Hugo Auto Insurance: User Reviews and Quotes (2024)

With Hugo, you can get coverage for as few as three days at a time and pay in flexible “micropayments.”

Julia Taliesin
Written byJulia Taliesin
Julia Taliesin
Julia TaliesinInsurance Content Writer

Julia Taliesin is an insurance content writer at Insurify. She began her career as a journalist, covering local government and business in Somerville, Mass.

Evelyn Pimplaskar
Evelyn PimplaskarEditor-in-Chief, Director of Content
  • 10+ years in insurance and personal finance content

  • 30+ years in media, PR, and content creation

Evelyn leads Insurify’s content team. She’s passionate about creating empowering content to help people transform their financial lives and make sound insurance-buying decisions.

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Mark Friedlander
Reviewed byMark Friedlander
Mark Friedlander
Mark FriedlanderDirector, Corporate Communications, Triple-I
  • Corporate communications director for Insurance Information Institute

  • 20+ years in insurance and communications

As Director, Corporate Communications for Triple-I, Mark serves as the non-profit’s national spokesperson, sharing information and education on a wide array of insurance issues.

Updated December 22, 2024

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*Quotes generated for Insurify users within the last 10 days. Last updated on December 19, 2024. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer’s unique driver profile.

Rates shown are real-time Insurify user quotes from 100+ insurance companies and Quadrant Information Services data. Insurify’s algorithm excludes anomalous quotes and anonymizes personal details, then displays refined quotes by price, date, and insurer popularity up to 10 days ago from December 19, 2024. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer’s unique driver profile.

*Quotes generated for Insurify users within the last 10 days. Last updated on December 19, 2024. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer’s unique driver profile.

Rates shown are real-time Insurify user quotes from 100+ insurance companies and Quadrant Information Services data. Insurify’s algorithm excludes anomalous quotes and anonymizes personal details, then displays refined quotes by price, date, and insurer popularity up to 10 days ago from December 19, 2024. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer’s unique driver profile.

Hugo is a relatively new car insurance company with a product that’s unique in the auto insurance industry. Hugo offers flexible, short-term car insurance.

You can buy coverage for as little as three days at a time, paying smaller amounts more frequently instead of all at once. There’s no down payment or up-front fees, and you can activate your policy instantly for fast proof of insurance.

Unfortunately, this car insurance company only issues policies in 13 U.S. states, and only sells state-minimum coverage policies. Here’s a closer look at how Hugo car insurance works.

Quick Facts
  • Officially launched in 2021, Hugo offers short-term car insurance and micropayments.

  • On Trustpilot, Hugo customers praise its ease of use, payment flexibility, and the ability to get insured without fees or a down payment.

  • Hugo is only available in 13 states.

How Hugo insurance works

As of July 2024, Hugo offers one coverage option: Unlimited Basic. Hugo’s basic plan meets state-minimum liability insurance coverage requirements and is available in 13 states: Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.

You can buy coverage for three-day, seven-day, 14-day, 30-day, and six-month periods, adding as little as three days of coverage at a time and paying in “micropayments.” After creating an account, you deposit funds based on the payment schedule of your choosing.

If your account runs empty, Hugo will extend your coverage for up to three days to give you time to reload. You must request an extension within a week of hitting empty, and once it’s complete, Hugo will charge you for the days covered under the extension.

Besides the brief extension, you only have coverage if your policy is active and you have funds in your account. Failing to maintain coverage could jeopardize your vehicle registration and lead to higher insurance rates the next time you buy coverage. If you choose to cancel coverage, you can easily withdraw the remaining funds for any extra days through the Hugo site.

Is Hugo right for you?

Hugo could be a good option if you’re looking for basic liability coverage with flexible micropayments or short-term coverage. The company also offers medical payments coverage (MedPay) in most states where it operates. Liability-only coverage might not be right for many drivers, so make sure you understand the policy before you buy it.

Most states require drivers to have minimum coverage to register a car, and Hugo provides rapid proof of insurance. If you want to pay for just a few days and let coverage lapse, keep in mind the state can revoke your registration. Drivers could also face a 9% rate increase after an insurance lapse of less than 30 days, according to Insurify data and analysis.

