Kemper insurance review 2023

Kemper car insurance

Bankrate’s insurance editorial staff used their nearly 50 years 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. Among some of the factors that led us to this decision are the company’s higher-than-average premiums and relatively low third-party customer service scores. Still, Kemper car insurance might be a good choice for many customers, including drivers seeking personalized coverage and struggling to find an insurer due to blemishes on their driving record. The company’s Kemper Personal Insurance is designed for more standard drivers, while Kemper Auto is geared toward high-risk drivers.

Although Kemper is licensed to do business in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., product availability may vary by state. Kemper also uses a number of underwriting companies for its auto insurance, so your policy may not actually be written by Kemper. 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.

The Kemper Personal Insurance auto policy has personalization options, but none are particularly unique. You may be able to add options like Kemper Loan/Lease coverage (also called gap coverage), Kemper Total (for replacement value on new cars), or Kemper Prime Auto Enhanced (which adds several features). Coverage options on the Kemper Auto policy are more 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 may be able to help you. The non-standard program also writes coverage for drivers with international licenses, state IDs and Matrícula Consular identification cards from Mexico.

Pros and cons of Kemper car insurance

If deciding between Kemper 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:

Kemper car insurance cost

Kemper’s average auto insurance rates are generally higher than the national average. Full coverage costs an average of $2,662 per year 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 Kemper has a product that caters to high-risk drivers, which may skew the overall premiums to be higher. 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 car insurance to be more difficult and expensive to shop for compared to 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 useful for drivers who can’t secure coverage from a standard provider. But shopping around and requesting car insurance quotes can help you discover which carriers may actually be within your budget.

Kemper car insurance quotes by age

When it comes to car insurance, age is an important factor to car insurance companies. Young drivers have less years of driving experience 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 car insurance rates by age, with some on a parent’s policy and others on a separate policy, but all are based on a clean driving record.

Average cost of car insurance for drivers on their parents’ policy

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 too unique, but they may still help you lower your premium.

Kemper car tools and benefits

Kemper does not share on its website if car insurance policyholders can access any special services.

Kemper home insurance

Kemper might be the best home insurance company for your needs if you are looking for a simplified shopping experience that still includes some options for personalization. Kemper home insurance comes in three packages: Kemper Prime Home Essentials, Kemper Prime Home Enhanced and Kemper Prime Home Elite. The Essentials package is the most basic, and the Elite package is the most robust, but each option has a set of endorsements that can be used to get more financial protection.

Kemper home insurance is also underwritten by a number of companies, which means options could vary based on the underwriting company that your policy is assigned to. However, Kemper does note that it offers optional coverage like scheduled personal property, equipment breakdown, identity fraud expense and water backup coverage. While these options are 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. The company’s low average premiums boosted its score, but Kemper may have fared better if it offered more options.

Pros and cons of Kemper homeowners insurance

Comparing home insurance companies is part of the process when it comes to finding the best insurer for your needs. To help simplify the process and give you direction on where to obtain home insurance quotes, here’s a overview of Kemper homeowners insurance:

Kemper home insurance cost

Unlike its auto insurance, Kemper home insurance tends to be 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 when factoring its low average premiums.

Kemper home insurance discounts

Kemper does 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 home tools and benefits

Kemper does not advertise any additional services for its home insurance customers.

Kemper life insurance

If you already have home or auto insurance with Kemper, you might want to consider the company’s life insurance options. While its products don’t necessarily have stand out qualities, having all your policies insured with one company may appeal to some policyholders. Kemper didn’t make our list of best life insurance companies, though, so you may want to consider comparing companies before choosing one.

Kemper life insurance comes in three forms: whole life, term life and guaranteed issue life. Like its other product lines, Kemper life insurance is underwritten by a variety of third-party companies, so your options may vary based on which underwriting company you qualify for.

Pros and cons of Kemper life insurance

Having the right life insurance policy takes time. You’ll need to consider how you want to build out your policy and compare life insurance carriers to make sure you find the best insurer for your needs. Here’s a summary of Kemper life insurance to help you decide:

Kemper life insurance endorsements

Kemper does not list any life insurance endorsements on its website, but it does note that various riders can be added to whole life policies. Talking with a Kemper agent about your rider options is likely the best way to learn what endorsements are available.

Kemper life tools and benefits

Kemper does not offer any extra benefits or tools to those who purchase a life insurance policy with one of its partners.

Kemper customer satisfaction

If you’re 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.

Kemper earned an A- (Excellent) financial strength rating from AM Best, which was a downgrade from the year before when it earned an A (Excellent) rating.

Kemper auto satisfaction

Kemper auto insurance came in last in the 2022 J.D. Power U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study. The carrier earned 798 out of 1,000 points compared to the industry average 873 out of 1,000 points. 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.

Kemper homeowners satisfaction

Kemper homeowners insurance did not rank in the 2022 J.D. Power Home Insurance Study or its 2022 U.S. Property Claims Satisfaction Study. However, this is not surprising as it generally does not underwrite its own home insurance policies. If you’re considering buying a home insurance policy through Kemper, it may be best to do more research on which carrier it pairs you with and speak to current policyholders to learn more about their customer service experience. 

Kemper life satisfaction

J.D. Power did not include Kemper in its 2022 U.S. Individual Life Insurance Study. Additionally, as with its home insurance, Kemper uses multiple underwriting companies to sell its life insurance products, making it tricky to nail down the company’s rate of complaints lodged with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). If customer service is your priority, you may find it helpful to speak with friends or family insured with Kemper to ask their personal experience with being a Kemper life insurance policyholder.

