Dairyland Car Insurance Review 2024

Dairyland was formed in 1953 and sold car insurance to drivers who could not get standard coverage due to poor driving records, inexperience behind the wheel or no prior insurance. In 1966, Sentry Insurance acquired Dairyland and began to sell motorcycle insurance.

Headquartered in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, Dairyland continues to offer motorcycle and car insurance nationwide.

Dairyland sells the following types of car insurance coverage:

Liability Car Insurance

This covers property damage and injuries you accidentally cause to others. It also covers the cost of a legal defense, settlements and judgments if you are sued because of an auto accident. You are required to carry liability car insurance in most states.

Comprehensive Insurance

Comprehensive insurance pays to replace or repair your car after damage from problems like fires, floods, vandalism, theft, collisions with animals and falling objects. The maximum payout for comprehensive insurance is the actual cash value of your vehicle if it’s totaled, minus your deductible.

Collision Insurance

Collision insurance pays to replace or repair your car after an accident, no matter who is at fault. It also covers collisions with stationary objects, like a telephone pole or fence.

Collision and comprehensive insurance are optional coverage types that are often sold together, but if you have a loan or lease, you’ll likely be required to carry it. The maximum payout for collision insurance is the actual cash value of your vehicle, minus your deductible.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Insurance

This covers your medical expenses and other costs if a driver without liability insurance or without enough liability insurance crashes into you. Uninsured motorist insurance is required in some states and optional in others.

Personal Protection Insurance (PIP)

PIP covers you and your passengers’ medical expenses, regardless of who is at fault for the accident. Personal injury protection is required in some states, optional in other states and unavailable in some.

Medical Payments Insurance

This covers medical bills for you and your passengers, no matter who caused the car accident. Medical payments coverage is usually sold in small amounts between $1,000 and $5,000 and isn’t available in all states.

Additional Coverage Options

Dairyland also offers some additional coverage options, such as:

• Rental reimbursement insurance. If your car is being repaired or replaced due to a problem covered by your policy (such as a car accident), rental reimbursement auto insurance pays for a rental vehicle, up to the dollar limits stated in your policy.
• Special equipment. This covers customizations to your car if they are damaged due to a problem covered by your policy, like a car crash. This includes custom parts such as rims, spoilers and stereo systems.
• Towing and labor coverage. This covers the cost to tow your car to the nearest service station if your car is disabled.

Dairyland has a higher level of auto insurance complaints against it than the industry average, based on complaints made to the state insurance departments across the country. Complaints about Dairyland car insurance tend to center around claim delays, handling and denials.

In a survey of collision repair professionals by the CRASH Network, Dairyland earned a C grade. This is based on the score for Sentry Insurance, Dairyland’s parent company.

The opinions of auto body professionals are worth considering because they see how insurance companies compare in the use of lower-quality repair parts, whether insurers encourage the use of repair procedures by car manufacturers and whether car insurance companies have claims processes that lead to fast and satisfactory claims for customers.

Dairyland car insurance offers gap insurance and SR-22 forms, but if you’re looking for coverage types such as accident forgiveness, a diminishing deductible or rideshare insurance, you’ll need to look elsewhere.

Does Dairyland Offer Accident Forgiveness?

No, Dairyland doesn’t offer accident forgiveness insurance. Some insurance companies allow you to add this type of coverage to your policy to protect your costs from increasing after an accident.

Does Dairyland Offer a Diminishing Deductible?

No, Dairyland doesn’t offer a diminishing deductible.

Some insurance companies sell a diminishing deductible as an add-on. This type of coverage usually reduces your car insurance deductible for every policy period that you remain accident-free.

For example, for every year that you maintain a safe driving record, you earn $100 off your deductible. Some companies limit the amount you can reduce your deductible but some companies will allow you to reduce your deductible to $0.

Does Dairyland Offer Gap Insurance?

Yes, Dairyland offers gap insurance. This add-on coverage helps cover the “gap” between what you owe on your car’s lease or loan and your claim payout if your car is totaled by an accident covered by your policy, such as a fire or car accident. Gap insurance is helpful to drivers who owe more on their car than what it’s currently worth.

Does Dairyland Offer New Car Replacement?

No, Dairyland doesn’t sell new car replacement insurance. This type of coverage generally reimburses you for a new car of similar make and model instead of only the depreciated value of your car if it is deemed a total loss due to a problem covered by your policy (like an accident or fire).

Does Dairyland Offer SR-22s?

Yes, Dairyland offers SR-22 insurance. An SR-22 is also known as a Certificate of Financial Responsibility. It’s a court-ordered form that shows a driver has purchased the state minimum insurance requirements.

You may be required to provide an SR-22 for the following reasons:

• A serious traffic violation like a DUI conviction or reckless driving
• Repeated traffic violations, such as multiple speeding tickets
• Too many car accidents
• Your license was revoked or suspended
• You were caught driving without car insurance

If you need an SR-22, notify Dairyland when you buy your policy. Dairyland can usually send your SR-22 to the state electronically on the same day and won’t charge you a filing fee.

Does Dairyland Offer Rideshare Insurance?

No, Dairyland doesn’t sell rideshare insurance.

If you drive for a rideshare company like Lyft or Uber, you might have a gap between your personal car insurance and your rideshare company’s car insurance. Rideshare insurance helps cover this gap.

Does Dairyland Offer Usage-Based Insurance?

No, Dairyland doesn’t sell usage-based insurance (UBI).

Some insurers offer UBI programs that calculate your car insurance costs based on your driving habits, like acceleration, speeding, hard braking, miles driven, phone use while driving and the time of day you’re on the road. Insurers collect this data through a device installed in your car’s OBD-II port or a smartphone app, then assess these factors to give you a driving score. You could earn a car insurance discount if you get a good score.

Does Dairyland Offer Pay-Per-Mile Insurance?

No, Dairyland doesn’t offer pay-per-mile insurance.

Some insurers offer pay-per-mile insurance that bases your insurance costs on the miles you drive, which can be a good fit for low-mileage drivers. Insurers that offer pay-per-mile insurance usually charge a daily rate plus a mileage rate to calculate your insurance cost.

Here are some discounts you may qualify for with Dairyland.

• Advanced quote discount: If you request a car insurance quote at least a week before your current policy expires, you could get a discount.
• Anti-theft discounts. You may qualify for a discount if your car has an anti-theft device.
  Defensive driving discount. You can earn a discount if you take an approved defensive driving course.
• Homeowners insurance discount: If you own a home and have it insured, you could qualify for a discount. If you have renters insurance, you could qualify for a discount in some states.
• Multi-car discount: You can get a discount if you insure more than one car on your policy.
• Payment frequency discount: You can get a discount if you make your car insurance premium payments quarterly, every six months or annually.
• Transfer discount: If you have a car insurance policy with another insurer for at least six months, you can get a discount if you transfer to Dairyland, depending on your state. You could qualify for a discount even if you’ve had a small lapse in coverage (you will need to provide a copy of your most recent declarations page).

Aside from car insurance, Dairyland offers these types of insurance:

• Motorcycle insurance
• Off-road insurance (such as ATVs, dirt bikes and snowmobiles)

Dairyland’s mobile app helps policyholders better manage their auto coverage. Tasks you can complete using the app include:

• Access your insurance ID card
• Get bill alerts and make payments
• Get your policy documents
• Review your coverage details