Hugo Insurance

Independent Sources

Shown for context — not merged with USAComplaints' own numbers.

Contacts

• Official website: https://www.withhugo.com/
• Customer support: 515-303-2410
• Customer support: [email protected]
• First Acceptance claims (if your policy is placed with First Acceptance): 1-800-779-2103
• First Acceptance claims (alternate, slower): [email protected]
• Bristol West claims (if your policy is placed with Bristol West): 1-800-274-7865 1 complaint mentions this number
• Bristol West full-coverage quote line: 1-800-643-2340

Locations

Have a Hugo pay-as-you-go auto policy, or in an accident with one? What to check

Hugo (withhugo.com) sells a "six-month policy that you can pay at your own pace" liability auto policy. For policies placed with First Acceptance or Bristol West, Hugo says it is only a broker: "We here at Hugo are your broker and are not part of the claims process, but we're always here to help direct you to your carrier so you can file a claim." That statement does not extend to Hugo Insurance Exchange (HEX) policies, where Hugo itself holds direct claims authority as HEX's attorney-in-fact (see below). Depending on which carrier actually underwrote your policy, your documents will point you to one of three places:

• First Acceptance: claims department at 1-800-779-2103 (Mon–Fri 7am–8pm CST, Sat&Sun 8am–5pm CST) or by emailing [email protected] (Hugo's help center calls the email route slower).
• Bristol West: claims department at 1-800-274-7865 (phone Mon–Fri 8am–7pm EST); outside those hours Hugo directs members to Bristol West's website.
• Hugo Insurance Exchange (HEX): a reciprocal insurance exchange that, per its own materials, is owned by its policyholders and managed by Hugo Insurance Services LLC as attorney-in-fact. Unlike the First Acceptance/Bristol West arrangement above, HEX's own publicly posted Attorney-in-Fact Agreement gives Hugo Insurance Services LLC, as AIF, the authority and duty to "[r]eceive proofs of loss, investigate and pay claims on behalf of and at the expense of the Exchange," directly or "through one or more third party claims administrator(s)"; Hugo's general claims navigation (log in to the member account, click the Help icon, then "File a claim") applies to HEX members too, but no separate published HEX claims phone number was found on withhugo.com or in HEX's posted legal documents as of September 29, 2026. HEX policy numbers "will also always start with 'HEX'" — check your bind packet (the documents you signed when you bought the policy) to see which of the three applies to you.

If you are a third party filing a claim against a Hugo member, Hugo's help center says to go to withhugo.com, click the help icon, choose "File a claim," and enter the other driver's policy number.

Paying, reloading and cancelling. Hugo's payment model works in small increments: an initial payment can cover as little as 3, 7, 14 or 30 days (the minimum varies by applicant), and coverage is then paid for a day at a time out of a prepaid Hugo account balance, either manually ("pay at your own pace") or via Auto Reload, which charges a card on a schedule the member sets. A payment-processing charge of about 1.1 percent of the purchase amount plus $0.37 is shown at checkout, which Hugo's help center says is "subject to change." Per Hugo's help center: "When you turn on Auto Reload, we'll automatically reload your Hugo account with enough money to cover 3, 7, 14, or 30 days (you choose!) of insurance every time your balance hits $0." Auto Reload can be turned on at checkout or from the member account, and turned off at any time (some states require a minimum 14-day balance to use it). If a scheduled Auto Reload charge fails, Hugo's help center says: "we'll send you a notification immediately and unsubscribe you from Auto Reload. You'll have 24 hours from the time your payment fails to add money to your account, or cancel your insurance coverage." If a member does neither within that 24-hour window, Hugo's help center says the member enters a "Warning Period" lasting 10 to 16 days depending on state: coverage stays active, and "every day your insurance remains active in Warning Period, you'll owe us 1 day of coverage," which the member can repay "at cost - no extra fees or interest" to exit Warning Period early; "if you don't repay your balance owed to Hugo by the end of warning period, your coverage will be cancelled." Separately, if a member's balance runs out, Hugo's help center describes three options: request a policy cancellation (through the app's My Policy start/cancel toggle — the rate may change on restart), request a temporary coverage extension (the member owes the flat daily rate for days used, with "no extra fees or interest," but must repay before the extension ends or the policy cancels), or carpool/take public transportation until money is added and the policy is reactivated (as little as one day's coverage can be purchased at a time). Hugo's own page also warns: "when you cancel your insurance coverage your carrier must report this lapse to your state." Once coverage is cancelled, Hugo's help center says members "can request a refund for any remaining money in your Hugo account" from the Balance History screen under the app's Payment tab; per the same article, "the refund will have to go back to the card(s) that added the money to your Hugo account in the first place. It can take up to 10 days for your funds to get back to that card." Separately, Hugo's help center says a member can also request a refund at any time while the policy stays active, without cancelling: "we do require you leave enough money in your account to meet our minimum balance requirement," an amount that "depends on your daily rate and your state." South Carolina has different rules: no coverage extension is offered there; instead members get up to 16 days of grace period before being "cancelled for nonpayment," and members who want to cancel within the first 60 days of a new policy must attest to having other insurance or having sold/disposed of the vehicle.

