Central Auto Insurance Review for 2024

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Michelle Robbins

Licensed Insurance Agent

Michelle Robbins has been a licensed insurance agent for over 13 years. Her career began in the real estate industry, supporting local realtors with Title Insurance. After several years, Michelle shifted to real estate home warranty insurance, where she managed a territory of over 100 miles of real estate professionals. Later, Agent Robbins obtained more licensing and experience serving families a...

Licensed Insurance Agent

Rachael Brennan

Licensed Insurance Agent

Rachael Brennan has been working in the insurance industry since 2006 when she began working as a licensed insurance representative for 21st Century Insurance, during which time she earned her Property and Casualty license in all 50 states. After several years she expanded her insurance expertise, earning her license in Health and AD&D insurance as well. She has worked for small health in...

Licensed Insurance Agent

UPDATED: Feb 14, 2024

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Back in 1876, a small insurance company which would one day grow to be known as Central Insurance began in Van Wert, OH. The originally started out as a fire insurance company selling their policies through independent agents as opposed to company salesmen.

Fast-forward 140 years later, and Central Insurance (together with All America Insurance Company) is now a $1 billion company. Central operates many independent regional entities. Their Central Regional office manages policies in MI, IL, IN, OH, and KY; their Northeast Regional office sells policies in NY, NH, MA, and CT; the Southeast Regional office primarily operates in MD, VA, TN, NC, SC, and GA; and lastly (but not leastly) the Central Southwest Regional office assists customers in CO, OK, TX, NM, and AZ.

Central Insurance Review

Everyone who pays for an automotive insurance policy wants two things: good customer service, and the assurance that their provider will pay out claims should the need arise. And for the most part, it looks as though Central Insurance possesses both of those attributes. A.M. Best has evaluated their financial strength with an “A”, meaning “excellent”, and the BBB has given them their A+ stamp of approval.

Ratings Agency Rating
A.M. Best (2016) A
Better Business Bureau (2016) A+
Customer Reviews 3/5 stars (average)

As far as independent customer reviews go, there are a few easily-accessible websites online which have customer and former employee testimonials from those who have done business with Central in the past. And while some of these individuals have wonderful things to say about the company, a slightly smaller minority was Markedly unsatisfied with the way they do business.

Central Insurance Discounts

Because Central is such a large company and offers policies in so many different states, it is difficult for them to offer the same discounts everywhere. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to qualify for as many of the following as possible:

Discount How to Qualify
Package Credit Bundling your auto and homeowner’s insurance into one single policy
E-Credit Signing up for both of Central’s “E-Billing” and “E-Policy” options ($5 annual credit)
Customer Loyalty Credit Credit earnings begin after 2 years of consecutive service; may culminate in a 10% discount after 10 years
“Insurance” Score Policy discounts available for drivers with good credit scores
Payment Timeliness Earn a credit on renewal policies if you’ve never received a cancellation notice for non-payment
Higher Deductible Choosing a higher available deductible on your policy will earn you a credit
Elite New Policy Discount For new policy holders: a) carry higher Liability coverage limits b) have and maintain a good “insurance” (read: credit) score c) keep traffic violations to a minimum
Paid in Full If you pay your automotive insurance premium annually instead of monthly, you can earn a 5% discount
Vehicle Safety Features Have passive restraint and antitheft devices installed on your car
Accident Prevention Completing an approved accident prevention course
Teen Driver Discounts When you add a teen driver to your family auto policy, you can earn discounts for teenSMART driver safety courses, good grades, and driver training

(*Central-Insurance.com 2016)

Read More:

Central Auto Insurance Options

If you’re just in the market for a basic policy from Central Insurance, you can choose from the bare minimum coverages and coverage limits to drive legally where you live, or add other options:

  • Liability (Property Damage and Bodily Injury)
  • Medical Payments
  • Uninsured Motorist

But if that isn’t enough to protect your vehicle, you can also choose between:

  • Auto Plus Coverage – Adds protection for serpentine or alternator malfunctions on the road, hit-and-run coverage while your car is parked, and a doubling of your medical payments if you are injured in an accident while wearing a seatbelt. While this plan isn’t available in KY or TX, slightly altered versions are available in MI, NY, NC, and VA.
  • Central Mutual Summit Auto Policy – offers over a dozen different benefits and coverages that a basic auto policy does not, including pet injury coverage, child safety seat coverage, loan/lease gap coverage, and more. However, exact details of this plan will vary in AZ, CO, IL, KY, MI, NY, NC, VA, and TX.
  • Central Signature Auto Policy – Adds towing & transportation expenses, worldwide rental coverage, loan/lease gap coverage, OEM replacement, and short-term replacement cost loss settlement to a regular auto policy. Conditions may vary in AZ, IL, KY, MI, NH, NY, OH, TX, and VA.

Comparing Central Insurance Quotes

Comparing quotes between companies is a great start toward getting the best deal on your automobile insurance. But the reality is that your personal circumstances can also have a dramatic effect on your rate:

Central Auto Insurance Quote ComparisonLegend: Central Insurance Married HomeownerPoor CreditSingle RenterImperfect Record 255075100125150175200225$68$225$68$94

Married Homeowner
Poor Credit
Single Renter
Imperfect Record


25
50
75
100
125
150
175
200
225



$68

$225

$68

$94

The chart above contains estimated quotes from Central Insurance for different driver risk profiles for motorists who live near their corporate office in Van Wert, OH. Notice how “low-risk” drivers (drivers with good credit and few/no accidents) have the lowest rates. Higher risk drivers, on the other hand, can see anywhere from a 50% rate hike in monthly premiums to a four-fold increase based on accident history and poor credit, respectively.

Pros and Cons of Central Insurance

Pro Con
A good variety of policies to choose from Coverage not available in every state
Strong ratings with credit agencies and the Better Business Bureau Polarized customer reviews; people either really like or really dislike this company
Low rates for good credit and few or no accidents Potentially high premium hikes for drivers with poor credit scores

All-in-all, Central Insurance has enough to offer potential customers to be competitive in the auto insurance market. They have a strong financial foundation, a variety of policies and coverages to offer their customers, and pretty good customer service. If you have an ideal, low-risk driver profile and Central Insurance has an office in your area, you might get a pretty good deal. But if they don’t operate near you, or if you have a higher-risk profile, you should definitely compare their quotes to other local insurance providers.

Corporate Headquarters
800 South Washington Street
Van Wert, Ohio 45891
www.central-insurance.com
1-419-238-1010

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