COUNTRY Financial auto insurance

Overview

COUNTRY Financial is the marketing name for a family of insurance and financial services companies based in Bloomington, Illinois, led by COUNTRY Mutual Insurance Company and COUNTRY Life Insurance Company. Auto policies are issued by COUNTRY Mutual Insurance Company, COUNTRY Preferred Insurance Company and COUNTRY Casualty Insurance Company. The group ranked #24 among U.S. private passenger auto insurers by 2025 direct premiums written according to NAIC market share data, with $1.58 billion in auto premiums and a 0.42% national share.

COUNTRY sells car insurance in 19 states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Washington and Wisconsin. It works through more than 2,000 licensed local representatives and has more than 3,000 employees. Beyond auto, it offers home, farm, business and life insurance, plus retirement, investment and trust services. It says more than one million families are clients.

History

COUNTRY grew out of the Illinois Agricultural Association, the organization known as Illinois Farm Bureau. In 1925 the association chartered Farmers Mutual Reinsurance Company for county Farm Bureaus, and COUNTRY Mutual began selling fire and lightning insurance. Crop-hail and farm equipment coverage followed in 1926, auto insurance in 1927, and COUNTRY Life Insurance Company in 1929. The companies were first marketed together as The Country Companies, later COUNTRY Companies, and adopted the COUNTRY Financial name in 2008. The tie to Illinois Farm Bureau remains visible: COUNTRY's general counsel also serves Illinois Farm Bureau, and the two run joint programs such as summer internships. For how Farm Bureau-affiliated insurers work, see Farm Bureau insurance: membership, eligibility and how it works.

COUNTRY Preferred Insurance Company was incorporated in 1953, and in 1961 the home office moved from downtown Chicago to Bloomington. Expansion came largely through acquisitions and alliances. The 1964 purchase of Mid-America Fire and Marine added Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Mutual Service Insurance joined COUNTRY in 2001, adding four states to a new central region, and a 2005 alliance with Cotton States Insurance Group of Atlanta brought operations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee. COUNTRY also formed alliances with Middlesex Mutual Assurance of Connecticut (1998) and Holyoke Mutual of Massachusetts (2006, marketed as MiddleOak), though its current 19-state auto footprint includes neither Florida nor any New England state. The COUNTRY DriverIQ telematics program launched in 2021, and the company celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2025.

Auto insurance coverage

COUNTRY's auto policies offer liability, collision, comprehensive, uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, and medical payments or personal injury protection where those coverages are available.

Its signature endorsement is The Keeper, a new car replacement coverage that pays for a brand-new car of the same make and model if a newly purchased car is severely damaged in a covered accident and repairs would cost more than a new car. Vehicle Rental and Trip Interruption coverage reimburses up to $800 for a rental after a claim and, for accidents more than 100 miles from home, travel costs such as lodging and meals (limits vary by state). Windshield replacement coverage is also available.

Emergency Roadside Assistance works on a reimbursement basis: you arrange and pay for the tow, jump start, lockout, fuel delivery or tire change, then file for reimbursement of up to $100.

Discounts and programs

COUNTRY advertises savings of up to 30% for bundling home and auto. The Multi-Policy Discount can also count life insurance, disability income coverage, or a COUNTRY Trust Bank account or annuity with a balance over $1,000. A Multi-Car Discount applies to two or more vehicles, and the Legacy Discount lets parents pass their multi-car and multi-policy discounts to unmarried children under 25, even if they live elsewhere.

Its usage-based program, COUNTRY Financial DriverIQ, scores braking, phone use and speeding through a smartphone app and offers savings of up to 25%. Other discounts include an Occupation Discount of up to 15% for full-time K-12 teachers, firefighters, police officers, EMTs and paramedics; the Simply Drive course discount for newly licensed teens; good student savings of up to 35% for full-time students with at least a B average; a discount for recent college graduates under 25; an Engaged Couple Discount for couples aged 21 to 29 marrying within a year; and discounts for three violation-free years, defensive driving courses, anti-theft devices and quoting before your current policy expires.

Claims

Auto claims can be filed 24/7 through the online account, the COUNTRY mobile app or by calling 866-COUNTRY (866-268-6879). A claims representative is assigned to explain coverage and repair options, and the client's local representative can also help. Inspection options include a mobile inspection at home or work, a photo estimate submitted through the app or online, a drive-in appraisal and a video call with a claims specialist. For roadside reimbursement, log in or call the same number.

Ratings and reputation

In August 2026 AM Best affirmed A+ (Superior) financial strength ratings for the COUNTRY Financial property/casualty group and COUNTRY Life, with stable outlooks, citing profitable operating earnings, strong risk-adjusted capitalization and geographic and product diversification. COUNTRY says its property/casualty group has been rated A or higher by AM Best since 1933 and A+ or higher since 1976.

In the J.D. Power 2026 U.S. Auto Insurance Study, COUNTRY scored 652 in the North Central region (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin), tied with Grange and State Farm for sixth of 20 insurers and above the 645 regional average; Erie led the region at 688. COUNTRY was not ranked in J.D. Power's other regions or in the 2025 claims satisfaction study.

In August 2026 COUNTRY announced an average 15% auto rate decrease in Oklahoma, citing fewer accidents and lower claim costs among its clients there.

Who it suits

COUNTRY suits drivers in its 19 states who want a local representative and can combine auto with home, farm, life or financial products, since its discounts reward deeper relationships. Families with teen drivers, teachers and first responders, and safe drivers willing to use DriverIQ have specific ways to save. Drivers in the Northeast, Florida, California and much of the South cannot buy COUNTRY auto coverage, and roadside help is reimbursement-only.

• Strengths: A+ (Superior) AM Best rating affirmed in August 2026 with a long A-or-better record; DriverIQ telematics discount of up to 25%; unusual discounts such as Legacy, Engaged Couple and Occupation; The Keeper new car replacement.
• Weaknesses: Auto sold in only 19 states; roadside coverage reimburses only up to $100 after you pay; middle-of-the-pack J.D. Power score outside the top five in its home region; not included in J.D. Power's claims satisfaction rankings.

How to contact COUNTRY Financial