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Kemper Insurance review 2024
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At a glance
Auto
3.3
Cost & ratings
2.5
Coverage
4.5
Support
3
Home
3.2
Cost & ratings
4
Coverage
4.3
Support
3.8
About Bankrate Score
Bankrate's take
Kemper Auto may be the carrier of choice for high-risk drivers or drivers with an alternative form of a driver’s license.
Who Kemper may be good for: Kemper may be a good choice for drivers with a challenging driving record, lapses of insurance coverage or international driver's licenses.
Who Kemper may not be good for: Since Kemper Auto is a nonstandard auto insurer, drivers who qualify for preferred placement will likely find a policy with more benefits with a different provider.
New
In early August of 2023, Kemper Corporation announced that one of its subsidiaries, Kemper Personal Insurance, which provides both home and auto insurance for standard and preferred customers, is canceling and nonrenewing preferred policies immediately. Kemper stated they will follow state regulations, meaning most customers will receive a nonrenewal letter 30 to 60 days before their renewal date and will have to find home and auto coverage elsewhere. Infinity, Kemper’s nonstandard auto company in California, will transition to Kemper Auto. Kemper Life should not be impacted.
Is Kemper insurance still available?
Insurance is still available under Kemper Auto for drivers who need nonstandard auto insurance. Additionally, life insurance is available through Kemper Life. Insurance under Kemper Personal Insurance, which provided home and auto coverage for standard and preferred customers, is no longer available as of August 2023.
Kemper Auto car insurance
Bankrate’s insurance editorial staff used their decades of combined industry experience to conduct an in-depth evaluation of Kemper insurance. After our study, we issued Kemper car insurance a Bankrate Score of 3.3 out of 5. The factors leading to the company’s score include its higher-than-average premiums and relatively low third-party customer service scores. With Kemper Personal Insurance canceling and nonrenewing preferred auto policies, Kemper Auto remains a good choice for many customers, including drivers struggling to find an insurer due to blemishes on their driving record.
Although Kemper is licensed to do business in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., product availability may vary by state. Kemper also uses several underwriting companies for its auto insurance, so you may see a different company name listed on your policy. Additionally, Kemper received the lowest score in the 2022 J.D. Power U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study, which could indicate that customers tend to have a poor claims experience.
Coverage options with Kemper Auto are limited, but the policy may still be a good car insurance option for some drivers. If you have a suspended license or need an SR-22 form, Kemper Auto could provide you coverage. The nonstandard program also writes coverage for drivers with international licenses, state IDs and Matrícula Consular identification cards from Mexico.
Pros and cons of Kemper Auto car insurance
If deciding between Kemper Auto car insurance and other carriers, it can be helpful to note where the company stands out and where it may fall short as a start. Bankrate has summarized Kemper car insurance below to help your comparison and aid in your decision on whether to pursue a car insurance quote:
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SR-22 filing available
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Accepts drivers with international driver’s licenses, state IDs and Matrícula Consular identification cards from Mexico
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Annual policies
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Endorsement options are not as unique compared to other carriers
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Depending on individual circumstance, your auto policy may be underwritten by a partner company and not Kemper itself
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Ranked last in the 2022 J.D. Power U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study
Kemper Auto car insurance cost
Kemper’s average auto insurance rates are generally higher than the national average. Full coverage costs an average of $2,662 annually with Kemper versus $2,014 per year nationally. Minimum coverage with Kemper averages $1,150 per year, which is significantly more than the national average of $622. However, keep in mind that these Kemper averages include both standard and nonstandard drivers, so they may change once preferred drivers are no longer a factor. Getting a quote is the best way to determine how much you’ll pay for Kemper car insurance.
Kemper car insurance rates by driving history
Drivers with a history of accidents or ticket convictions may find getting cheap car insurance more difficult to shop for than drivers with a clean driving record. Although Kemper’s average rates are higher than the national average both before and after driving incidents, the company does offer coverage for drivers with a DUI, which may be helpful for drivers who can’t secure coverage from a standard provider.
Drivers with international licenses usually have trouble obtaining coverage since providers cannot access their driving history. Not having a driving history to pull from may increase your rates, but Kemper states they offer coverage for drivers with state IDs and international licenses. Once Kemper Personal Insurance completes its withdrawal from the preferred market, the rates below may change.
Kemper full coverage premium | National full coverage premium | |
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Clean driving history | $2,662 | $2,014 |
Speeding ticket conviction | $3,041 | $2,427 |
At-fault accident | $3,392 | $2,854 |
DUI conviction | $4,300 | $3,091 |
*All rates displayed are average annual rates.
Kemper car insurance quotes by age
When it comes to car insurance, age is an important factor to car insurance companies. Young drivers have fewer years of driving experience when compared to older, more experienced drivers. They also have a higher likelihood of filing claims, all of which leads to more expensive car insurance rates. However, Bankrate’s study of average car insurance rates found that rates trend downward as drivers get older. Below is a comparison of current car insurance rates from Kemper by age, with some on a parent’s policy and others on a separate policy, but all are based on a clean driving record. Again, these rates may change over the coming months.
