Although USA Underwriters originally started as the Southern Michigan Mutual Insurance Company in 1862 — well before the invention of the automobile — this insurance company is committed to providing quick insurance options to Michigan drivers.

This insurer is only available in Michigan, which means it’s well-situated to help drivers navigate the Wolverine State’s complex and sometimes confusing insurance regulations. Here’s what you need to know about USA Underwriters car insurance to help you decide if it has the right coverage for you.

What is USA Underwriters auto insurance?

USA Underwriters offers traditional car insurance coverage. This means you pay premiums to the company in exchange for insurance coverage. If you get into an accident or otherwise need to make a claim for a covered issue, your USA Underwriters policy will pay for the damages, up to your coverage limit.

Despite having a 160-year history in Michigan insurance, USA Underwriters may feel like a new addition to the auto insurance industry since the company has only been operating under that name since 2013.1 As a small, regional auto insurer, USA Underwriters requires customers to work with an insurance agent or call the company to get a quote, rather than offering free quotes online.

The company aims to offer affordable policies and same-day coverage to price-conscious drivers. In particular, USA Underwriters has coverage options to fit high-risk drivers, who may struggle to find coverage from other insurers.

USA Underwriters pros and cons

Average cost of USA Underwriters auto insurance

The average monthly cost of USA Underwriters insurance is $330 for full coverage and $239 for liability-only coverage. This is much higher than the national average monthly cost of $182 for full coverage and $103 for liability-only coverage.

However, considering the high cost of insurance in Michigan, it may be helpful to compare USA Underwriters’ premium costs to the state average rather than the national average. The average cost of car insurance in Michigan is $214 per month for full coverage and $142 for liability coverage.

This means that USA Underwriters auto insurance is significantly more than both the state average and the national average cost of auto insurance.

USA Underwriters car insurance coverage

USA Underwriters offers the standard state-minimum required liability insurance. However, it only offers two other add-ons:

USA Underwriters auto insurance rates by driving history

Your driving history is one of the major factors that insurers use to determine your premiums. A driver with a clean driving record will generally pay less for auto insurance than a driver with a history of speeding tickets, at-fault accidents, or DUI citations.2

USA Underwriters welcomes drivers with less-than-perfect driving histories, but such drivers can still expect to pay more for their monthly auto insurance premiums than drivers with clean records. Here’s the monthly average cost for auto insurance with USA Underwriters for people with different driving histories.

USA Underwriters car insurance cost by age

Insurance companies have found that age is a factor in the likelihood of a driver making an auto insurance claim. Young drivers, especially teenagers, tend to engage in riskier behavior behind the wheel compared to their older counterparts.3

That’s why the average monthly cost of USA Underwriters car insurance will vary depending on the age of the insured driver. Here are the monthly average quotes for USA Underwriters full-coverage insurance by age group.

How to get a USA Underwriters car insurance quote from Insurify

Though USA Underwriters requires drivers to contact an agent to get a car insurance quote, you can also submit a quote request through Insurify. Requesting quotes through Insurify allows you to compare USA Underwriters insurance with other companies. 

Here’s how to submit your quote request:

  1. Navigate to Insurify’s quote tool. Start the process by entering your ZIP code and clicking the “Get my quotes” button. Answer a few questions about yourself, including your age, driving history, and more.

  2. Provide vehicle information. Enter information for the vehicles you want to insure under your policy.

  3. Enter your contact information. Enter your address, email, and phone number.

  4. Compare quotes. Compare real-time quotes from multiple top insurance companies to find the best one for your needs.

USA Underwriters car insurance discounts

The USA Underwriters website doesn’t list the discounts available to customers, but it does encourage consumers to reach out to an authorized independent agent to find out which discounts are available.

USA Underwriters insurance bundling options

Generally, bundling discounts help consumers save money when they purchase both auto insurance and either home insurance or renters insurance from the same company. USA Underwriters only offers auto insurance and doesn’t appear to offer any bundling discounts or options.

USA Underwriters insurance reviews and ratings

Relatively few customer and industry reviews of USA Underwriters are available online, which is unsurprising considering the company only serves Michigan drivers. That makes it all the more important to pay close attention to how third-party agencies rate USA Underwriters.

USA Underwriters customer reviews

Unfortunately, there are no reviews of USA Underwriters on Trustpilot and only four complaints listed on the Better Business Bureau website. Each of the four complaints seems to be concerned about a lack of clarity or communication from the company, particularly about the non-refundable membership fee, which isn’t explained on the website.

Unfortunately, there are no positive reviews available to compare to these four negative reviews.

USA Underwriters ratings

Insurance industry rating agencies can help consumers understand the financial strength of a company, as well as levels of customer satisfaction. Because of the relative size of USA Underwriters, however, three major rating agencies — AM Best, Standard & Poor’s, and Moody’s — haven’t yet rated this insurer’s financial stability.

  • AM Best: Not rated

  • Better Business Bureau: A-

  • Standard & Poor’s: Not rated

  • Moody’s: Not rated

  • NAIC Complaint Index: 3.92

USA Underwriters vs. other insurance companies

Consumers have a great deal of choice available to them in the car insurance market, which means it’s always smart to compare options before purchasing a policy. If you’re considering auto insurance coverage from USA Underwriters, make sure you compare quotes with several other insurers, including the following:

USA Underwriters vs. Liberty Mutual

Based out of Boston, Massachusetts, Liberty Mutual is a national insurer that offers a number of insurance products in addition to auto insurance. This means that Michigan drivers may be able to save money just by bundling their insurance policies with Liberty Mutual.

