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National General Insurance Review

National General
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Nadav Shemer
Apr. 16, 2021
4 min read
Nadav Shemer
National General Summary
National General Insurance is a nationwide insurer specializing in auto insurance. In addition to standard auto insurance, it also offers insurance for RVs, special vehicles and small business autos. As a large, national insurer, National General offers customers the convenience of being able to get their damaged vehicle repaired at any of its hundreds of certified Gold Medal Repair Shops.

National General at a glance

2.4
Editorial score

Insurance Features

This category measures the overall quality of the product
2.4

Discounts Available

This category measures the overall quality of the product
2.4

Customer Service

This category measures the overall quality of the product
2.4

Online Experience

This category measures the overall quality of the product
2.4

Direct Insurer?

This category measures the overall quality of the product
2.4

Pros and Cons

The best reason to go with National General is that it’s a large, experienced, and financially stable insurer. National General has been providing Americans with auto and home insurance for 70 years, and its service has stood the test of time. It has an A- financial strength rating from Best A.M., indicating its strong financial position and ability to pay out on claims. Another highlight is there are 12 different ways customers can earn discounts on their premium. Many of these discounts are for employees of General Motors, owners of GM vehicles, and employees of businesses that supply GM (more on this below).

One of the few cons we could pick out is that like most nationwide insurers, National General’s service lacks some of the hands-on attention you get with smaller providers. With that said, the customer support is solid overall, and most customers seem to be happy with the service. The only other thing we noticed is that the website appears to have a lot of broken links (i.e. you click on a link and get an error page). We’re not sure if this is a permanent issue or just something that came up when we reviewed National General. Again, this isn’t a deal breaker, but it does come across as a bit unprofessional given National General is a large insurer with a presumably large budget and tech team.

Types of Auto Insurance

Customers can purchase all types of standard vehicle coverage.

Liability. Composed of bodily injury liability and property damage liability, which together cover all liabilities when you are the at-fault driver.

Collision. Pays for vehicle repair if it suffers damage in a collision with another vehicle or object.

Comprehensive. Pays for vehicle repair if it suffers damage in a non-collision incident such as a fire, flood, vandalism, or theft.

Uninsured / Underinsured Motorist. Covers all liabilities deriving from an accident when an uninsured or underinsured motorist is at fault.

Medical Payments or Personal Injury protection. Covers medical costs, rehabilitation, and lost wages when you or your passengers are injured in an accident, whether or not you’re at fault.

Additional Features

Here are some of the additional features included in a National General auto insurance policy.

SmartValet. The insurer picks up your damaged vehicle and brings you a rental car after a claim.

Guaranteed repairs. Lifetime guarantee on all collision repairs made at certified Gold Medal repair shops.

Guaranteed claims service satisfaction. If you’re not satisfied, National General waives your deductible – up to $250.

Emergency expense allowance. Covers up to $500 in food, accommodation, and travel expenses after a covered claim.

SmartReplacement. If your vehicle suffers a total loss, National Regional refers you to an expert who quickly finds you the exact car you want.

SmartInspect. After your car is repaired, National General reinspects it to ensure it is back to its usual condition.

National General offers 12 types of discounts and rewards, more than most other car insurance companies:

GM/GMAC customer discounts. Discounts for customers who drive a GM vehicle, have a GM Card, GMAC Mortgage, or GMAC Auto Financing.

GM loyalty discount. Applies if all vehicles on your policy are GM vehicles.

Paid-in-Full discount. Reduces your premium when you pay the entire annual premium up front.

Multi-Vehicle discount. Applies when you insure two or more vehicles.

Safe Driver discounts. Require customer to complete a defensive driving course in some states or to have OnStar.

Bundling. Save up to 20% when adding RV insurance to your policy.

Motorcycle discounts. Save when adding motorcycle to policy

OnStar subscriber discount. Save 10-20% on select coverages by having an active subscription to OnStar, the GM-owned auto safety software.

Low mileage discount. Open to OnStar subscribers who drive less than 15,000 miles in a year, with savings of up to 54%.

GM Family First discounts. Open to active and retired employees of GM, GMAC, and other subsidiaries, and to extended family members of active and retired employees.

GM supplier discount. Open to employees of the many American businesses that work with General Motors.

Affinity discounts. For members and supporters of a wide range of participating organizations.

How to Apply

National General’s application process is similar to that of most big auto insurance providers. Applicants can request a quote online or by phone at 800-462-2123, or by using National General’s agent search tool to find an insurance agent in their area. In order to get a rate offer, you’ll be asked to provide information about yourself, your vehicle (or vehicle if you’re adding multiple cars to the policy), driving history, and other relevant information.

Filing a Claim

Filing a claim is simple and can be done online or by phone. To speak to a claims expert, call toll-free number 800-325-1088 at any time of the day. All you need to provide when filing a claim is your policy number (which can be found on your insurance card or policy documents) and details of the incident.

Contact Details

National General’s website contains plenty of information about policies, discounts, and rewards programs. To get more information or to request a quote, customer service staff are available during extended hours.

    Phone: 800-462-2123

    Address: National General Insurance, P.O. Box 3199, Winston-Salem, NC 27102-3199

Summary

National General does what you’d expect of a large, nationwide car insurance provider. It offers competitive rates, professional service, and a stack of driver discounts and rewards. This is a particularly good car insurance provider for anyone who works or has worked at General Motors, is a family member of an active or former GM employee, owns a GM vehicle, subscribes to GM’s vehicle security software, or works for a GM supplier. If you’re unsure whether you fit under any of these categories, it’s worth asking. Millions of people are eligible for National General’s GM discounts, and you could be one of them.

Nadav Shemer
Written by
Nadav Shemer
Nadav Shemer specializes in business, tech, and energy, with a background in financial journalism, hi-tech and startups. He enjoys writing about the latest innovations in financial services and products. He writes for BestMoney and enjoys helping readers make sense of the options on the market.‎

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