Pros
- Unique coverage options & discounts.
- Coverage for high-risk drivers.
- Online account management & claims filing.
Cons
- High premiums.
- Lots of customer complaints.
- No rideshare coverage.
Kemper Review Summary
Kemper is an average insurance company overall, earning a 2.5/5 rating from WalletHub and solid ratings from organizations such as J.D. Power and the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Kemper is known for its unique auto coverage options, but the company also offers insurance policies for your home, health and more.
As an auto insurance provider, Kemper is a good option for drivers with both flawless and less-than-perfect driving records who are looking for more varied coverage choices and discounts than the average car insurance company provides. However, drivers who require more attentive customer service may want to shop elsewhere, as Kemper has received more complaints about its customer service practices than its industry peers.
Summary: Kemper Scores by Review Category
| Category | Score |
|---|---|
| Kemper Quotes / Pricing | 20/30 |
| Customer Service & Reviews | 7.5/30 |
| Kemper Financial Stability | 3/10 |
| Kemper Claims Process | 10/15 |
| Kemper Types of Insurance and Additional Services Offered | 5/5 |
| Kemper Discounts | 1/5 |
| Kemper Transparency | 3/5 |
| OVERALL | 49.5/100 |
Now that you’re familiar with Kemper’s scores in each of our review categories, let’s see how the company compares to top competitors in a handful of key areas. Hopefully, this will help you find the best insurance company for your needs.
Kemper Car Insurance Pricing
Category Rating: 60% (20 out of 30)
| Driver Profile | Average Quote |
|---|---|
| 18-Year-Old | $178 per month |
| 21-Year-Old | $104 per month |
| 45-Year-Old | $57 per month |
| 45-Year-Old with a Speeding Ticket | $67 per month |
| 45-Year-Old with DUI | $103 per month |
| 55-Year-Old | $59 per month |
| 65-Year-Old | $62 per month |
Kemper’s premiums are pretty steep compared to some of its top competitors’ rates, though it’s not the most expensive auto insurance provider out there. Kemper received a score of 20/30 in the cost portion of this review, as its premiums rank in the third quartile among the cheapest major car insurance companies that WalletHub evaluated. Learn more about WalletHub’s Methodology.
Kemper Customer Service & Reviews
Category Rating: 25% (7.5 out of 30)
- Reviews on WalletHub: 1.6/5
- J.D. Power: 3.7/5
- NAIC: 3.60
- BBB: A+
Customer service from Kemper is a mixed bag of positive and negative experiences. Plus, Kemper’s NAIC score is 3.60, which means it has received more than three times the number of complaints as its industry peers. Most of those complaints are about delays in communication and claims payments. The high number of customer complaints, plus the fact that Kemper doesn’t have a 24/7 support line, caused the company to lose quite a few points in this category.
Kemper’s Financial Stability
Category Rating: 30% (3 out of 10)
- AM Best: A-
- S&P: BBB
- Moody’s: Baa3
Kemper is in good shape when it comes to financial strength. The company received an A- rating from A.M. Best, a nationally recognized credit rating agency for the insurance company, and above-average ratings from S&P and Moody’s.
Kemper Claims
Category Rating: 60% (10 out of 15)
With Kemper, you can file a claim any time on the company’s website. The lack of a 24/7 claims support line to call caused Kemper loose points in this category, per WalletHub’s grading criteria.
Learn more about Kemper's claims process.
Kemper’s Types of Insurance
Category Rating: 100% (5 out of 5)
- Auto insurance
- Boat insurance
- Business insurance
- Commercial auto insurance
- Commercial general liability
- Flood insurance
- Health insurance
- Homeowners insurance
- Life insurance
- Motorcycle insurance
- Personal valuable insurance
- Professional liability insurance
- Renters insurance
- Umbrella insurance
- Condo insurance
- ATV insurance
- RV insurance
Kemper received a low score in this category because its list of insurance options is pretty short compared to what its top competitors offer. Fortunately, there are still discounts for bundling policies, among other savings opportunities.
With that being said, let’s delve deeper into what Kemper has to offer as an auto insurance provider. Kemper auto insurance offers all the major coverage options you need to stay protected on the road: bodily injury liability, property damage liability, uninsured/underinsured motorist, collision, and comprehensive. There are several supplemental coverage options available, too.
Supplemental Kemper Insurance Coverage Options:
- Emergency Road Service: Covers the cost of roadside emergencies such as towing, fuel delivery, tire repairs, jump-starts, and lock out services.
