In this article:
Are you looking for auto insurance? Esurance offers insurance for cars and a wide range of other vehicles, as well as life insurance, homeowners insurance, health insurance and much more. Here's everything you need to know to decide if car insurance from Esurance is right for you.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Robust, easy-to-use website and mobile app | Auto insurance not offered in all states |
| Wide range of insurance products available, including rideshare insurance | Does not sell earthquake insurance; rideshare insurance available only in CA, IL and NJ |
| Offers the "married rate" to domestic partners | Many insurance products are offered through partners, not through Esurance itself |
| Many ways to earn discounts on premiums | No physical locations or dedicated insurance agents; all interaction is online or by phone |
| Esurance Customer Service 800-378-7262 P.O. Box 5250 |
Experian Review
Founded in 1999, Esurance was one of the first companies to sell auto insurance online. It uses technology to make insurance simpler and more affordable by eliminating the middleman (insurance agents and offices) and selling insurance directly to consumers.
In 2011, Esurance became part of Allstate, the largest publicly owned personal insurer in the nation. This allowed Esurance to expand into more product lines, upgrade its A.M. Best financial strength rating from A to A+ and benefit from Allstate's decades of experience in handling claims. According to J.D. Power's 2020 U.S. Auto Insurance Satisfaction Study, Esurance ranked above average in California and below average in Florida and the North Central region. It did not rank in other regions covered in the study.
Today, Esurance sells car insurance in 43 states. If you live in Alaska; Delaware; Hawaii; Montana; New Hampshire; Vermont; Washington, D.C.; or Wyoming—where Esurance doesn't sell coverage—you can still use the site to get a car insurance quote from one of Esurance's partner companies.
Headquartered in San Francisco, Esurance is dedicated to giving back to the community. The company supports a variety of causes, including organizations for the LGBT community, military veterans, women and people with disabilities. The company also encourages and rewards employees who volunteer for causes of their choice, ranging from disaster relief assistance to underprivileged students to food banks.
Esurance demonstrates its commitment to the environment with a predominantly paperless customer experience; a claims fleet of 100% hybrid vehicles; and partnerships to plant trees, promote carpooling, encourage public transportation and more.
As you might expect from its digital-first history, Esurance offers an easy-to-use online and mobile experience, including the ability to file and monitor claims from its mobile app. It also offers a wide range of discount options to help you save on car insurance. The website provides clear, educational explanations of different types of insurance and why you might need them, which is especially helpful if you're new to buying insurance.
However, Esurance does not sell through insurance agents or have physical locations you can visit. If you want the personalized service that having a dedicated insurance agent can provide or prefer to go into an office in person to discuss insurance issues, Esurance probably isn't the company for you.
What Esurance Auto Insurance Offers
Esurance breaks down the types of auto insurance it offers into three categories: coverage for your car, medical coverage and liability coverage. Here's an overview of each.
- Coverage to protect your car
Coverage for your car includes collision and comprehensive coverage. As the name implies, collision insurance covers damage to your car from collisions with another car or object, no matter who is at fault. Comprehensive coverage, also called "other than collision" insurance, covers damages to your car from things like theft, vandalism or a falling tree branch. - Medical coverage
Medical payments coverage helps pay medical bills for you and your passengers if you or they are injured in an accident, no matter who is at fault. This coverage generally kicks in after your medical insurance caps out. It may also cover you if you are injured as a passenger in someone else's car or are struck by a car while walking or cycling.Personal injury protection (PIP) helps cover your medical expenses due to an accident, regardless of who was at fault. In some states, PIP will kick in before your health insurance to cover your accident-related injuries. PIP is required in some states and optional in others.
- Liability coverage
Liability coverage helps pay for medical care, lost wages or damage to property for other drivers and passengers in an accident where you're at fault. States often set minimum requirements for how much liability coverage drivers must have. Liability coverage includes the following:- Bodily injury liability helps pay medical costs if you're at fault for injuring someone in an accident.
- Property damage liability helps cover repair costs for damages you cause to property.
- Uninsured/underinsured motorist bodily injury liability helps cover medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering for you and your passengers if you're in an accident with someone who is at fault and either doesn't have insurance or doesn't have enough insurance to cover your costs.
- Uninsured/underinsured motorist property damage liability covers repairs to your car and related expenses if someone hits you and doesn't have insurance or doesn't have enough insurance.
Esurance also offers some additional coverage options you may be interested in:
- Rental car coverage: If you have comprehensive and collision coverage on your auto policy, you can add this coverage, which reimburses you for renting a car if your insured vehicle is unavailable due to an accident. In some states, Esurance offers CarMatch Rental Coverage, which covers the rental cost of a vehicle that's comparable to your own car.
- Loan/lease gap insurance: If you lease your car or have an outstanding auto loan for more than the value of your car, you may need this coverage. If your car is totaled and you owe more than it's worth, this insurance pays up to 25% more than the vehicle's cash value.
