The General vs. Erie Insurance: Which Is Right for You?

If you have a lackluster driving record but still want to secure the cheapest auto insurance policy possible, The General may be a good fit for you. Conversely, Erie Insurance may be a better option if you want to bundle multiple insurance products together or keep your insurance premiums from skyrocketing after a car accident or other covered loss.

You can learn more about The General vs. Erie Insurance comparisons by checking out the rest of the article below.

Key Takeaways While neither insurer operates in every state, The General offers coverage in significantly more states than Erie. Erie boasts slightly lower insurance premiums than The General on average, though both carriers offer relatively affordable pricing. The General specializes in covering high-risk drivers. By shopping from Erie, you can secure perks like insurance bundling opportunities, an insurance rate lock, safe driving rewards and more. Based on ratings from online review platforms, The General ranks a bit higher than Erie when it comes to customer satisfaction.

The General History

The General was initially founded as Permanent General Agency and began selling car insurance in 1963, with its well-known military-themed mascot being created a few decades later.^[1] This insurance company famously insured Shaquille O’Neal when he played college basketball for Louisiana State University in the early 1990s, and Shaq remains a staple of The General’s commercials to this day.^[2]

The General began offering insurance quotes online in 2000. Today, it primarily operates out of Nashville, Tennessee, and it specializes in selling low-cost car insurance coverage. American Family Insurance acquired The General in 2013, but American Family later sold The General to Sentry Insurance at the end of 2024.^[1]

Click here to read our full The General review.

Erie Insurance History

Henry Orth Hirt and Oliver Grover Crawford formally founded Erie Insurance Exchange in Erie, Pennsylvania, on April 20, 1925. They coined the phrase “Above all in sERvIcE,” which remains the insurer’s official tagline to this day. While Erie initially focused on auto insurance, the carrier rapidly expanded in the 1960s with the additions of home, commercial and life insurance.^[3]

As of 2018, Erie Insurance is the largest employer in Erie County, Pennsylvania, with over 2,800 local employees. In 2022, the insurance company established a venture capital fund known as Erie Strategic Ventures to invest in insurance-related startup businesses. Erie Insurance celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2025.^[3]

Click here to read our full Erie Insurance review.

The General vs. Erie Insurance: A Quick Glance

The General Pros and Cons

Erie Pros and Cons

The General vs. Erie Insurance: Coverage Options

If you’re interested in purchasing most of the insurance coverage types you need from the same carrier, then Erie should be a more appealing option than The General. Erie offers the following insurance products:^[6]

• Auto insurance
• Motorcycle insurance
• Antique and classic car insurance
• RV insurance
• Boat insurance
• Offroad vehicle insurance
• Homeowners insurance
• Renters insurance
• Condo insurance
• Mobile home insurance
• Business insurance
• Life insurance
• Medigap
• Long-term care insurance

In contrast, The General does not directly sell any type of insurance besides car and motorcycle coverage. Nevertheless, The General can connect you with a different insurer or agency that can help you find one of the following coverage options:^[7]

• Renters insurance
• Boat or personal watercraft insurance
• Motorhome insurance
• Travel trailer insurance
• Commercial auto insurance
• Mexican travel auto insurance
• Homeowners insurance
• Life insurance
• Health insurance
• Pet insurance

The General vs. Erie Insurance: Price Comparison

It’s generally cheaper to get auto insurance from Erie than from The General. On average, Erie customers pay $41 per month for liability-only coverage and $106 per month for full coverage.^[8] Meanwhile, The General usually charges between $50 and $100 per month for minimum coverage and between $100 and $200 per month for a policy that adds collision and comprehensive coverage, according to Rami Sneineh, the vice president of Insurance Navy Brokers.

Keep in mind that the national average monthly cost of car insurance is about $67 for minimum coverage and $223 for full coverage, so The General and Erie are both fairly cheap.^[9]

The General vs. Erie Insurance: Customer Service and Claims

The General has garnered better online auto insurance reviews than Erie Insurance, although both insurance providers have above-average customer satisfaction ratings overall. In the table below, you can see how each insurer has performed across multiple customer service review websites.

Review Platform	The General Rating	Erie Rating
Best Company	4.7/5 stars[10]	4.7/5 stars[11]
Better Business Bureau	2.52/5 stars[12]	1.26/5 stars[13]
ConsumerAffairs	2.9/5 stars[14]	2.7/5 stars[15]

The General’s policyholders have numerous options for filing and managing car insurance claims, including filling out a claims form through an online portal, calling 1-800-280-1466, sending relevant information to Claims@thegeneral.com or using The General Auto Insurance App.^[16] Conversely, Erie Insurance policyholders must get in touch with their insurance agent or call 800-367-3743 to initiate a claim.^[17]

The General vs. Erie Insurance: Unique Features and Discounts

The General’s defining characteristic is the fact that it provides affordable coverage for high-risk drivers — who normally pay more for insurance than other drivers. Examples of drivers who may benefit from The General insurance include young or elderly drivers, those with poor driving records and people who have had their licenses suspended or revoked.^[18] These drivers may lower their premiums further through the following discounts:^[19]

• Pay-in-full or quarterly payments discount
• Multicar discount
• Homeownership discount
• Good student discount
• Passive restraints discount
• Defensive driving discount
• Safe driving discount
• Double deductible discount (only applies for the first 45 days after buying a policy in some states)

Unlike The General, Erie allows policyholders to bundle multiple different types of insurance together, including auto, homeowners, renters and life insurance.^[20] In addition, Erie offers a Rate Lock feature that prevents your premium from going up unless you change the vehicles or drivers covered by your auto policy or move to a new address — even if you file a claim.^[21] Erie policyholders may also benefit from the following discounts:^[22]

• Bundling discount
• Vehicle storage discount
• Safety features discount (e.g., anti-theft devices and anti-lock brakes)
• Pay-in-full discount
• Youthful driver discount
• Youthful driver longevity discount
• Driver training discount
• Student-away-at-school discount

Erie offers additional cost-saving options, like accident forgiveness and a diminishing deductible, along with coverage for pets, travel expenses, locksmith costs and personal items.^[22]

How To Get Coverage

See the following sections for guidance on how to obtain a car insurance policy from either The General or Erie Insurance.

The General

As long as you live in a state where The General operates, you can enter your ZIP code on the insurer’s website and fill out an application for a free online car insurance quote. If you are not able to complete your application in one sitting, you can come back to the website later and retrieve your quote by entering your email address, date of birth and ZIP code.^[23]

Erie Insurance

To request a quote from Erie, you simply need to select the type of coverage you want on Erie’s website, enter your ZIP code and fill out a questionnaire about your personal information and coverage needs. Once you’ve enrolled in an Erie policy, you can download the YourTurn app, which uses telematics data to track your driving behaviors and rewards safe driving with gift cards or other perks.^[24]