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Elephant car insurance review 2021
Last updated:
Stack your discounts to save up to 40% on your policy
finder.com's rating: 3 / 5
★★★★★
- Get a quote if you want cheap online quotes and great discounts.
- Pick something else if you want the best customer support or flexible payments.
- Cheapest rates for multi-car policies
optional
Roadside assistance
New car protection
Accident forgiveness
Details
| States served | Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia |
|---|---|
| Roadside assistance | Optional |
| Accident forgiveness | No |
| New car protection | No |
| Pay schedule | monthly |
| Claims methods | online, email, phone, mail |
| Rideshare coverage | No |
| SR-22 support |
Yes |
Pros
- Fully online
- Multiple discounts add up
- One-year terms
Cons
- Services in six states only
- Many online complaints
- Prefers multicar policies
| Anti-theft device discount | Yes |
|---|---|
| Bundling discount | Yes |
| Defensive driving discount | Yes |
| Good student discount | Yes |
| Loyalty discount | No |
| Homeowner discount | Yes |
| Military discount | No |
| Safety device discount | Yes |
| Special employment discount | Yes - work from home |
| Usage-based discount | No |
| Other discounts | Online quote - get a quote online and save up to 15% |
Expert review
Review by
Roslyn McKenna
roslyn.mckenna@finder.comRoslyn McKenna is an insurance expert who's driven to help people get a great deal on insurance to protect their families and finances. Roslyn earned a BA in writing and communications from Maryville College and has written professionally for more than a decade, showing up on Bankrate, MSN and Reader's Digest.
Expert review
Aside from the well-known national providers, many smaller insurers are providing affordable coverage with the flexibility that comes with a fully online operation.
Elephant Insurance is one of them, claiming to save you up to 40% through combinable discounts. But it’s available in only a few states, which means most readers will need to look elsewhere for quotes.
How to apply for Elephant Insurance car insurance
Start with a free online quote from Elephant:
- Go to Elephant Insurance’s website and enter your ZIP code, then click Let’s get started.
- Enter your personal contact information as well as details on the vehicles you want to insure and drivers you plan to add to your policy. Click Continue.
- Wait for your quote to populate. If you’re not yet sure about Elephant, you can retrieve a saved quote to buy a policy later.
If you like what you see, continue the process of getting your policy online. To speak with a representative, contact support at 877-321-2096 weekdays from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET.
What info do I need to apply?
To sign up for a policy online or by phone, you’ll need to submit:
- Your address, email and phone number.
- Demographic info, like your marital status, education and employment details.
- The year, make and model of the vehicles you want to insure, along with safety information.
- Any payments you make on your vehicles, and whether you’re the original owner.
- The primary use and annual mileage of your vehicles.
- Contact information for any drivers you want to add to your policy.
- Information on any current auto policy you carry.
- A Visa, Mastercard or Discover card or bank account details.
What discounts can I get with Elephant?
Elephant claims it can save you up to 40% through its discounts alone.
It certainly advertises more of them online than you might find with similar low-cost competitors, including:
- Bundling. Group homeowners or renters insurance with your auto coverage for a varying percentage off.
- Diminishing deductible program. When you sign up for the program, you’ll get $100 off your deductible on day 1. Then, after 5 years of good driving, that savings jumps to $500. And Elephant won’t reset your deductible to the full amount just because you have one accident.
- Good student. Prove that you’re a full-time student with at least a B average, and you might shave 12% off your rate.
- Multicar policy. Get up to 20% off your coverage when you insure more than one car on your policy.
- Online quote and sign. Get a discount for getting a quote online and for signing your documents online.
- Pay in full. Satisfy the full balance of your annual policy up front to save more from the get-go.
- Paperless account. Save up to 3% for each vehicle by going green.
- Safe driver. If you haven’t had an accident in five years, you could save up to 10% with specific coverage.
- Work from home. Save up to 7% for working from home. This discount takes into account how many days per week you work from home and can apply to your spouse as well. This is also called a low mileage discount from other companies.
