurance company?
LendingTree home insurance score: 2.3 out of 5
| Rating | Mercury’s score | Industry average |
|---|---|---|
| Auto overall satisfaction | 794 | 813 |
| Auto claims satisfaction | 848 | 878 |
| Auto complaint rating (higher is worse) | 1.64 | 1.0 |
| Home complaint rating (higher is worse) | 3.22 | 1.0 |
| Financial strength | Rated A by AM Best | Third-highest rating |
Sources: J.D. Power, NAIC, AM Best
Mercury’s 3.2 complaint rating for home insurance from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) is particularly bad. This means the company had three times as many confirmed home insurance complaints as average for its size in 2023. A confirmed complaint is a complaint that leads to a finding of fault.
Mercury has a 1.6 complaint rating for auto insurance. This is better than its home insurance score, but still worse than the average.
Mercury is especially popular in California, where it is the seventh-largest auto insurance company. California drivers give Mercury a 794 rating for overall satisfaction, according to J.D. Power. This score is also worse than the average.
Mercury car insurance
How much is Mercury car insurance?
Mercury auto insurance rate comparison
| Company | Annual rate full coverage | Annual rate liability only |
|---|---|---|
| Geico | $1,486 | $425 |
| Mercury | $1,596 | $511 |
| Progressive | $1,609 | $463 |
| AAA | $1,785 | $600 |
| State Farm | $1,942 | $622 |
| Allstate | $2,091 | $781 |
| Farmers | $2,579 | $666 |
Mercury auto insurance costs by driving record
Mercury’s auto insurance rates for drivers with a bad driving record are also cheaper than average.
Mercury’s rates for drivers with a prior at-fault accident average $2,530 a year for full coverage, or $211 a month. This is 33% less than the average. Mercury’s rate for drivers with a DUI is 45% less than the average.
| Driving record | Mercury’s annual rate | Average annual rate |
|---|---|---|
| Clean record | $1,596 | $1,867 |
| Ticket | $2,262 | $2,739 |
| Accident | $2,530 | $3,754 |
| DUI | $2,828 | $5,138 |
Mercury’s car insurance costs for teens
Mercury also has cheap car insurance for teens. It charges 18-year-olds an average of $1,301 a year for liability-only insurance, or $108 a month. This is 12% less than the average. Mercury’s full-coverage car insurance rate for 18-year-olds is 14% less than the average.
| Amount of insurance | Mercury’s annual rate | Average annual rate |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum | $1,301 | $1,477 |
| Full | $3,821 | $4,446 |
Mercury car insurance discounts
Mercury offers several common car insurance discounts as well as a few unique ways to save.
Bundling your auto and home insurance can usually save you about 15% with Mercury. You can also get the discount for bundling with a Mercury renters or condo insurance policy.
Some of the other common car insurance discounts you can get from Mercury include:
- Anti-theft discount for cars with theft-prevention devices or equipment
- Payment discounts for setting up auto pay, going paperless and/or paying in full
- Good driver discount for having no recent claims or accidents
- Good student discounts for young drivers who maintain a B average in school
Mercury also offers discounts to drivers in certain occupations or organizations. The discount is available to:
- AAA members
- California Medical Association members
- Costco and Sam’s Club members
- Government employees
- Pilots
- Public safety workers
- Scientists and engineers
In California, Mercury’s RealDrive program can save you money if you only drive occasionally. The program uses your mileage to determine your rate. The less you drive, the less you pay.
Mercury car insurance coverage
Along with all the normal car insurance coverages, Mercury offers a few extras that may be useful.
Roadside assistance
Mercury’s roadside assistance coverage can be an economical alternative to a membership plan. It includes coverage for locksmith services, which are important for a lost key.
Mercury offers roadside assistance in three tiers. The middle tier is the best option for most drivers. It only costs about $15 per six-month policy and provides up to $500 in services (or up to 100 miles in towing).
Mechanical protection
Mercury’s mechanical protection can be an economic alternative to an extended warranty. It covers mechanical and electrical breakdowns, but not wear and tear. The coverage also provides roadside assistance, trip interruption coverage, road hazard protection for your tires and other benefits.
Mercury homeowners insurance
How much is Mercury home insurance?
Mercury homeowners insurance rate comparisons
| Company | Annual rate |
|---|---|
| Travelers | $901 |
| Allstate | $933 |
| Mercury | $1,149 |
| Nationwide | $1,194 |
| State Farm | $1,304 |
Mercury home insurance discounts
Mercury offers some of the more common home insurance discounts, but not very many.
Like most other companies, you’ll save the most by bundling your homeowners policy with your car insurance.
You’ll save a little more for having protective devices in your home. Deadbolt locks and smoke detectors get you a small discount. You’ll get a larger discount for monitored home security.
Mercury also offers home insurance discounts for:
- Fire resistant construction materials
- Newer homes
- Homes in gated communities
Mercury homeowners insurance coverages
Mercury’s flexible home insurance options let you customize your coverage to match your specific needs.
Some of the more useful add-ons to consider include:
- Replacement cost personal property coverage: A standard home insurance policy covers your belongings at actual cash value. This is their value after depreciation. When you upgrade to replacement cost coverage, the insurance company replaces stolen or damaged items with comparable new ones.
- Water/sewer backup: This add-on covers damage from a backup of your home’s sewer or drainage system. The coverage does not apply to backups caused by a flood.
- Service line coverage: This covers the costs of repairing or replacing an underground utility line on your property. It applies to water and sewer lines, gas lines and others. Mercury’s service line protection provides up to $10,000 in coverage for less than $7 a month.
- Additional dwelling coverage: The dwelling coverage in your homeowners policy pays to rebuild your home after a disaster. An additional dwelling coverage endorsement provides more money if the costs of rebuilding your home exceed your dwelling limit.
Mercury also offers home systems protection and identity management services. Although it may be tempting to add these to your policy, each of these extras has its shortfalls.
Mercury’s home systems protection, for example, only covers home systems and appliances for mechanical or electrical breakdowns. Unlike a good home warranty, Mercury’s plan does not cover your systems or appliances for wear and tear.
Mercury’s identity management includes a wide range of services to protect against identity theft and fraud. However, these services do not include credit monitoring, which is a key component of identity theft protection.
Mercury’s home insurance policies do not cover earthquakes or floods. However, Mercury’s agents can usually help you get separate insurance for each of these risks.
How to get Mercury insurance quotes
- Arizona
- California
- Florida (auto insurance only)
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- New York
- Oklahoma
- Texas
- Virginia
The agents who sell Mercury Insurance can usually also provide quotes from other insurance companies serving your area. This lets you get quotes from multiple companies at once.
Frequently asked questions
Not particularly. Mercury’s bad NAIC complaint ratings show it has more confirmed complaints than average for its size. On the plus side, Mercury’s rates are usually cheap.
Mercury Insurance is owned by Mercury General Corporation. The publicly traded company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (MCY).
Mercury is the 16th-largest car insurance company in the U.S., according to the NAIC. It’s smaller than Kemper, but larger than The Hartford. It ranks 18th for homeowners insurance, between Cincinnati Insurance and Amica.