- Rental Reimbursement: Covers the cost of a rental car if your vehicle is in the repair shop due to an accident, up to $30 per day with a $600 maximum benefit on covered losses.
- Accident Forgiveness: Protects you from a premium increase after your first at-fault accident.
- Trip Interruption: Pays up to $600 for lodging/transportation expenses if you break down or are involved in an accident more than 100 miles from home.
- Enhanced Car Seat Replacement: Pays for the replacement cost of a child’s car seat if it is damaged in a car accident (car seats can generally cost anywhere from $50 to $600).
- Dependent Protection: Covers up to $1,000 in daycare costs if you can’t look after your children after an accident. This coverage option also provides a $10,000 death benefit if an accident results in fatality.
- Pet Protection: Covers up to $2,000 in medical expenses for your pet if they are injured in an accident.
Drivers should only choose extra coverage options that they realistically need, so they don’t end up paying more than they should for the right amount of protection. Every car insurance shopper should aim to get the best coverage for the lowest price.
Specialty Types of Kemper Car Insurance Policies:
- Commercial Auto Insurance for individuals/companies looking to protect their business vehicles. Commercial policies are only available in Arizona, California, Colorado, Oregon, Texas, and Washington.
- Boat Insurance for those who need liability coverage for their vessels and any related equipment or accessories.
The details and availability of these extra coverage options vary by state.
Kemper Discounts
Category Rating: 20% (1 out of 5)
- Advance quote discount
- Multi-vehicle discount
- Proof of prior insurance
- Defensive driving course discount
- Good student discount
- Military discount
- Homeowner discount
- Paid-in-Full discount
Kemper doesn’t offer a lot of discount options compared to its top competitors, so it didn’t get a great score in this category. Also, keep in mind that eligibility criteria for insurance discounts vary by location.
Kemper Transparency
Category Rating: 45% (3 out of 5)
It is difficult to find key information on the Kemper website, so the company didn’t do very well in the transparency department. To find out more information, it’s best to call customer service at 800-437-8394.
Bottom Line
Kemper is an average insurance company, offering car insurance as well as policies for your home, personal valuables and more. The company scores well in terms of discounts and its claims process, but it’s lacking in terms of customer service, and it could work on being more transparent on its website.
Kemper Insurance vs. Competitors
| Insurer | Kemper | Farmers | Mercury | The Hartford |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average Annual Premium* | $1,557 per year | $1,871 per year | $1,223 per year | $1,622 per year |
| Number of Car Insurance Discounts | 8 | 23 | 9 | N/A |
| Offers Home Insurance | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Complaints Score (lower is best) | 3.60 | 0.73 | 2.51 | 0.18 |
| Editor’s Rating | 2.5 | 3.0 | 3.7 | 3.0 |
*Complaints Score represents the company's overall NAIC rating. Car insurance-specific rating may differ.
*Average annual premiums are based on a variety of driver profiles. Individuals premiums may differ, but these rates illustrate how costs from these insurers typically compare. Learn more about how these rates were calculated in the methodology section below.
For more car insurance research, check out WalletHub’s Cheap Car Insurance Study. And if you have experience with Kemper that you think might help other consumers, you can also write a Kemper insurance review.
Video: Kemper Insurance Review
Methodology
In order to provide fair, helpful reviews of insurance companies such as Kemper that can lead consumers to the best insurance coverage for their needs, WalletHub rates each insurance company in seven major categories: Cost, Insurance Types, Customer Service & Reviews, Discounts, Claims, Financial Stability and Transparency. Below, you can find an overview of what each section in our scoring rubric entails.
- The “Cost” section includes information about how expensive the insurance policies are. Kemper’s average premiums and quartile rankings are based on data from California, the largest state Kemper operates in. Rate information is provided by Quadrant Information Services. Individual rates will be different.
- The “Insurance Types” section examines what types of insurance policies the company offers.
- The “Customer Service & Reviews” section measures the insurance company’s reputation as well user reviews and information from watchdog organizations.
- The “Discounts” section examines how many and what types of discounts the company offers. It also takes into consideration whether or not there are discounts for bundling policies.
- The “Claims” section examines the ways in which customers can make claims with the policy. It considers whether or not customers can make claims by phone or online, as well as whether or not the company has a 24/7 support line.
- The “Financial Stability” section considers the company’s status with credit rating agencies A.M. Best, S&P and Moody’s.
- The “Transparency” section measures how clearly the insurer discloses key information on its website.
The final score takes these seven categories into account and reflects how close an insurance company is to WalletHub’s definition of a 5-star insurer. For more information, please read WalletHub’s full insurance company methodology.
