- Mercury Car Insurance Background: Founded in 1962 in California, Mercury now operates in 11 states and works through independent agents, offering specialties like rideshare coverage and mechanical breakdown protection.
- Ideal Customer for Mercury: Mercury is suitable for California residents, rideshare drivers, drivers with financed or leased vehicles, and those seeking bundling discounts or lower rates for poor credit in certain states.
- Strengths of Mercury Insurance: Strong financial stability, unique specialty coverages, a well-rated mobile app, and a generous discounts program highlight Mercury's key advantages.
- Weaknesses of Mercury Insurance: Limited to 11 states, lower claims satisfaction rankings in 2024, inconsistent customer reviews, and lack of certain perks like accident forgiveness pose challenges.
- Customer Service & Claims Experience: Customer support varies by channel, with mixed reviews and a notably poor ranking in claims satisfaction, despite the availability of digital management tools.
Mercury Car Insurance Overview
Mercury has been around since 1962, starting as a small operation in California before expanding nationwide. Today, this Los Angeles-based insurer serves drivers in 11 states and has built a solid reputation for financial stability, even though customer experiences tend to be hit-or-miss. The company works exclusively through independent agents, which gives policyholders a more personal touch when shopping for coverage or managing their accounts.
What sets Mercury apart is its unique mix of specialty coverages that you won’t find everywhere. Rideshare drivers, for instance, can add protection for less than a dollar a day. And if you’ve ever worried about your car’s mechanical parts failing after the warranty expires, Mercury offers breakdown coverage that most competitors skip entirely.
Who Mercury Car Insurance Is Best For
While it didn’t make our list of the best car insurance companies, Mercury works well for California residents looking for an established regional carrier, since the company has deep roots in the Golden State. Drivers who need rideshare coverage for gig work with Uber or Lyft will appreciate how affordably Mercury prices this add-on. People financing or leasing vehicles benefit from gap insurance options, and anyone looking to bundle home and auto policies can stack multiple discounts. The carrier also tends to offer competitive rates for drivers with poor credit in states where that factor impacts pricing.
Key Strengths
- Solid financial foundation backed by over six decades in the insurance business
- Specialty coverages, including rideshare protection, mechanical breakdown insurance, and gap coverage
- Well-rated mobile app that makes policy management straightforward
- Generous discount program with savings opportunities for nearly everyone
Key Weaknesses
- Only writes policies in 11 states, leaving most of the country without access.
- Landed at the bottom of major claims satisfaction rankings in 2024
- Customer reviews are inconsistent, with many complaining about unexpected rate increases
- Missing popular perks like accident forgiveness and new car replacement
Mercury Car Insurance Affordability
Car insurance pricing with Mercury is honestly all over the place, depending on who you ask and where you live. Full coverage runs about $1,800 to $2,000 per year nationwide, though some drivers in certain states report paying considerably more. For basic liability-only policies, you’re looking at about $50 to $75 per month. These numbers put Mercury somewhere in the middle of the pack, though California customers often find the rates more attractive than those of competitors who have scaled back their presence there.
The company really shines when it comes to discount opportunities. You can reduce your premium by bundling multiple vehicles, pairing your auto policy with homeowners insurance, or paying your full balance upfront instead of monthly installments. Students pulling decent grades qualify for 10 to 15 percent off, and enrolling in autopay saves a few extra bucks. Mercury’s RealDrive program tracks your mileage and can save you up to 20 percent on your bill if you’re not logging many miles. Their MercuryGO telematics program rewards safe driving habits with additional savings at renewal time.
One thing to keep in mind: Mercury has been raising rates pretty aggressively in recent years, especially in California. Some longtime customers have reported premium jumps of several hundred dollars without any claims or tickets, which has frustrated many who thought they had locked in stable pricing.
Mercury Car Insurance Coverage Options
Mercury covers all the basics you’d expect from any major insurer. Liability protection handles damage you cause to others, while collision coverage pays to fix your own vehicle after an accident, regardless of fault. Comprehensive insurance kicks in for non-crash damage, such as theft, vandalism, hail, or a tree branch falling on your hood. Medical payments coverage helps with injury expenses, and uninsured motorist protection has your back when the other driver doesn’t carry adequate insurance.