- Towing and emergency roadside assistance: If you don't have roadside assistance through AAA or another provider, consider this coverage, which sends help in situations such as getting a flat tire, running out of gas or getting locked out of your car.
- ShareSmart coverage: Are you a rideshare driver for Uber or Lyft? During the time when your rideshare app is on but you haven't yet accepted a ride, your personal auto policy doesn't cover you because the car is being used for business—but the rideshare company's insurance doesn't cover you because you're not technically driving for them yet. ShareSmart insurance covers this gap. It also covers the difference between your Esurance and rideshare company deductibles so that you don't have to pay two deductibles. You'll pay whichever deductible is lower; Esurance will pay the rest. Currently, ShareSmart insurance is available only in California, Illinois and New Jersey.
- Car insurance in Mexico: If you're planning a road trip to Mexico, you'll need insurance from a Mexican provider to be fully covered. Esurance can help you get this insurance through its partner International Insurance Group Inc.
The Esurance website does a great job of explaining what specific types of auto insurance include and why you might want them. The Coverage Counselor tool takes you through a list of questions, such as whether your vehicle is leased or owned, how old it is and whether you have any young drivers at home, to create a detailed list of coverages you may want to consider. It suggests specific limits and deductibles and explains why the coverage might be valuable to you (if, for example, you don't have another means of transportation while your car is in the shop, you may want to consider getting rental car coverage).
Saving on Auto Insurance With Esurance Discounts
Esurance offers three types of car insurance discounts.
1. Discounts based on your policy
These discounts on car insurance include:
- Multi-policy discounts: Bundling more than one type of insurance, such as car and home, gives you a discount on both policies.
- Paid in full: Pay your premium upfront instead of monthly and get a discount.
- Multi-car discount: Get a discount when you insure more than one car with Esurance.
- Claim-free discount: If covered drivers have gone a certain number of years without a claim, DUI or DWI, and if at least one covered driver has five or more years of driving experience, you can save 10% to 25% off your premium.
- Homeowners discount: Discounts are available if you or your spouse own a house or condo.
- Renters Plus discount: Purchase renters insurance and car insurance, and 30% of your renters insurance premium is subtracted from your car insurance premium.
- Roadside assistance discount: If you have roadside assistance coverage from another provider, such as AAA, you can save up to 5% on your car insurance.
- Fast 5 Discount: Save 5% off your first-term premium just for starting a car insurance quote online at Esurance.com.
2. Discounts for safe driving
Safe driving habits can also earn you a discount on your Esurance premiums.
- Good driver discount: If you've held a valid driver's license for at least three years and have no more than one point on your driving record, you can save up to 40% off your premiums.
- DriveSense discount: Sign up for DriveSense when you get your quote, use the app to track your driving patterns and behaviors, and get a customized discount each term after. New customers can save up to $100; existing customers can save up to 8% for the rest of their policy term.
- Good student discount: Full-time high school or college students under age 25 with a 3.0 grade-point average or above can save up to 10% on liability, collision and medical payments coverage; other discounts vary by state.
- Defensive driver discount: Requirements vary by state, but generally if you are 50 or older and pass a DMV-approved defensive driver course, you can save up to 10% for the next three years.
3. Discounts for car safety features
Having factory-installed safety devices, such as airbags, anti-lock brakes and automatic seatbelts, or anti-theft devices, such as a car alarm, LoJack, OnStar or Teletrac, can save you between 2% and 25% on certain coverages.
The availability, criteria, and amount of all Esurance's discounts vary by state and not all discounts are available in all states, so be sure to check specifics for your state.
Getting a Quote From Esurance
The fastest and easiest way to get a quote from Esurance is online (and remember, you can get a 5% discount for doing so), but you can also call 800-378-7262 if you'd rather talk to someone live. Start by providing some basic information, such as your name, address, age and driver's license number. You'll also be asked about marital status, whether you own a home, any recent moving violations and how long you've been licensed.
Next, you'll fill in some data about your car: make, model, year, VIN, what you use the car for (business, pleasure, etc.) and your average annual mileage. Once you've answered all the questions, Esurance says it takes just six minutes, on average, to get an insurance quote.
How Filing a Claim With Esurance Works
Unlike more traditional insurance companies, you won't have a dedicated insurance agent you can call when you need to make a claim. But filing a claim is easy and you have several options. You can start a claim online, use the Esurance mobile app, or call 800-378-7262; all three methods are available 24/7. If the damage to your car is minor, you can even file a photo claim. Simply use the mobile app to snap some pictures and file your claim; Esurance says some photo claims are resolved and paid out in as little as one day.
The more information you can provide when filing a claim, the better. Esurance recommends gathering the following information before you start the claims process:
- Names, addresses and phone numbers of all drivers involved
- Number of people in each car
- Other drivers' insurance companies, policy numbers and insurers' phone numbers
- License plate numbers of other cars
- Descriptions of other cars involved in the accident (year, make, model)
- Contact information for any witnesses
- Photos of damage
- Name and badge number of any police officers that arrived at the scene
After you file a claim, you'll be assigned a dedicated claims representative who will contact you within one business day to gather more information.
