Home/Compare insurers/Mercury vs Plymouth Rock

Mercury vs Plymouth Rock: which is better for car insurance in 2026?

Q: Is Mercury or Plymouth Rock cheaper?

On average, Plymouth Rock. Our benchmark profile pays $2,156/yr with Plymouth Rock versus $3,472/yr with Mercury — roughly $1316 a year. But that is one profile: a 35-year-old with a clean record and good credit. Change the driver and the order can flip, which is why the only rate that matters is the one you are quoted.

Q: Which handles claims better, Mercury or Plymouth Rock?

Neither has a clear edge. Mercury scores 701/1,000 and Plymouth Rock Not rated on the claims measure we use — close enough that the individual adjuster you draw matters more than the company average.

Q: Is Mercury better than Plymouth Rock overall?

Plymouth Rock scores higher overall in our review — 4.2 against 3.1 out of 5. "Better" still depends on you, though: Mercury may quote you less, and our score weights six factors that we chose, not the ones you might weight most.

Q: Can I switch from Mercury to Plymouth Rock mid-policy?

Yes. Auto policies can be cancelled at any time, and most insurers refund the unused premium pro-rata — though some charge a short-rate cancellation fee, so check your policy before you cancel. The one rule worth following: get the new policy bound and in force before you cancel the old one. Even a single day uninsured can count as a coverage lapse, which raises your rate at the next renewal and, in some states, exposes you to a registration penalty.

Mercury

Plymouth Rock

Across our six scoring categories, Mercury comes out ahead in 2, Plymouth Rock in 3, with 1 too close to call. Plymouth Rock edges the weighted overall score by 1.1 of a point, on the strength of price, complaint record, digital experience. That is not a reason to skip Mercury: it scores higher on financial strength, discounts, and a quote that comes in lower beats a review that scores higher. Plymouth Rock is the safer default; Mercury is worth a quote if you are among california drivers, where mercury's pricing is most competitive.

Mercury vs Plymouth Rock, side by side

Category

MercuryRead the full review

Plymouth RockRead the full review

Overall scoreWeighted across the six categories below

Better

PriceAverage annual full-coverage premium · 25% of score

1.5$3,472/yr

Average full coverage vs. $2,356 national average

3.5$2,156/yr

Average full coverage vs. $2,356 national average

Better

Claims satisfactionJ.D. Power 2025 claims study, out of 1,000 · 20% of score

3.5701/1,000

J.D. Power 2025 claims study, segment average 700

Not rated

Below the sampling frame of the J.D. Power claims study, which covers only the largest insurers

Complaint recordComplaints relative to company size · 15% of score

2.5More than expected

Complaints relative to company size, NAIC data 2021–2023

5.0Far fewer than expected

Complaints relative to company size, NAIC data 2022–2024

Better

Financial strengthAM Best Financial Strength Rating · 10% of score

4.0A

AM Best Financial Strength Rating

Better

3.5A-

AM Best Financial Strength Rating

DiscountsBreadth of published discounts · 15% of score

4.511 published

Discounts on the carrier's own pages · Telematics: RealDrive and MercuryGO

Better

4.010 published

Discounts on the carrier's own pages · Telematics: YUBI

Digital experienceApp ratings and self-service depth · 15% of score

4.04.76 iOS / 4.0 Android

App Store (1.6K ratings) and Google Play (808 ratings), August 2026

5.04.86 iOS / 4.7 Android

App Store (8.0K ratings) and Google Play (1.7K ratings), August 2026

Better

Availability

11 states, concentrated in California

6 states in the Northeast

Best suited to

California drivers, where Mercury's pricing is most competitive

Northeast drivers who want a strong app and low complaint volume

Sources: average premiums from NerdWallet's August 2026 rate analysis (Quadrant Information Services), for a 35-year-old driver with a clean record and good credit in a 2023 Toyota Camry LE at 12,000 miles a year, 100/300/50 limits with $1,000 deductibles — national average $2,356. Claims satisfaction from the J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study (segment average 700). Complaint record from NerdWallet's analysis of NAIC complaint data, 2022–2024. Financial strength from AM Best. Discounts and app data from each carrier's published pages and the Apple App Store / Google Play, retrieved August 2026. Updated August 2026.

