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