Root car insurance review

Try the Root app and see how much your safe driving could save you on car insurance.

• Get a quote if you want a cheap rate for your safe driving.

• Pick something else if you want a personal agent.

• Good drivers can save the most on auto insurance.

Where is Root car insurance available?

Root plans to launch in Alaska, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia soon. Root added four new states in six months at the time of writing, so the company is growing quickly and plans to continue to expand its availability. To learn about availability for your own state, sign up for notifications online.

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What car insurance can I get from Root?

Root offers a full range of liability, collision and comprehensive coverage. The app also allows you to see how limits can affect your monthly rate, which comes in handy when narrowing down the coverage want at a rate that fits your budget.

• Bodily injury. Covers injuries to others that result from an accident you caused. Choose a limit up to $250,000 per accident.
• Property damage. Protects you if you damage another person’s property in an accident. Choose a limit up to $250,000 per accident.
• Collision. Covers damage to your vehicle caused by an accident
• Comprehensive. Pays for repairs if your car is damaged by something other than an accident — for instance, fire or vandalism.
• Medical payments. Pays for medical care after an accident, whether you’ve collided with a car, a bike or a tree.
• Personal injury protection. Covers medical expenses, lost wages and other indirect costs for you and your passengers after an accident.
• Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. Pays for car repairs if you’re in an accident caused by a driver without sufficient insurance.
• Uninsured motorist property damage. Covers damages to your car if you’re hit by an uninsured driver.
• Rental reimbursement. Pays for you to rent a car or otherwise get around while yours is in the shop for repairs after an accident.
• Roadside assistance. Included free with every policy. Reimburses you for towing, jump-starts and emergency assistance on the road. Just send photos of receipts to Root’s customer service.

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How does Root car insurance work?

Root designed its innovative app to do most of the work. Using your smartphone’s accelerometer and GPS, the app can determine your speeds, distance and overall skill over the course of your test drive. It also monitors the hours you’re typically behind the wheel, ranking daylight driving safer than at night.

1. Download the app. To get started, download the app and sign up for your test drive.
2. Take your test drive. Root’s app will monitor your driving habits for two to three weeks, though some drivers have reported a longer test drive period to correctly calibrate a rate.
3. Keep track of your score. You can keep track of how you’re doing during the test drive with the app’s Driver Scorecard, which rates how well you break, turn and maneuver down the road.
4. See your score. After you’ve logged enough trips for a score, Root rates your driving on a scale of 1 to 10. If it’s lower than you’d like, use the remaining time in your test drive to improve your score.
5. Get your custom quote. Root then calculates a quote and presents a policy that matches your on-the-road behaviors.

How does Root decide my car insurance rate?

Your test drive is the largest factor that Root considers when putting together your policy and price. But, to a lesser extent, it also considers your driving record, general demographics and your overall credit history — factors more traditional insurers use too.

If your driving doesn’t meet Root’s requirements, Root will decline offering a quote. You won’t be able to retake your test drive to sign up for a policy.

• What does the Root app look like?

  

What discounts can I get with Root?

For qualifying customers, Root Insurance offers a string of discounts and rewards.

Root’s whole premise is rewarding good drivers with low rates. And so it doesn’t offer the discounts that mainstream car insurance providers do, like those for good students.

Like many other startups, Root provides special referral discounts. If you love the savings you’re getting with Root, invite your friends to sign up through a personalized referral link. Depending on where you live, you could make anywhere from $10 to $100 for each successful referral.

Pros and cons of Root car insurance

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What do customers say about Root car insurance?

Overall, customer have good things to say about their experience with Root Insurance, especially the rates they’ve gotten with this startup — a few saying they’ve saved up to $100 a month. Negative reviews focus on inaccurate driving scores on the test drive and billing issues with coverage.

At the time of writing, Root earns 4.1 out of 5 stars on the Better Business Bureau (BBB), where it’s accredited since January 2017. A good sign of solid support: Root reps have so far replied to every negative complaint on the site.

How to contact Root Insurance

If you’re not able to get the help you need through the app’s support menu, you have options to speak with a representative, depending on your needs:

• General questions. Contact Root Insurance’s customer support team at 866-980-9431 weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm ET or email support@joinroot.com.
• Claims assistance. Call 844-867-2514 at any time.
• Roadside assistance. Call 855-982-1720 at any time.

How do I find a Root Insurance agent near me?

Root Insurance runs all business through its smartphone app. You’re not assigned a dedicated agent, and you won’t have the opportunity to visit an office to discuss your policy or claim.

Compare Root to other providers

• Pay by miles driven
• Low base rates
• Drive less, pay less

Alternative to Root: Metromile

Drive less than 30 miles a day? Save on the coverage you need with pay-per-mile insurance from Metromile. Get a low monthly rate then pay just a few cents per mile. Available in AZ, CA, IL, NJ, OR, PA, VA and WA.

• Rates from $29/month plus pennies per mile
• Low-mileage drivers could save $611/year
• All miles over 250 a day are free
• Easy app and online claims plus 24/7 support

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Bottom line

Quality auto insurance with good coverage doesn’t have to cost a pretty penny — especially if you’re a responsible driver. But Root Insurance asks you to prove it, requiring you to sign up for a test drive that monitors a few weeks of your driving on the road.

If you’re up for the test, this startup may reward your good driving behaviors with lower rates than you’ll find elsewhere. And so far, its policyholders like what it offers.

If your driving record isn’t as clean as you’d like it to be or you need specialized coverage compare your car insurance options to find a provider that meets your needs.

Common questions about Root car insurance

• Is Root legit?

  Yes, Root Insurance is a legitimate insurance company accredited by the BBB. The company’s not out to scam drivers or pull a bait and switch with low rates you can’t actually qualify for. You won’t get personalized support from an agent, but you can call customer support almost any time, and the easy claims process is all done online.

  Safe, low-mileage drivers often report in customer reviews that they save a lot of money by switching to Root. Drivers who can’t get good rates with other insurance companies are also good candidates for Root, including high risk drivers, young drivers and drivers with sports cars.

• How can Root Insurance keep its rates so low?

  Root Insurance uses an app-tracked test drive to weed out drivers it considers too risky, monitoring how you brake, turn and accelerate over the course of a few weeks.

  By not insuring high-risk drivers, Root deals with fewer claims, passing along the savings through lower rates on your policy.

• Can I really save money switching to Root Insurance?

  You won’t know if Root can save you money until after you complete its test drive. After two to three weeks of the app monitoring your driving behavior, you’ll see a quote. Many Root policyholders say they’ve saved 50% or more on their previous rate.

• Can I add other people to my policy?

  Yes, as long as they live at your same address. To add another drive, edit your profile in the app.

  Other drivers you add to your policy receive a text message encouraging them to download the app and start their test drive. When everyone on the account finishes their test drives, you’ll get your quote.

• Does everyone on my policy have to complete a test drive?

  No. But Root encourages everyone to take a test drive to qualify for the lowest rate you’re eligible for.

• How do I make a claim?

  As with all other business you’ll conduct with Root, you’ll start a claim through the app on your phone:

  1. In the app, tap File a Claim to start the process.
  2. Add requested information about your accident — including insurance information for other involved parties — uploading photos of the damage to submit with your claim.
  3. Root will call within one business day with an update and any next steps.

  Root claims to pay out claims within 10 business days by check. And you can track the progress of your claim through the app. Or cal Root’s claim support 24/7 at 844-867-2514.