CURE Auto Insurance Review

CURE is an auto insurance company available in New Jersey, Michigan and Pennsylvania that primarily considers driving history while placing less emphasis on other factors like your credit score. It is a good option to consider for drivers who may have a below-average credit history but who have minimal accidents and traffic violations on their records.

CURE does not determine premiums using a credit-based scoring model. Instead, it looks primarily at your driving record. The company says on its website that relying on income rating factors can be “discriminatory.” As such, it has built a brand around providing car insurance to responsible drivers, making it an option for drivers who may have low credit scores but clean driving records.

CURE’s appeal lies in its policy of determining rates based largely on driving-related factors. Often, insurance companies assess their customers based on external factors like age, gender, education level, occupation, marital status, location, credit score or car make and model.

CURE is not set up as a traditional insurance company and instead exists as a not-for-profit reciprocal exchange. It is only available in Michigan, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

CURE auto insurance plans and offerings

CURE Auto Insurance policies cater specifically to safe drivers. It does not offer other types of insurance, such as life or home insurance.

One of the most popular offerings CURE provides is emergency roadside assistance. CURE limits roadside assistance to two claims in a six-month period, each covering up to $125. After you call a toll-free number, a service provider will drive out to assist you. CURE’s roadside services include:

Towing
Tire changing
Delivering fuel
Locksmith service
Jumpstarting a battery

As for coverage, most states require policyholders to have at least two types: bodily injury and property damage liability insurance. CURE includes both of these types of coverage in its plans. The amount of coverage you’re required to purchase varies from state to state.

Basic

CURE’s basic insurance policy (which applies in New Jersey only) is its least expensive offering. The basic plan includes:

$15,000 in PIP coverage
$10,000 in extended medical coverage
$5,000 in property damage coverage

Always research your state’s insurance law requirements before purchasing a basic insurance policy.

Standard

A step up from basic coverage is CURE’s standard insurance policy. The New Jersey standard policy offers more options for coverage, including:

PIP coverage
Bodily injury liability coverage
Property damage liability coverage
Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage
The choice to add comprehensive and collision coverage

The standard policy allows customers to choose their coverage amounts. It does not have set coverage amounts like the basic policy.

CURE auto insurance discounts

CURE has a short list of discounts for drivers. Note that these are the discounts available to New Jersey drivers, and availability may vary by state. Most CURE discounts only apply to certain coverages: for example, keeping your car in a secure garage will reduce what you pay for comprehensive (other-than-collision) coverage but won’t impact your liability coverage.

CURE car insurance discounts and savings

Discount	Coverage	Savings
Anti-theft device	Comprehensive	5%-25%
Defensive driving course	Liability, personal injury protection (PIP), collision	5%
Loss-free	Comprehensive, collision	5% (2 years), up to 20% (5 years)
Bundle	Collision (does not stack with loss-free)	15%
Safe parking	Comprehensive	10% (off-street), 25% (secure garage)

Loss-free discount

CURE policyholders are eligible for a loss-free discount that increases the longer they go without a claim on their policy.

If you have two claim-free years while insured with CURE, you’ll receive a 5% discount. After three years, the discount increases to 10%, and at five or more years, the discount jumps to 20%.

Parking discount

CURE Auto Insurance policyholders are eligible for discounts on their comprehensive coverage if they park their car in certain locations:

Off-street parking discount: A 10% discount on comprehensive coverage is afforded on vehicles that are customarily parked off-street. The discount applies to vehicles that are parked in a driveway or nonsecure parking facility.
Secure parking discount: A 25% discount is afforded on comprehensive coverage to vehicles that are customarily kept in a garage or secure parking facility that provides 24/7 guard service and/or requires a security code key for entry and exit. Proof is required.

Auto insurance policy coverage

CURE offers both a basic and standard car insurance policy in New Jersey. The basic policy is a lower-cost alternative to the standard car insurance policy for drivers who may find the features and coverage unnecessary.

Rates based on driving history

CURE Auto Insurance stands apart because it bases insurance premiums primarily on your driving history. Most insurers factor in credit score, the highest level of education attained, homeownership, and other factors to determine the risk of a driver getting into accidents. CURE, however, views this as income discrimination and secondary to accident risks.

If you live in New Jersey, Michigan or Pennsylvania and have a great driving record but below-average credit history or educational attainment, consider CURE. However, this means that you’ll see a proportionally bigger jump in rates after a crash than you would at another insurer.

Rates at CURE for married couples, however, are more expensive versus the state average and more expensive than at some competitors like Geico or Progressive. For a married couple, age 35, Geico is 60% cheaper than CURE, and Progressive is 29% cheaper.

The basic package

Generally speaking, in the state of New Jersey, CURE offers the following coverage in its basic car insurance package:

$5,000 property damage coverage limit
$15,000 PIP medical expense coverage limit
$10,000 extended medical expense benefits coverage limit
The limitation on lawsuit threshold
Drivers also have the option of choosing bodily injury liability coverage (up to $10,000) and personal injury protection coverage (with various deductibles and discounts on PIP premiums)

CURE also allows its customers to create their own policy, just like at other insurers, where you can choose your liability limits. These plans also offer optional coverages like collision, comprehensive (other-than-collision), and towing coverages.

CURE auto insurance benefits

CURE Auto Insurance provides affordable rates for drivers with excellent driving histories. Additionally, CURE doesn’t require credit checks and has many discounts available.

