CURE Auto Insurance has carved out a unique niche in an industry dominated by household names and billion-dollar advertising budgets. While State Farm, Progressive, and GEICO flood the market with commercials and bundle discounts, CURE has taken a quieter but no less deliberate path — prioritizing fairness in pricing over flashiness.
CURE, short for Citizens United Reciprocal Exchange, has positioned itself as a solution for drivers tired of being judged by their credit score, job title, or education level. Instead, the company insists it prices policies based on driving behavior and history alone. That core belief has earned it loyalty among certain types of drivers, especially those who feel overlooked or overcharged by traditional insurers.
But how does CURE actually measure up? What do the ratings — from customers, regulators, and third-party analysts — reveal about its performance? This article breaks it down across the most important categories: financial strength, customer satisfaction, complaint history, and claims experience.
Financial Strength and Stability
When evaluating any insurance company, financial strength is one of the first factors to examine. No matter how good the customer service or how fair the pricing, an insurer must have the ability to pay out claims reliably and on time.
CURE is not rated by AM Best, Moody’s, or Standard & Poor’s — the major financial rating agencies that typically evaluate large national insurers. That doesn’t mean the company is unstable, but it does reflect its smaller, regional focus and reciprocal structure.
Instead of a public stock model, CURE operates as a reciprocal exchange, meaning it’s owned by its policyholders. Premiums are pooled to pay claims, and any surplus goes back into operations. This structure is generally considered stable but conservative, and well-suited to smaller insurers.
According to filings with state insurance departments in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, CURE has met its capital reserve requirements year over year. There’s no indication of any financial distress or regulatory violations involving insolvency. The company keeps its operational scope narrow — a strategy that helps maintain financial health even without national backing.
Customer Satisfaction Scores
Customer satisfaction can be difficult to quantify, but it’s essential in understanding how an insurer treats its policyholders once the policy is in place. After all, it’s easy to offer cheap quotes — the real test is how an insurance provider behaves when it’s time to file a claim or ask for support.
CURE doesn’t appear in many national satisfaction surveys because it’s not a nationwide insurer. It’s often excluded from studies by J.D. Power and Consumer Reports due to its regional focus.
However, localized feedback — collected through state agencies, Google reviews, and platforms like Clearsurance — paints a more detailed picture.
Here’s what emerges:
- Positive feedback usually focuses on fair pricing, especially for drivers who have been penalized elsewhere due to credit or education.
- Negative feedback tends to involve claims delays and difficulties reaching support, especially during high-volume periods or after serious accidents.
In Pennsylvania and New Jersey, many drivers mention savings of hundreds per year, but also describe long hold times or delays in receiving updates after submitting a claim. That trade-off — lower premiums with more legwork on the customer’s part — is a recurring theme.
State Complaint Indexes
Another important metric to examine is how often an insurer is the subject of formal complaints — and how that complaint volume compares to industry averages.
Each state’s Department of Insurance tracks consumer complaints filed against auto insurers and publishes an annual “Complaint Index.” A score of 1.00 means an insurer gets complaints at the average rate for its market share. Anything above 1.00 means more complaints than expected; below 1.00 indicates fewer complaints.
Here’s a snapshot from the most recent available data:
- New Jersey: CURE’s complaint index was around 1.35, slightly above average, with most grievances related to claims resolution and policy cancellations.
- Pennsylvania: CURE’s score hovered near 1.10, again above the state median, but not drastically so.
- Michigan: Data is more limited due to CURE’s recent entry, but early reports show a relatively low volume of complaints.
It’s important to note that complaint indexes can be skewed for smaller insurers. A few bad interactions can drive up the score more dramatically than it would for a carrier serving millions. Still, these figures suggest CURE performs reasonably well — especially considering it serves drivers who are often higher-risk or new to insurance systems.
Claims Satisfaction: Speed vs. Simplicity
One of the most telling indicators of an insurance company’s performance is how well it handles claims. Customers expect that if they’ve paid premiums faithfully, the insurer will step up when it matters most — after a collision, theft, or natural event.
In the case of CURE, claims satisfaction is a mixed bag.
Customers who file simple claims — minor property damage or non-injury accidents — often report a fair and straightforward experience, especially when all documentation is submitted promptly. The insurer doesn’t appear to lowball settlement offers or drag its feet intentionally.
But for more complex scenarios — such as multi-vehicle collisions, bodily injury claims, or questions of fault — the process becomes significantly slower. That’s because CURE does not rely heavily on digital infrastructure or rapid automation. Instead, claims are handled by relatively small internal teams using traditional methods.
This has led to frustration in some cases. In online reviews, multiple users have noted that they:
- Waited weeks to receive repair approvals
- Had to call multiple times for a status update
- Were unable to upload documents online and instead had to fax or email attachments
- Faced long hold times when calling customer service, especially during peak hours
Again, this reflects the company’s lean structure more than malicious intent. Still, for policyholders used to slick apps and instant claim tracking, the experience can feel outdated.
Those who do best with CURE tend to be drivers who are comfortable navigating insurance by phone, don’t mind checking in proactively, and have patience during the back-and-forth that may follow a larger claim.
Renewal Behavior and Customer Loyalty
While CURE does not publish official renewal statistics, informal patterns based on reviews and forums suggest a solid customer retention rate, particularly among drivers who have clean records and appreciate the pricing model.
Drivers who remain claim-free and violation-free often report:
- Consistent renewal offers with modest increases
- Occasional rate decreases after one or two clean years
- No random surcharges tied to unrelated personal data (like credit scores)
This lack of arbitrary pricing changes — a common issue with many large insurers — keeps many policyholders loyal. One user in Pennsylvania shared that they’d stayed with CURE for over four years simply because “I know what I’m getting. They don’t pull sneaky stuff at renewal time.”
That said, the renewal experience isn’t perfect for everyone. There are cases where:
- A minor accident triggered a sizable rate hike
- A driver was non-renewed after a lapse or missed payment, even if it was quickly corrected
- Premium increases arrived without clear explanation, leading to confusion and shopping around
Still, when compared to some of the bigger carriers known for aggressive repricing or “loyalty penalties,” CURE appears to maintain a more transparent and behavior-based renewal process.
Demographics and Driver Perception
CURE’s underwriting philosophy shapes the kinds of drivers who are drawn to it — and how they perceive its value.
Younger drivers are one of the biggest demographics in CURE’s customer base. In states like New Jersey and Pennsylvania, where teens and 20-somethings often pay staggering premiums due to inexperience or location, CURE’s refusal to factor in credit or education opens doors.
Many younger policyholders report saving hundreds per year with CURE compared to the quotes they received from traditional insurers. The trade-off, of course, is fewer digital perks and more hands-on management — but for budget-conscious drivers, it’s worth it.
Urban drivers, particularly in areas that are commonly penalized for dense traffic, have also found CURE to be more forgiving. ZIP codes like Camden (NJ), Philadelphia (PA), or Flint (MI) often see inflated rates from traditional carriers due to statistical crime or congestion. CURE doesn’t weigh location as heavily, and it shows in the quotes.
Immigrant drivers and non-traditional workers — such as delivery drivers, part-timers, or those without a college degree — are another key segment. Because CURE doesn’t tie pricing to education or employment, it gives these drivers a chance to earn affordable coverage strictly through safe driving.
In that sense, CURE plays an important role in increasing accessibility and fairness, even if its infrastructure isn’t built for luxury service.
