We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. Learn more

National General Car Insurance Review

21 Customer Comments & Reviews - see all comments
Our content is free because we may earn a commission when you click or make a purchase using our site. Learn more.
Longevity and financial strength are two key factors that you want to look for when researching auto insurance companies in the United States.

Both represent the stability of an auto insurance company and is a strong indicator that the company will be around for years and will pay your claims.

National General Insurance has both!

 

The company has been in operation since 1939 – now, that’s longevity. It also has an excellent “A-” rating with A.M. Best with a stable outlook as well. Now that’s solid backing for any auto insurance company but definitely for National General Insurance!

The North Carolina-based company also offers some of the best discounts in the auto insurance industry, including:

  • low mileage drivers
  • bundled auto and RV policy
  • OnStar subscribers
  • owners of GM vehicles

and many others!

National General is one of the largest automobile insurers in the country, offering property and casualty insurance products, including personal and commercial auto, RVmotorcycle, among others.

Previously, the company was GMAC but in 2013 it changed its brand name to National General Insurance.

The company retained its deep discounts offered to GM vehicle owners and GM employees and their families. National General is also the underwriter for Metromile, an Insurtech company that offers pay-as-you-go (telematics) online insurance plans.

Decision-Making Table | Pros, and Cons of National General

The following table can be used as a quick reference guide on the pros and cons of going with National General.

We hope this helps in your decision process!

Choose if You own a GM vehicle, are a low-mileage driver, have an On-Star subscription, bundle car and RV insurance under one policy
Skip if You are looking for the cheapest auto insurance rates
Discounts Exceptional discounts (see below)
States Served 50
Founded in 1939
Notable Features Strong financial standing and outlook, exceptional discounts, National General Motor Club membership, lifetime guarantee on certain repairs, guaranteed claims service satisfaction, and emergency expense allowance

 

Coverage & Discounts

National General offers customizable and comprehensive coverage plans as well as basic ones that meet state-mandated insurance requirements.

Policies can include:

  • bodily injury
  • property damage
  • collision
  • medical payments
  • personal injury
  • uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage

Basic Coverage

Pricing on auto insurance basic plans will differ based on each consumer’s personal and vehicle information and by carrier and state of residence.

Each state has its own automobile insurance regulations. In this article, we provide basic coverage scenarios for drivers in California and Texas, two of the most populated states.

Basic Coverage - California

The state of California requires drivers to carry the following minimum auto insurance coverage:

  • Bodily Injury Liability: $15,000/$30,000 (per person/per accident)
  • Property Damage Liability: $5,000

Scenario One: Annual premiums for a single female, driving for 9 to 15 years, resides in Escondido, drives a Toyota Camry*, and drives 12,600 to 15,000 miles annually and has one speeding ticket:

  • National General/Integon = $793
  • Liberty Mutual = $1,078
  • Allstate = $963

Scenario Two: Annual premiums for a married couple, driving for 13 years/10 years to 15 years, resides in Escondido, drives a Toyota Camry* and Honda CR-V*, and drives 12,600 to 15,000 miles annually with no traffic violations:

  • National General/Integon = $1,210
  • Liberty Mutual = $1,556
  • Allstate = $1,431

* State of California Department of Insurance’s 2018 Automobile Insurance comparison tool auto-filled the make/model of vehicle with Toyota Camry (single person) and Honda CR-V (married couple).

Basic Coverage – Texas

In the state of Texas, drivers are required to carry the following minimum auto insurance coverage:

  • Bodily Injury Liability: $30,000/$60,000 (per person/per accident)
  • Property Damage Liability: $25,000

Scenario One: Single female, age 25-64, lives in Plano, drives to & from work with one speeding ticket:

  • National General = $1,187
  • Liberty Mutual = $1,508
  • State Farm = $850

Scenario Two: Married female, age 25-64, good credit, lives in Plano, drives to & from work with one speeding ticket:

  • National General = $775
  • Liberty Mutual = $959
  • State Farm = $700

Discounts

National General offers customized savings to its customers, including:

  • affinity
  • paid-in-full (premium)
  • multi-vehicle (on same policy)
  • GM loyalty
  • OnStar subscriber
  • low-mileage driver
  • safe driver
  • motorcycle
  • bundled RV and auto policies
  • GM family
  • GM supplier discounts

Note: you can save an average of $442 per year on your car insurance premiums by going with National General and its SmartDiscounts™!

