Esurance Car Insurance Review: Good Mobile App, Okay Rates
Editor's Rating
Esurance — a brand owned by Allstate — stands out for its well-reviewed mobile app, which allows policyholders to share photos of damages and repairs after an accident. However, the company doesn't deliver on two of the factors customers usually value most: cheap rates and reliable service.
Is Esurance a good car insurance company? Our thoughts
Esurance's strength lies in its mobile experience rather than its pricing and customer service.
The Esurance app is one of the most highly rated mobile apps in the auto insurance industry, offering helpful claims functionalities other insurers do not.
However, that smooth mobile experience breaks down when it comes to actually making a claim: Esurance has below-average auto claims satisfaction, with many policyholders complaining of delays.
Rates are also well above average, with other national insurers offering the same coverage for hundreds — sometimes thousands — of dollars less.
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Esurance auto insurance quote comparison
Esurance charged higher rates than major national competitors like Geico and Progressive. You'll likely get more affordable coverage elsewhere.
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Esurance's annual rates for a 42-year-old married male driver with a clean record were 9% cheaper than average but 50% more expensive than Geico, the cheapest insurer. Our analysis compared rates for a full-coverage policy at each insurer.
Annual premiums from Esurance vs. competitors
Insurer | Cost for 42-year-old married driver |
|---|---|
| Esurance | $2,432 |
| Geico | $1,618 |
| Progressive | $1,787 |
| State Farm | $4,847 |
Drivers at other ages will also find that Esurance's rates are cheaper than average but far more expensive than what competitors offer. Esurance's annual rates for an 81-year-old female driver were 6% cheaper than average but 21% higher than Progressive's. Similarly, Esurance quoted our 18-year-old female driver rates that were 3% cheaper than average but 72% higher than Geico's.
Driver | Esurance | Geico | Progressive | State Farm |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18-year-old female | $8,171 | $4,743 | $8,559 | $12,157 |
| 18-year old male | $10,724 | $5,573 | $10,045 | $15,347 |
| 42-year-old married driver | $2,432 | $1,618 | $1,787 | $4,847 |
| 42-year-old married driver (one accident) | $3,842 | $2,989 | $3,146 | $5,793 |
| 81-year-old female | $2,963 | $1,340 | $2,458 | $5,905 |
Esurance discounts
Esurance offers different discounts in different states.
Featured discount: Esurance DriveSense
Esurance DriveSense is a telematics app that monitors and rewards safe drivers. Drivers share their driving data with Esurance through the app and get discounts for avoiding unsafe behaviors such as hard braking, speeding and late-night driving.
One of the more driver-friendly telematics apps, DriveSense allows drivers to temporarily turn off monitoring and retroactively delete trips that they don't want to count against them. However, it's unlikely to offset the comparatively high costs of Esurance premiums.
Core discount
Pay entire policy up-front, own a home or insure more than one car with Esurance
Multi-policy
Have more than one policy with Esurance
On-time payment
Pay bills on time
Affinity group
Members of various affinity groups, such as professional groups, alumni associations or other Esurance partners
Expense savings
Start the sign-up process for a policy online (also known as the Fast 5 Discount)
Renters plus
Add renters insurance
Claim-free
No at-fault accidents in the past five years
Defensive driver
No claims in the past three years and take a defensive driving course
Good student
Have good grades if you're less than 25 years old
Esurance also advertises a switch and save discount, which gives new customers a discount when they switch from another insurance company. The discount amount will vary from driver to driver but averages at $462.
What does Esurance cover?
While you can purchase liability-only coverage from Esurance, all the standard additional coverages — such as comprehensive, collision, uninsured and underinsured motorist — are all available. The standout add-on coverage is its rideshare insurance, known as ShareSmart. ShareSmart helps ensure you're fully covered at all points during the ridesharing process, where neither your own car insurance nor the coverage offered by Uber and Lyft suffices.
Personal auto insurance policies don't usually cover you during the time when your rideshare app is on and you're looking for passengers or driving to meet one; ridesharing insurance usually doesn't cover you until a passenger is in your car. Esurance's ShareSmart covers you from the beginning of the process to the end.
Drivers must have collision and comprehensive insurance in place to be eligible for ShareSmart. Be aware that ShareSmart is only available in a few select states: California, Illinois and New Jersey.
Other useful add-on coverages from Esurance include:
Emergency roadside assistance
Esurance pays up to $75 per incident for common roadside mishaps, such as towing, tire changes and fuel delivery.
Loan/lease gap
Esurance offers a payout of 25% more than the actual cash value of your car in the event that it is a total loss and you still owe payments to your lienholder.
Rental car
Esurance will cover the cost of a rental car for policyholders who have full coverage while their own car receives repairs. In some states, Esurance policyholders can get a rental car of a similar size and body type to their own car through its CarMatch rental coverage.
Esurance does not have specific glass coverage; instead, glass coverage is rolled into comprehensive coverage. Comprehensive coverage from Esurance pays for off-road incidents, such as a stolen car or damage done by animals or falling objects.
Ratings and reviews of Esurance auto insurance
Esurance offers a top-tier mobile experience, making it a solid choice for those who want to deal with their insurer via app.
In addition to managing their policy details, customers can post pictures of damage and repairs, as well as contact their claims representative. Both Android and iPhone users like the app, rating it 4.6 out of 5 and 4.8 out of 5 in their respective app stores.
However, Esurance has a far more mixed customer service reputation for auto insurance when it comes to claims. It receives about 20% more complaints than is standard for an insurer of its size. Most of the complaints focused on delays and unsatisfactory settlements, according to data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).
