If you’re weighing State Farm against The General after a DUI, a lapse in coverage, or a string of tickets, the short answer is that they solve different problems. State Farm tends to reward drivers who stick around and improve their record, while The General specializes in getting high-risk drivers covered fast, even with a thin or messy history.
Both carriers write policies for people standard insurers turn away, but the path each one takes to get you there looks nothing alike.
How These Two Companies Actually Differ
State Farm is a traditional, agent-based insurer. That matters once you’ve been labeled high-risk, because a local agent can walk you through an SR-22 filing, explain why your premium jumped, and point you toward discounts that offset the increase. The trade-off is that State Farm can be more selective about who it accepts at a standard rate — some drivers with a recent DUI or multiple at-fault accidents get quoted a higher premium, and a few get declined and referred to a non-standard option instead.
The General, on the other hand, built its entire business around drivers that other insurers reject. It’s a non-standard carrier, which means it prices risk differently from the start instead of treating a bad record as an exception. You’ll rarely get turned away outright, but the rates reflect that broader acceptance — premiums can run higher than what a driver with a clean record would pay elsewhere.
Here’s the part that trips people up: easier to get approved and cheaper aren’t the same thing. The General tends to accept a wider range of driving histories, but that doesn’t automatically translate to a lower bill. If you’ve read the State Farm review and the The General review side by side, you’ll notice each one leans into a different strength — long-term support and savings versus speed and acceptance.
Rates, SR-22 Filing, and Requirements
Both companies can typically file an SR-22 on your behalf in states that require one, and the filing fee itself is usually modest — the cost increase you notice comes mostly from the underlying premium, not the paperwork. State Farm’s agents generally handle the filing directly and can walk you through state-specific deadlines. The General processes most SR-22 requests online, which some drivers prefer if they’d rather skip an in-person conversation about their record.
Where the two tend to diverge is in how the rate can change over time. State Farm’s Drive Safe & Save program tracks driving habits through a phone app or connected device and can lower your premium if your habits check out. Results vary by driver — how much does Drive Safe & Save save? depends heavily on your mileage, braking patterns, and how much of your driving happens during lower-risk hours. The General generally doesn’t offer a comparable telematics discount in most markets, so its pricing tends to stay closer to a flat high-risk rate until enough time passes for you to requalify for a lower tier.
Compare agent support and telematics savings before you commit to a policy.
Drive Safe & Save
Track your driving habits and work toward a lower premium over time.
Local agent support
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What You Need to Know Before Choosing
Your specific violation matters more than the company name on the policy. A single speeding ticket looks different to an underwriter than a DUI or a coverage lapse, and each insurer weighs those factors on its own scale.
Ask yourself how long you expect to carry high-risk coverage. If your record is likely to clear up within a year or two, a program built around improving your rate — like Drive Safe & Save — can pay off over time. If you just need something in place this week so you can register a car, the faster acceptance path usually matters more than a long-term discount.
It’s also worth comparing actual quotes instead of assuming one company is automatically cheaper. Non-standard carriers sometimes beat traditional insurers for drivers with a DUI, while traditional insurers sometimes beat non-standard carriers for drivers with only a ticket or two on their record. Running both quotes is the only way to know for sure which applies to you.
One more thing worth checking: whether your state even requires an SR-22 for your specific violation, since not every high-risk situation triggers one. Getting that detail wrong can lead you to overpay for a filing you didn’t actually need.
✅ Read the full State Farm review →
Conclusion
There’s no universal winner between State Farm and The General — the right pick depends on how serious your record is and how patient you can be while your rate improves. State Farm tends to suit drivers who want to rebuild their standing and eventually pay less through a program like Drive Safe & Save.
The General tends to suit drivers who need a policy in place now and are willing to revisit pricing later. Either way, pulling an actual quote from both is the only reliable way to see which one fits your specific situation.