Where Mercury gets interesting is its supplemental coverage lineup. The rideshare insurance option extends your personal policy to cover the gap when your app is on, but you haven’t picked up a passenger yet. Mechanical breakdown insurance functions like an extended warranty, covering repair costs for major components after your manufacturer’s warranty expires. Gap coverage pays off the difference between your car’s actual value and what you still owe on a loan or lease if your vehicle gets totaled.
Customization through add-ons includes rental car reimbursement, which covers temporary transportation while your vehicle sits in the shop. Roadside assistance sends help for flat tires, dead batteries, lockouts, and towing needs. You can also add coverage for custom equipment if you’ve invested in aftermarket upgrades, such as stereo systems or special wheels.
Mercury lacks some features that other carriers offer. There’s no accident forgiveness program to protect your rates after a first at-fault collision, and you won’t find new car replacement coverage that pays to replace a totaled new vehicle with another new one instead of its depreciated value.
Mercury Car Insurance Reliability
Mercury earns strong financial ratings from all major rating agencies that track insurer stability. AM Best gives the company an A rating, which sits in the third-highest tier and signals a strong ability to meet claim obligations. Moody’s rates Mercury A3, and Fitch has assigned an A-minus rating. All three agencies shifted their outlooks to negative in early 2025 following significant losses from the Los Angeles wildfires, but the underlying ratings remain solid.
The company has been in business for over 60 years now, weathering economic downturns, natural disasters, and market shifts while maintaining its financial footing. That kind of track record provides reasonable confidence that Mercury will be around to pay claims when policyholders need them.
Complaint data from state regulators tells a more complicated story. The numbers have bounced around quite a bit year to year, ranging from below average to slightly elevated, depending on the measurement period. For auto insurance specifically, Mercury typically hovers close to the industry average for complaint volume relative to its size. The company’s overall complaint ratio across all product lines runs higher, but most of that comes from homeowners’ claims rather than auto policies.
Mercury Car Insurance Customer Service
Customer support with Mercury gets mixed reviews, depending on who you ask and which channel you use. The company offers multiple ways to get help, though experiences vary widely based on individual circumstances.
Phone Support: Mercury’s main customer service line operates at 800-503-3724, with claims available around the clock every day of the week. Regular customer service hours are more limited to standard business hours on weekdays. Wait times tend to fluctuate based on call volume, and some customers report longer holds during peak periods or after major weather events. Quality of service really depends on which representative you reach, with some policyholders praising helpful agents while others describe frustrating interactions.
Digital Support: The Mercury mobile app pulls solid ratings from users, averaging about 4.5 stars on iOS and 4.2 stars on Android. Policyholders can access digital ID cards, make payments, request roadside assistance, and manage basic policy changes through the app. The website offers account management, payment options, access to policy documents, and educational content on coverage topics. There’s no direct email address listed, but the website’s contact form allows written communication. Live chat availability seems inconsistent based on user reports.
Third-Party Ratings: Mercury is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau and has accumulated some unresolved complaints over the years. Trustpilot shows about four stars based on roughly 50 reviews, with experiences ranging from very positive to quite negative. Online forums like Reddit reflect a similar split, with some users praising affordable rates and smooth transactions while others warn about claim difficulties and sudden rate hikes. In J.D. Power rankings, Mercury performed at or below average for overall satisfaction in most regional studies.
Mercury Car Insurance Claims Process
Filing a claim with Mercury can be done through their 24/7 hotline, online portal, or mobile app. After reporting an incident, a customer service representative gathers initial details, explains your coverage, and can help arrange towing or a rental car if needed. An adjuster gets assigned to evaluate damages and determine how much the company will pay.
Simple claims that involve clear liability and straightforward damage typically wrap up within a few weeks. More complicated situations involving multiple parties, disputed fault, or extensive injuries can stretch out for months of back-and-forth. Once a settlement is finalized, California law requires payment within 30 days, and most checks arrive sooner than that.
Mercury does offer a lifetime guarantee on repairs completed at its network of authorized body shops, which provides some peace of mind about the quality of workmanship. They also provide online tools to track claim status and locate your assigned representative.
The elephant in the room here is Mercury’s dead-last finish in the 2024 J.D. Power Auto Claims Satisfaction Study. Of the 21 insurers evaluated, Mercury ranked 21st with a score well below the industry average. Customer feedback cited denied claims, slow resolution timelines, difficult adjusters, and unexpected rate increases after filing. Not everyone has a bad experience, and plenty of policyholders describe smooth, efficient handling. But the low ranking suggests that problems occur more frequently here than with most competitors.
