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Branch car insurance review 2021
This company lowers costs through fighting fraud and referrals. But you’ll miss common discounts.
finder.com's rating: 3.5 / 5
★★★★★
- Get a quote if like working with a community-focused, local company.
- Pick something else if you need more coverage or discounts available.
- Drivers in ten states can buy policies here.
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Roadside assistance
New car protection
Accident forgiveness
Details
| States served | Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Wisconsin |
|---|---|
| Roadside assistance | Optional |
| Accident forgiveness |
No |
| New car protection | No |
| Pay schedule | 12 months |
| Claims methods | Online |
| Rideshare coverage | Yes |
| SR-22 support |
No |
Pros
- Contribute to a fund to help your uninsured neighbors
- Solid financial backing
- An easy quote system displays your options in minutes
Cons
- Only available in ten states
- Is an insurance agency, not an insurance company
| Anti-theft device discount | No |
|---|---|
| Bundling discount | Yes |
| Defensive driving discount | No |
| Good student discount | No |
| Loyalty discount | No |
| Homeowner discount | No |
| Military discount | No |
| Safety device discount | No |
| Special employment discount | No |
| Usage-based discount | No |
| Other discounts | Vouch for each other |
Review by
Heather Petty
heather.petty@finder.comHeather Petty is a personal finance writer at Finder specializing in home loans, banking and insurance. After falling victim to a disreputable mortgage broker when buying her first home, she’s on a mission to help readers avoid similar experiences when managing their own finances. A self-proclaimed word nerd, her writing has been featured on MSN, Credit.com and MediaFeed.org, among others. Heather previously worked as a technical writer and editor for the casino systems industry and is an internationally published young adult mystery author. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in journalism from the University of Nevada, Reno.
Expert review
Branch auto insurance wants to harness your personal network to lower insurance rates by using word-of-mouth to advertise. It also uses communities willing to vouch for each other to fight escalating insurance fraud costs.
While becoming part of a community-engaged insurance agency might appeal to you, Branch doesn’t yet offer some of the standard discounts that larger companies do, such as accident forgiveness.
Branch might be the right fit if you like the idea of a local company that cares about using premiums responsibly. As a result, many customers report lower rates than they paid with major insurance brands.
But if you decide you need a policy with more coverage or benefits, take the time to shop around for car insurance to find a company that offers what you need.
How to get a free quote for Branch car insurance
To apply for Branch insurance online, start by getting a quote using Branch’s quick quote system.
- From the home page of the Branch website, enter your name and address and click See Price.
- Branch aggregates your information from several databases. If they are having trouble finding information about your vehicle, they may ask for information such as your birthday or your car’s VIN (vehicle identification number).
- Choose from the three plans provided. Either click Select to accept the plan as is or click Customize this Plan to change the details for an updated price.
- Answer a few questions about preferences and add-on coverage and enter your payment details. And when you’re ready to purchase the plan, click Buy Now.
What discounts can I get with Branch?
Branch offers a few nonstandard discounts but doesn’t list the more common discounts such as safety features or going claim-free.
- Refer a friend. Instead of giant advertising campaigns, Branch relies on customer word of mouth to bring in new customers, and they reward you for it. In Arizona and Missouri, for every friend you invite who signs up for Branch insurance, you get a 1% discount. So, if you invite ten friends, you get 10% off your bill.
- Vouch for each other. To reduce the amount of money spent on insurance fraud, Branch asks customers within a community to vouch for each other, and gives a 1% discount per person who vouches for you. Get up to 5% off your premium if you can get five Branch customers to say that you won’t commit insurance fraud.
- Bundle and save. If you bundle your home and renters policy with your auto policy, Branch claims you can save an average of $517 on your premiums.
What extra benefits and add-ons does Branch offer?
Branch offers a solid list of optional coverage to extend your protection, including:
- Roadside assistance. Provides assistance for roadside emergencies such as a flat tire or being locked out of your car.
- Umbrella policy. Branch offers personal umbrella liability coverage that can be added to your auto insurance policy to extend your liability coverage.
- Rideshare coverage. Offers coverage for Lyft and Uber drivers who need to fill the insurance gap created when they’re driving for rideshare but don’t have a customer in the car.
- Pet injury coverage. Covers expenses if your pet is hurt in a covered car accident.