If you don’t need the flexibility of micropayments and intend to remain insured for longer periods, you might find the best rates with traditional insurers. If you lease or finance your car, your lender or leasing company will require you to protect the vehicle with full-coverage car insurance, which Hugo doesn’t offer.

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How Hugo compares to other insurance companies

Hugo logo
User Reviews
4.1
IQ Score
The Insurify Quality (IQ) Score uses more than 15 criteria to objectively rate insurance companies on a one-to-ten scale. The Insurify editorial team researches insurer data to determine the final scores.
7.0 /10
Liability Only
Liability-only insurance, sometimes called minimum-coverage insurance, pays for bodily injury and property damage to others in an accident the policyholder causes. It does not pay for the insured’s own damages.
$222/mo
4.1
Best choiceBased on 127 verified guest reviews and ratings
How drivers feel about Hugo

Drivers appreciate the excellent prices, flexible payment options, and helpful customer service but dislike the lack of full coverage and difficulty reaching support.

AI-generated from the text of verified reviews collected by Insurify
Best For
Micropayments
No down payments
Fast coverage
How drivers feel about Hugo

Drivers appreciate the excellent prices, flexible payment options, and helpful customer service but dislike the lack of full coverage and difficulty reaching support.

AI-generated from the text of verified reviews collected by Insurify
Best For
Micropayments
No down payments
Fast coverage
Reviews (49)

Natalie

December 5, 2024

Verified Purchase

Great! Affordable Insurance!

Excellent! It fits perfectly into my budget. It gives me peace of mind every time I head out.

Marcus

December 2, 2024

Verified Review

Bad Company

They never sent the state a record that I had insurance.

Sara

November 26, 2024

Verified Review

Poor

The service is poor, but they allow pay-as-you-go.
See all Hugo reviews
JD Power
J.D. Power data measures overall customer satisfaction and claims satisfaction based on a 1,000-point scale.
NR
NAIC Index
Average amount of customer complaints relative to competitors on a 0-5 scale. A lower score represents fewer complaints.
NR
A.M. Best
A.M. Best analyzes an insurer’s financials, operating performance, business profile, and other factors to generate an opinion-based rating of a company’s financial and credit strength. Ratings range from A++ (exceptional) to D (poor).
NR
Why we picked this company

Launched in 2021, Hugo is currently the only insurance company offering policy terms as short as three days and the ability to make smaller, more frequent micropayments. Drivers open an account with Hugo without paying a down payment and choose their policy term.

Hugo sells policies for three, seven, 14, or 30 days, or six months, and offers minimum-coverage liability insurance and MedPay. Hugo no longer sells full-coverage policies, and liability policies are limited to state minimums — you can’t buy higher liability limits. Hugo offers a New Business Transfer discount for people with proof of prior insurance, and a multi-car discount.

Pros
  • Short-term policies

  • No down payment required

  • Micropayment option

Cons
  • Available in only 13 states

  • Full coverage not available

  • Doesn't sell liability coverage above state minimums

Hugo’s Unlimited Basic plan offers coverage that meets state-minimum liability requirements. It’s the only insurer offering policies as short as three days. Hugo isn’t currently offering full-coverage insurance.

Unlike some pay-per-mile insurers, like Metromile, Hugo doesn’t use a telematics system to monitor your driving behaviors. While telematics programs can help safe drivers save money, policyholders may also experience rate increases for sharp turns or hard braking.

Hugo offers only two discounts, it’s not rated by industry-rating companies like AM Best, and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) has no information on the company.

Factor
How Hugo Compares
RatesMonthly rates are above the national average, but drivers can split them up with micropayments
Customer serviceMore positive reviews on Trustpilot than many competitors
DiscountsDoesn’t offer discounts commonly available from other insurers
AvailabilityVery limited availability compared to competitors — Hugo’s only available in 13 states
Financial strengthDifficult to predict — AM Best hasn’t rated Hugo for financial strength
  • Insurify’s editorial team spent 350 hours developing the Insurify Quality (IQ) Score and scoring insurance companies. The IQ Score objectively analyzes and calculates a score for insurers using more than 15 crucial criteria. Criteria are weighted by importance to the consumer — factors such as customer reviews and affordability influence the score more than availability and third-party ratings.

