Cse vs. Mercury: Which Company is the Best Fit for You?

Quick Facts

• Looking at the national averages for insurance, Cse offers significantly more affordable prices than Mercury
• Cse offers cheaper average rates for policyholders who are looking to purchase insurance with a spouse
• Mercury may help you save more money -- they offer more discounts than CSE Insurance Group

Cse or Mercury: Which Company has the Cheapest Car Insurance?

Are you in the market for a new insurance policy? You've probably seen commercials and billboards from companies offering pretty big savings, but exactly how much money can you save by switching?

You might be considering Cse or Mercury as potential options, but which carrier has less expensive prices for auto insurance?

Looking at the national average rates for both carriers, Mercury has average rates that are around 40% a month more expensive than those from Cse.

That being said, Cse may not be the lowest or best option for each driver out there. After all, car insurance companies can offer drastically different rates to every driver depending on rating factors like where you call home, your age, your credit score, or even your driving record (among other things), so premiums could change drastically from person to person.

So, if you want to find out which of Cse or Mercury is really the best for you, keep reading to see average rates for each carrier broken down by a range of different rate factors.

Cse vs. Mercury: Average Car Insurance Rates by State

Cse and Mercury only compete against each other in California, where Mercury offers the cheaper average premiums. Mercury drivers tend to pay about $50 per month less on average compared to drivers who use Cse for their insurance.

That being said, there are plenty of other factors that go into your car insurance cost than just the state you live in. Keep reading to find out more.

Which is the Best Company For Young Drivers?

You might already know that teen drivers usually pay a lot more for insurance than any group on the road. It's normally because teen drivers are statistically much more likely to get into an accident that results in an auto insurance claim, making them much riskier to insure.

However, that doesn't mean that teen drivers have to just accept sky-high auto insurance prices. As you can see above, teens who use Cse save almost 50% a month compared to those who use Mercury.

Even so, both carriers will lower rates by the time you turn 25. Mercury offers the steepest drop, with 25-year-olds paying less than a third of what 18-year-old drivers are charged. That being said, Cse still has the cheapest prices at $173 monthly.

Which is the Best Company for Retired Drivers?

When it comes to insurance, patience and experience pay off, with drivers around retirement age paying some of the lowest rates you can find.

When looking at Cse and Mercury specifically, which company is best for retired drivers? Cse gets the edge, with premiums for drivers 65 and older over 40% more affordable than the national average for Mercury.

Which is the Best Company for Married Drivers?

Those who are single tend to get offered slightly more expensive auto insurance rates than married policyholders. That's because policies for married couples typically cover multiple vehicles, which many companies will give you a discount for.

For single drivers, the difference in average prices between these two carriers is significant, with Cse premiums coming in at about half of Mercury's. The advantage is also clear for married drivers - Cse offers the most affordable average prices.

Cse or Mercury: Average Rates by Gender

Men are statistically more likely than women to get into a collision or get pulled over for speeding. That means when it comes to car insurance men will generally end up paying a little more.

Women and men end up paying same monthly premiums with Cse, and around $15 cheaper with Mercury when compared to their male counterparts.

Looking at overall affordability, Cse comes out as the cheapest option for both genders, with average rates 42% less for men and 39% cheaper for women.

Cse vs. Mercury: Compare State Minimum vs. Full Coverage Rates

*State minimum value indicates liability-only policies at each state's minimum bodily injury and property damage (BI/PD) limits

**Full coverage indicates state minimum BI/PD limits with collision and comprehensive coverages added to policy.

Auto insurance can be a complicated subject for most people. Everyone needs insurance, but there are so many different coverages and terms that it can be hard to find the right policy for you.

But most policies that drivers look at fall into two categories -- liability coverage (which provides bodily injury and property damage coverage for other drivers and passengers if you cause an accident) and full coverage (which usually refers to having collision and comprehensive coverages in addition to what you get with liability coverage).

Looking specifically at state minimum limits for liability insurance, Cse has the significant edge, with average monthly premiums coming in at $81. If you want a full coverage policy with the same state minimum limits, Cse again has the edge, with policies averaging about $270 per month to Mercury's $406.

Is Cse or Mercury Better for Drivers with Spotty Records?

You've probably seen plenty of commercials from car insurance companies offering great prices for good drivers, but that doesn't mean people with less-than-perfect driving records can't save money, too.

It's no secret secret that collisions and speeding tickets lead to higher rates, but which carrier -- Cse or Mercury -- has the lowest premiums for drivers with less-than-perfect records?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Speeding Tickets?

Policyholders who use Cse for their insurance can normally expect their monthly bill to go up around 24% after getting a speeding ticket. Mercury policyholders can expect a less drastic increase of about 19%.

That being said, Cse has cheaper rates for drivers in both categories, offering prices that are $114 and $133 less expensive, respectively, compared to Mercury Insurance.

Which Company is Best for Drivers After an Accident?

After an accident, drivers who have their auto insurance through Cse can expect to see around an $53 -- or about 30% -- rise in their car insurance premiums. Drivers who use Mercury for their auto insurance will see a monthly bill around $109 (or 32%) more expensive after reporting a collision to their insurance company.

At the end of the day, Cse offers the cheapest rates for drivers with an at-fault collision on their records, with average prices coming in at $176 compared to Mercury Insurance's $346.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with a DUI?

On average, a DUI offense is going to cost you much more than a single accident or ticket when it comes to your car insurance bill. On average, Cse will raise your rates about 49% after a DUI, while Mercury's average prices rise by more than 20%.

How does Credit Score Impact Cse and Mercury Rates?

You may not have known, but your credit score can come into play when carriers determine your monthly bill. This isn't true for everyone (for example, Massachusetts and California are two states that ban the practice entirely), but it does affect quite a few drivers out there.

