Root Auto Insurance Review: Can you get affordable quotes? (2023)

We know shopping for and understanding auto insurance can be complicated and overwhelming. There is so much information, and with newer companies like Root auto insurance, it can be hard to find the details you need. We can help.

We’ve done the research for you and have all of the information on Root auto insurance. Who owns Root Insurance, and where can you get it? What are average Root auto insurance rates? How can you contact Root Insurance? We’ve got the answers to these and other questions in this Root auto insurance review. Read on for more.

Before we jump into this Root auto insurance review, take a minute to use your ZIP code in our rate comparison tool to get free auto insurance quotes from top companies.

What are average auto insurance rates from Root Insurance?

Root Insurance uses a combination of traditional metrics and your driving data, which is weighted more heavily than other factors, to generate quotes that reflect your driving behavior. As a result, the company doesn’t publish average rates. However, Root promises savings of up to $75 per month when you switch.

With the Root app, which all insured drivers must use, Root Insurance can continually track driving habits, calculate an initial quote, and recalculate rates at each policy renewal, which is every six months. This keeps driver rates as low as possible and ensures rates always accurately reflect current driving habits.

Where can you get Root Insurance?

You can buy Root auto insurance in more than 30 states, and the company is planning to expand into the remaining states in the future. This table lists the places in which you can currently buy Root Insurance. Take a look.

Now that you know where you can buy Root Insurance and how Root auto insurance quotes are generated keep reading for more information you can use to decide if Root is right for you.

What are the company ratings for Root Insurance?

If you’re ready to seriously compare insurance companies as a part of your coverage shopping process, we recommend looking beyond just coverage options and average rates.

It’s essential to look at factors like customer service and financial stability to make sure you’re choosing a company that has a reputation for good customer service and is able to pay out on claims.

We pulled data from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to look at Root Insurance’s customer service. On the positive side, the BBB accredits Root with an A+. However, the customer reviews aren’t quite so positive. The BBB reports a 1.31 out of five stars from Root customers.

To see if this poor customer rating data was a trend for Root, we also looked at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) complaint data. And unfortunately, we found similar information. This table summarizes the data we found. Take a look.

What do all these numbers mean? The NAIC represents the industry average for complaints with the number one. We can then review the NAIC’s collected individual company complaint index and compare it to the average. With this in mind, it’s clear that Root Insurance’s complaint index has dramatically increased over the past three years.

Between 2018 and 2019, the complaint index nearly tripled, but so did the company’s growth (take a look at the change in annual premiums). There is some slight improvement from 2019 to 2020, as the complaint index decreased from 4.55 to four while the company grew and the total number of complaints dropped. But a complaint index of four is still high.

Finally, financial stability is a measure of whether or not companies will be able to pay out on any outstanding obligations like claims. One of the best resources for this information is A.M. Best, a financial rating institution focused on the insurance agency. However, A.M. Best hasn’t yet rated Root Insurance.

What coverage options does Root Insurance offer?

Coverage options are important when you’re shopping for a policy. Root offers standard options, including:

• Liability coverage
• Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage
• Collision coverage
• Comprehensive coverage

In addition to basic auto insurance coverage, Root has a few add-ons customers can choose to include in their policies.

Roadside assistance is automatically added to all policies at no charge to you.

With Root’s roadside assistance coverage, you’ll get up to $100 in coverage per incident for things like a flat tire, a dead battery, etc. You are limited to three incidents per six-month policy term, so if you have a fourth incident or the cost of a covered incident exceeds $100, you’ll be responsible for paying out of pocket.

In addition to free roadside assistance coverage, you’ll also have the option to add rental reimbursement to your policy for a fee. This coverage will enable you to rent a car or call Lyft when your vehicle is in the shop for repairs after a covered incident.

Finally, for insured drivers, you can get an SR-22 form through the Root app, should you need one.

Are there any discounts or other perks available with a Root Insurance policy?

You won’t get many discounts from Root because the company already applies most of the commonly offered ones to rates as a part of its goal of keeping rates as affordable as possible. One of the few discounts currently offered is a multi-policy discount, which applies if you have more than one auto insurance policy with Root Insurance.

As far as perks, Root Insurance offers a couple of different types to customers. Specifically, you can:

• Earn free Lyft credits in certain states, which can be applied on various holidays
• Earn cash for referring friends and family to the company

Keep reading for information on how to buy a Root Insurance policy.