    Insurify rates each company on a 1-to-5 scale based on five categories: financial ratings, customer satisfaction, affordability, customer support and transparency, and availability. Insurify updates ratings once a year or as more recent information becomes available.

    • Third-party financial ratings: We use data from AM Best, S&P, Moody’s, and more to compare insurance companies’ credit and ability to pay out future claims

    • Customer satisfaction: To calculate this score, Insurify analyzed more than 28,000 customer reviews across 155 car insurance companies. We also considered third-party ratings from J.D. Power, the NAIC, and Trustpilot.

    • Affordability: Our data scientists analyzed more than 90 million real-time auto insurance rates from our partners across the U.S., as well as available discounts, to calculate an affordability score.

    • Customer support and transparency: This measures coverage options, ease of claims filing, and the insurer’s transparency surrounding discounts, coverages, and claims process.

    • Availability and reach: Insurify scored availability and reach by identifying the number of states in which insurers offer coverage and company size by market share.

How drivers feel about Hugo

AM Best, J.D. Power, and the NAIC don’t have ratings or customer complaint information for Hugo, but Insurify has collected reviews from Hugo customers. You can also check sites like Trustpilot and even Reddit to find out what others say about the company.

Drivers describe an easy process and flexible product, and appreciate the payment options and instant proof of insurance. Some wish Hugo offered full coverage and a smartphone app. A few drivers found the coverage too expensive and reported difficulty contacting a representative by phone.

Hugo has nearly 19,000 reviews on Trustpilot and an overall rating of 4.8 stars (out of 5). A noteworthy 89% of those reviews are five-star, indicating a great experience, and just 2% are one-star reviews. It’s worth noting that Hugo replies to negative reviews on Trustpilot and attempts to either rectify the complaint or explain what happened to cause the problem.

Hugo customer reviews

Here are recent and verified customer reviews that Insurify has collected.

Natalie - December 5, 2024
Verified

Great! Affordable Insurance!

Excellent! It fits perfectly into my budget. It gives me peace of mind every time I head out.
Marcus - December 2, 2024
Verified

Bad Company

They never sent the state a record that I had insurance.
Sara - November 26, 2024
Verified

Poor

The service is poor, but they allow pay-as-you-go.
Michael - November 24, 2024
Verified

Excellent

Quick, easy, and cheap.

Hugo ratings

Third-party accreditation organizations like AM Best and J.D. Power have yet to rate Hugo, but other ratings for the company are available.

Rating
Score
What This Means
IQ Score7.0An IQ Score of 7.0 is a modest score. Hugo earns this score largely due to its limited availability in only 13 states.
ConsumersAdvocate3.8 (out of 5)The score evaluates coverage options, financial strength, pricing, claims satisfaction, and more. It’s worth noting that the rating factors in financial strength and customer experience information are for Hugo’s underwriting partner and not Hugo itself.
Trustpilot4.8 stars (out of 5)An excellent score indicates a high level of reviewer satisfaction.
Better Business Bureau (BBB)Not Rated (NR)The BBB hasn’t accredited Hugo.
Yelp1 star (out of 5)Hugo has only five reviews on Yelp. All are one-star reviews.
  • Our editorial team spent more than 350 hours developing the Insurify Quality (IQ) Score and scoring insurance companies. The IQ Score objectively analyzes and calculates a score for insurers using more than 15 crucial criteria. The team weighted criteria by importance to the consumer — factors such as customer reviews and affordability influence the score more than availability and third-party ratings.

    We rate each company on a 1 to 10 scale based on five categories: financial ratings, customer satisfaction, affordability, customer support and transparency, and availability. Insurify updates ratings once a year or as more recent information becomes available.

    • Third-party financial ratings: Insurify uses data from AM Best, S&P, Moody’s, and more to compare insurance companies’ credit and ability to pay out future claims.
    • Customer satisfaction: To calculate this score, Insurify analyzed more than 55,000 customer reviews across 155 car insurance companies. We also consider third-party ratings from J.D. Power, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, and Trustpilot.
    • Affordability: Our data scientists analyzed more than 90 million real-time auto insurance rates from our partners across the U.S., as well as available discounts, to calculate an affordability score.
    • Customer support and transparency: This measures coverage options, ease of claims filing, and the insurer's transparency surrounding discounts, coverages, and claims process.
    • Availability and reach: Insurify scores availability and reach by identifying the number of states in which insurers offer coverage and company size by market share.

