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

The General is an excellent insurer for people with poor driving records who still want affordable car insurance coverage, while Travelers Insurance may make sense for a broader demographic of drivers who want a greater number of coverage options, more discounts or the opportunity to bundle multiple types of insurance from the same company.

Read on for more The General vs. Travelers Insurance comparisons that can help you decide which auto insurance company may be a better fit for your specific needs.

Key Takeaways Travelers operates throughout the entire United States, but coverage from The General is unavailable in a few states. Despite the fact that it predominantly covers high-risk drivers, The General offers coverage at a lower price than Travelers on average. When you select Travelers rather than The General, you’ll have the security of knowing you can access more discounts and choose from a much greater array of insurance coverages. The General boasts higher customer satisfaction ratings than Travelers on online review platforms.

The General History

The General was initially founded as Permanent General Agency and began selling car insurance in 1963, with its notorious 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 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.

Travelers Insurance History

Travelers Insurance has a rich history dating back to 1864, when founder James G. Batterson charged a banker 2 cents for accident insurance to cover him during the four-block walk from the post office to his home in Hartford, Connecticut. A little over 30 years later, Travelers issued the first car insurance policy in United States history. Travelers merged with the St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company in 2004.^[3]

Click here to read our full Travelers review.

The General vs. Travelers Insurance: A Quick Glance

The General Pros and Cons

Travelers Pros and Cons

The General vs. Travelers Insurance: Coverage Options

Travelers offers a much wider array of insurance coverage options than The General. For example, policyholders have the option to bundle their car insurance with their homeowners, renters or condo insurance through Travelers. Examples of other insurance products you can purchase from Travelers include the following:^[5][6]

• Boat and yacht insurance
• Landlord insurance
• Umbrella insurance
• Jewelry and valuable items coverage
• Wedding and event insurance
• Travel insurance
• Pet insurance
• Flood insurance
• Commercial insurance
• Individual and business surety bonds

Conversely, The General exclusively underwrites auto and motorcycle insurance policies. That said, it does partner with various other insurance providers and agencies to help its policyholders secure the following types of coverage:^[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. Travelers Insurance: Price Comparison

Although it mainly covers risky drivers that tend to be costlier to insure, The General boasts lower average car insurance rates than Travelers, according to Rami Sneineh, the vice president of Insurance Navy Brokers. The General policyholders typically pay around $50 to $100 per month for minimum coverage and $100 to $200 per month for full coverage, while Travelers policyholders pay $60 to $120 for minimum coverage and $120 to $250 for full coverage.

The General vs. Travelers Insurance: Customer Service and Claims

While both insurance companies have received above-average reviews online, The General has a higher average star rating than Travelers across multiple independent review websites, including Best Company, the Better Business Bureau and ConsumerAffairs. See the following table for a summary of each carrier’s customer satisfaction ratings.

Review Platform	The General Rating	Travelers Rating
Best Company	4.7/5 stars[8]	4.5/5 stars[9]
Better Business Bureau	2.57/5 stars[10]	1.05/5 stars[11]
ConsumerAffairs	2.9/5 stars[12]	2.6/5 stars[13]

There are several ways to file a car insurance claim with The General, including submitting an online claims form, calling 1-800-280-1466, using The General’s mobile app or emailing Claims@thegeneral.com. In addition, you can file a third-party claim online if you are involved in a car accident with someone else who has The General insurance.^[14]

Meanwhile, Travelers Insurance policyholders can file most types of claims by logging in to an online portal or calling 1-800-252-4633.^[15]

The General vs. Travelers Insurance: Unique Features and Discounts

The General differs from Travelers in that it specializes in covering high-risk drivers, such as those who are under the age of 21 or over the age of 70, have a history of car accidents or traffic violations, are experiencing a lapse in coverage, have never been insured or have been charged with driving under the influence (DUI) and need an SR-22 to get their license reinstated.^[16] Discounts that could lower your premium with The General include these:^[17]

• 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)

Due to its emphasis on insuring high-risk drivers as cheaply as possible, The General’s coverage options are relatively limited. In comparison, Travelers offers more discount opportunities and more flexible coverage options, according to Sneineh. Examples of discounts that could lead to lower insurance rates from Travelers include the following:^[18]

• Bundling discount
• Multicar discount
• Homeownership discount
• Safe driving discount
• Continuous coverage discount
• Hybrid or electric vehicle (EV) discount
• New car discount
• Electronic funds transfer (EFT), pay-in-full or good payer discount
• Early quote discount
• Good student discount
• Student-away-at-school discount
• Driver training discount
• Affinity discount
• Telematics discount

“One more thing that is better about Travelers is that their coverage is more extensive, such as new car replacement or accident forgiveness,” Sneineh said in an email to SmartFinancial. “The General, on the other hand, may be the more suitable option in case you need to focus on low prices; however, you will not receive the variety of additional advantages that Travelers offers.”

How To Get Coverage

The following sections go over the steps you need to take to apply for a car insurance quote from either The General Insurance or Travelers 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.^[19]

Travelers Insurance

Similarly, you can start or continue the process of requesting an auto insurance quote on the Travelers car insurance webpage. Alternatively, you can contact Travelers Insurance by phone at the number listed on its car insurance webpage or search for an agent who lives near you and can help you obtain an auto insurance policy from Travelers.^[20]