Direct General Insurance Review & Complaints: Auto & Life Insurance (2024)

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Direct General Insurance is an auto insurance and life insurance company with a focus on higher-risk drivers in the personal lines insurance market. They provide niche insurance products and coverage for the driver with a variety of driving history issues.

What is Direct General?

Direct General Group is the parent company of Direct Insurance Company, which was founded in 1991 in Nashville, Tennessee. The company expanded throughout the southeastern states, focusing on providing non-standard insurance for drivers who are considered high-risk due to driving history, credit history, or other issues.

Direct also writes term life insurance and provides travel auto insurance in Mexico, along with a few other services. They sell products online and through local storefront offices. (For more information, read our “Best Car Insurance For Drivers Who Go to Mexico“).

Direct Auto is separate and distinct from the lesser-known Direct Auto Insurance company based in Chicago.

What types of insurance products are offered?

Direct General’s main product is auto insurance for high-risk drivers, but they also offer motorcycle and life insurance as well as a few other related products.

Auto Insurance

Direct’s vehicle insurance program is aimed at high-risk drivers such as those with multiple tickets and accidents, drivers requiring an SR-22, and drivers with poor credit. Their program is comprehensive and includes many options seen at larger companies, unlike some other non-standard insurance companies that offer only the basics.

Direct auto insurance policies can be purchased as basic, liability-only to meet state legal requirements, or as full coverage policies that include comprehensive coverage and collision coverage to pay for damage to the driver’s vehicle in both not-at-fault accidents and for theft, vandalism, and other damage.

Additional options include rental reimbursement, towing and labor, and accidental death coverage.

There is a good list of insurance discounts offered by General Direct, including military, senior, homeowner, multi-policy, and a good student discount. They also offer an affinity discount for customers who are members of affiliated groups, although there is not a list of these groups available online.

Direct General’s car insurance program offers a flexible payment system that allows customers to select how and when they want to pay for their insurance.

Motorcycle Insurance

Like the vehicle insurance program, Direct General offers liability coverage and full coverage policies for motorcycles. Their policies include all the expected coverage choices as well as optional insurance coverage for custom parts and the choice to add replacement cost coverage.

Life Insurance

Direct General offers very basic, simplified term life insurance policies. Term lengths are six or twelve months, with a maximum death benefit of $15,000.

The company offers guaranteed renewal at the same rate for two years, and policies can be renewed on an ongoing basis. There is no medical exam for these plans, and Direct General offers the option to purchase with no additional down payment to customers who purchase life insurance along with car insurance.

Read more: Best No Down Payment Car Insurance

Other Products

Direct General also offers a standalone Roadside Assistance program and car insurance for coverage in Mexico. They also write Commercial Auto.

Additionally, they offer Prepaid Mastercard services, which goes along with their target market of drivers who may have credit issues.

Does the company offer competitive rates?

The website offers a basic chart showing life insurance costs. $10,000 worth of coverage on a 12-month term for an insured aged 18-50 has a listed cost of $118 per year or $9.83 per month. We have seen simplified life with ten times the coverage for a longer term for not much more than this, so while this seems very affordable, more coverage can be had elsewhere in a similar price range.

Direct General does not write insurance in California, where we run our sample rate tests for comparison. This means we are unable to compare their rates to other companies we have sampled. They do have an online quoting system, which is somewhat unusual for a non-standard insurance company. The system appears easy to use and straightforward.

Direct General unlike other insurance companies, offers flexible payment options to help you manage your monthly budget regardless of the coverage you select.

Because this is a non-standard insurer writing for higher-risk drivers, we would not expect the rate to be comparable to standard insurance companies. The rates to insure a high-risk driver are always higher than standard.

Direct General Insurance Claims Process

Ease of Filing a Claim (Online, Over the Phone, Mobile Apps)

Direct General Insurance offers a streamlined and accessible claims process, allowing policyholders to file claims with ease. Whether you prefer the convenience of online submissions, the personal touch of phone assistance, or the flexibility of mobile apps, Direct General Insurance caters to diverse filing preferences.

Average Claim Processing Time

Direct General Insurance is committed to swift and efficient claim processing. The company focuses on timely resolutions, ensuring that valid claims are processed promptly.

Customer Feedback on Claim Resolutions and Payouts

Direct General Insurance values customer feedback and strives for satisfactory claim resolutions. With an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau, the company demonstrates its commitment to resolving customer concerns.

Although there have been some complaints, Direct General Insurance continues to work towards enhancing customer satisfaction by addressing issues and improving its services.

Digital and Technological Features of Direct General Insurance

Mobile App Features and Functionality

Direct General Insurance provides a robust mobile app that enhances the customer experience. You can expect a user-friendly app designed to simplify insurance management. From policy access to claims tracking, the app likely offers a range of convenient tools to meet your needs.

Online Account Management Capabilities

Direct General Insurance offers online account management capabilities, empowering policyholders with easy access to their insurance information. You can typically expect to manage policies, make payments, and potentially track claim statuses through the company’s website. This online convenience ensures you have control over your insurance affairs at your fingertips.

Digital Tools and Resources

Direct General Insurance is likely to offer a variety of digital tools and resources to support its policyholders. These resources might include educational materials, insurance calculators, and helpful articles to assist customers in making informed decisions about their coverage.

You can explore the company’s website or contact their customer support for more information on the digital resources they provide.

Read more: The General Insurance Review & Complaints: Car Insurance 

Are the financial strength ratings and consumer reviews positive?

Direct General has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) in the United States. There have been 160 complaints filed in the past three years, and 57 of those were closed in the past 12 months. That is a higher complaint volume than we like to see for a company of this size.

Review site My Three Cents has 15 reviews of this company with a 1.5-star rating overall. The complaints tend to focus on poor customer service and difficulty contacting people, as well as claims issues.

Complaints Board has a long list of complaints from customers and even more than one from former employees. These complaints include claims issues and customers stating they had options added to their insurance policy and billed without their knowledge.

It is not usual for a non-standard insurance company to see a lot of complaints, but the complaint volume and the repeated comments about poor service, along with the input from former employees, does raise red flags.

Direct General Insurance Review: The Bottom Line

Direct General is only likely to be considered as an option for non-standard insurance for high-risk types of drivers, and even then there may be better options for specialty personal auto insurance coverage for the high-risk driver. The complaints against this company are concerning in both volume and content, and while they appear to offer a good auto insurance program, they do not seem to back it up when it comes to claims and customer service.

Direct General Auto Insurance struggles with quality customer satisfaction, as shown by their NAIC score, even with a higher-than-average BBB rating.