Hugo Car Insurance Review: Ratings and Quotes (2023)

If you’re shopping for car insurance online, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with a host of competing options. From established, national providers to upstart online insurers, you have plenty of car insurance companies to choose from. With its focus on simple, flexible, pay-as-you-go insurance, Hugo could be a good fit for some drivers.

What is Hugo car insurance?

Hugo Insurance is a relative newcomer to the auto insurance market. The company first released its beta platform in 2020 and officially launched in January 2021. The insurer currently offers on-demand auto insurance to drivers in nine states: Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Its exact policy offerings vary from state to state.

Hugo’s claim to fame is its flexible, on-demand auto insurance. Drivers can start and stop coverage at any time, only paying for as much as they need. For example, drivers can purchase as little as three days of coverage to start.

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How does Hugo auto insurance work?

Hugo offers flexible, on-demand coverage for drivers. Policyholders can make “micropayments” for coverage for three days up to six months at a time, depending on the plan. There are no up-front fees, and drivers can pay as they go with a $0 down payment. It takes just a few minutes to get coverage.

Whether Hugo is right for you as a driver depends on several factors. Most importantly, if you drive every day and don’t need the flexibility that comes with the ability to pause or turn off coverage, then Hugo may not be the best insurance company for you. If you want to be able to completely customize your policy and specify exact coverage types and amounts, Hugo may also not be the best fit. But if you’re looking for flexible, affordable auto insurance and only drive occasionally, Hugo could be a good option.

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Hugo auto insurance coverage

Hugo offers three different coverage options: 

• Flex: Hugo’s flex plan allows drivers to purchase three, seven, 14, or 30 days of coverage at a time. After purchasing a set number of days, drivers can turn their coverage on or off whenever they need to. For example, if a driver doesn’t plan to drive for a given day, they can turn their policy off for that day. The flex plan meets state minimum insurance requirements.

• Basic: Hugo’s basic plan is similar to the flex plan but doesn’t give drivers the option to stop or start coverage at will. Drivers can purchase coverage in the same intervals of three, seven, 14, or 30 days, as well as coverage for a full six months. In addition to liability coverage, medical coverage and accidental death coverage are also available on the basic plan.

• Full: Hugo’s full plan is a “full-coverage” policy. While the meaning of “full-coverage” can vary among insurers, in Hugo’s case, it means that the policy includes not only liability insurance but also comprehensive, collision, medical, and accidental death coverage. Drivers can purchase coverage in intervals of three, seven, 14, or 30 days or six months.

How to get a car insurance quote from Hugo

To get a quote from Hugo, you can submit a quote request with Insurify. Not only will you get a personalized quote from Hugo, but you’ll also get quotes from other similar car insurance companies. This makes it easy to compare insurers all at once to select the policy that best meets your needs.

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Hugo car insurance cost by state

Car insurance requirements and prices vary depending on various factors, including the state you live in.^[1] Here’s how much Hugo car insurance costs on average in different states for liability-only coverage:

Hugo auto insurance rates by driving history

Your driving history is another factor that can affect your insurance rates. For example, if you have a speeding ticket or a DUI on your driving record, it could increase your rates. On the other hand, if you have a clean driving record and no history of accidents, your rates may be lower.^[1] Here’s how your driving record can affect car insurance rates with Hugo:

Hugo car insurance cost by age

Younger drivers, especially teenagers, tend to pay more for car insurance, while middle-aged drivers pay less.^[1] However, older drivers in their 70s and 80s may see a slight increase in rates. Here’s how Hugo car insurance rates can change with a driver’s age:

Hugo car insurance discounts

Hugo offers one potentially significant discount: the ability for drivers to purchase a limited amount of insurance coverage and pause it when they need to. With Hugo’s flex plan, drivers can turn coverage on and off at any time, which means they’re only paying for the days they need coverage. This can be especially helpful for policyholders who may not drive very often or only need coverage for a few days at a time.

Read More: Car Insurance Discount Guide

Hugo Insurance bundling options

Hugo currently only offers auto insurance, so there’s no option to bundle car insurance with another type of policy.

Hugo Insurance reviews and ratings

Although Hugo is a relative newcomer to the insurance field, it has garnered positive reviews from customers who appreciate the flexibility and convenience of pay-as-you-go car insurance.

Hugo customer reviews

Hugo’s site features a variety of positive customer reviews from Trustpilot. However, not all reviews are as positive. Some customers, for example, claim that Hugo representatives are hard to get in contact with, writing that “It has been a real pain to get a hold of someone to help.”

Hugo vs. other insurance providers

Hugo may offer a fairly new and unique insurance product, but there’s plenty of competition when it comes to coverage, affordability, and customer satisfaction. Top competitors include companies like Mile Auto, Nationwide, and State Farm.

Hugo vs. Mile Auto

Mile Auto is an online car insurance company that may rival Hugo’s flexibility. Instead of paying a flat rate for car insurance no matter how much — or how little — you drive, Mile Auto charges drivers based on how they drive. Mile Auto charges a base rate and then a per-mile rate every month, based on how many miles you drove. For example, if your base rate is $48 a month and $0.05 per mile, you may pay $58 if you drive 200 miles in a month.

Mile Auto’s average monthly costs for car insurance are $126 a month for full coverage and $107 for liability only. This is much lower than Hugo’s average monthly rates for full-coverage ($211) and liability-only ($162) car insurance.

Hugo vs. Nationwide

Nationwide is also a well-known insurance provider that offers auto insurance policies that are more traditional than Hugo’s. Nationwide offers auto insurance as well as a wide variety of other insurance and financial products, including homeowners insurance, renters insurance, life insurance, pet insurance, investment accounts, and more.

Unlike Hugo, Nationwide doesn’t offer customers the ability to stop and start auto insurance as they need to. However, Nationwide does have a SmartMiles pay-per-mile program that charges drivers based on how many miles they drive in a month. Nationwide’s insurance policies cost an average of $182 a month for full coverage and $167 a month for liability only. Compared to Hugo’s average monthly rates — $211 for full coverage and $162 for liability only — Nationwide may have only slightly cheaper rates.

Hugo vs. State Farm

State Farm is another reputable insurer that offers auto insurance as well as homeowners insurance, renters insurance, small-business insurance, life insurance, health insurance, disability insurance, and more.

Whereas Hugo offers flexible, pay-as-you-go auto insurance, State Farm offers traditional auto insurance policies. These policies tend to be more comprehensive and customizable than Hugo’s offerings, but they may also cost more depending on how much coverage you need and how often you drive. State Farm auto insurance policies cost an average of $175 a month for full coverage and $167 a month for liability-only coverage.

Hugo car insurance pros and cons 

Filing an auto insurance claim with Hugo

If you get into an accident or if something happens to your vehicle, you need to file a claim for your car insurance company to reimburse you for damages or medical costs. A claim details exactly what happened and when it happened, so that your insurance company can verify the incident and approve or reject your claim.

To file a claim with Hugo, head to its website, then click the “Help” button in the footer. Then select “File a Claim” from the list of options, and select your state. Hugo will then show you the correct phone number to call in order to get help submitting a claim.

See More: Why Do Car Insurance Companies Deny Claims?

Hugo Insurance FAQs