Mercury vs Plymouth Rock across all six categoriesScored 1–5. Longer is better in every category — the price bar already accounts for cheaper being better.

MercuryPlymouth Rock

Category by category

Price

Plymouth Rock ahead

Plymouth Rock averages $2,156/yr for full coverage against Mercury's $3,472/yr — about $1316 a year, or 109.7 dollars a month, in Plymouth Rock's favor for this profile.

Mercury

$3,472 a year for full coverage, 47% above the national average. Mercury's national average is not flattering, though its California book is where it actually competes.

Plymouth Rock

$2,156 a year for full coverage, 8% below the national average — mid-pack, and not the reason to pick it.

Claims satisfaction

Too close to call

Neither pulls ahead on claims satisfaction: Mercury posts 701/1,000 and Plymouth Rock Not rated, a difference too small to choose on.

Mercury

701 out of 1,000, one point above the segment average.

Plymouth Rock

Not in the J.D. Power claims study, which covers only the largest insurers.

Complaint record

Plymouth Rock ahead

Plymouth Rock takes complaint record on Far fewer than expected against Mercury's More than expected.

Mercury

More complaints than expected for its size, based on 2021–2023 data — an older window than most carriers here.

Plymouth Rock

Far fewer complaints than expected for its size — the strongest complaint band we assign, shared with only a handful of carriers here.

Financial strength

Mercury ahead

Mercury takes financial strength on A against Plymouth Rock's A-.

Mercury

AM Best A (Excellent), with the outlook revised from negative to stable in February 2026 after the California wildfires.

Plymouth Rock

AM Best A- (Excellent), with the outlook revised to positive in March 2026 — the only carrier in this review currently trending upward.

Discounts

Mercury ahead

Mercury takes discounts on 11 published against Plymouth Rock's 10 published.

Mercury

Eleven published discounts, plus two separate usage-based programs — RealDrive for mileage and MercuryGO for driving behavior.

Plymouth Rock

Around ten published discounts, plus two distinct programs: YUBI for telematics and a separate Road Rewards points scheme.

Digital experience

Plymouth Rock ahead

Plymouth Rock takes digital experience on 4.86 iOS / 4.7 Android against Mercury's 4.76 iOS / 4.0 Android.

Mercury

4.76 on the App Store and 4.0 on Google Play, across one of the smallest rating bases in this review.

Plymouth Rock

4.86 on the App Store and 4.7 on Google Play — the highest combined app ratings of any carrier in this review, by a clear margin.

So which one?

Pick Mercury if…

You are among california drivers, where mercury's pricing is most competitive.
Financial strength is a priority; Mercury holds A from AM Best.
You expect to stack discounts — Mercury's lineup is the broader of the two.
Availability fits: 11 states, concentrated in California.

Read the full Mercury review →

Pick Plymouth Rock if…

You are among northeast drivers who want a strong app and low complaint volume.
Price is your first filter — Plymouth Rock averages $2,156/yr for full coverage on our benchmark profile.
You want the lower complaint record — Plymouth Rock sits at Far fewer than expected.
You would rather handle everything in an app than on a phone call.

Read the full Plymouth Rock review →

Mercury vs Plymouth Rock, answered

The questions people ask before switching between these two.

Is Mercury or Plymouth Rock cheaper?

Which handles claims better, Mercury or Plymouth Rock?

Is Mercury better than Plymouth Rock overall?

Can I switch from Mercury to Plymouth Rock mid-policy?

Other comparisons

Allstate vs Mercury American Family vs Mercury Amica vs Mercury Auto-Owners vs Mercury Chubb vs Mercury Clearcover vs Mercury Allstate vs Plymouth Rock Amica vs Plymouth Rock

See all 359 head-to-head comparisons →

Compare real quotes from both — and 50+ others.

Averages are a starting point. Your rate is the only number that decides it.

Get my free quotes →