If your policy is with HEX specifically, cancellation also affects a "Surplus Contribution" (Hugo's page says it is "typically 10% of premium") that HEX collects as part of every HEX premium. Per HEX's own Subscriber's Agreement: "If AIF or you cancel your policy before it has expired, AIF will return any Surplus Contributions applicable to the cancelled policy term, without interest, pro-rated based on the fraction of the policy term that has elapsed and subject to the restrictions set forth in Section 8 below. All other Surplus Contributions, including those made by you for previous policy terms, will be retained by the Exchange." Section 8 of that same Agreement lets the AIF withhold this return in some circumstances: "AIF may reduce, suspend, or delay payment of a dividend, SSA balance, or return of a Surplus Contribution if required to do so by the Mississippi Department, if AIF determines payment poses a risk to the Exchange's financial condition, or if the Exchange otherwise faces a hazardous financial condition."

Coverage limits to know before you buy or dispute a claim: Hugo's help center describes its core product as a traditional liability policy that "meets state requirements" but, as of September 29, 2026, does not include Roadside Assistance, Towing, Rental Insurance, Comprehensive coverage, Collision coverage, or SR-22s; Medical Coverage and Accidental Death Coverage are offered separately as additional coverage options. Hugo's help center also states that "our policies at Hugo do not extend to ride share driving or food delivery. This includes Uber, Lyft, Instacart, Door Dash, and other app-based services." A lienholder can check a Hugo policyholder's current status at withhugo.com/lienholder-support by entering the vehicle's VIN, the policyholder's zip code, and the policyholder's last name.

• Find your bind packet / policy documents to identify which carrier (First Acceptance, Bristol West, or HEX) actually holds your policy before calling anyone.
• Call the matching claims line above, not Hugo's general support line, to start a claim.
• For billing or Auto Reload disputes, contact Hugo directly at [email protected] or 515-303-2410, and check whether Auto Reload is turned on in the account (BBB reviews show at least one dispute traced to Auto Reload being left on).
• If you can't resolve a billing, claims or licensing issue with Hugo or its carrier, your state's Department of Insurance accepts consumer complaints about licensed agents, brokers and insurers. In California, that's the Department of Insurance's consumer help page (insurance.ca.gov/01-consumers/101-help/) or its consumer hotline, 1-800-927-4357.

Pennsylvania regulator action: 2024 consent order over "pause"/"turn off" advertising

On December 9, 2024, the Pennsylvania Insurance Department entered a Consent Order (Docket No. CO24-11-015) against Hugo Insurance Services LLC, which the Order identifies as a licensed non-resident producer agency. The Department's Findings of Fact state that starting around April 2022, Hugo's advertising and marketing for its automobile insurance program used statements including "Car in the shop? Pay $0 on insurance," "Micropayments, on demand coverage," "Only pay for what you use," "Pay Only When You Go with Hugo," "Press pause on big insurance bills," "Turn Off to save Car insurance," "Turn On to drive Off to save," "$0 per day when you don't drive. That's Hugo!" and "Pay when you drive, save when you don't. It's that simple." The Department found that these statements "misconstrue the true nature of the automobile insurance program, leading a proposed insured to believe they can 'pause' and/or 'turn on/off' their insurance coverage," when "the program actually involves the insured cancelling coverage each time, which could lead to increased fees each time, as well as increased rating costs when switching insurers in the future."

Hugo Insurance Services LLC waived its right to a formal administrative hearing and agreed that the Consent Order, including these Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law, would "have the full force and effect of an Order duly entered"; the Order itself does not include separate language stating Hugo admitted or denied the underlying conduct. Under the Order, Hugo must cease and desist from advertising or soliciting Pennsylvania auto insurance with language suggesting coverage can be "paused" or "turned on/off," or phrases such as "pay when you drive" or "pay for what you use," unless it also discloses, no later than the time of application, that any "stop" or "pause" in coverage is a cancellation that could affect the insured's future rating and coverage costs. Hugo also agreed to pay a $10,000 civil penalty within 14 days of the Order's final execution, and the Department may suspend Hugo's Pennsylvania license, for up to five years from the Order's date, if it later finds a term of the Order was not followed. This Order concerns specific 2022–2024 advertising language found in Pennsylvania; it is not a Department finding about Hugo's current advertising, about states other than Pennsylvania, or about the insurance coverage or claims-handling practices described elsewhere on this page.