- Transportation expense coverage. Similar to rental car coverage, provides expenses for transportation such as a rental car or rideshare when your car is no longer drivable due to a covered accident.
- Additional custom parts and equipment coverage. Offers coverage for parts and equipment you added to your car, such as a stereo system or custom wheels.
- Named non-owner coverage. Provides liability coverage for when you’re driving a car you don’t own.
- Window glass coverage. Additional coverage to cover damage to the glass on your car, such as windows, mirrors and the windshield.
Branch car insurance reviews and complaints
Branch is accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and holds an A+ BBB rating, as of 2021. A few customers have left reviews for Branch on the BBB, rating the company with a 3.4 out of 5 stars.
On Trustpilot, customers leave Branch with a high score of 4.8 out of 5 stars, based on over 398 reviews. The insurance company does ask its customers to leave reviews, whether they’re positive or negative.
Positive customer reviews focus on the company’s friendly reps and steep savings when switching to Branch from big-name insurance companies. A few negative reviews focus on miscommunication during the claims process, slow or unprocessed refunds and unexpected billing. Overall, customer reviews are overwhelmingly positive, showing solid customer satisfaction.
Our star ratings for Branch, explained
Finder’s car insurance experts rate Branch with 3.5 out of 5 stars, slightly above average. We like Branch’s solid list of coverage options, strong finances and high BBB rating.
However, the company doesn’t offer many discounts that are common with competitors, and we like seeing rewards for safe drivers offered like accident forgiveness. These downsides brought down Branch’s overall Finder rating.
| AM Best financial rating | NR |
| BBB accredited | Yes |
| BBB rating | A+ |
| Trustpilot score | 4.8/5 out of 398 customer reviews |
| Customer reviews verified as of | 28 June 2021 |
Alternatives to Branch
Look through all your options by checking the coverage and benefits offered by a variety of other companies. Tap Get quotes when you’re ready to see your customized rate.
What insurance coverage does Branch offer?
Branch’s auto policy includes fairly standard coverage to help you get on the road.
- Liability. Covers injury and damage to property of a third party if you’re at fault.
- Uninsured/underinsured motorist. Covers your accident-related expenses when the party at fault either has no insurance or doesn’t have enough insurance to cover.
- Personal injury protection. Provides medical and other personal expenses that exceed insurance coverage when you’re in an accident, regardless of who’s at fault.
- Collision. Covers damages to your car, regardless of who’s at fault.
- Comprehensive. Covers damages to your car when you’re not driving, such as theft or a fallen tree limb.
Pros and cons of Branch car insurance
Branch works hard to use your insurance premiums wisely — by fighting insurance fraud, spending less on traditional advertising and donating part of premium to help drivers in need. But you’ll need to live inside its service area.
Pros
- Help for the uninsured. A portion of every customer’s premium goes to the Safety Nest program, which allows the uninsured and underinsured who have had an accident to apply for financial help.
- Unique discounts. Branch keeps its pricing low by having customers vouch for each other and by using customer referrals, rather than advertising.
- Easy quote system. You only have to enter your name and address, and Branch provides an insurance quote. No long forms with endless waiting.
- Highly rated customer service. Hundreds of customers leave Branch with a nearly 5-star rating on Trustpilot, showing overall satisfaction when customers interact with Branch.
- Financially stable. Branch is underwritten by General Security National Insurance Company (GSNIC), which has an A + rating from AM Best, pointing to a strong financial standing.
Cons
- Limited service areas. Branch insurance is only available in Arizona, Colorado, Indiana, Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, Oklahoma, Ohio, Texas and Wisconsin.
- Not an insurance company. Branch is technically an insurance agency, selling insurance for GSNIC and backed by SCOR reinsurance, which sometimes leads to more expensive policies.
- No accident forgiveness. We like seeing companies that reward safe drivers by not raising their rates after a one-off accident. Branch doesn’t list this perk or many other common discounts.
Car insurance ratings
★★★★★ — Excellent
★★★★★ — Good
★★★★★ — Average
★★★★★ — Subpar
★★★★★ — Poor
Our insurance team analyzes car insurance providers to help you choose the best car insurance for you.
We rank insurers from one to five stars based on key factors including customer satisfaction, policy options, price, billing, claims, and support. We create these rankings to help you narrow down an insurance provider that best suits your budget and coverage needs.