Average cost of Hugo auto insurance

Hugo’s rates can vary significantly depending on the state where you live and other factors.

Hugo’s monthly average is $222 per Insurify data, though drivers with Hugo are likely splitting up that cost into numerous micropayments. The national monthly average for liability coverage is $105, so Hugo isn’t the cheapest option if you can afford the more significant monthly payments.

Hugo’s rates, like others, vary based on factors like age, gender, location, and driving record. Teenagers and drivers with moving violations like DUIs or at-fault accidents typically pay higher rates, and Hugo’s average quotes reflect that.

The following table illustrates how Hugo’s minimum-coverage rates can vary based on driver factors. This table reflects the average monthly quote, which doesn’t have to be paid all at once.

Driver
Hugo’s Average Monthly Quote
National Average Monthly Quote
Drivers with a clean record$222$105
Drivers with a speeding ticket$256$281
Drivers with an at-fault accident$322$293
Drivers with a DUI$366$333
Teen drivers$341$377
Senior drivers$171$156
Disclaimer: Table data sourced from real-time quotes from Insurify's 50-plus partner insurance providers and quote estimates from Quadrant Information Services. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer's unique driver profile.

How Hugo rates compare to competitors

Hugo’s best feature is its flexibility. You can buy and pay for only three days at a time, spreading out the premium into multiple micropayments.

It’s important to note, though, that if your leasing company or lender requires full coverage as part of your leasing or financing agreement, Hugo’s Unlimited Basic plan won’t offer enough coverage.

Here’s how Hugo’s monthly liability-only rates compare to some top competitors. Note that Hugo’s rates show one or two weeks of coverage since this is what most Hugo customers pay over the course of one month.

Liability-Only Rates by Insurance Company

Disclaimer: Table data sourced from real-time quotes from Insurify's 50-plus partner insurance providers. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer's unique driver profile.

Hugo car insurance costs by state

Location affects car insurance rates significantly because where you live can influence how likely you are to file a claim. For example, if your town has a lot of traffic congestion, you may be more likely to get into an accident.

Here’s how location affects Hugo’s average monthly quotes for liability coverage in the states where it’s available.

State
Hugo’s Average Monthly Quote
State Average Monthly Liability-Only Quote
Florida$342$156
Georgia$273$152
Illinois$145$79
Ohio$108$73
Texas$244$120
Disclaimer: Table data sourced from real-time quotes from Insurify's 50-plus partner insurance providers. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer's unique driver profile. Hugo is also available in Alabama, Arizona, Indiana, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. These states are omitted from this table due to insufficient rate data.

Cheapest recent rates

Drivers have found policies from State Farm, Allstate, Certainly, and more, for rates as low as $35/mo. through Insurify

*Quotes generated for Insurify users within the last 10 days. Last updated on December 19, 2024. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer’s unique driver profile.

Rates shown are real-time Insurify user quotes from 100+ insurance companies and Quadrant Information Services data. Insurify’s algorithm excludes anomalous quotes and anonymizes personal details, then displays refined quotes by price, date, and insurer popularity up to 10 days ago from December 19, 2024. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer’s unique driver profile.

*Quotes generated for Insurify users within the last 10 days. Last updated on December 19, 2024. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer’s unique driver profile.

Rates shown are real-time Insurify user quotes from 100+ insurance companies and Quadrant Information Services data. Insurify’s algorithm excludes anomalous quotes and anonymizes personal details, then displays refined quotes by price, date, and insurer popularity up to 10 days ago from December 19, 2024. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer’s unique driver profile.

How to turn car insurance on and off with Hugo

You can no longer turn your Hugo coverage on and off without facing consequences. Hugo used to offer a Flex plan that included that feature but currently only offers its Unlimited Basic plan: state-minimum liability coverage you can buy in small increments with no down payment or fees up front.

Turning your coverage off with Hugo’s available plan is effectively canceling your coverage. If you let your coverage lapse, Hugo may have to notify your state’s motor vehicle department, which could revoke your registration. If you want to cancel your coverage to switch to another plan, you can withdraw any unused funds left in your Hugo account.

