Direct Auto Insurance Review
- With an overall score of 2.1/5 stars in 2024, Direct Auto is a below average insurance company.
- Read Direct Auto reviews, complaints and prices before you buy.
Direct Auto insurance: Ratings and reviews
Direct Auto is considered a non-standard insurance carrier, specializing in providing coverage for high-risk drivers or those who may struggle to find car insurance. Non-standard carriers aren’t known for providing a wide array of perks. However, they often serve as a solid option for those looking to meet state-mandated liability coverage minimums.Â
Direct Auto earns mixed reviews from third-party organizations. In assessments of Direct Auto's customer satisfaction and financial standing, this carrier is in great shape financially but unfortunately logs more complaints than average from customers.Â
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Good for high-risk drivers and those with a sporadic insurance history
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Flexible payment schedules
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Good variety of discounts
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Limited coverage options
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Above average number of complaints
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Much more expensive than average
Is Direct Auto a good insurance company?
The majority of The Zebra's review incorporates how well Direct Auto scores in terms of customer service. In order to determine that we looked at the following third-party ratings.
Trustpilot Reviews: 3/5
- Direct Auto earned 3/5 stars from Trustpilot[1]
BBB Customer Reviews: 1.11/5
- Direct Auto has a 1.11/5 rating from Better Business Bureau customers[2]
Complaint Index: Above average
- The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) receives Above average customer complaints for Direct Auto[3]
Financial Strength: Superior
- Direct Auto received a Superior financial strength rating from A.M. Best for its ability to pay out claims[4]
The Zebra Customer Satisfaction Survey
In addition to third-party ratings, we like to incorporate the results from our own consumer survey where we ranked which home insurance companies are the best based on feedback from real customers. However, we did not collect a sufficient amount of data on Direct Auto for it to be included.
How much does Direct Auto insurance cost?
Currently, the national average for a 6-month car insurance policy is $880, whereas Direct Auto is about $1464, making this company 66% more expensive than than a typical policy, so definitely not one of the cheapest auto insurance options available.
The table below shows how Direct Auto car insurance compares against other top insurers.Â
| Company | Avg. Monthly Premium |
|---|---|
| Direct General Insurance | $244 |
| State Farm | $131 |
| Farmers | $149 |
| Progressive | $157 |
| Allstate | $201 |
| GEICO | $129 |
| Safe Auto | $254 |
Similar to any insurance company, pricing for Direct Auto car insurance does vary based on your age and generally will get cheaper the older you get.
The table below shows Direct Auto's car insurance premiums for different age brackets.
| Age Group | Avg. Monthly Premium |
|---|---|
| Teens | $538 |
| 20s | $296 |
| 30s | $240 |
| 40s | $220 |
| 50s | $215 |
| 60s | $218 |
The Zebra’s Dynamic Insurance Rating Tool data methodology
The Zebra’s Dynamic Insurance Rating Tool for home and auto insurance rates utilizes the latest ZIP code-level rate filings from across the U.S., sourced from Quadrant Information Services and S&P Global. These filings, typically updated annually or biennially by insurers, are verified through Quadrant’s QA process and then integrated into The Zebra’s estimator.
The displayed rates are based on a dynamic home and auto profile designed to reflect the content of the page. This profile is tailored to match specific factors such as age, location, and coverage level, which are adjusted based on the page content to show how these variables can impact premiums.
For a comprehensive understanding, see our detailed methodology.
Discounts offered
There are a number of discounts of which eligible drivers can take advantage. They are divided into different categories that are specific to the driver, vehicle or policy type:
- Multi-product:Â Bundle your car insurance with another product for up to 5% savings.
- Prior coverage:Â If you have been continuously insured for at least 6 months and have not had more than a 90-day lapse in coverage, you can save up to 25% on your policy.
- Multi-car:Â Insure multiple cars under the same policy for up to 25% savings.
- Safe driver: Drivers with three years free of accidents can save up to 10%.
- Senior citizen: Drivers 55 years and older who complete an accident prevention course can save up to 5%.
In addition to what's listed above, Direct Auto offers other driver-based discounts including good student, military and homeowner as well as some policy-specific discounts like automatic payment and affinity organizations. View all of Direct Auto's discounts here.Â
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What types of coverage does Direct Auto offer?
