Mercury Homeowners Insurance Review 2023
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Mercury
Coverage options
Discounts
NAIC complaints
Mercury
Coverage options
Discounts
NAIC complaints
About Mercury home insurance
Mercury homeowners insurance earned 4 stars out of 5 for overall performance. Mercury is one of the biggest home insurers in California, but it also sells homeowners policies in several other states such as Texas, Virginia and New York. Its policies generally come with extra dwelling coverage in case your house costs more than expected to rebuild after a fire or other disaster. Mercury sells homeowners insurance through independent agents.
Where Mercury stands out
Coverage. Mercury’s default policies generally include an extra cushion for your dwelling coverage, plus replacement cost coverage for your personal belongings. These are both more generous types of coverage than many standard homeowners policies have.
Discounts. Mercury offers plenty of ways to save money on homeowners insurance.
Where Mercury falls short
Availability. Mercury’s homeowners insurance is available in only 10 states.
Consumer complaints. Mercury draws a higher volume of complaints to state regulators than expected for a company of its size.
State availability
Mercury sells homeowners policies in 10 states.
Mercury home insurance coverage
You can customize your homeowners policy with numerous add-ons, but below are the types of coverage that generally come standard:
Type of coverage | What it does |
|---|---|
Pays to repair or rebuild the structure of your home. | |
Covers damage to unattached structures such as sheds or fences. | |
Pays to repair or replace personal belongings such as furniture or clothing. | |
Pays for hotel stays, restaurant meals or other expenses if you have to live elsewhere while your home undergoes covered repairs. | |
Covers legal expenses and damages if you're responsible for injuries to other people or their property. | |
Covers injuries to guests in your home, regardless of fault. |
For more details, see What Does Homeowners Insurance Cover?
Mercury’s homeowners policies include all the standard types of coverage above. They may also include the following:
Extended replacement cost coverage, which pays up to 150% of your dwelling limit to rebuild your home after a covered claim.
Replacement cost coverage for personal property, which pays enough to buy brand-new replacements for damaged or destroyed belongings. Without this coverage your insurer would pay the items’ actual cash value, which reflects depreciation.
You may be able to add the following optional types of coverage to your policy:
Identity theft coverage, which pays costs related to recovering your identity, up to $25,000.
Equipment breakdown coverage for repairs to air conditioning systems, kitchen and laundry appliances, water heaters, electrical panels and more.
Service line coverage, which pays up to $10,000 per claim for repairs to or replacement of damaged service lines, such as sewer, water and gas pipes. Without this coverage, you would be on the hook for these repairs, even though they connect to city-owned or utility-owned lines.
Additional coverage for valuables, such as jewelry or fine art.
Personal cyber coverage, which reimburses you if you’re the victim of an online attack such as online fraud or extortion, up to $50,000 with a $500 deductible.
Water backup coverage to pay for damage from backed-up drains or failed sump pumps.
For California homeowners who have fire coverage through the state’s FAIR Plan, Mercury offers difference in conditions insurance to cover scenarios the FAIR Plan won’t, such as theft, personal liability and water damage from broken pipes.
Discounts
Depending on where you live, you may be able to save by:
Owning a newer home.
Having fire-resistant construction materials in your home.
Living in a gated community.
Having multiple policies with Mercury (also known as bundling).
Installing protective devices such as smoke alarms, deadbolts or water leak detectors.
Not filing any claims for at least three years.
Signing up for electronic billing.
Protecting your home against wind damage.
Getting a quote in advance of when you need coverage to start.
Being a recent homebuyer.
Taking steps to prevent wildfires or living in a community recognized by the National Fire Protection Association as a Firewise USA site (California only).
» MORE: The cheapest home insurance
Consumer complaints
Mercury had more than the expected number of complaints to state regulators relative to its size for home insurance, according to three years' worth of data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
Consumer experience
Website: On Mercury’s website, you can pay bills, view policy details, request changes and file claims. However, you’ll need to contact an agent to get a homeowners quote.
App: You can use Mercury’s app to see policy information, pay bills and contact customer service.
Claims: Mercury offers 24/7 claims filing online or at 800-503-3724. Once you’ve submitted your claim, you can check its status through your online account. Learn more about how to file a home insurance claim.
Customer service: For support, contact your agent, call 800-503-3724, send an email through the website or chat live with a representative.
The bottom line
Mercury homeowners insurance isn’t available to most Americans, but if you live in California or one of the other states the company serves, its policies are worth considering. It’s ideal for someone looking to work with an agent to find the coverage they need.
Current Product
|  |  |
|---|---|---|
NerdWallet rating 4.0 /5 | NerdWallet rating 4.5 /5 | NerdWallet rating 4.0 /5 |
Complaints to NAIC More than expected | Complaints to NAIC Fewer than expected | Complaints to NAIC Close to expected |
Coverage options More than average | Coverage options About average | Coverage options More than average |
Discounts Great set of discounts | Discounts Average set of discounts | Discounts Great set of discounts |
Bottom line Homeowners insurance sold through independent agents in California and select other states. | Bottom line Travelers offers strong coverage and decent discounts, but home insurance isn’t available in all states. | Bottom line Big national brand with plenty of discount options. |
Other home insurance companies to consider
Not ready to make a decision? You may be interested in these other homeowners insurance companies:
Homeowners insurance star ratings methodology
NerdWallet’s homeowners insurance ratings reward companies for customer-first features and practices. Ratings are based on weighted averages of scores in several categories, including financial strength, consumer complaints, coverage, discounts and online experience. These ratings are a guide, but we encourage you to shop around and compare several insurance quotes to find the best rate for you. NerdWallet does not receive compensation for any reviews. Read our full ratings methodology for home insurance.
Insurer complaints methodology
NerdWallet examined complaints received by state insurance regulators and reported to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners in 2020-2022. To assess how insurers compare to one another, the NAIC calculates a complaint index each year for each subsidiary, measuring its share of total complaints relative to its size, or share of total premiums in the industry. To evaluate a company’s complaint history, NerdWallet calculated a similar index for each insurer, weighted by market shares of each subsidiary, over the three-year period. NerdWallet conducts its data analysis and reaches conclusions independently and without the endorsement of the NAIC. Ratios are determined separately for auto, home (including renters and condo) and life insurance.