Company background: an agency, a reciprocal exchange, and two other carriers

Hugo's Terms of Use state that the withhugo.com site and app are "offered by Popular Lab Co. and Hugo Insurance Services (collectively, 'Hugo')." The Better Business Bureau's file for "Hugo Insurance Services" (West Hollywood, CA) lists it as a Limited Liability Company, gives "Popular Lab Co." and "Hugo Insurance Services LLC" as alternate names of the same file, and reports a business-start/incorporation date of November 12, 2019. BBB's licensing section shows "a license number of 6001093 for this business, issued by 11-Department of Insurance," expiring January 31, 2028 (per the raw data behind BBB's page) — matching the California resident producer license Hugo lists on its own withhugo.com/licenses page. That same page lists non-resident producer licenses for Hugo Insurance Services LLC in 46 additional states plus Washington, D.C. (every state except Alaska, Delaware and Hawaii).

Separately, Hugo's own homepage shows an interactive state-by-state map with two labeled categories: 17 states marked "Currently available" — Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia — and 3 further states (Michigan, North Carolina and Wisconsin) marked "Work in progress." The remaining licensed states are shown in neither map color and carry no label on the map. Being licensed to sell insurance in a state is not the same as the product currently being sold or actively planned there.

Hugo's /hex page states that Hugo Insurance Exchange ("HEX") "is a reciprocal insurance company founded in 2024 and managed by Hugo Insurance Services LLC. It is entirely owned by its policyholders." HEX's own publicly posted Attorney-in-Fact Agreement (effective May 30, 2024) identifies "Hugo Insurance Exchange, a Mississippi reciprocal insurance exchange" and "Hugo Insurance Services LLC, a California limited liability company," with Hugo Insurance Services LLC acting as HEX's "Attorney-in-Fact" (AIF) — the manager that, per the Attorney-in-Fact Agreement's "Management Services" section (§2), "shall furnish all senior management, employees, and resources" to run the exchange, including underwriting and issuing policies, receiving proofs of loss, and investigating and paying claims (directly or through third-party claims administrators), in exchange for a fee. HEX's Bylaws set its statutory home office "within the State of Mississippi" under the Mississippi Insurance Code, with an "initial principal administrative office" at 225 Santa Monica Blvd, 10th Floor, Santa Monica, CA — a different address from the West Hollywood mailing address (8605 Santa Monica Blvd PMB 32146) that Hugo Insurance Services LLC/Popular Lab Co. uses on its own site, BBB profile and Trustpilot listing. HEX policyholders are represented by a Subscribers' Advisory Committee that, per the Bylaws, has the power to "Remove the Attorney-in-Fact ... and appoint a new attorney-in-fact"; Hugo's site names the Committee's chair as John Finston, whom the site describes as having served as General Counsel to the California Department of Insurance — Hugo's own claim, not independently verified here.

For policies not placed with HEX, Hugo's own help center identifies First Acceptance and Bristol West as the other two carriers whose policies it distributes; a Trustpilot reply from Hugo (September 2026) adds that Hugo has "partnered with Bristol West to offer full coverage quotes to Hugo members," separate from Hugo's own policy, which is primarily liability coverage. Hugo also runs an independent-agent partner program (withhugo.com/agents), inviting agents to sell Hugo policies for commission.

BBB's "Business Management" listing for Hugo Insurance Services names Mr. David Bergendahl as CEO and Mr. Peter P. as Customer Relations Supervisor — consistent with the first names "David" (listed as CEO) and "Pete" (listed under Support) on Hugo's own /about "Hugonauts" team page, which otherwise gives first names only.

Separately, the Mississippi Insurance Department's company licensing search (apps.mid.ms.gov, checked September 30, 2026) lists a company under NAIC ID 36765 named "Hugo Insurance Exchange," company license #8100053, home office 4780 I-55 N, Ste. 116 PMB 32146, Jackson, MS 39211, with an issue date of 8/1/1981 — a different date from Hugo's own withhugo.com/hex page, quoted above, stating HEX "is a reciprocal insurance company founded in 2024." Both dates come directly from their respective sources; this page draws no conclusion of its own about any relationship between the entity behind NAIC 36765 before 2024 and Hugo Insurance Exchange as marketed today.

