EXHIBIT 23.1 The Board of Directors Mercury General Corporation: We consent to incorporation by reference in the Registration Statement No. 333-01583 on Form S-8 of Mercury General Corporation of our reports dated February 4, 2000, relating to the consolidated balance sheets of Mercury General Corporation and subsidiaries as of December 31, 1999 and 1998, and the related consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, shareholders' equity and cash flows and related schedules for each of the years in the three year period ended December 31, 1999, which reports appear in the December 31, 1999 annual report on Form 10-K of Mercury General Corporation. KPMG LLP Los Angeles, California March 28, 2000