Esurance vs. Direct Auto: Discounts, quotes, and comparison

Esurance vs. Direct Auto

You’ve narrowed your potential insurers to Esurance and Direct Auto. But which one should you pick?

Esurance is a relatively new player in the insurance market, founded in 1999. Since its inception, it’s gained a lot of traction through its accessible online insurance. Today, it’s owned by Allstate.

Founded in 1991, Direct Auto isn’t much older. It serves a different niche than Esurance, focusing on high-risk drivers. This may be a key reason why it’s received a terrible “F” rating from the Better Business Bureau. If you can’t get insurance anywhere else, the insurer may be one of your few options.

Check out the comparison tables below to find the right insurer for you.

	Direct Auto	Esurance
About the provider	Founded in 1991, Direct Auto Insurance offers low-cost insurance policies to “nonstandard” drivers — also known as high-risk drivers — who might have a hard time finding coverage elsewhere. But beware, the company gets very poor reviews and only services 13 states.	Esurance, the online insurance company, is making its name known in the car insurance world, offering affordable coverage for just about any of your vehicles. It takes pride in a hassle-free experience, and customers respect its low rates and excellent customer service.
Price	Policy costs depend your personal situation. Visit Direct Auto for a quote based on your specific needs.	Policy costs depend your personal situation. Visit Esurance for a quote based on your specific needs.
States served	13	43 states
User satisfaction*	F	A+
J.D. Power ratings**	N/A	3/5 on overall claims satisfaction
Driver discounts	View driver discounts	View driver discounts
Vehicle discounts	View vehicle discounts	View vehicle discounts
	Read Review	Get quotes from Esurance Read review

* Based on Better Business Bureau’s company rating
** Based on the 2016 U.S Auto Claims Satisfaction Study

Driver discounts

	Direct Auto	Esurance
Good student	Up to 10% (unmarried, full-time student, B average or better)	Up to 10% (full time student, under the age of 25 and a 3.0 GPA)
Defensive driver		Up to 10% (minimum age 50, 55 or 60, depending on state residence and completed a defensive driving course)
Good driver	Up to 10% (violation and accident-free for 36 months)	30-40% (driving for 3 years with 0-1 points on your driving record)
Pay in full discount
Multicar	Up to 25%
Military	Up to 25% (active service member)
Homeowner	Up to 15%
Other discounts	Senior citizen – Up to 5% (55+, completed a motor vehicle prevention course) Prior coverage discount – Up to 25% (at another insurance company for 6 months, no more than 90 day lapse between coverage) Renewal discount – Up to 20% (no policy lapse in prior 12 months, renew 7-10 days prior to expiration) Welcome back discount – Up to 6%
	Read Review	Get quotes from Esurance Read review

Vehicle discounts

	Direct Auto	Esurance
Anti-theft device	N/A	5-25%
Anti-lock brake	N/A	5%
Passive restraints	N/A	2-33%
Air bag	N/A
Other discounts		New vehicle discount
	Read Review	Get quotes from Esurance Read review

Bottom line

If you have no trouble finding insurance, consider passing on Direct Auto. The company scores atrocious ratings in customer service, and you can find a better experience with many other insurers.

Esurance fares much better in customer satisfaction, receiving an “A+” from the Better Business Bureau. However, it earns a middling score in claims satisfaction.

Esurance comes out on top in coverage availability. It offers insurance in 43 US states, while Direct Auto covers only eight.

Direct Auto offers a surprisingly robust collection of insurance promotions, such as good-student, good-driver, senior-citizen and welcome-back discounts.

Esurance’s discounts are nothing to sneeze at, either. Your family may qualify for cost reductions like good-student, defensive-driver and good driver discounts. Esurance also offers more vehicle discounts than Direct Auto does.