Mercury Car Insurance Application Process
Getting started with Mercury happens through their network of independent agents rather than directly online. You can request a quote through the company website, which then connects you with a local agent to complete the process. This approach provides more personalized service than purely digital insurers, but adds an extra step compared to carriers that let you bind coverage instantly online.
The quote process gathers standard information about your driving history, vehicles, coverage needs, and personal details. Mercury doesn’t require a credit score check in some states, which can benefit drivers worried that a poor credit score could affect their rates. Once you’ve worked through the details with an agent, binding coverage typically happens within the same conversation.
Digital tools include an online account portal for managing your policy after purchase, the mobile app for day-to-day needs, and the MercuryGO telematics app if you want to participate in usage-based discounts. The website offers educational calculators and articles to help understand coverage decisions, though the resources aren’t as extensive as those of some larger competitors.
Pros & Cons of Mercury Car Insurance
Mercury offers genuine advantages alongside meaningful drawbacks that deserve careful consideration before signing up.
Pros
- Financially stable company with over 60 years of history and strong ratings from major agencies
- Specialty coverage options, including rideshare insurance, mechanical breakdown protection, and gap coverage that many competitors lack
- Well-designed mobile app that earns high marks from users on both iOS and Android. An extensive discount program covering bundling, safe driving, payment preferences, and student achievements
- Competitive rates for drivers with credit challenges in states where that factor applies
Cons
- Geographic availability is limited to just 11 states, shutting out most potential customers.
- Worst-in-class ranking for claims satisfaction in 2024 industry studies
- Customer experiences vary dramatically, with numerous complaints about rate increases and claim handling
- No accident forgiveness or new car replacement coverage available
- Not accredited by the Better Business Bureau, with some unresolved complaints on file
Our Verdict & Rating for Mercury Car Insurance
Mercury occupies an interesting middle ground in the auto insurance landscape. On one hand, you have a company with genuine financial strength, unique coverage options, and a reasonably user-friendly digital experience. On the other hand, the claims satisfaction data raises legitimate concerns about what happens when you actually need to use your policy.
For the right customer in the right situation, Mercury can be a solid choice. California drivers, in particular, might find competitive rates given how many major carriers have pulled back from that market. People who value specialty coverages like rideshare protection or mechanical breakdown insurance will appreciate options that simply aren’t available elsewhere. And anyone looking to bundle multiple policies can effectively stack discounts.
That said, the claims experience concerns are hard to ignore. Ranking dead last among major insurers in customer satisfaction with claims handling suggests systemic issues rather than isolated incidents. If you’re the type who prioritizes knowing your insurer will handle problems smoothly when they arise, Mercury’s track record might give you pause.
Who Should Consider Mercury Car Insurance?
- California residents who want a regional carrier with deep local roots
- Rideshare drivers need affordable coverage for gig work
- Drivers financing or leasing vehicles who need gap insurance
- Customers looking to bundle home and auto policies for maximum savings
- People with lower credit scores in states where Mercury doesn’t factor credit into pricing
Who Should Consider Another Provider?
- Drivers who prioritize top-tier claims service and customer support. Consider Amica car insurance.
- Anyone living outside the 11 states where Mercury operates. Consider Lemonade car insurance.
- People who want accident forgiveness or new car replacement coverage. Consider Progressive car insurance.
- Customers who prefer fully digital purchasing without agent involvement. Consider State Farm car insurance.
- Those who have had poor experiences with regional or mid-size insurers previously Consider Geico car insurance.
Frequently asked questions
Answers to your questions about Mercury car insurance.
Mercury Car Insurance is known for its specialty coverages like rideshare protection, mechanical breakdown insurance, and gap coverage, along with its strong financial stability backed by over six decades of experience.
Mercury currently writes policies in 11 states, mainly in California, so it’s not available nationwide. Check if your state is among those served before considering a quote.
Prices vary by individual, but full coverage typically costs between $1,800 and $2,000 annually nationwide, with rates in California often more competitive. The company offers numerous discounts that can help reduce overall premiums.
Key disadvantages include limited geographic availability, poor customer satisfaction rankings for claims handling, mixed customer reviews, and the absence of certain popular features like accident forgiveness and new car replacement.