If your car needs major repairs, Esurance will recommend an E-star repair shop near you. These are shops that meet Esurance standards for quality. You don't have to use the E-star repair program, but doing so has a couple of advantages: You can monitor repair progress online through RepairView, and repairs are guaranteed for as long as you own the car.
Additional Insurance Coverage Offered by Esurance
In addition to auto insurance, Esurance offers insurance for just about everything in your life—from your health and your life to your dog and your scooter. However, many of these insurance products are offered through partner companies, not directly from Esurance. If you are purchasing one of these products, it's a good idea to check the financial stability and reputation of the company first. Not all coverage is available in all states; in some cases, you must have a certain level of Esurance auto insurance to apply.
- Other vehicles: Esurance has policies to cover classic vehicles, ATVs, motorcycles, boats/personal watercraft, recreational vehicles, travel trailers, golf carts, snowmobiles, scooters and even Segways.
- Life insurance: Through its partner companies, Esurance offers term life insurance. However, it does not offer whole life or universal life, so if you're looking for insurance as more of an investment, you won't find what you need here.
- Health insurance: Both PPO and HMO plans are offered, including plans covered under the Affordable Care Act; you can also get dental insurance.
- Umbrella insurance: This provides additional liability coverage of up to $5 million beyond the limits of your auto, home and other personal liability policies.
- Homeowners insurance: The standard homeowners policy includes coverage for your dwelling and other structures, personal property, liability coverage and guest medical coverage in case a visitor is injured on your property, living expenses while your home is being repaired or rebuilt due to a covered incident, water backup coverage and fire department coverage (which pays the cost of firefighters responding to your incident). You can get a $50 discount on your policy when you use the DIY Home Inspection app.
You can also add optional coverage, including identity theft coverage, coverage for the cost of renovating to meet building codes, or coverage for rebuilding that costs more than your home's value. If you run a daycare business in your home, you can get liability coverage for that. Are you a landlord? Esurance offers liability coverage for two- to four-unit rental buildings, as well as fair rental income coverage, which helps cover lost revenue if a room you rent out is temporarily unlivable due to a covered incident. - Renters insurance: Get coverage for your personal property, personal liability and medical insurance if someone is injured in your home, as well as relocation coverage to handle temporary expenses if you can't live in the unit.
- Condominium insurance: Condominium dwellers can get coverage for personal property, personal liability, damage to the unit and additional living expenses if the condo is unlivable due to a covered event.
- Business insurance: Business owners can get a basic business owner policy (BOP)—a package policy that combines property insurance, liability coverage and more. Customize this coverage by upgrading to Standard or Enhanced insurance packages. Esurance also offers commercial auto insurance for business vehicles.
- Pet insurance: This covers injuries and illnesses, medications, surgery, specialists and more.
- Flood insurance: If you live in an area where floods are a risk, consider this insurance, which provides coverage for both your home and your personal property.
- Travel insurance: This can cover expenses due to unforeseen travel events such as canceled flights, lost or stolen luggage or passports, or illness or injury during a trip.
Manage Your Policy Through the Mobile App
As you might expect from a digital-first company, Esurance has a robust mobile app you can use to handle just about everything related to your insurance. Manage your policy, make payments and store your digital insurance card for convenience. Need to make a claim? You can easily file and track claims using the app and get real-time status updates on your car as it's being repaired. Use the app to call for roadside assistance (if you have that coverage) and track the progress of the tow truck.
Can Getting an Auto Insurance Quote Affect Your Credit?
It's wise to get quotes from several different companies before choosing your auto insurance; in fact, Esurance actively encourages that with a comparison tool on its site. The good news: Getting a quote for auto insurance is considered a soft inquiry, which means getting lots of quotes won't hurt your credit scores. Compare away!
Keep in mind, however, that auto insurance will probably cost you more if you have bad credit. Insurance companies generally use a credit-based insurance score (not your regular credit score) to calculate your premiums. Credit-based insurance scores have been shown to accurately predict who is likely to file an insurance claim. (Using credit-based insurance scores is illegal in California, Hawaii and Massachusetts.)
Is Esurance Auto Insurance for You?
Esurance is a good option for people who are comfortable doing everything online or through a mobile app (although you can always make a phone call too). Its website offers plenty of useful guidance and tools to help you determine exactly what coverage you need. Through its partners, the company offers a wide range of different insurance coverages. Esurance also demonstrates corporate responsibility with its commitment to a variety of causes.
Esurance coverage does have some limitations, however. For example, the company doesn't offer earthquake insurance, whole life insurance or universal life insurance. In addition, many types of coverage are sold by partners rather than Esurance itself. If you prefer the personalized service offered by a dedicated insurance agent who handles all your insurance needs, Esurance may not be the company for you. But for everyone else, Esurance has a lot to offer.
Insurance coverage availability, discounts, limits and other details may vary by state and other factors.