Kemper Insurance Review
- With 2.8/5 stars in 2024, Kemper is an average insurance company.
- Read Kemper reviews, complaints and prices before you buy.
Kemper insurance: Ratings and reviews
Founded in 1990 as Unitrin until acquiring the rights to the Kemper name in 2010, Kemper Insurance is licensed to sell insurance in 26 states in the United States. Compared to some of the giants of the insurance industry, it is a smaller operation but it doesn’t prevent Kemper from offering competitive rates for all kinds of drivers, including those who could be considered high-risk by other insurance companies.
Read on for our comprehensive review of Kemper’s auto insurance coverage options and discounts to see if it's a good fit for your insurance needs.
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Affordable rates for both good drivers and high-risk drivers
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Offers many lines of insurance that can be bundled
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Excellent financial strength
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Below average ratings for claims and customer satisfaction
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No telematics program
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Mobile app exists but capabilities are limited
Is Kemper a good insurance company?
A large part of The Zebra's review score incorporates how well Kemper is rated in terms of customer service. In order to determine that we looked at the following third-party ratings.
Claims Satisfaction: Below average
- Kemper earned Below average marks in J.D. Power's most recent auto claims satisfaction study[1]
Customer Satisfaction: Below average
- J.D. Power also rated Kemper as Below average in overall auto customer satisfaction[2]
Complaint Index: Above average
- The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) receives Above average customer complaints for Kemper[3]
Financial Strength: Excellent/Good
- Kemper received an Excellent/Good financial strength rating from A.M. Best for its ability to pay out claims[4]
The Zebra Customer Satisfaction Survey
Alongside third-party ratings, we like to include results from our own customer survey. Feedback from real customers indicated which auto insurance companies are the best in multiple categories. While Kemper received an overall score of 7.66/10, we did not collect a sufficient amount of data on Kemper for it to be included in individual categories.
How much does Kemper insurance cost?
Information on average premiums for Kemper is limited, which makes it hard to provide an accurate review and calculate a fair rating.
It's important to remember that several personal factors are considered when policies are written, and premiums will vary based on things like age, driving history, geographic location and vehicle type. It's worth getting a quote on auto insurance in your area to see if Kemper can offer coverage within your budget.
Discounts offered
The discounts offered by Kemper are not much different from those available from other larger insurance providers. Keep in mind discounts may vary depending on your state and whether or not you’re considered a preferred, standard or non-standard customer.
- Military discount: Active duty military and members of the National Guard are eligible for this discount.
- Good student: Keep up the good grades to be rewarded with a student discount.
- Prior insurance: Kemper offers a discount for non-standard policyholders who maintain active insurance and don’t let it lapse.
- Advanced quote discount: If you receive a quote and choose to move forward with an application before the effective date listed in the quote, you will receive a discount.
- Multi-car: Have more than one vehicle on your policy to qualify for this common discount.
Read more about all the discounts Kemper offers here.
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What types of coverage does Kemper offer?
Along with standard coverages like comprehensive, collision, liability, medical payments and uninsured/underinsured motorist, Kemper allows its customers to tailor their policies to meet their needs. Below are some optional extras that can be added to a Kemper insurance policy.
- Kemper Total™: If you’re involved in an accident that caused significant damage to your vehicle, this coverage will pay out according to your car’s replacement value instead of the standard actual cash value (ACV), which may be less than you expect due to depreciation. Kemper will either pay to repair the damage or replace your vehicle — whichever costs less. The only caveat is that this coverage is only available for brand-new cars that are leased or purchased.
- Gap insurance: Sometimes known as auto loan/lease coverage, gap coverage ensures you’re not left financially underwater following a total loss. It will cover the outstanding amount on your vehicle loan or lease if the payout — based on ACV — won’t cover the full amount you owe. Gap insurance is automatically included if you opt into Kemper Total™.
- Enhanced coverage: Get optional coverages, like accident forgiveness, trip interruption coverage, key replacement, personal property protection, diminishing deductible and a deductible waiver (if your parked car is damaged), rolled into one package.
Read more about Kemper's coverages here.Â
Additional lines of insurance
In addition to auto insurance, Kemper offers a number of other insurance products that you can explore. These include:
Kemper insurance review: Summary
Despite Kemper's many years in the insurance space, it appears to adhere to more outdated practices than other insurance companies. Online and mobile capabilities are limited, so if you are someone who enjoys technological advancements, this may disappoint you. It also has less-than-stellar customer reviews and a higher-than-average complaint index. Still, Kemper offers a large selection of discount opportunities, coverage options and insurance products. The Zebra believes that this company is worth looking into for customers with basic insurance needs or those that are considered high-risk.
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.
Kemper 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.