Markel Auto Insurance Review (2020)

Research for this Markel auto insurance review led to a Virginia-based company. Markel Corp. is an international property and casualty company offering a variety of niche insurance products through half a dozen subsidiaries.

The company was originally founded in the 1920s by Mr. Sam Markel, who wanted to provide insurance coverage to America’s burgeoning transportation industry.

Since that industry was still in its infancy, Mr. Markel found himself on the cutting edge of developing insurance products no one had ever dealt with before.

Over the course of the next 30 years, Mr. Markel developed the company to provide coverage across the United States and parts of Canada. When he died, his children took over the business and kept it alive.

Today Markel Corp. is considered a first-class provider of specialty insurance products. They have continued to diversify and expand their product line through acquisitions and strategic personnel decisions.

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Markel Auto Insurance and the Markel Corporation

Markel Corp. doesn’t provide standard auto insurance in the same vein as some of the national auto insurance companies you see on television.

Being a specialty and niche provider, the auto insurance they do offer is for classic and extremely high-value vehicles.

For example, if you had restored a classic Ford Hudson to the point where it became extremely valuable on the collector’s market, your standard auto policy wouldn’t do you much good. But Markel will write a policy that covers not only accidents and

But Markel will write a policy that covers not only accidents and deaths but also just about any other possible circumstance that can result in the loss of the vehicle.

The company does offer standard policies for boats, ATVs, UTVs, motorcycles, and snowmobiles.

They do so through their Markel American Insurance Company subsidiary. Markel American is also the subsidiary that handles the classic car insurance.

The company maintains a separate website for Markel American where users can find all the information they need regarding the various policies.

The website includes safety tips and an FAQ section aimed at new ATV/UTB writers.

Markel Auto Insurance Quotes

Customers will not find a quote tool, or any references to quotes for that matter, on the Markel Corporation website. However, the individual subsidiary sites do offer online quote tools.

Markel American, for example, allows you to begin the quote process by clicking a button located strategically in the right column of their main page.

Like with any quote tool it is assumed users will need to provide their address and zip code along with pertinent information about the vehicles they want to cover.

Quotes for their other insurance covers work much the same way on subsidiary sites with embedded quote tools.

Of course, interested consumers can always contact the individual subsidiary directly speak to a representative.

The company also utilizes independent auto insurance agents whom you can contact for quotes as well. In some instances, such as classic car insurance, an agent will most likely have to visit your location and do a personal inspection before a quote can be rendered.

Markel Auto Insurance Agents and Locations

Markel Corp. maintains their Virginia headquarters along with four regional offices, the Markel American office, and an international office.

Contact information for all of these offices is freely available on the corporate website. Through their acquisitions over the years they may also have some local offices scattered around the country even though their website doesn’t list any.

While Markel does work directly with customers in terms of selling and servicing policies, they also have a network of independent brokers throughout the country.

There are brokers in every state, so you should be able to find one in your area.

Markel’s website makes finding a local broker easy with an interactive map showing all 50 states.

Customers simply click on their state and wait a few seconds for the website to return a full list of names and contact information.

In more rural areas you may not find a local broker in your immediate vicinity, but you should be able to find one within a reasonable distance.

Markel Auto Insurance Reviews

As a general rule, Markel receives fairly good reviews from customers willing to post to independent review sites. Those who like the company tend to remark that Markel was the only place they could find specialty insurance for their niche needs.

Most notable were those in search of coverage for their scooters in areas where standard auto insurance was inadequate. Common complaints include things like poor billing practices and less-than-desirable customer service.

Markel Corp. is a member of the Virginia Better Business Bureau and currently has a rating of A+.

According to the BBB, they have received a total of six complaints within the last three years; two of them occurred within the last 12 months.

All complaints were closed after Markel demonstrated that they were addressed to the customer’s satisfaction. Of the six complaints, two were in relation to advertising and sales while the other four were concerned a product or service the company provides.

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