How to file a claim with Kemper

All claims, whether home, auto, including towing, glass and roadside assistance, as well as life insurance claims can be filed online through Kemper’s website. If you would like to call instead, you can call 1-​​866-536-7376 for Kemper Auto & Commercial Vehicle and 1-888-252-2799 for Kemper Personal Insurance. Both lines are open Monday through Sunday, from 7 a.m. to 12 a.m, Central Standard Time.

Kemper availability

Kemper is available in all states and Washington, D.C., but specific coverage and policy types may be different in every state.

Other Kemper perks worth considering

In addition to auto, home and life insurance, Kemper offers the following insurance products:

• Renters
• Condo
• Mobile home
• Flood
• Motorcycle
• ATV
• RV
• Boat
• Personal valuables
• Personal umbrella
• Fire/contents protection
• Accident and health
• Commercial auto
• Commercial general liability
• Business owners

Most of these products are also underwritten by third parties, just like the products already discussed, so coverage options may vary by state and underwriting company.

Kemper corporate sustainability

Kemper has implemented corporate responsibility programs in several areas:

• The Kemper Foundation supports communities in health, education and community development.
• Kemper Cares is an employee volunteer program.
• Read Conmigo is a part of the Kemper Foundation that supports teachers operating in a bilingual Spanish-English classroom setting.
• Kemper Scholars Program awards scholarships to help students develop leadership skills.

Not sure if Kemper is right for you?

When looking for the right home, life or car insurance company, it’s usually helpful to compare quotes from several carriers. This allows you to compare multiple facts about each insurer to find the option that is best for you. Some similar companies to Kemper include:

Kemper vs. Direct Auto

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.

Learn more: Direct Auto Insurance review

Kemper vs. Farmers

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.

Learn more: Farmers Insurance review

Kemper vs. Geico

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 2023 Bankrate Award for Best Auto Insurance Company Overall. 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.

Learn more: Geico Insurance review

Is Kemper a good insurance company?

If you’re interested in Kemper, Bankrate’s Kemper 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 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 home and life insurance, are underwritten by Kemper, so further research may be necessary if wanting to have all of your insurance needs handled in one place.

Methodology

Bankrate utilizes Quadrant Information Services to analyze 2023 rates for ZIP codes and carriers in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Rates are weighted based on the population density in each geographic region. Quoted rates are based on 40-year-old male and female homeowners with a clean claim history, good credit and the following coverage limits:

Auto

• $100,000 bodily injury liability per person
• $300,000 bodily injury liability per accident
• $50,000 property damage liability per accident
• $100,000 uninsured motorist bodily injury per person
• $300,000 uninsured motorist bodily injury per accident
• $500 collision deductible
• $500 comprehensive deductible

To determine minimum coverage limits, Bankrate used minimum coverage that meets each state’s requirements. Our sample drivers own a 2021 Toyota Camry, commute five days a week and drive 12,000 miles annually.

Age: Rates were calculated by evaluating our base profile with the ages 16-60 (base: 40 years) applied. Depending on age, drivers may be a renter or homeowner. Age is not a contributing rating factor in Hawaii and Massachusetts.

The rates for drivers ages 16–20 added to their parents’ policy reflect the good student and driver's training discounts applied. The rates for drivers aged 18-20 on their own policy do not include the good student and driver's training discounts. Additionally, 25-year-old rates are based on the driver as a renter and 30+ on the driver as a homeowner. 

Incidents: Rates were calculated by evaluating our base profile with the following incidents applied: clean record (base), single speeding ticket, single at-fault accident and a single DUI conviction.

Homeowners

• Coverage A, Dwelling: $150,000, $250,000, $350,000, $450,000, $750,000
• Coverage B, Other Structures: $15,000, $25,000, $35,000, $45,000, $75,000
• Coverage C, Personal Property: $75,000, $125,000, $175,000, $225,000, $375,000
• Coverage D, Loss of Use: $30,000, $50,000, $70,000, $90,000, $150,000
• Coverage E, Liability: $300,000, $300,000, $300,000, $300,000, $500,000
• Coverage F, Medical Payments: $1,000

The homeowners also have a $1,000 deductible and a separate wind and hail deductible (if required).

These are sample rates and should be used for comparative purposes only. Your quotes will differ.

Bankrate Scores

Our 2023 Bankrate Score considers variables our insurance editorial team determined impacts policyholders’ experiences with an insurance company. These rating factors include a robust assessment of each company’s product availability, financial strength ratings, online capabilities and customer and claims support accessibility. Each factor was added to a category, and these categories were weighted in a tiered approach to analyze how companies perform in key customer-impacting categories. 

Like our previous Bankrate Scores, each category was assigned a metric to determine performance, and the weighted sum adds up to a company’s total Bankrate Score — out of 5 points. This year, our 2023 scoring model provides a more comprehensive view, indicating when companies excel across several key areas and better highlighting where they fall short.

• Tier 1 (Cost & ratings): To determine how well auto and home insurance companies satisfy these priorities, 2023 quoted premiums from Quadrant Information Services (if available), as well as any of the latest third-party agency ratings from J.D. Power, AM Best and the NAIC, were analyzed.
• Tier 2 (Coverage & savings): We assessed companies’ coverage options and availability to help policyholders find a provider that balances cost with coverage. Additionally, we evaluated each company’s discount options listed on its website.
• Tier 3 (Support): To encompass the many ways an auto and home insurance company can support policyholders, we analyzed avenues of customer accessibility along with community support. This analysis incorporated additional financial strength ratings from S&P and Moody’s and factored a company’s corporate sustainability efforts.

Tier scores are unweighted to show the company's true score in each category out of a possible five points.