What car insurance coverage does Elephant Insurance offer?
Elephant offers a full range of coverage to protect you, your loved ones, your property and others you might bump into on the road.
- Property damage liability. Pays for damages to other vehicles or property that result from an accident you’re at fault for. The max is $250,000 for total property damage per accident.
- Bodily injury liability. Covers damage to people injured in an at-fault accident. Caps out at $250,000 per person and $500,000 per accident.
- Collision. Covers car repairs, medical bills and related expenses that result from an at-fault accident.
- Comprehensive. Protects you from unexpected damages that can result from theft, vandalism or natural disaster — situations outside of accidents.
- Medical payments. Covers the bills that come with injuries to you or your passengers — no matter who caused the accident.
- Personal injury protection. Fills in the gaps to cover indirect costs that result from an accident, like ambulance rides, lost wages and even child care, no matter who’s at fault.
- Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. Bodily injury coverage that kicks in if you’re injured by an uninsured or underinsured motorist.
- Rental reimbursement. Covers the costs of a rental if your own car ends up in the shop after an accident.
- Roadside assistance. Get help with towings, jump-starts and emergency assistance services 24/7 nationwide.
Elephant car insurance reviews and complaints
Elephant Insurance Services, which encompasses services beyond auto insurance, has been accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) since 2015, earning an A+ rating as of this writing based on 13 factors outside of raves or complaints, including transparency and years in business, as of October 2020.
But customer satisfaction varies widely. You’ll find a lot of customer complaints online that detail issues with payments, unhelpful service representatives, hidden fees and rate increases. More alarming, customers say that claims can be slow and difficult — not what you want to deal with after an accident.
On the flip side, positive reviews center on Elephant’s low rates and willingness to match competitor pricing. Its various stackable discounts also get a thumbs-up.
Mixed reviews aren’t out of the ordinary for car insurance companies. But when negatives outweigh the positives, it’s worth knowing what you’re getting into.
Alternatives to Elephant car insurance
Is Elephant Insurance a standard company?
Yes, though it’s a new company founded in 2009, Elephant is a legit car insurer backed by a financially solid company. Headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, Elephant Insurance is a subsidiary company of Admiral Group, one of the largest auto insurers in the UK serving more than 6 million customers worldwide.
Pros and cons of Elephant car insurance
If you live in Elephant’s service area, lower-than-average rates and stackable discounts give it an edge over competitors. But you won’t find local agents from Elephant, and your payment options are limited.
Pros
- Fully online. Get a quote, sign up and store all necessary documents in one convenient place.
- Multiple discounts add up. Elephant claims you can save up to 40% with its many discounts.
- One-year terms. Unlike many other insurers, you can lock in your policy’s rate for up to a year.
Cons
- Services in a few states only. If you don’t live in Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas or Virginia, you’ll need to look elsewhere until Elephant expands its coverage.
- Many online complaints. Its marketing is great. But Elephant’s customers say that site access is erratic, service unprofessional and payments tricky.
- Limited payment options. Payments are limited to credit or debit cards or bank accounts withdrawals. If you don’t pay for your policy in full up front, you’re required to sign up for automatic deductions.
- Prefers multicar policies. Elephant likes insuring multicar households. If that’s not you, you can still get a quote. But it may not be your cheapest option.
How do I contact Elephant?
Email your questions or comments to customerservice@elephant.com.
For general questions, call 877-321-2096 weekdays from 8 am to 10 pm, Saturdays from 9 am to 8 pm or Sundays from 11 am to 7 pm ET.
To file a claim, call 844-937-5353 at any time.
- General questions. Contact Elephant Insurance’s customer support team at 866-980-9431 weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET or email customerservice@elephant.com.
- Claims assistance. Call 844-867-2514 at any time.
- Roadside assistance. Call 855-982-1720 at any time.
Frequently asked questions about Elephant car insurance
Car insurance ratings
★★★★★ — Excellent
★★★★★ — Good
★★★★★ — Average
★★★★★ — Subpar
★★★★★ — Poor
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