Complaint record: USAComplaints, BBB and Trustpilot, reported separately

Several sources track feedback about Hugo, and this page reports each separately rather than blending them into one figure:

• USAComplaints: 0 complaints submitted about Hugo Insurance on this site as of September 29, 2026.
• BBB: Hugo Insurance Services (West Hollywood, CA) has been BBB Accredited since March 12, 2026, with a BBB Rating of A+. BBB's complaints tab shows 18 complaints in the last three years, with 11 closed in the last 12 months; of the 18 complaints, BBB's own complaint-type filter (checked September 29, 2026) shows: Service or Repair Issues (7), Product Issues (4), Billing Issues (3), Customer Service Issues (2), and Sales and Advertising Issues (2). One answered complaint reviewed for this page, filed July 15, 2026, describes a third party in a Georgia accident disputing a denied liability claim against a Hugo policyholder — an allegation from the complainant, not an independently verified fact. Separately, BBB's customer-review score for the same profile is 1 out of 5 from 4 customer reviews; all four reviews are 1-star, and Hugo replied to each one. Two of the four reviews concern Hugo not offering full coverage or roadside assistance/towing (Hugo's replies confirm this and recommend third-party comparison sites), one calls the company a "scam" (Hugo's reply says no matching account or contact was found), and one describes unexpected recurring charges that Hugo's reply attributes to the Auto Reload feature being left on.
• Trustpilot: a profile titled "Hugo Insurance Services Reviews" showing 4.8 out of 5 from 37,337 reviews (89% five-star, 6% four-star, 2% three-star, under 1% two-star, 2% one-star), with 10,005 of those reviews posted in the last 12 months. Trustpilot ranks the profile "#7 of 42 best companies in Auto Insurance Agency" and "#13 of 37 best companies in Insurance Broker." Trustpilot's own transparency panel discloses that Hugo "asks customers to review, whether positive or negative," has "replied to 100% of negative reviews," typically replies within 24 hours, and "may use AI-assist with replies."

Because each source covers a different population, time window and methodology, none of these figures is added to or averaged with any other. Readers may notice that Hugo's BBB customer-review score (1 out of 5 from 4 reviews) is far lower than its Trustpilot score (4.8 out of 5 from 37,337 reviews, a profile Hugo actively solicits reviews for); this page reports that gap without drawing a conclusion from it. BBB does not itself verify the truth of complaint or review content; it displays what complainants and reviewers submit, along with the company's replies.

Is Hugo Insurance Legitimate?

Hugo's own licenses page lists a California resident producer license (#6001093); BBB's raw licensing data shows this license as issued by the (California) Department of Insurance and expiring January 31, 2028 (BBB's own rendered page can display licensing dates a day earlier due to time-zone conversion), and Hugo's site lists non-resident producer licenses in 46 other states plus Washington, D.C. Hugo Insurance Services LLC has also been BBB-accredited (A+) since March 2026. It distributes policies underwritten by First Acceptance, by Bristol West, and by Hugo Insurance Exchange (HEX), a Mississippi-domiciled reciprocal insurance exchange that Hugo Insurance Services LLC manages under a publicly posted Attorney-in-Fact Agreement and Bylaws; which of the three is the actual insurer for a given policy is shown in that member's own policy documents. A search of CourtListener's federal case database on September 29, 2026 for Hugo Insurance Services, Hugo Insurance Exchange, Popular Lab Co. and withhugo did not turn up any lawsuit naming these entities as a party — a scoped finding limited to that search, not a claim that no such records exist anywhere. California's own "Check a License" lookup (cdicloud.insurance.ca.gov) returned an automated-traffic block ("The request is blocked") on repeated attempts on September 29 and 30, 2026, so the individual license record for producer #6001093 was not retrieved directly from that tool. Separately, in December 2024 Hugo Insurance Services LLC consented to a Pennsylvania Insurance Department order over past advertising language, and Mississippi's Insurance Department has a decades-old company license record tied to the NAIC number Hugo now uses for Hugo Insurance Exchange — both detailed in the sections above. BBB shows 18 complaints in the last three years and a 1-out-of-5 customer-review average from 4 reviews, while Trustpilot shows a 4.8-out-of-5 average from 37,337 reviews on a profile Hugo actively solicits reviews for. This page assigns Hugo no rating, score or "scam" label of its own; readers can weigh the licensing, structure, regulatory and complaint record above for themselves.

Court & Public Records

Frequently Asked Questions