Berkley One auto insurance

Overview

Berkley One is the personal lines insurer of W. R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE: WRB), a Greenwich, Connecticut, property and casualty group that otherwise writes mostly commercial and specialty business. Berkley One targets high-net-worth individuals and families and sells a bundle of coverages built for them: home, condo and co-op, auto, fine art and collectibles, personal liability, collector vehicles and recreational boats. Policies are issued by one or more of W. R. Berkley's insurance company subsidiaries.

In the NAIC ranking the auto premium appears under the parent's name: the W. R. Berkley Corp Group ranked #92 among U.S. private passenger auto insurers by 2025 direct premiums written, with $158.8 million and a 0.04% market share, according to NAIC market share data. Berkley One is the W. R. Berkley unit that sells that personal auto coverage to consumers. It is growing quickly inside the group: W. R. Berkley reported that Berkley One produced 4.8% of its Insurance segment's gross premiums written in 2025, up from 3.7% in 2024 and 2.6% in 2023.

Berkley One sells only through a select network of independent agents and brokers it appoints. You can request a quote online, but the policy is placed through an agent.

History

W. R. Berkley Corporation was founded in 1967 with $2,500 in starting capital and grew into a Fortune 500 company made up of more than 50 specialized businesses; William R. Berkley is its executive chairman and W. Robert Berkley, Jr. its president and chief executive. Berkley One was built as a startup inside that group. It first appeared in W. R. Berkley's annual report for 2017, before it had written premium, and recorded its first premiums in 2018. Several of its founding leaders came from Chubb, the long-time leader in high-net-worth insurance: president Kathleen Tierney was previously chief operating officer of Chubb's personal insurance division, and senior client service and underwriting executives spent decades there.

Berkley One also runs a collector vehicle division, Berkley One Classics, which traces its service to collector car owners back to 1974. In 2025 it relaunched its collector product with lower rates in Arizona and Michigan and in December 2025 rolled out a redesigned contract in Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York and Texas. Collector coverage is offered in 28 states.

Auto insurance coverage

Berkley One's broad auto policy includes the coverages state law requires, protection for the people riding in your car, and liability coverage if you cause an accident, with comprehensive and collision for your own vehicle. Its distinctive features are aimed at expensive and newer vehicles:

• Agreed value. The value of the car is locked in for 12 months at a figure you and the insurer agree on, instead of actual cash value at the time of loss. With the Berkley One endorsement, the deductible can be waived on a covered total loss.
• New vehicle replacement for cars with fewer than 15,000 miles within 12 months of titling.
• Premium rental and travel expense: up to $15,000 for a rental or other transportation, plus lodging and meals, when a covered loss happens more than 50 miles from home.
• Original equipment manufacturer parts whenever possible, and replacement of airbags that deploy by mistake under comprehensive.
• Legal defense: an experienced attorney to defend you in litigated accidents.

Collector vehicles are written on a separate agreed-value policy covering antiques, classics, exotics, antique motorcycles and trucks, tractors and military vehicles, with coverage for restorations in progress, spare parts and automobilia. The updated Classics contract extends automatic coverage for newly acquired collector cars from 30 to 60 days, adds Disaster Relocation coverage (up to $500 per vehicle, $5,000 per policy period) and offers a Salvage Value endorsement that lets you keep salvage worth up to $50,000 after a total loss.

Discounts and programs

Berkley One does not publish discounts for everyday autos; pricing is set through the agent. For collector vehicles it lists a 10% car club discount, a 10% first-term discount for clients transferring from another collector car insurer, a credit for collections over $500,000 or single vehicles worth $250,000 or more that have fire protection and security systems, and multi-vehicle pricing. Collector policies also offer towing reimbursement up to $200 per tow or a roadside assistance option. Berkley One does not advertise a telematics or usage-based insurance program. Clients get a single-point-of-contact service team, PriorityOne, reachable by phone, text, email or chat.

Claims

You can report a claim online at my.berkleyone.com, by email, by phone at 855-663-8551, or through your agent. Berkley One says a claims specialist makes contact in under an hour on average, including after hours and on weekends, and that its claims staff average more than 20 years of experience. For vehicle repairs you choose from a network of more than 20,000 repair facilities, and Berkley One can start the process before you arrive at the shop.

Ratings and reputation

On June 25, 2026, AM Best affirmed the A+ (Superior) financial strength rating of Berkley Insurance Company and its reinsured affiliates, collectively the W. R. Berkley Insurance Group, and upgraded their issuer credit ratings to "aa" (Superior) from "aa-". W. R. Berkley's 2025 annual report states that its S&P-rated insurance subsidiaries carry AA- financial strength ratings. High-net-worth policies typically carry high liability limits and often sit beneath an umbrella policy, so the insurer's capacity to pay large claims is part of the decision; the AM Best scale places A+ second only to A++. Berkley One is not among the insurers ranked in any of the 11 regions of J.D. Power's 2026 U.S. Auto Insurance Study.

Who it suits

Berkley One suits affluent households with several high-value vehicles, a valuable home and collections who want everything placed with one carrier through an agent who specializes in high-net-worth insurance. Agreed-value coverage and the generous rental benefit are its standout auto features. It is not built for drivers looking for the lowest price on an ordinary car, and its main home-and-auto program is unavailable in 20 states, including California.

• Strengths: A+ (Superior) AM Best rating backed by a large public parent; agreed value with deductible waiver on total losses; up to $15,000 in travel expenses after a covered loss far from home; specialist collector car program with car club and transfer discounts.
• Weaknesses: Main program not sold in 20 states, including California and North Carolina (collector coverage reaches a few of them); no published discounts for everyday autos and no telematics; sold only through appointed agents; aimed at high-value accounts, so it rarely suits a single modest car.

How to contact Berkley One