Hugo is a real, licensed business, not a scam. It operates as Hugo Insurance Services LLC, a licensed insurance agency, together with an affiliated company called Popular Lab Co. Since 2024, Hugo has also run its own reciprocal insurer, Hugo Insurance Exchange, so some Hugo policies are now underwritten by that Hugo-managed exchange instead of an outside insurance company.
Hugo is best known for a pay-as-you-go car insurance app that sells coverage in short blocks instead of a standard six-month policy. Before you sign up, it helps to know which entity actually issues your policy, how Hugo is paid, and what its privacy policy says about your information.
Key Takeaways
- Hugo Insurance Services LLC is a licensed insurance agency. Texas’s own public agency-license data lists the same Texas license number shown on Hugo’s licenses page, an easy way to confirm the claim outside Hugo’s own site.
- Since 2024, Hugo has also managed its own reciprocal insurer, Hugo Insurance Exchange. Hugo’s site says the exchange pays its manager “a simple flat fee,” which is different from a typical per-policy agent commission.
- Hugo’s privacy policy says it does not sell personal information for money, but it does share your data with insurance partners to place a policy and with advertising partners for targeted ads.
- Hugo is not available everywhere yet. Its own site marks states as either currently available or still in progress, so confirm your state and which entity would issue the policy before you buy.
What Hugo Is and Who Runs It
Hugo’s own terms describe the business as “Popular Lab Co. and Hugo Insurance Services (collectively, ‘Hugo’),” so two related companies sit behind the Hugo brand. The Better Business Bureau lists the licensed entity as Hugo Insurance Services LLC, doing business as Popular Lab Co. and Hugo Insurance, with a business start date of November 12, 2019. As of September 2026, the BBB accredits the business and gives it an A+ rating; accreditation is voluntary, and the BBB describes a rating as its own opinion rather than a guarantee.
| Question | Short Answer |
|---|---|
| Is it an insurance company? | Partly. It’s a licensed agency, and since 2024 it has also managed its own reciprocal insurer. |
| Legal names | Hugo Insurance Services LLC and Popular Lab Co. (together, Hugo); the insurer is Hugo Insurance Exchange. |
| In business since | November 12, 2019, the BBB’s listed business start date. |
| How it’s paid | A flat fee to manage the exchange; not specified for policies placed with outside insurers. |
| Data practice | Says it does not sell data for money, but shares it with insurance and advertising partners. |
Independent confirmation: Texas’s public agency-license data lists “HUGO INSURANCE SERVICES LLC” in Santa Monica, California, with Texas license 2501962, active through March 2028. That matches the Texas number on Hugo’s own licenses page, which lists numbers in nearly all 50 states plus Washington, D.C.
How Hugo Insurance Exchange Works
Hugo Insurance Exchange, or HEX, is what Hugo’s own page calls “a reciprocal insurance company founded in 2024 and managed by Hugo Insurance Services LLC.” A reciprocal exchange is owned by its policyholders rather than by shareholders, and it hires a manager, known as an attorney-in-fact, to run day-to-day operations.
Hugo’s page says that manager is paid “a simple flat fee” to run the exchange, which is different from the commission an outside insurer typically pays an agent for each policy sold. The page also lists a Subscribers’ Advisory Committee that represents policyholders’ interests.
Hugo is not available everywhere yet. Its homepage shows coverage state by state, marking some as currently available and others as still in progress. When Hugo can’t offer a policy through its own exchange, its terms say it may, at your direction, share your information with additional insurance partners to help find you a policy. In that case, a separate insurance company would issue the policy and set the price.
What Happens to Your Information
Hugo’s privacy policy, part of its combined legal page, lists a long set of data it collects: contact details, date of birth, government ID or Social Security number, vehicle and driving history, payment card and bank account information, plus location and device data. It also uses tools that record parts of your visit to the site.
The policy draws a line between selling and sharing data. Hugo says, “we do not sell your Personal Information for monetary consideration.” At the same time, it says it shares information with insurance partners to provide you with a policy, and with advertising partners for interest-based ads.
For marketing, Hugo may contact you by phone call, text message or email. To stop text messages, reply UNSUBSCRIBE; marketing emails include an unsubscribe link at the bottom.
Before You Sign Up With Hugo
- Ask which entity issues your policy: Confirm whether Hugo Insurance Exchange or an outside insurance partner is underwriting your coverage, since that company is who pays a covered claim.
- Check your state: Hugo’s coverage map shows availability by state, and it isn’t the same everywhere.
- Read the privacy policy: It lists exactly what Hugo collects and which partners receive it.
- Verify the license yourself: Search “Hugo Insurance Services LLC” with your state insurance department, findable through the NAIC’s directory of state insurance departments.
The same checks apply to any comparison app or pay-as-you-go insurer. For a longer walk-through, including how to look up a state license yourself, see whether Policygenius is legit.
For a site that is a comparison and education platform rather than a licensed agency, see whether Insurance Panda is legit. For another licensed agency built around its own app, see whether Jerry is legit.
If you’re weighing pay-as-you-go coverage against a standard policy, you can also compare car insurance quotes using the same coverage limits and deductible on each one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hugo Insurance Exchange the Same Company as Popular Lab Co.?
No. Popular Lab Co. and Hugo Insurance Services LLC operate the Hugo brand and its licensed agency business. Hugo Insurance Exchange is a separate reciprocal insurer that Hugo Insurance Services LLC manages as attorney-in-fact. They work together, but they are not the same legal entity.
Where Can I Complain About Hugo?
Start with Hugo directly. If that doesn’t resolve things, your state insurance department licenses insurance agencies and reciprocal exchanges and handles consumer complaints, and you can find yours through the NAIC’s directory.
Sources
- Hugo Insurance: Terms and Privacy Policy
- Hugo Insurance: Licenses
- Hugo Insurance: Hugo Insurance Exchange
- Texas Department of Insurance: Insurance Agencies and Businesses Approved to Manage Insurance-Related Products
- BBB: Hugo Insurance Services LLC Business Profile
- BBB: Overview of BBB Ratings
- NAIC: How to Choose an Insurance Agent
- NAIC: Insurance Departments