Insurance companies argue that someone with bad credit is less likely to pay their bills on time, which makes them riskier to insure. Because of that, policyholders with bad credit will often be forced to pay more.

Looking specifically at Mercury and Cse, which company has the most affordable premiums for drivers at different credit levels?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Good Credit?

You'll often be rewarded if you have fantastic credit. With Mercury Insurance, improving your score from "good" to "excellent" will generally save you around $45. On the other hand, undefined doesn't have data available for credit scores, which means they most likely don't use credit to calculate your prices.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Bad Credit?

Having bad credit typically means you'll also see higher premiums with Mercury Insurance. As you can see, Mercury Insurance customers with poor credit scores pay about $100 a month more than those with fair scores (and even more compared to drivers with good or excellent scores). On the other hand, because undefined doesn't have data available for credit scores, they might have better rates for drivers with bad credit over Mercury Insurance.

Is Cse or Mercury Better for Drivers who Work from Home or Have Short Commutes?

The amount of time you spend behind the wheel of your car plays a big role in your monthly premiums. That's because the more milage you put on your car each year, the more likely you are to be in an accident and file an insurance claim.

As you can see in the table above, annual mileage doesn't have much of an impact on how much Mercury charges. However, there's a pretty significant difference in monthly prices for Cse, with policyholders who drive the least paying around $28 less each month compared to those who drive 12,000 miles every year. Still, for drivers in both categories, Cse is the cheaper carrier.

Cse or Mercury: Compare Rates for Urban, Suburban, and Rural Drivers

Where you live can play a large role in how much you pay for car insurance. Usually, if you live in a rural area with fewer cars on the road, you'll pay a little less for auto insurance, while the opposite is true for people in urban areas.

Cse tends to offer the cheapest prices for drivers in all types of areas, no matter if they're urban, suburban, or rural.

If you live in a rural area, you can expect to pay about $161 a month with Cse and $209 with Mercury. People in suburban areas pay around $178 with Cse compared to Mercury's $275 per month. In urban areas, Cse's average premiums are about $186 while Mercury offers rates around $401.

Cse vs. Mercury Discounts

You want to save as much money as you can, right? The best way to do that is by taking advantage of as many car insurance discounts as possible.

But where do you even start? With what seems like a million different discounts out there, it may be hard to find all the ones you qualify for.

Luckily, we did the hard work for you and broke down all of the different discounts offered by both Cse and Mercury so that you can easily see which company offers the most discounts and, therefore, the largest savings.

Mercury blows Cse away when it comes to the sheer amount of discounts available, offering 22 more discounts than Cse.

A couple of those are overlapping for things like employee discounts, mature driver discounts, and multi-policy discounts. Mercury also offers discounts for ABS, advance quote, anti-theft, and more.

On the other hand, Cse has a proprietary discount of their own -- a goverment employee discounts.

Final Thoughts: Is Cse or Mercury Best for You?

So, we've broken down the average premiums for many of the variables insurance carriers look at, and walked through the different discounts each carrier offers, too. That's all well and good, but at the end of the day, is Cse or Mercury the best one for you and your specific needs?

Cse might be best for you if....

• You've received a ticket for speeding recently and don't want to see your prices increase.
• You don't spend much time in your car.

Mercury might be best for you if...

• Your credit is less-than-stellar.
• You have above-average credit.
• You want to save extra money with discounts.

Hopefully, this guide helps you get a good idea of the differences between Cse and Mercury. We also hope we've given you the information you need to make the best decision about your auto insurance.

At the end of the day, the sure-fire way to make sure you're getting the best deal on your insurance policy is to compare quotes from several companies, not just Cse and Mercury. Luckily, Compare.com does all the hard work for you. Simply enter your ZIP code below and get free quotes from dozens of the top auto insurance carriers in your area, all in just a few minutes.

Cse vs. Mercury FAQs

Is Cse or Mercury cheaper?

Cse is the less expensive of the two companies when looking at national average rates, with policies averaging $175 per month with Cse and $295 for Mercury. However, that doesn't mean Cse will be the most affordable company for each driver, since there are multiple different factors (things like driving record, age, gender, etc.) that play a role in how much you pay.

Who is better, Cse or Mercury?

Sadly, the only answer we can give you is "it depends.". No one carrier is necessarily "better" for everyone -- it all comes down to what your unique car insurance profile looks like. For example, Mercury is more affordable for drivers with excellent credit, while Cse offers less expensive prices for drivers with a recent DUI.

Why do Cse and Mercury offer me different rates?

Auto insurance carriers use lots of different variables when determining the rates they charge. Things such as gender, your driving record, age, where you park your vehicle, and sometimes even things like your credit score can all be taken into consideration. Both Cse and Mercury calculate premiums using different factors, so it's likely they'll offer different rates. The best way to determine which company is the cheapest for you is by comparing personalized quotes from many different companies.

How do I know if Cse or Mercury is right for me?

The only way to find the insurance carrier that's right for you is by getting quotes from a handful of carriers and finding the one best suited for your individual budget. Luckily, sites like Compare.com do all the hard work for you. Just enter your ZIP code and you'll get quotes from dozens of your local top car insurance companies for free. With those, you can guarantee you're getting the best price. And maybe you'll find that the best company for you isn't Cse or Mercury at all, but another you hadn't even thought of!

Methodology

All of the data referenced in this article has been gathered in collaboration with Quadrant Information Services. We analyzed more than 2.5 million rows of carrier-reported data to calculate the average rates referenced above. All rates are based on an insurance profile of a single-vehicle policy for a driver that owns a 2016 Honda Accord. For more information on how we calculate rates, please reference our data methodology.