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

Quick Facts

• Based on national averages for car insurance, Mercury offers cheaper prices than Pure
• Mercury offers more discounts than PURE Insurance
• Pure offers more affordable average rates for residents of urban areas

Mercury vs. Pure: Which Company has the Cheapest Car Insurance?

Are you considering a new insurance policy? With so many ads from all sorts of companies offering large discounts, you're probably wondering exactly how much you might be able to save.

You might have narrowed it down to Mercury or Pure, but which carrier will offer you less expensive premiums?

Looking at nationwide averages, Mercury is about $36 per month more affordable than Pure.

However, Mercury may not be the lowest or best option for each driver out there. Auto insurance companies vary their prices depending on things like how clean your driving record is, where you live, how good your credit score is, how old you are, and a variety of other factors, so rates could vary drastically from person to person.

So, if you want to find out which of Mercury or Pure is really the best for you, keep reading to see average premiums for each company broken down by a variety of different rate factors.

Mercury or Pure: Average Car Insurance Rates by State

Mercury and Pure only compete against each other in California, where Mercury offers the cheaper average prices. For California residents, Mercury offers insurance for $125 a month on average. Pure's average rates come out to be over 70% more expensive, at $331 monthly.

But there's more to calculating car insurance premiums than just your home state. Read on to learn more.

Which is the Best Company For Young Drivers?

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

That being said, that doesn't mean that teen drivers have to just accept sky-high insurance prices. For example, 18-year-old drivers pay an average of $7 less a month by choosing Pure over Mercury. It's worth noting that Mercury offers car insurance in 11 different states compared to Pure's one, which can skew the average rates a bit, but the difference here is still considerable.

But both carriers will offer you dramatically lower premiums by the time you turn 25. For example, average rates for Mercury policyholders drop nearly 70% and Pure's prices decrease more than 55% over that time.

Which is the Best Company for Retired Drivers?

Drivers around retirement age usually enjoy some of the most affordable auto insurance rates you can find. After all, they've likely been driving for quite some time, which normally lowers their chances of accidents and other infractions that can increase premiums.

When looking at Mercury and Pure specifically, which carrier is best for retired drivers? Mercury gets the slight edge, with prices for drivers 65 and older $15 less expensive than the national average for Pure.

Which is the Best Company for Married Drivers?

Did you know that car insurance rates are generally more expensive for single drivers than they are for married policyholders? That's normally because married drivers tend to own and insure multiple cars, which can often earn you a discount.

When it comes to relationship status, the two companies are comparable for those who are single, with premiums only differing around $32 per month, on average. The advantage for married couples is more obvious, where drivers who use Mercury save over 15% a month.

Mercury vs. Pure: Average Rates by Gender

Men are statistically more likely than women to get into collisions and file an insurance claim, which means they'll typically end up paying more for insurance than women.

Generally, women see prices about 5% per month less with Mercury; and with Pure, both genders end up paying the same monthly premium.

When it comes to the cheapest premiums for each gender, Mercury comes out on top for both men and women, with average prices $29 less for men and $43 cheaper for women.

Mercury or Pure: 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.

Car insurance isn't the easiest topic to understand. There are so many different coverages and terms that it can make it pretty confusing to find the right policy.

The two most common policies that many drivers look at fall into two categories -- liability only (which covers the other party's property damage and injuries if you cause an accident) and full coverage (which usually refers to having comprehensive and collision coverages in addition to liability).

In this case, Pure offers the lowest average rates for state minimum liability insurance, while Mercury has the edge for full coverage policies with similar coverage limits. Drivers looking for basic state minimum coverage can save around $50 with PURE Insurance, while full coverage comes out to be around $100 cheaper with Mercury Insurance.

Is Mercury or Pure Better for Drivers with Spotty Records?

It's no big secret that drivers who are accident-free get better deals on their auto insurance. But even if you have a spotty record, you can still find plenty of ways to save some cash on your monthly bill.

You'll probably end up paying more with tickets and at-fault accidents on your record, but which of these two carriers offers the most affordable prices to drivers with less-than-ideal driving records?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Speeding Tickets?

Mercury policyholders can expect their rates to go up an average of $57 a month if they get a ticket, while Pure generally raises premiums about $80 per month, on average.

Even so, Pure has more affordable rates for drivers in both categories. Drivers with a clean record can save around $35 a month and drivers with a speeding ticket can save about $12 per month with PURE Insurance.

Which Company is Best for Drivers After an Accident?

Mercury policyholders who get in a collision can expect to see their premiums rise by over $100, while those who have insurance through Pure will see around a $150 increase.

Overall, drivers who use Mercury end up with the cheaper prices after an accident, with monthly prices averaging $346 compared to PURE Insurance's $352.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with a DUI?

If you get a DUI charge, you can expect some pretty significant increases in your monthly insurance bill -- usually a lot more than an accident or ticket. For example, Pure increases average premiums by just under $300 a month -- that's just under a 60% increase.

Mercury has the overall lowest prices for drivers with a DUI on their records at $303 per month, but it's worth noting that Mercury's average rates come from 11 states compared to just one for Pure, so the data may be skewed slightly.