Direct Auto insurance provides the standard coverages that you would find from most car insurance companies like liability, comprehensive and collision, uninsured motorist and personal injury protection (PIP). In addition to these basic coverages, drivers may enjoy the following extended coverage options if they so choose:
- Towing and labor: If your car breaks down or is undrivable after an accident, this coverage helps you get reimbursed for any towing expenses. You need full coverage to add this, but if you’re interested in roadside assistance and do not have full coverage, Direct Auto offers a program with 24-hour towing services.
- Rental reimbursement: This coverage helps take care of costs associated with renting a car when your vehicle is being fixed after a covered loss. This coverage is optional, but in order to qualify for this addition, you must have comprehensive and collision coverage.
- Medical payments:Â Often known as Med Pay, this optional coverage pays for your or your passengers' medical expenses after a car accident.
Read more about Direct Auto's coverages here.
Direct Auto DynamicDrive
DynamicDrive is Direct Auto's optional telematics program, which uses an app to measure and assess your driving behavior, which is then factored into your driver score. You can save up to 10% on your auto insurance policy just by enrolling, and depending on how well you score through the telematics app, you could save even more when your policy is up your renewal.
Direct Auto insurance review: Summary
For drivers looking for basic auto insurance without a ton of bells and whistles, Direct Auto may be a good choice. However, this company doesn't have the best reputation for customer satisfaction and can be much more expensive than its competitors. All in all, the average driver can probably do better — proceed with caution if you choose Direct Auto.
Methodology — how The Zebra reviews insurance companies
The team of insurance experts at The Zebra considers the company's standing in five main categories to come up with an overall rating. These metrics are weighted according to importance and are detailed below:
- Price (20%): Using the base profile detailed below, we compared the company's average rate with the national average. If it surpassed this average, we gave a lower rating; if it fell below, we awarded a higher rating.
- Coverage (20%): The highest-scoring companies offer a variety of coverage options, including bundling options, roadside assistance, telematics, beyond-basic coverage levels, and a variety of other coverage types.
- Customer service (30%): We averaged ratings from JD Power, the NAIC complaint index to come up with a rating for the company's customer service. In instances when a company is not rated, we may use alternative rating agencies such as the Better Business Bureau and Trust Pilot.
- Financial strength (10%): We use AM Best to determine a company's financial standing. In some cases when a company is not rated by AM Best, we may use an alternative measure such as Demotech.
- The Zebra's Customer Satisfaction Survey (20%): The Zebra conducts an annual survey measuring customer satisfaction for many of the top insurance companies with the goal of ranking both the best auto insurance companies and best home insurance companies. Read more below.
For our auto insurance review, we analyzed more than 83 million insurance rates spanning every U.S. ZIP code using a sample user profile: a 30-year-old single male driver with a Honda Accord, good credit and full coverage at these levels:
- $50,000 per person/$100,000 per incident for bodily injury liability
- $50,000 per incident for property damage liability
- $500 deductibles for collision and comprehensive coverage
For our home insurance review, rates are based on a sample user profile: a 45-year-old married homeowner living in a 2,500-square-foot single-story home built in 2011 with these coverage levels:
- $200,000 for the dwelling
- $20,000 for other structures
- $100,000 for personal property
- $100,000 for personal liability
- $1,000 deductible
These sample premiums are dynamic and automatically refresh whenever the newest data is made available.
To generate pricing for particular rating factors, we adjusted this profile based on common pricing factors used by major car insurance companies. These factors include credit score, coverage level and others.
For The Zebra's Customer Satisfaction Survey, findings are based on an online quantitative survey of 4,134 current U.S. auto and home insurance customers, with Census-balanced sampling by age, gender and region. Categories with n=<20 responses are considered insufficient sample size and are not reported. This survey was developed by The Zebra and executed by independent research firm Maru/Blue in 2023.
Direct Auto insurance: Frequently asked questions
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About The Zebra
The Zebra is not an insurance company. We publish data-backed, expert-reviewed resources to help consumers make more informed insurance decisions.
- The Zebra’s insurance content is written and reviewed for accuracy by licensed insurance agents.
- The Zebra’s insurance editorial content is not subject to review or alteration by insurance companies or partners.
- The Zebra’s editorial team operates independently of the company’s partnerships and commercialization interests, publishing unbiased information for consumer benefit.
- The auto insurance rates published on The Zebra’s pages are based on a comprehensive analysis of car insurance pricing data, evaluating more than 83 million insurance rates from across the United States.