- Car Insurance
Direct Auto Insurance is not one of the biggest insurance carriers in the United States and lags behind the likes of GEICO and State Farm in terms of size and revenue. But it has been going strong for over a century now, has an impressive reputation, and offers a wealth of insurance products across 11 states.
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In our Direct Auto Insurance review, we’ll look at those products and prices to see how they compare to what you can get elsewhere.
Direct Auto Insurance Main Coverage Options
With Direct Auto Insurance, you can get all the following types of car insurance coverage options:
- Liability Coverage: A minimum requirement in most states, liability insurance covers you for bodily injury and property damage claims during at-fault accidents. You can opt for the minimum amount of cover needed, which is typically 25/50/25, or you can choose a more comprehensive option.
- Collision Coverage: Liability coverage insurance covers the other driver and vehicle, while collision coverage ensures that your vehicle is protected. This way, if you have an accident involving a static object, including a tree, you can still claim for the damage.
- Comprehensive Coverage: An auto insurance policy that includes comprehensive coverage will payout in the event of a collision with an animal (surprisingly not covered by collision insurance), as well as damage caused by non-accident-related issues, such as vandalism, floods, and hurricanes.
- Personal Injury Protection (PIP): An all-encompassing form of personal protection that seeks to cover your injury liabilities while also ensuring you’re not out of pocket because of lost work, childcare costs, and other expenses that are a direct result of your injuries.
- Medical Payments: Often very small and not required in most states, medical payments coverage will pay for medical bills following an accident. It works in a similar way to PIP, but it not as expansive.
- Rental Car Reimbursement: If your vehicle is unusable following an accident, this insurance add-on will ensure your rental car costs are reimbursed. It’s an important addition for anyone who can’t afford to remain off the road for an extended period of time.
- Emergency Towing: A form of roadside assistance that will tow your car to a repair shop.
- Accidental Death Insurance: A form of life insurance, accidental death coverage will pay a small sum of money ($5,000) to your loved ones if you die as a result of a car accident.
Is Direct Auto Insurance Available in All States?
Direct Auto Insurance is only available in the following 11 states, with some restrictions regarding coverage options and policy discounts:
- Florida
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Georgia
- Mississippi
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Texas
- Virginia
Additional Direct Auto Insurance Coverage Options
Along with car insurance, Direct Auto Insurance can offer you a number of other insurance types, including:
- Motorcycle Insurance: Solid coverage options for bikers.
- Life Insurance: Direct Auto Insurance offers term life insurance policies, which are fixed for a set period of time and will payout a death benefit if the policyholder dies in that period.
- Health Insurance Marketplace: Use Direct Auto Insurance to find the best health insurance options for you and your family.
- Commercial Auto Insurance: Get the same cover for your business vehicles that is afforded to individual policyholders.
- Mexico Car Insurance: If you’re heading south of the border, you may not be covered the same as when you drive in the US. This optional insurance plan will give you that cover.
Direct Auto Insurance Discounts
Like all good insurers, Direct Auto Insurance offers policy discounts, including:
- Returning Customer Discount: If you are returning to Direct Auto Insurance after being away for at least 6 months, you can get a small discount.
- Good Student Discount: Students who maintain at least a B average in college or high school can get 10% off their car insurance premiums.
- Safe Driver Discount: Receive a discount of 10% if you have had no moving violations for at least 3 years.
- Multi-Car Discount: Add more cars to your policy to get as much as 25% off.
- Senior Citizen Discount: A small discount, typically just 5%, offered to drivers over the age of 55.
- Renewal Discount: Renew your policy 10 days before it expires, and you can get a renewal discount of up to 20% for having no lapse in insurance coverage.
Direct Auto Insurance Claims Process
To make a claim through Direct Auto Insurance, simply dial 877-GO-DIRECT or visit the Direct Auto Insurance website. You can make a claim in just a few minutes, providing all the necessary information and then discovering the next steps to take.
You will be assigned a claims adjuster, who will contact you shortly after you make the claim and will become your point of contact thereafter.
Direct Auto Insurance Reviews and Claims Satisfaction
Direct Auto Insurance has the financial strength needed to provide you with reliable cover and it has good ratings from AM Best and the Better Business Bureau (BBB).
However, it doesn’t have the best customer satisfaction ratings and there are a lot of complaints. What’s more, while it prides itself on its quick claims process, many customers have argued that this process is actually a lot slower than advertised.
It’s worth noting that many negative reviews have nothing to do with Direct Auto Insurance. It’s a common and easily confused name, and as a result, many bad reviews seem to be aimed at another company. It’s a shame for Direct Auto Insurance if this is the case and means the overall review score would likely be a lot higher if this confusion didn’t exist.
Bottom Line: Insurance Quotes from Direct Auto Insurance
The fact that Direct Auto Insurance encourages renewals by offering discounts is a welcome sight and one that you just don’t see that often. Direct Auto Insurance will also appeal to high-risk drivers who struggle to get affordable full coverage policies elsewhere, as well those with poor credit scores.
Direct Auto Insurance will rarely have the cheapest car insurance quotes in your state, but the only way to know is to get a quote, compare it to other auto insurance companies, and stick with the one that offers you the best cover for the lowest price.
Source: pocketyourdollars.com