Average cost of car insurance for drivers on their parents’ policy
Kemper full coverage premium | National full coverage premium | |
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Age 16 | $5,866 | $4,392 |
Age 17 | $5,455 | $4,102 |
Age 18 | $5,216 | $3,837 |
Age 19 | $4,323 | $3,345 |
Age 20 | $4,046 | $3,149 |
*All rates displayed are average annual rates.
Average cost of car insurance for drivers on their own policy
Kemper car insurance discounts
Kemper offers several savings opportunities that may help policyholders save on their car insurance. Some of Kemper’s car insurance discounts include savings for getting a quote before your prior policy ends, being a member of the military, having prior insurance and taking a defensive driving course. None of the discounts are particularly unique, but they may still help you lower your premium.
Kemper home insurance
Kemper was previously a good home insurance company option for homeowners looking for a simplified shopping experience that included some options for personalization. Kemper home insurance came in three packages: Kemper Prime Home Essentials, Kemper Prime Home Enhanced and Kemper Prime Home Elite. The Essentials package was the most basic, and the Elite package was the most robust, but each option had a set of endorsements to get more financial protection. Since Kemper Personal is shutting down its preferred businesses, this includes its homeownership division. Since this is a recent development, many homeowners will have Kemper policies for almost a full year before needing to find a replacement.
Kemper home insurance was underwritten by a number of companies, which means options varied based on the underwriting company that your policy was assigned to. However, Kemper does note that it offered optional coverage like scheduled personal property, equipment breakdown, identity fraud expense and water backup coverage. While these options were helpful, Kemper doesn’t list nearly as many endorsements on its website as many of its competitors.
The lack of endorsement options was one of the reasons why Kemper’s home insurance product earned a Bankrate Score of 3.2 out of 5.
Pros and cons of Kemper home insurance
Comparing home insurance companies is part of the process when it comes to finding the cheapest home insurance to fit your needs. To help simplify the process and give you direction on where to obtain home insurance quotes for the future, here’s an overview of Kemper’s previous homeowners insurance offerings:
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Simplified shopping experience through its tiered packages
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Optional coverage like identity fraud and equipment breakdown coverage available
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Average home insurance rates may be cheaper than the national average
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No longer available to new customers
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Each partner company may have its own eligibility requirements
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Endorsements may not be as extensive as other carriers
Kemper home insurance cost
Unlike its auto insurance, Kemper home insurance was competitively priced. On average, a policy with $250,000 in dwelling coverage costs $873 per year, whereas the national average cost for home insurance is $1,428 for the same coverage. However, Kemper’s policies may have fewer options for personalization than its competitors, which may be a tradeoff considering its low average premiums.
Dwelling coverage limit | Kemper average premium | National average premium |
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$150,000 | $514 | $975 |
$250,000 | $873 | $1,428 |
$350,000 | $1,184 | $1,879 |
$450,000 | $1,480 | $2,343 |
$750,000 | $2,407 | $3,761 |
*All rates displayed are average annual rates.
Kemper home insurance discounts
Kemper did offer a few home insurance discounts, including savings for military members, alarm systems, safety devices and bundled policies. While none of these savings opportunities stand out as unique to Kemper, they could still lower your rate.
Kemper life insurance
Kemper offers life insurance through Kemper Life, with various police type options.
Pros and cons of Kemper life insurance
Kemper offers several life insurance options, such as whole life, term life, guaranteed issue and accidental and health coverage. While it didn’t make our list of best life insurance companies, they have many options and could be of interest if you already have a Kemper Auto policy.
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Guaranteed issue life insurance requires no medical exam or questions
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Riders available to personalize life insurance policies
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Option to convert a term life insurance to whole life insurance policy may be available
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Life insurance not underwritten by Kemper, so may require additional research
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Eligibility may vary by company
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Limited information available online
Kemper life insurance endorsements
Kemper does not provide much information about its endorsements online, but it does mention that riders are available for its whole life insurance plans. You can contact a Kemper agent for life insurance quotes and more information on endorsement options.
Compare Kemper with other insurers
When looking for the right home, life or car insurance company, comparing car insurance quotes from several carriers is usually helpful. This allows you to compare multiple facts about each insurer to find the best option. Kemper may be one of the best car insurance companies for high-risk drivers, but for current policyholders who cannot keep their Kemper policies, it can help you find a company with similar rates and coverage that you currently enjoy. Some similar companies to consider include:
Featured
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Overview
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Overview
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Overview
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Overview
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Kemper Auto may be the carrier of choice for high-risk drivers or drivers with an alternative form of a driver’s license.