Liberty Mutual may appear to have a much lower average monthly cost than USA Underwriters — $175 for liability-only coverage and $234 for full coverage. However, the listed monthly premium is a national average. The average monthly premium for Liberty Mutual in Michigan is $161 for liability coverage and $235 for full coverage.

This company offers a number of additional coverage options that drivers can’t get from USA Underwriters, including 24-hour roadside assistance, rental car reimbursement, accident forgiveness, and gap coverage. Drivers interested in any of these specialty coverage options may find Liberty Mutual is a better fit than USA Underwriters, which doesn’t offer any specialty coverage.

USA Underwriters vs. GEICO

GEICO is the third-largest private passenger auto insurance company in the United States, making it a much larger company than USA Underwriters. GEICO’s size means it can offer a lot more customer care, including 24/7 access to customer service, as well as an easy-to-use website and highly rated app. Additionally, drivers getting insurance through GEICO can also bundle other policies with their auto insurance.

The national average cost of premiums for GEICO is significantly cheaper than USA Underwriters’ averages. GEICO drivers pay $97 per month for liability-only coverage and $136 per month for full coverage, on average.

Drivers with a clean driving record may find GEICO is a better option for them than USA Underwriters. GEICO’s prices are lower for such drivers, and it has many discounts and other ways to save.

USA Underwriters vs. Travelers

At more than 165 years old, Travelers has been around for slightly longer than the 161-year-old USA Underwriters. This large national insurance company offers a huge number of insurance products to choose from, like auto, home, renters, pet, wedding, and umbrella insurance. This makes Travelers much more of a one-stop shop for drivers looking to take care of all their insurance needs under a single roof.

The average national cost of Travelers auto insurance is $98 per month for liability-only coverage and $185 per month for full coverage. This insurer also offers 12 discounts drivers can potentially qualify for to help reduce their premium costs.

If you need a robust selection of coverage options and potential discounts, Travelers may be a better choice for you than USA Underwriters.

How to file an auto insurance claim with USA Underwriters

If you’re in a car accident, you can file an auto insurance claim to get your insurer to pay for your damages, minus any deductibles. To file a claim with USA Underwriters, you’ll need to follow these steps:

  1. Gather the necessary information. Gather as much information as you can about the incident, including your policy number, dates and times, witness contact information, photos of the damage, names of involved parties, and more.

  2. Call 1 (855) 230-1656. You’ll need to start the claim process over the phone with a USA Underwriter representative.

  3. Work with the claims adjuster. Once you submit your claim, USA Underwriters assigns a claims adjuster to your case to resolve your claim, guide you through the process, and answer any questions you might have.

USA Underwriters insurance FAQs

Still not sure if USA Underwriters is the right auto insurance company for you? Check out the answers to these frequently asked questions to help you decide.

  • Is USA Underwriters legitimate?

    USA Underwriters is a legitimate auto insurance company with a long history. However, its small size and geographic footprint means it has limited reviews and ratings. That doesn’t mean the company is financially unstable, but there’s no independent third-party rating of its stability.

    Additionally, although the company doesn’t appear to be involved in any shady practices, several of the negative reviews about USA Underwriters on the Better Business Bureau website mention a $150 membership fee, which isn’t disclosed anywhere on the website. This may also give potential customers pause.

  • Is USA Underwriters car insurance worth it?

    If you have a clean record, you’ll likely find cheaper premiums from other companies. But if you have a spotty driving history and live in Michigan, USA Underwriters may be a good fit for you.

  • What is the average cost of USA Underwriters car insurance?

    The average monthly cost of liability-only insurance with USA Underwriters is $239. The average monthly cost for full coverage is $330.

  • Who owns USA Underwriters insurance?

    USA Underwriters insurance was founded in 1862 as the Southern Michigan Mutual Insurance Company. It’s a Michigan-based insurer that only serves drivers in its home state.

  • Who should get USA Underwriters insurance?

    USA Underwriters specializes in insurance policies for higher-risk drivers. That means its insurance products may be best suited to drivers with speeding tickets, at-fault accidents, or DUIs rather than drivers with clean records.

  • Is USA Underwriters good at paying claims?

    AM Best hasn’t rated USA Underwriters, and the insurance company has no third-party reviews of its ability to pay claims. Plus, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) complaint index for USA Underwriters is 3.92, which is much higher than expected for a company its size, suggesting that customers tend to have more complaints.

Emily Guy Birken
Emily Guy Birken

Emily Guy Birken is a former educator, lifelong money nerd, and a Plutus Award-winning freelance writer who specializes in the scientific research behind irrational money behaviors. Her background in education allows her to make complex financial topics relatable and easily understood by the layperson.

Her work has appeared on The Huffington Post, Business Insider, Kiplinger's, MSN Money, and The Washington Post online.

She is the author of several books, including The 5 Years Before You Retire, End Financial Stress Now, and the brand new book Stacked: Your Super Serious Guide to Modern Money Management, written with Joe Saul-Sehy.

Emily lives in Milwaukee with her family.

Emily has been a contributor at Insurify since October 2022.