Discounts in Detail

  • GMAC Discounts: available to those who drive GM vehicles have a GMAC mortgage or auto financing
  • GM Loyalty: available if all vehicles are GM vehicles
  • Paid-in-Full: pay your premium in full at the beginning of the policy period
  • Safe-Driver Discount: complete a defensive driving course (or have OnStar)
  • Low Mileage Discount: the less you drive the more you save, up to 50% for very low miles but discounts start at less than 15,000 miles annually
  • GM Family First: available GM, GMAC and any subsidiaries employees (active or retired) as well as their extended family members
  • OnStar Subscriber: save 10% to 20% on certain coverage with an active OnStar subscription
  • Multi-Vehicle Discount
  • RV Bundle with Automobile: up to 20%

Specialty Coverages

National General really excels special coverages available under its SmartServices™ program, including:

  • Lifetime Guarantee: covers all collision repairs when you take your care to one of its Gold Medal repair shops
  • SmartInspect™: after a car repair, the company will re-inspect your car upon your request to make sure it is in top condition
  • Guaranteed Claims Service Satisfaction: if not satisfied, the company waives your deductible, up to $250 (not available in Texas)
  • 24-hour Claims Reporting: minor claims paid within 48 hours
  • Emergency Expense Allowance: provides up to $500 in temporary living expenses if needed, after a claim has been filed

Qualification Requirements

Similar to other auto insurance companies, National General uses actuarial math to determine risk and pricing.

During the qualification process, you provide personal information about yourself/family and the vehicle to be insured.

The following are the most common qualification criteria used by most carriers:

  • Age
  • Gender
  • Marital Status
  • Address
  • Credit History
  • Driving Record
  • Prior Coverage
  • Make, Model, Year of Vehicle

Current (Insurer) Costs

Pricing can be the biggest deciding factor in determining which auto insurance company you go with. We get that. However, we encourage you to also look at the discounts an auto insurance company offers that can help offset a higher quoted price from a financial solid insurance provider.

For instance, National General does have great discount options if you qualify for any or all of them.

Again, price and risk determination by auto insurance company is accomplished by using a risk assessment methodology based on the information you provide. The following are standard policy quote comparisons of National General and two other competitors in the state of Texas.

Standard coverage for the state of Texas is: 50/100/50.

Scenario One: single female, ages 25-64, good credit, resides in McKinney, drives a car to & from work and has no traffic violations:  

  • National General: $729
  • Safeco: $688
  • Esurance: $838

Scenario Two: married male, ages 25-64, average credit, resides in McKinney, drives a truck to & from work, has no traffic violations:

  • National General: $853
  • Safeco: $838
  • Esurance: $978

Consumer Satisfaction

National General has been an accredited company with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) since 1960 and holds an “A+” rating with the organization. The company does have numerous customer complaints, but most have been resolved.

Keep in mind that more established car insurance companies may have a higher number of complaints, and when compared to other large companies National General’s BBB complaint totals are on par with similar-sized insurance providers.

National General does have a higher-than-average 2017 complaint ratio listed with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) at 6.08 while the national median average is 1.00.  

The company does offer 24/7/365 claims processing, customized savings, and first-class specialty services like valet services, guaranteed repairs, and guaranteed claims service satisfaction.

Nitty Gritty

If you can take advantage of National General’s deep discounts, then this company may be right for you. It’s SmartServices™ also make it an attractive choice. If you combine these factors with the company’s exceptional financial rating and outlook, you are on solid ground.

However, the company’s disappointing complaint ratio is negative and may make the difference for you on whether you go with this company or not. We understand.

