Key Points:
- Direct Auto offers below-average rates and flexible insurance options for drivers with a history of high-risk driving, including speeding tickets, accidents, or DUIs.
- Drivers can only purchase a Direct Auto policy in 16 states, primarily in the southeastern United States.
While the auto insurance industry has some well-known brands that spend a lot of money on advertising, there are many smaller, lesser-known organizations that serve customers well too. Direct Auto Insurance is one of these companies, and we looked into what exactly it has to offer.
Whenever you shop for car insurance, we recommend getting quotes from the best car insurance companies in the industry to compare insurance coverage and rates. In addition to the insurance company you choose, factors such as your age, vehicle make and model, and driving history can affect your premium, so what’s best for your neighbor might not be best for you.
| Direct Auto Insurance Review: Overall Rating | The Bottom Line |
|---|---|
| 4.3/5.0 | Direct Auto offers competitive costs for high-risk drivers, but the company has limited coverage availability. |
Compare Car Insurance Rates
Enter your zip code to shop for the best rates in your area
Powered by
Direct Auto Insurance Review
Direct Auto advertises itself as a company that specializes in providing dependable insurance coverage for high-risk drivers. It also offers a variety of discounts for drivers from all walks of life. Getting a quote from the company is easy, but reviews suggest slow customer service times. See the key benefits and drawbacks of working with Direct Auto below.
Pros And Cons Of Direct Auto Insurance
Pros
- Good for high-risk drivers
- Many discounts available
- Easy and straightforward quotes and claims processes
Cons
- Slow turnaround time for addressing customer needs
- Absent from most industry studies
- Limited availability
Direct Auto Insurance Rating
If you’re a driver with a history of accidents, tickets, or other traffic violations looking for an auto insurance policy, Direct Auto could be a good fit. The company offers minimum and full coverage policies, especially for those considered high-risk or in need of SR-22 certification, with strong scores in our cost review category. See all of Direct Auto’s scores below:
| Rating Factor | Rating (Out of 5.0) |
|---|---|
| Cost | 4.5 |
| Coverage | 4.2 |
| Reliability | 4.5 |
| Availability | 4.1 |
| Service | 3.8 |
| Overall Rating | 4.3 |
*Ratings are determined by our editorial review team. Learn more about our scoring methodology below.
About Direct Auto Insurance
Part of the Direct General Group, Direct Auto Insurance is a smaller insurance provider that has been in business for over 30 years. Headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, its parent company is National General, which is part of Allstate. The company offers various discounts and is recommended for high-risk drivers.
Direct Auto is only available in the following 16 states:
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Louisiana
- Michigan
- Mississippi
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Virginia
- Washington
Direct Auto Insurance Coverage
Direct Auto offers several coverage options for automobile insurance:
| Coverage | Details |
|---|---|
| Liability | This basic type of car insurance is mandated by most states. It includes a level of property damage liability and bodily injury liability coverage. If you cause an accident, this car insurance policy covers the other car’s damage and medical expenses, but does nothing for you, your occupants, or your property. |
| Collision | With this protection, your property and medical bills are covered during an accident that was your fault. This coverage also takes care of damage from a hit-and-run driver. Most leased and financed cars are required to have this policy. |
| Comprehensive | A comprehensive policy covers your vehicle if it’s damaged outside of an accident, such as by a storm or an animal, or if it’s stolen. |
| Medical Payments | This optional coverage helps to pay for hospital, medical, or funeral bills after an accident, no matter who caused it. |
| Personal Injury Protection (PIP) | PIP pays for hospital, medical, or funeral bills after an accident, no matter who caused it. PIP is often required in some states, up to a certain level. |
| Uninsured Motorist | This coverage pays for expenses caused when the at-fault driver doesn’t have liability insurance, or enough to cover the claim. Some states use uninsured motorist coverage solely for bodily injuries, but a few allow it for the property as well. |
| Rental Reimbursem*nt | This optional add-on covers the cost of a rental vehicle if your car is rendered unusable after a covered loss. |
| Towing | This optional coverage reimburses you for emergency towing costs, within the specified limits. |
What Other Direct Auto Insurance Protection Plans Are Available?
Interestingly enough, Direct Auto Insurance isn’t just in the car business. The company provides products and services for other areas of your life. These plans include:
- Motorcycle insurance
- Roadside assistance
- Individual term life insurance
- Accident medical expense
- Health insurance marketplace
- Emergency protection plan
- Commercial auto insurance
- Mexico auto insurance (in some locations)
Direct Auto Insurance Cost
As with most insurance companies, it is hard to give an average cost for Direct Auto insurance, as several factors impact an insurance quote. However, according to our research, drivers pay an average of $1,968 per year or $164 per month for full coverage across all providers. Drivers with a similar profile, including a good credit score and a clean driving record, pay an average of $798 per year or $67 per month across all providers.
While your car insurance quote may be close to the national average, high-risk drivers, such as young drivers or those with a DUI on record, tend to pay high car insurance rates, and are not always offered coverage.
To make it easy to pay your premium, Direct Auto offers flexible payment options, meaning you can decide what day of the month to pay your insurance bill. You can also pay in person, by phone, or with text-to-pay.