Rating system | Average score | Esurance score |
|---|---|---|
| NAIC Complaint Index | 1.0 | 1.21 |
| J.D. Power Auto Claims Satisfaction | 872 | 871 |
| A.M. Best Financial Strength Rating | A++ (maximum score) | A+ |
| GooglePlay | 5.0 (maximum score) | 4.6 |
| Apple App Store | 5.0 (maximum score) | 4.8 |
Similarly, you'll likely have a smoother claims experience if you choose another insurer. Esurance scored average on J.D. Power’s Auto Claims Satisfaction Study, indicating that policyholders weren't consistently pleased with how the company handled claims. You'll likely have a smoother, speedier claims experience with another insurer.
Fortunately, Esurance has a firm financial footing, and customers can be confident that the company will pay out their claims. A.M. Best awarded Esurance an A+ Financial Strength Rating, which means that it has a "superior" ability to pay out claims.
Does Esurance offer home homeowners insurance?
Esurance does offer homeowners insurance, as well as renters insurance. However, Esurance homeowners and renters insurance are not available in all 50 states.
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In some states, Esurance will redirect homeowners insurance shoppers to policies underwritten by Answer Financial or Security First Insurance Company. Renters insurance shoppers will be redirected to policies underwritten by Security First Insurance Company or member companies of the Homesite Insurance Group.
However, in states where Esurance homeowners insurance is available, you can file a homeowners insurance claim via the mobile app, just like you can with auto insurance. This streamlines the filing process and gives policyholders an added level of convenience.
Homeowners insurance coverages vary from state to state. We reviewed an Arizona insurer filing and found that Esurance offers the following coverages:
- Dwelling protection
- Other structures protection
- Personal property protection
- Additional living expenses
- Family liability protection
- Guest medical protection
- Roof surfaces extended coverage
- Water backup
- Building codes
- Increased building structure protection
- Electronic data recovery expense
- Coverage on jewelry, watches and furs
- Coverage on cameras
- Coverage on musical instruments
- Coverage on sports equipment
- Extended premises
- Fair rental income
- Golf cart insurance
- Eco upgrade
- Home day care
- Coverage on business property
- Coverage on silverware theft
- Loss assessments
- Additional coverage for yard and garden
Esurance homeowners insurance discounts also vary from state to state. Our review of a Wisconsin insurer filing identified the following discounts:
- Claim-free discount
- Preferred buyer discount
- Multipolicy discount
- New home discount
- Home safety features discount
- Hail resistant roof discount
- Smoke-free discount
- Future effective date discount
- Loyal customer discount
- Welcome home discount
Esurance contact info
You can manage most facets of your Esurance policy either via mobile app or via your online insurance portal. We've outlined how to handle specific issues below:
Filing a claim
To file a car insurance claim with Esurance, policyholders have several options.
- Use the mobile app. Take advantage of one of Esurance's best features and file your claim via the mobile app. You can submit claims information and photos all via your mobile device. In fact, in some states and in certain circumstances, Esurance can approve your claims payout only a day after the accident.
- Log in to your Esurance customer account. You can sign in to your Esurance account and file a claim there. If you're not an Esurance customer, you can see if the other driver involved in the accident has reported a claim online, as well.
- Call the Esurance car insurance claims phone number. Contact the Esurance claims office at 1-800-378-7262 and speak to a representative. There are no set hours, so you can call Esurance 24/7.
Payment, cancellation and refunds
To make a payment to Esurance, you have three options:
- Use the mobile app to pay your bill, move your payment date or update your payment method.
- Use the Esurance online portal to perform the same functions.
- Use the Esurance online quick pay function to make a payment without logging in.
To cancel your Esurance car insurance policy, you'll need to call the company; you cannot cancel your coverage online. Cancelling your auto policy before the end of your term could trigger an early cancellation fee, either of 10% of your remaining balance or between $40 and $50. However, Esurance will refund your policy premiums on a prorated basis.
To reinstate your Esurance policy if you've allowed your coverage to lapse, you will likely need to do so within a week of expiration.
What states does Esurance cover?
Esurance sells car insurance and other products in the following 43 states:
About Esurance
Esurance is Allstate's direct-to-consumer online brand. However, Esurance is being phased out over the coming years as Allstate improves its technology.
Allstate, Esurance's parent company, has said it will gradually eliminate the brand over the next several years. As a result, you will eventually only be able to purchase a policy directly from Allstate.
Esurance operates out of three subsidiaries: Esurance Insurance Company, the Esurance Insurance Company of New Jersey and Esurance Property and Casualty Insurance Company.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is Esurance a month?
The average cost of Esurance car insurance is $223 per month for a 42-year-old man. However, your Esurance monthly premiums will vary depending on the car you drive, your driving history and other personal details.
Is Esurance going out of business?
Esurance is not going out of business in the sense that it is failing. Allstate, the company Esurance is owned by, is gradually closing the company and redirecting its business to the Allstate brand.
Does Esurance cover rental cars?
Esurance does cover rental cars. Drivers can add coverage that will pay for the cost of a rental car while their own car receives covered repairs. Additionally, Esurance policyholders in select states can get a rental car of a similar size and body type through the CarMatch Rental Coverage program.
Methodology
Rate data in this ValuePenguin study was pulled from Quadrant Information Services. Each of our sample drivers was a Georgia resident, driving a 2015 Honda Civic EX protected by a full-coverage policy. We gave our sample drivers the following coverage limits:
Coverage type | Study limits |
|---|---|
| Bodily liability | $50,000 per person/$100,000 per accident |
| Personal injury protection | $10,000 |
| Property damage | $25,000 per accident |
| Uninsured/underinsured motorist bodily injury | $50,000 per person/$100,000 per accident |
| Comprehensive and collision | $500 deductible |
Rate data was publicly sourced from insurer filings and is intended solely for comparative purposes. Your own rates will likely differ based on your own demographic information and driving history.