Primero Insurance Review & Complaints: Car Insurance (2023)

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Primero Insurance is an auto-only insurance company operating out of North Dakota. The relatively new company provide agent-based service in four states.

What is Primero?

Founded in Spearfish, North Dakota in 2003, Primero was acquired by Fargo insurance company Nordak Insurance in 2014. They operate in both North and South Dakota as well as Arizona and Nevada.

Primero policies are sold through independent agents in all four states, and they recently added the option to quote and purchase an insurance policy online. This new option does not do a lot to improve the dated look of the company’s website, which is in need of an overhaul. They do, however, offer a mobile app that might have a more modern feel.

In addition to needing a new look, the company’s website could use more detail, as there is very little helpful information regarding products and services available to answer any potential insurance questions from customers.

What auto insurance products does Primero offer?

The Primero website does not describe their auto insurance coverage in any sort of detail, simply giving an overview of general insurance coverage.

Primero offers minimum limits non-standard auto insurance. As a general rule, companies of this size do not offer the trendier policy add-ons like accident forgiveness or driving habits trackers (telematics).

Are the rates competitive?

Primero has introduced online quoting since our last look at the company, but since they do not offer coverage in our usual sample area, we are unable to compare and determine if they have affordable rates. The quoting system does require that the customer enter personal information, including their driver’s license number, to get a quote. As a result of these factors, we did not run sample rates with this company.

Quotes can also be obtained over the phone or by contacting a local agent or insurance representative – the website has an agent locator feature.

We would not expect to see competitive rates from a small company like Primero compared to some of the larger, national direct sales insurers. That said, the personal service of a small company can sometimes make up for higher rates.

How are claims handled?

Primero accepts claims via a toll-free number, but the site does not state whether or not that line is available 24/7 or only during specific business hours.

Although there is no way to file a claim online, the website does have the option to upload photos or documents relevant to the claim through a third-party service. The link goes off the main site to another site; it is not uncommon for small companies to utilize services like to this handle certain functions.

Aside from the contact information, there is not much information on this website to tell us what to expect from the claims website.

Are ratings and consumer reviews positive?

Primero has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB), with only one complaint on file in the past three years. That complaint was closed in the past 12 months.

We found very little in the way of reviews of this company. There is one complaint on Yelp referencing the Las Vegas branch of the company.

At first glance, Birdeye appears to have 11 negative reviews of this company, but on further inspection, they actually appear to be the same person posting repeatedly about the same issue. This appears to also be the same person who posted the one Yelp complaint and also matches the complaint with the BBB. That adds up to only one complaint in total across all three sites.

It is common to find very little in the way of reviews for smaller insurance companies, but the low complaint volume here is definitely a positive.

What’s the bottom line?

There is simply not enough information about Primero to make a solid recommendation, but we did not find any red flags either. Those who like to work with an agent and a smaller company might want to consider this company. Those looking for the flashiest and most modern insurance company will probably not be impressed by this company’s web presence and may want to look elsewhere.