Hugo Insurance FAQs

If you’re interested in learning more about Hugo, check out the additional information below.

  • Is Hugo legitimate?

    Yes. Hugo is a legitimate insurance company. It’s received positive ratings from customers and has a history of strong customer satisfaction. But Hugo is still a relatively new company and currently only available in 13 states.

  • Is Hugo car insurance worth it?

    It depends. Whether Hugo is worth it for you varies on your circumstances, including your location, driving habits, budget, and insurance needs.

    For drivers who could benefit from smaller, flexible payments, Hugo could be a more flexible option. But for drivers who want robust, customizable coverage, Hugo might not be the best fit.

  • What is the average cost of Hugo car insurance?

    The average monthly cost for Hugo is $222 for liability-only coverage. Rates vary depending on various factors, including where you live, your driving history, and more.

  • Is Hugo good at paying claims?

    As a relative newcomer, Hugo doesn’t have the financial stability of insurance giants like GEICO or Nationwide, and industry organizations like AM Best have yet to rate it. But Hugo’s track record of positive reviews indicates that it’s able to pay claims.

  • How do I cancel my Hugo insurance policy?

    You can cancel your Hugo auto insurance by logging into your Hugo account. Select “My Policy” in the bottom menu bar. At the top of the next screen, click the button to turn your policy off. Once you’ve turned your policy off, you can request a refund of any remaining balance in your account through the payment tab. Hugo provides detailed instructions on its website.

Methodology

Insurify data scientists analyzed more than 90 million quotes served to car insurance applicants in Insurify’s proprietary database to calculate the premium averages displayed on this page. These premiums are real quotes that come directly from Insurify’s 50+ partner insurance companies in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Quote averages represent the median price for a quote across the given coverage level, driver subset, and geographic area.

Unless otherwise specified, quoted rates reflect the average cost for drivers between 20 and 70 years old with a clean driving record and average or better credit (a credit score of 600 or higher).

Liability-only premium averages correspond to policies with the following coverage limits:

  • Bodily injury limits between state-minimum rates and $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident
  • Property damage limits between $10,000 and $50,000
  • No additional coverage
Full-coverage premium averages correspond to the same bodily injury and property damage limits in addition to:
  • Comprehensive coverage with a $1,000 deductible
  • Collision coverage with a $1,000 deductible

Quotes for Allstate, Farmers, GEICO, State Farm, and USAA are estimates based on Quadrant Information Services’ database of auto insurance rates.

Julia Taliesin
Julia TaliesinInsurance Content Writer

Julia Taliesin is an insurance content writer at Insurify. She began her career as a journalist, covering local government and business in Somerville, Mass. She reported multiple investigative stories about municipal finances and budget allocation, building development and inspection, and personnel. When the pandemic began she became a de facto public health reporter, writing daily and weekly reports using available data to quickly communicate rates of infection and city response.

She's worked for print and digital outlets, writing everything from quick-hit breaking news to long-form community features. More recently, Julia managed content strategy at a startup creating a social platform for licensed nurses, overseeing a team of nurse freelancers and editing interview transcripts and news articles for publication.

She holds a Bachelor's degree in communications from Simmons University, with a focus in journalism. Outside of work, Julia enjoys working on crafting projects, learning about homesteading, and singing in cover bands.

Evelyn Pimplaskar
Edited byEvelyn PimplaskarEditor-in-Chief, Director of Content
Evelyn Pimplaskar
Evelyn PimplaskarEditor-in-Chief, Director of Content
  • 10+ years in insurance and personal finance content

  • 30+ years in media, PR, and content creation

Evelyn leads Insurify’s content team. She’s passionate about creating empowering content to help people transform their financial lives and make sound insurance-buying decisions.

Featured in

media logomedia logomedia logo
Mark Friedlander
Reviewed byMark FriedlanderDirector, Corporate Communications, Triple-I
Mark Friedlander
Mark FriedlanderDirector, Corporate Communications, Triple-I
  • Corporate communications director for Insurance Information Institute

  • 20+ years in insurance and communications

As Director, Corporate Communications for Triple-I, Mark serves as the non-profit’s national spokesperson, sharing information and education on a wide array of insurance issues.

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