Phone Number & Additional Details

  • Homepage URL: https://www.nationalgeneral.com/
  • Company Phone: (800) 462-2123
  • Headquarters Address: 500 West 5th St., Winston-Salem, NC 27102-3199

Leave a comment for National General Auto Insurance
Minimum 12 words.
 No maximum length.
* What's Your Rating?
To make this comment as helpful as possible for our community, please provide at least 2 sentences.

21 Customer Comments & Reviews

Loading Reviews ...
bjanic80
7/17/2022
I have had 2 claims with National General Car Insurance. Both were handled quickly and fairly. I have never had better service from an insurance company. I highly recommend them.


kim71076
12/16/2021
Horrible insurance. Our son was rear ended by someone with National General insurance and now the company won’t pay for the repairs. It was their policy holders fault but they won’t cover the cost of repair.


A
Alice
11/19/2021
After waiting 17 days with a broken back from a car accident, was told there is still NO ETA on a car insurance adjuster to see car, and without the estimate there is NO RENTAL given. Can't get to doctor appointments! Insanely expensive HORRID car insurance!


jennifer.thomson.hall
4/29/2021
Contacting the Georgia Office of Insurance and Safety to File a Complaint. Colt Hoover Needs to Return our calls!!! We notified Colt Hoover about our claim over two weeks ago. One of their customers rear ended us. He approved our claim (supported by a police report), and we took our car to the repair shop, which he also approved. The repair shop (Gerber) sent them an estimate, which they approved. Our car has been repaired for a week now, and we still don’t have it because they haven’t paid the repair shop! Colt is not answering our calls, returning texts, or returning the messages we leave. We have now been without our car for a week and a half. These people are shady. We’re reporting... Read More


L
Lola
3/16/2021
Worst company I have ever worked with! Not transparent they just want to close your claim as soon as possible and brush you off. Forced payment when not agreeing to the settlement claim amount.


A
Atif K
5/3/2020
Bad Bad Bad customers service experience I ever had in my life, unprofessional and disrespectful staff, they don’t even care of if customer file a complaint with California department of insurance , they can do what ever they want to do, and you are not even have a chance to talk with manager/Supervisor, because every one assumes there He/She is Head of department they don’t let you to reach out the manager


J
Jonathan c
4/24/2020
I would get this insurance. Yes they are cheap.but they got me .all because I helped someone who didn't live with me let her us my address for a year and half .helped her get her license and get job .she had none owners insurance. She didn't move in till month and half go let her us my car 3 times then she wrecked it ..and now they don't want to cover it because she lived with me ..but no one told me to put on policy ..dont want to work with me ..will never tell no one one ..cheap cheap cheap .u get what u pay for ...i am calling my policy asap


S
Shaniauia D
4/8/2020
National General is trash!! They canceled insurance on my vehicles with auto loans during a PANDEMIC.. I have 4 cars, 2 with auto loans an they canceled full coverage insurance on both of them.. I tried there auto insurance for the first time an I will never do it again!! I really rate them a zero!


K
kay10
11/15/2019
In August we were backed into by a hit and run. We called National General to submit a claim. Damage to the car was appraised by photos and not appraised by auto repair shop or seen by a physical appraiser as per the insurance company directions. When we were able to get in contact with the insurer we were told that we had 3 impacts ($500 deductible per impact). We disputed this because damage was done by one hit and run impact. Because we have been back and forth disputing this claim we finally took the car to an auto body repair shop and he estimated the damage to be $8181.. We received three checks which we have not cashed in the amounts of $425., $73., and $23. this does not... Read More


Pablo N
11/11/2019
CLAIMS DEPARTMENT IS THE WORST , NO COMMUNICATION, NO ANSWER PHONE O E -MAIL EVEN MANAGERS DO NOT TAKE CARE OF THE ISSUES.



Top Rated
  • Best for Competitive Rates
  • Discounts are available for over 850+ organizations & alumni associations
  • Obtain your quote online today - It's fast, easy & free!