How do you buy and manage a Root Insurance policy?

As we’ve noted a few times already, Root uses individual driver behavior to calculate insurance quotes. How is this done? Through the company app, which you’re required to download when you request a quote. After you’ve downloaded the app, you’ll be directed to sign up for a test drive and enable the app to connect to the GPS on your phone.

For three to four weeks, Root will track your driving behavior as a part of this test drive. Relevant data include how fast you drive, where and when you drive, and how hard you brake and turn. With the collected data, Root will calculate a quote that accurately reflects how you drive.

However, you should be aware that Root has a reputation for refusing to cover drivers who are considered too high risk, so be careful how you drive during the test drive.

One of the benefits of Root’s refusal to cover high-risk drivers is that it helps keep overall rates lower because of the lower risk to the company.

Once you’re insured by Root, you’ll be required to continue to use the Root app so the company can consistently gather driving habit data and keep your rates up-to-date. In addition, you’ll be able to use the app to pay your bills, file claims, make adjustments to your policy, and more.

The Root app tracking function is always on to ensure no data is missed. But the company uses a machine-learning algorithm to filter out tracking data collected when you aren’t driving. That way, you won’t be penalized for someone else’s poor driving habits.

How do you file a claim with Root Insurance?

Root Insurance works to offer hassle-free claims filing to drivers through the Root app or by calling the company customer service line, 866-980-9431. In support of this goal, the company promises an average of a three-minute claims-filing process with only a few steps.

You’ll need to start the process either through the app or by calling customer service before you leave the site of the accident. If you call customer service, the company representative will walk you through the necessary steps. With the app, you’ll need to:

• Gather all the relevant information about the type of accident
• Photograph the scene of the accident (get as many angles and shots of the damage as possible)
• Submit all the information and photos through the app

During the review process, Root will reach out to you with questions or if any extra information is needed to finalize your claim. You can review the status of your claim at any time through the Root app. If your claim is approved, you can request either an electronic deposit or a check.

What are the pros and cons of Root Insurance?

Now that we’ve provided you with plenty of information about Root Insurance, what does it all mean? Your specific auto insurance needs may vary from someone else’s. So with that in mind, we’ve compiled a brief list of pros and cons to help summarize the data we’ve provided and give you an idea of whether or not Root Insurance could meet your needs.

Pros:

• If you need an SR-22 form, you can get one through the Root app
• You can manage your entire insurance policy through the Root app
• Root uses your driving habits to generate your rates, meaning rates reflect how you (and not anyone else) drives

Cons:

• You can’t get Root in every state (it’s available in about 30 at this time)
• Root has received almost three times the national average for complaints in the past couple of years
• You may not be able to buy insurance from Root if you’re too high-risk

It’s a good idea to put together your own pros and cons list, taking into consideration your specific situation, coverage needs, etc., to see if it differs from ours.

What else should you know about Root Insurance?

Before he co-founded Root Insurance with Dan Manges, Alex Timm spent several years working in the auto insurance industry and was dissatisfied with what he saw as an unfair approach to auto insurance rates.

Out of this experience and his frustration with the currently available insurance options, Root Insurance was born with the goal of offering a unique and equitable approach to auto insurance.

The key to Root Insurance’s offerings is the company app. As we noted in earlier sections, the Root app is a way to track your driving behavior, which is then used to generate a quote based on your driving data (rather than on generalities). However, you can also use it to manage your policy.

You can download the Root app for free from the Google Play store and the App store, and to date, the Root app has a 3.5 out of five-star customer rating.

Root Auto Insurance: The Bottom Line

While Root auto insurance doesn’t receive the best reviews from customers (1.31 out of five stars as reported by the BBB) and receives well above the industry average in complaints, you can save up to $900 on your rates when you switch.

In addition, because of the usage-based approach the company uses to generate quotes, your rates will accurately reflect your driving habits. The continuous tracking through the Root app enables the company to maintain accurate quotes for you at each policy renewal as well.

When you’re shopping for coverage, whether you’re considering Root auto insurance or not, we know you want to save. And the best way to save on your rates is to comparison shop. You can get started right now by entering your ZIP code in the tool on this page to get free auto insurance quotes from companies in your area.