How does Credit Score Impact Mercury and Pure Rates?

You may not have known, but your credit score can be used as one of the factors to calculate your monthly car insurance rates. Certain states and companies do not allow for credit score to be used as a rating factor, but it does affect quite a few drivers out there.

The reasoning auto insurance carriers use is that policyholders with good credit will be more likely to pay their bills on time; so they'll reward them with cheaper premiums, while those with poor credit will normally be forced to pay more.

Looking at Mercury and Pure specifically, which one has the best prices for drivers at different credit levels?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Good Credit?

If you have great credit, Mercury Insurance will typically reward you. With Mercury Insurance, improving your score from "good" to "excellent" will generally save you about 15%. Because undefined, doesn't have data available for credit scores, they most likely don't use credit to calculate your rates.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Bad Credit?

Having bad credit normally means you'll also see higher premiums with Mercury Insurance. As you can see, Mercury Insurance customers with poor credit scores pay around 25% per 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 may have better prices for drivers with bad credit over Mercury Insurance.

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

How much you drive can have a sizable impact on how much insurance companies will charge for coverage. Typically, those who drive fewer miles will end up with less expensive rates since there's less of a chance of getting into a collision and causing 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 significant difference in monthly premiums for Pure, with policyholders who drive 6,000 miles each year paying about $112 less every month compared to those who drive 12,000 miles yearly.

Mercury vs. Pure: Compare Rates for Urban, Suburban, and Rural Drivers

Where you park your vehicle can play a large role in how much you pay for auto insurance. Generally, policyholders who live in heavily-populated urban areas will pay quite a bit more than rural drivers because of the number of cars that are on the roads in those areas.

Mercury boasts the cheapest average premiums in rural and suburban areas, while Pure wins in urban areas.

In urban areas, PURE Insurance's average rates are around $30 less than Mercury Insurance. Drivers in suburban ZIP codes pay about $38 less with Mercury compared to Pure. If you live in a rural area, you can expect to save around $99 with Mercury compared to Pure.

Mercury vs. Pure Discounts

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

But with what seems like a million different discounts out there, it can be hard to nail down the carrier that has the most discounts for your unique driver profile and to find all the discounts you qualify for.

Below, we've broken down all of the different discounts offered by both Mercury and Pure so that you can easily see which company offers the most discounts and see which ones you might be able to take advantage of.

Mercury knocks Pure out of the park when it comes to the sheer number of discounts available, offering 27 different discounts to Pure's 10.

There are a couple discounts both carriers offer, but Mercury also offers advance quote discounts, continuous insurance discounts, COVID-19 relief discount, and more that Pure does not.

On the flip side, Pure has a unique discount of its own -- a occasional operator discounts.

Final Thoughts: Is Mercury or Pure Best for You?

So, we've broken down the average prices for many of the variables car insurance companies look at, and walked through the different discounts each company offers, too. That's all well and good, but when it comes down to it, is Mercury or Pure the right company for you and your specific profile and needs?

Mercury might be best for you if....

• You're single and purchasing insurance by yourself.
• Your credit is below-average.
• You drive often but have a short commute.

Pure might be best for you if...

• You don't have any speeding tickets, DUIs, or at-fault collisions on your record.
• You have a speeding ticket on your driving record.
• You're buying car insurance for a teen and looking for a wallet-friendly option.

We hope this guide has ben a valuable resource as you compare Mercury and Pure and that it aids in making a more informed 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 car insurance policy is to compare quotes from multiple carriers, not just Mercury and Pure. Luckily, sites like Compare.com do all the hard work for you. Simply enter your ZIP codes below and get multiple free quotes from some of the best auto insurance companies in your area, all in just a few minutes.

Mercury vs. Pure FAQs

Is Mercury or Pure cheaper?

Looking just at the national average rates, Mercury is the cheaper of the two carriers, offering average rates of $295 a month compared to $331 for Pure. But Mercury won't necessarily be the most affordable carrier for everyone, since there are many different factors that are considered when it comes to your insurance payment.

Who is better, Mercury or Pure?

Unfortunately, the answer truly is "it depends.". No one company is necessarily "better" for each driver -- it all comes down to what your unique auto insurance profile looks like.

Why do Mercury and Pure offer me different rates?

Insurance companies take a look at several different variables when calculating the premiums they charge policyholders. Factors such as your driving record, gender, age, where you call home, and sometimes even things like your credit score can all be taken into consideration. Both Mercury and Pure calculate prices using different variables, so each one will most likely offer different rates. The only real way to see which carrier is the cheapest for you is by comparing personalized quotes from a bunch of different carriers.

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

The only way to find the car insurance company that's right for you is by getting quotes from a handful of companies and finding the one best suited for your individual budget. Luckily, sites like Compare.com make it easy for you to do just that. Just enter your ZIP code and you'll get free quotes from dozens of the best auto insurance carriers in your area. That way, you can guarantee you're getting the best price. And who knows, the best carrier for you might not be Mercury or Pure at all!

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.