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If Kemper’s non-standard auto insurance is appealing to you, consider checking out Direct Auto as well. The company offers car insurance options to high-risk drivers and also sells numerous other types of coverage.
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Farmers home insurance has a similar structure to Kemper, with three different tiers of coverage to choose from. However, Farmers offers more options for personalization than Kemper, has a longer list of discounts and is also available nationwide.
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Geico offers coverage for standard and nonstandard drivers and offers plenty of ways to save. Its long list of discounts and digital tools helped the carrier secure a tie for both the 2024 Bankrate Award for Best Auto Insurance Company Overall and for the Best Budget Auto Insurance Company. It also secured a position as Best for Young Drivers. The carrier is also one of the largest in the nation, and offers car insurance coverage in all states. If you’re looking for home insurance, Geico also sells home insurance through third-party carriers.
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Avg. full coverage auto rate
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Avg. full coverage auto rate
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Avg. full coverage auto rate
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Avg. full coverage auto rate
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$2,662
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No rates available
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$1,598
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$1,353
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Avg. home rate for $250k dwelling coverage
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Avg. home rate for $250k dwelling coverage
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Avg. home rate for $250k dwelling coverage
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Avg. home rate for $250k dwelling coverage
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Home insurance not available
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Home insurance not available
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$1,664
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No rates available
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J.D. Power Digital Experience Study - Service
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J.D. Power Digital Experience Study - Service
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J.D. Power Digital Experience Study - Service
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J.D. Power Digital Experience Study - Service
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Not scored
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Not scored
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689/1,000
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731/1,000
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J.D. Power Digital Experience Study - Shopping
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J.D. Power Digital Experience Study - Shopping
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J.D. Power Digital Experience Study - Shopping
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J.D. Power Digital Experience Study - Shopping
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515/1,000
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Not scored
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547/1,000
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502/1,000
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AM Best rating
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AM Best rating
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AM Best rating
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AM Best rating
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A- (Excellent)
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A- (Excellent)
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A (Excellent)
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A++ (Superior)
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Is Kemper a good insurance company?
If you are interested in Kemper Auto, Bankrate’s Kemper Auto Insurance review may help you decide if you should seek out quotes from this lesser-known company. Our insurance editorial team has nearly 50 years of insurance industry experience, and we’ve compared more than 120 insurance carriers to find which ones are the very best.
Kemper Auto is notable for offering car insurance options for high-risk drivers and those without drivers’ licenses, so it could be a good option for those with less-than-perfect driving records. Depending on the policy type, drivers may be able to access more coverage options, but it comes down to what they are eligible for. Kemper is licensed in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., but not all products are available in all areas. Additionally, not all policy types, including life insurance, are underwritten by Kemper, so further research may be necessary if you want to have all of your insurance needs handled in one place.
Kemper Auto customer satisfaction
When considering one insurance company over another, one factor you may want to think about is its customer satisfaction. While you can ask friends and family for their experience, you can also reference third-party ratings from agencies like J.D. Power and AM Best, which carry out studies and release reports about customers’ satisfaction with their insurance company and historical financial strength, respectively. J.D. Power ranks satisfaction by giving a score based on a 1,000-point scale. Kemper came in at the bottom of the list with a score of 820 in the 2023 J.D. Power study. It ranked below the industry average for shopping and did not rank for service in the 2023 J.D. Power Digital Experience Study.
Kemper homeowners insurance did not rank in the 2023 J.D. Power Home Insurance Study or its 2023 U.S. Property Claims Satisfaction Study. However, this is not surprising as it generally does not underwrite its own home insurance policies.
AM Best has recently upgraded Kemper Corporation, its affiliates and subsidiaries from last year's ranking from negative to stable due to its gradual improvement. A.M. Best uses a standard letter scale from A to D.
Study or Rating agency | Kemper | Industry average |
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2023 J.D. Power Digital Experience Study - Service | Not scored | 702/1,000 |
2023 J.D. Power Digital Experience Study - Shopping | 515/1,000 | 521/1,000 |
AM Best rating | A- (Excellent) | N/A |
Kemper Auto claims satisfaction
Kemper car insurance came in last in the 2023 J.D. Power U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study. This indicates that Kemper customers were generally less satisfied compared to other insurance companies when it came to repair processes, claims servicing and customer service during the claims process. J.D. Power does not distinguish between any of Kemper’s auto products.
Kemper Auto customer complaints
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) issues an annual complaint index report to track the amount of complaints lodged against insurance companies. The index employs a baseline of 1.0. Scores below 1.0 indicate that a provider had fewer complaints than expected for a company its size and scores above 1.0 indicate the opposite.
Kemper auto complaints
Kemper sees well above the average level of complaints for a company its size. However, it has shown steady improvement over the last three years, which may indicate that Kemper is aware of its customer’s dissatisfaction and is working to improve it.
Other Kemper tools and benefits
In addition to nonstandard auto insurance, Kemper offers a fire and contents policy through Kemper Life.