Who is Dairyland Insurance?

A handful of car insurance companies hold the vast majority of policies, but they aren’t the only companies. Although you’re probably familiar with major insurers like Geico and State Farm, there are several other insurance companies to choose from. Buying car insurance from a little-known company might enable you to qualify for discounts that you otherwise couldn’t receive.

Different companies service different niches and buying car insurance from a lesser-known company might enable you to qualify for discounts that you otherwise couldn’t receive. By providing coverage to a small population of drivers, these insurers can often keep their operating costs low and provide low-cost coverage to the drivers they most want to attract. You might not always get the best deal from a small insurer, but it’s definitely worth reviewing your options next time you go shopping for new coverage.

Who is Dairyland Insurance?

One company you might come across when obtaining a quote is Dairyland. This company is a subsidiary of Sentry Insurance, a mutual firm operating since 1904. Sentry offers a wide array of financial services and insurance products through its numerous subsidiaries, including Loyds of Texas and Viking.

Dairyland offers auto and motorcycle coverage in several states. In Texas, the company is underwritten by Dairyland County Mutual; in other states, it’s underwritten by the Sentry Insurance group itself. The company gets its name from its origin state, Wisconsin, which continues to be the financial center for most of its policies. Coverage isn’t available in all areas, though, so it’s important to check whether you can purchase insurance in your area before choosing this company.

Dairyland’s motorcycle coverage is probably its best-known product, and it’s one of the most popular motorcycle insurance companies in the country. Consumers who choose to carry motorcycle coverage through the company may find that they can get excellent discounts on their auto insurance as well by taking advantage of a multi-policy discount.

Policies for Dairyland are primarily sold through independent agencies, but you can get a quote online. You can also call the company for a quote and set up a policy over the phone if you wish. In some ways, Dairyland is a more popular choice for motorcycle insurance than auto coverage, but many people throughout the country do choose to use it for auto insurance.

Dairyland Insurance Discounts and Cost

Dairyland offers most of the standard insurance discounts to consumers, including safe driver discounts, multi-policy discounts and discounts for various safety and anti-theft features. The company does not offer any particularly innovative discounts or programs, but it does provide decent low-cost insurance to people, even high-risk insureds.

In terms of cost, Dairyland policies are often quite inexpensive. Many of the cheapest policies advertised are minimalist policies, so you can’t expect full-coverage insurance for the price you might find online. Nevertheless, Dairyland can be one of the most affordable insurers. Being a mutual company enables all of the Sentry companies to operate with narrow profit margins, which helps keep the cost of its products down.

On the other hand, mutual companies do suffer somewhat when they’re small. Since the insureds are also the financial owners of the company, larger mutual companies have more flexibility than smaller companies to cut costs and offer discounts. Publicly traded firms do not have this flexibility. As one of the larger mutual firms in the country, Sentry has plenty of money to allocate to claims; it’s still fairly small when compared to State Farm, though, so it may have policies that are pricier than this insurance powerhouse.

Complaints About Dairyland

While Dairyland provides low-cost coverage to many customers, it’s not without its flaws. The company has gotten several consumer complaints for various things, including canceling policies without warning and denying claims. It’s also been involved in several lawsuits during its time. Though these complaints are hardly uncommon for any insurance company, there is a somewhat higher frequency of complaints for Dairyland than some other insurers, and it’s earned the company a generally negative reputation with many consumers.

Because Dairyland Insurance is usually brokered through an agent, the quality of your agency will play a role in your insurance experience. If you can find an excellent agent that you can trust, you may be able to ensure quality service and a good policy. A less-than-ideal agent may make your experience more unpleasant and could be at the root of many of the bad reviews the company has received.

Ultimately, there is no single best insurance company. Depending on your needs, Dairyland or any other smaller company may provide affordable insurance with the coverages you need. If you get a low quote from this company, be sure to do your research and verify that it’s the best fit for you.