Direct Auto Insurance Discounts
If you want to save money, you will be interested in the various discounts the company offers:
| Discount | Details |
|---|---|
| Good Student Discount | If you are on the Dean’s List or have a B average in your coursework (high school or college), you can receive 10 percent off the premium. |
| Safe Driver Discount | Receive a 10-percent discount if you haven’t been in an accident for 36 months and have no moving violations. |
| Senior Citizen Discount | Policyholders 55 or older who successfully complete an accident prevention course receive a 5 percent discount. Some variations exist depending on the state of coverage. |
| Multi-Car Discount | If you insure more than one vehicle, you can receive up to 25 percent off. |
| Multi-Policy Discount | If you bundle your auto coverage with another plan from Direct Auto, like life insurance, you can get 5 percent off. |
| Prior Coverage Discount | You’ll receive a 25 percent discount for not allowing your previous coverage to lapse for more than 90 days before signing up with Direct Auto. |
| Payment Discounts | Pay your policy in full, set up automatic payments, or agree to go paperless, and you can get up to 9 percent off your premium. |
| Welcome Back Discount | If you’re a returning customer, you can get a 6 percent discount as long as you haven’t been with the company for at least six months. |
| DynamicDrive SM Discount | Sign up for Direct Auto’s telematics program and save up to 10 percent. |
| Military Discount | Active service members can save up to 25 percent off their premiums. |
| Vehicle Equipment Discount | If your car is new or has certain safety or anti-theft features equipped, you could save up to 10 percent on your auto insurance. |
| Homeowner Discount | If you or your spouse own a home, condo, or townhome, and keep your cars there, you can get a 15 percent discount. |
| Driver Education Discount | You can get up to 10 percent off your premium if the main policyholder completes an accident prevention course, or if an under-21 driver on your policy passes a state-approved driver education course. |
Direct Auto Insurance Reviews
Any insurance company can look good from an outside perspective, but it’s industry and customer reviews that show how the company actually operates. That’s why it’s valuable to look at providers through a magnifying glass.
Direct Auto car insurance has a “Superior” financial strength rating, according to global credit agency AM Best. This rating indicates whether the insurer has the money to pay out claims.
Direct Auto has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and has been accredited since 1994. Customers on the platform gave it an average rating of 1.06 stars out of 5.0. However, there are fewer than 600 reviews, which is a small group of Direct Auto’s overall customer base.
Positive customer reviews left on Direct Auto’s car insurance website cite friendly, helpful customer service representatives. Customer complaints mostly focus on the provider’s parent auto insurance company, National General. However, some reviews reflect issues with poor customer service, including a lack of proper policy explanations and slow service response times.
Direct Auto Insurance Review: Our Take
We rated Direct Auto Insurance 4.3 out of 5.0 stars. It has coverage for high-risk drivers and a long list of discounts, including a renewal discount. On the other hand, a lack of availability and the absence of Direct Auto Insurance reviews from industry experts like J.D. Power are a disadvantage.
Compare Car Insurance Rates
Enter your zip code to shop for the best rates in your area
Powered by
Top Insurance Providers
While we think Direct Auto insurance coverage might work for some people, it won’t have an insurance policy for everyone. There’s a large portion of the population that can’t even access coverage. Even if you’re considering Direct Auto, it’s wise to get a few quotes from other car insurance companies and do some shopping. Both of the following providers, Geico and State Farm, finished near the top of our 2022 insurance study.
Geico Insurance Rating: Best For Basic Coverage
One of the largest car insurance companies in the nation, Geico is known for its customer service and financial stability. The industry leader has an A+ rating with the BBB and an A++ financial strength rating from AM Best, which is the highest rating possible.
Along with all of the basic types of insurance coverage, Geico offers mechanical breakdown insurance, roadside assistance, and rental car reimbursem*nt. A wide variety of discounts are available for multiple vehicles, multiple policies like home and auto, safe driving, and more.
Read our Geico review for more information.
State Farm: Best Overall Provider
Another top choice for consumers is State Farm–and with good reason. It’s the largest insurance provider in the country, according to a 2022 report by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). It has generous discounts and excellent reviews for customer satisfaction. State Farm offers drivers basic coverages along with specialty plans like rideshare insurance, roadside assistance, and car rental and travel expenses.
You can bundle your home and auto insurance for a discount for an average of $1,073 off your policy, according to its website, and when you insure multiple vehicles, you can get a discount of up to 20 percent. You can also find State Farm renters insurance, motorcycle insurance, boat insurance, ATV insurance, motorhome insurance, renters insurance, and more.
Read our State Farm insurance review for more information.
Direct Auto Insurance: FAQ
Below are the most frequently asked questions about Direct Auto Insurance:
How We Rated Direct Insurance:
Our review team extensively researches auto insurance providers to deliver informed and unbiased assessments of leading companies. We evaluate several key rating factors that are important to consumers to determine which providers are the best in the industry:
- Reliability: It’s important that an auto insurer is able to meet its claims obligations. Companies with a strong financial strength rating from AM Best score best in this category. Established insurers with a long history of reliable service also receive positive marks.
- Availability: Insurance companies that offer wider availability to consumers in terms of state availability and few eligibility requirements are more likely to meet consumer needs.
- Coverage: To determine our coverage score, we look at the number of coverage options available as well as coverage limits and deductible options. Our ratings also take into account additional services and benefits like roadside assistance.
- Pricing: Cost can be difficult to compare between insurers because so many factors impact annual premiums. The cheapest insurer for one driver may not be the cheapest for another. To determine our cost score, we look at insurance rate estimates generated by Quadrant Information Services, discount opportunities, and consumer reports.
- Service: We comb through customer reviews on sites like the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to learn about customer experiences. Insurers with a low volume of complaints score well in this area. We also consider the claims process, giving higher ratings to car insurance providers that offer a smooth experience.
- Technology: Providers with an online quote tool, easy-to-use claims app and a usage-based insurance app score best in this category.
*Data accurate at time of publication.