Credit isn’t a factor

CURE Auto Insurance’s most notable characteristic is that it does not perform credit checks on potential customers. It will insure drivers with a range of credit scores.

Low premiums for good drivers

Because CURE Auto Insurance bases its premium rates mostly on driving records, it can offer affordable premiums to drivers who can prove they are safe and have not been in prior accidents.

CURE looks primarily at driving history to determine rates; however, recent at-fault accidents on your record are likely to lead to higher premiums. Thus, drivers with poor driving records may want to consider a different insurance provider.

Discounts available

CURE offers a number of discounts that can help reduce your premium. Most of these discounts apply only to comprehensive and collision coverage plans and vary by state. Some of the discounts that CURE offers include:

Loss-free discount: If you go a long time without making a claim, you will receive discounts on your comprehensive and collision coverage. Discounts range from 5% off after two full years without any claims to 20% off for five years of no claims.
Parking discount: You may be eligible for 10% off your comprehensive and collision coverage by parking off-street or in a driveway, garage or parking lot. Parking in a secure garage could get you 25% off.
Multi-vehicle discount: Policyholders in New Jersey and Pennsylvania who insure more than one vehicle with CURE may be eligible for a discount.
Defensive driving discount: In New Jersey and Pennsylvania, drivers can earn a 5% discount on liability, collision and personal injury protection (PIP) plans by completing a CURE-approved defensive driving course.

More discounts may be available upon inquiry. Check with a CURE representative about discounts before signing up.

CURE auto insurance drawbacks

CURE Auto Insurance also has some drawbacks, including limited availability, a small number of third-party reviews and a prolonged claims process.

Limited availability

A drawback of CURE Auto Insurance is its limited availability. To apply for CURE coverage, you need to reside in Michigan, New Jersey or Pennsylvania.

Lacks many third-party reviews

There are not many third-party reviews of CURE Auto Insurance, which limits the extent to which potential customers can inform themselves before purchasing a plan. For instance, it does not receive customer satisfaction ratings from J.D. Power.

CURE has not received financial strength ratings from AM Best or S&P Global Ratings. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) does not give CURE an official rating, although there are CURE customer reviews available on the BBB website.

Claims process can be slow

According to reviews on the BBB site, some CURE customers have experienced slow claims processes. Folks report having to engage in multiple rounds of communication with representatives over the course of months in order to settle.

Some policyholders have complained about poor claims management and delayed payouts. Other upset customers have written reviews saying that getting approval for theft claims is difficult. Many complaints allege that representatives don’t always have the necessary information and paperwork to deal with claims.

CURE customers can file claims online but will ultimately have to speak to a representative on the phone.

CURE auto insurance pricing

How much you’ll pay for car insurance differs by state and by driver. Many factors come into play when determining car insurance quotes, so your best bet is to visit CURE’s website and follow the prompts to get a quote. If you have a history of car accidents or infractions, you may find lower premiums with another auto insurance provider.

With any auto insurance company, there are actions that you can take to make sure you’re getting the lowest possible premium, such as maintaining a good driving record and opting for a higher deductible. Make sure you also inquire about all possible discounts to further decrease your premium.

CURE auto insurance financial stability

It’s difficult to judge CURE Auto Insurance’s financial stability. There is limited information available from third-party reviewers, and AM Best has not rated CURE. According to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, CURE is licensed to sell insurance in Michigan, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

CURE auto insurance accessibility

CURE auto insurance isn’t accessible unless you live in Michigan, New Jersey or Pennsylvania. However, CURE is available to all drivers in those states and may particularly appeal to drivers who have low credit.

CURE does not consider factors like credit score or income proxies such as homeownership. The company stresses that drivers mostly need a clean driving record to get fair rates.

Availability

Michigan, New Jersey and Pennsylvania residents can purchase CURE auto insurance regardless of their credit score. CURE is headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey.

Contact information

For more information, call CURE Auto Insurance at 1-800-535-2873 or visit its website. Depending on your state, you’ll need to press 1 for Michigan, 2 for New Jersey or 3 for Pennsylvania to connect to a customer service representative.

User experience

CURE Auto Insurance allows potential customers to get a quote for their car insurance online. You’ll need to provide some information about yourself and other members of your household, including age, location, marital status, vehicle make and model, and more.

For details on how to switch car insurance companies, contact CURE’s customer service department.

CURE’s website also includes a portal where current customers can view and make changes to their policies. The provider does not currently have a mobile app.

CURE auto insurance customer satisfaction

Because CURE is a small insurance company, it has not received a customer satisfaction rating from J.D. Power. CURE also does not have an official rating from the BBB. However, customer reviews on the BBB site are largely negative, with CURE Auto Insurance receiving an average review score of 1.05 out of 5 stars.

CURE auto insurance rate comparison

CURE Auto Insurance quotes are typically more expensive than average across our three sample demographics. Based on these quotes for drivers in New Jersey, Geico and Progressive are generally cheaper than CURE for most drivers.

How to file a claim with CURE

After dialing the claims phone number, you’ll automatically be connected with a claims representative without having to key in any prompts. CURE claims representatives are available 24/7.

Phone number: 800-229-9151

To speak to a person for general CURE customer service questions, dial 800-535-2873:

Press 1 if you’re a current or prospective Michigan customer
Press 2 if you’re a current or prospective New Jersey customer
Press 3 if you’re a current or prospective Pennsylvania customer