Last Updated: 10/14/2023
What Is Root Insurance?
Root auto insurance is an insurance-based app that focuses on how you drive. Getting a car insurance quote from root insurance takes a bit of time. Essentially you download the app and do a test drive for a few weeks. The app tracks your personal driving data and behavior. Based on your driving it provides an insurance quote.
As a cutting-edge app-based insurance company that largely focuses on how you drive, Root Insurance has carved out a position for itself in the insurance sector. Read on for a detailed analysis and insights on Root Insurance’s services and offers if you’re thinking about using them for your vehicle, house, or renters insurance requirements.
Root Insurance Quick Facts
- Year Root Insurance Started: 2015
- Insurance Provided By Root: Car Insurance, Homeowners Insurance, & Renters Insurance.
- Root Apps Rating:
- Google Play Store: 3.5 out of 5 stars
- Apple Store: 4.7 out of 5 stars
- States Root Insurance Is Available In:
- Auto Insurance: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
- Homeowners Insurance: Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah.
- Renters Insurance: Missouri, Ohio, Kentucky, Utah, Tennessee, Georgia, Arkansas, Nevada, and New Mexico.
- Auto Insurance: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Understanding Root Insurance
In 2015, Root Insurance entered the market with the goal of upending the conventional insurance industry with its distinctive strategy. Root Insurance sets itself apart by using information about your driving habits as the primary determinant of your vehicle insurance price. Root Insurance gives more weight to your real driving patterns than the majority of insurance firms, which base their decisions on factors like age, gender, geography, credit score, and demographics.
When Will Root Insurance Be Available In My State?
There are multiple reasons that Root insurance is not available in your state. Selling car, renters, and home insurance in your state might not be profitable, or they have yet to develop a software or algorithm that works with car, renters, and home insurance in your state. We will try to update the location information for Root insurance regularly.
The Pros & Cons Of Root Insurance
Root insurance like all insurance companies has pros and cons. In our review of Root insurance we will primarily be looking at the car insurance they provide. While they provide home and renters insurance, there is less information on their approach to quoting those types of insurance coverages.
The Pros Of Using Root Auto Insurance
Data-Driven Pricing Is the main positive of Root Insurance. Root auto insurance stands out for its distinctive pricing strategy. They primarily take into account your driving patterns rather than substantially depending on demographic data. This may be useful, especially if traditional insurers may charge you more due to your demographic profile.
How does Root auto insurance use you’re driving data as the main factor in your auto quote? They track it. That can be extremely beneficial depending on your personal demographic information. Most car insurance companies base your auto insurance off of demographics. The main demographics that are used in creating a car insurance quote are your age gender credit score and location.
While Root Insurance uses demographic information to help guide its insurance quote, it is not the primary factor. If you are an excellent driver, have a terrible credit score, live in an area with high accident potential, and are a male teen, this might be the best option for your auto insurance. The factors I listed above typically result in a higher auto insurance premium.
The Negatives Of Root Auto Insurance
Privacy and eligibility are major negatives to Root Insurance. Their simple approach to auto insurance seems like a great deal, but it is important to note that you are giving up your personal information to root insurance. The other factor is, you have to be a good driver to qualify for Root insurance. Many people are declined insurance coverage from root.
Root’s data-driven strategy might be advantageous, but it also implies that you must feel comfortable disclosing driving-related data. Additionally, you need to be a safe driver to be eligible for Root Insurance. Some people may not be approved for coverage as a result of this criterion.
Root Insurance is missing demographic discounts: As you age, get married, or reach other life milestones, traditional insurance companies frequently give discounts. Root’s method downplays these demographic characteristics, which may eventually result in lost savings opportunities.
Looking at demographics, if you are not in a demographic group that is penalized for their driving data, you could be losing out on your auto insurance coverage because of your driving. Since Root insurance minimizes your demographic factors, the areas that could be positive can be neglected.
For instance, say you’re a male teen with the worst demographic data for car insurance. You get auto insurance from the root app and start to use it. Normal car insurance companies provide discounts as you continue to not have claims as you grow older, as you get married, and many other factors. While the initial coverage of Root insurance may have saved your money for the first year, continual use can result in more expensive auto insurance because you’re missing the demographic discounts.
According to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, Root insurance has a larger number of complaints compared to other insurance agencies of the same size.
Tip To Getting Lower Car Insurance Premium With Root Insurance
Many telematics (the tracking system set up with your phone to track how you drive) systems will look at the speed you drive and how much you drive. When people are going through the Root insurance test drive they typically pay attention to these four things.
Consider your acceleration and deceleration as well as your speed and distance when taking part in the test drive for Root Insurance. Since aggressive driving is linked to a higher risk of accidents, smooth driving practices are more likely to result in a reduced premium.
- Accelerations Impact On Root Insurance: This is a top indicator of a bad driving habit. By suddenly accelerating, it can indicate you take more risky pullouts, are driving faster speeds, and reaching a range of speeds in shorter distances.
- Deceleration’s Impact On Root Insurance: Jamming on your breaks? Should have paid closer attention to the driver or the road ahead of you.
- Average Speed’s Impact On Root Insurance: Going above the speed limit makes it more likely you will have an accident and it makes it more plausible that greater damage will occur.
- Distance-Driven Impact On Root Insurance: If you drive more and further distances on a regular basis, this means you have more opportunities to have an accident.
There is one important driving factor you should be paying attention to, acceleration. Acceleration and deceleration are strong indicators of bad driving habits and are more likely to cause an accident. When using Root Insurance, try to speed and slow down at a slower pace. This will help you to be approved by them and potentially get a quote.
Root Insurance’s Other Coverages
We have only been focusing on auto insurance, but root insurance also provides homeowners insurance and renters insurance. While this is not provided in as many states, this does provide potential benefits of using Root insurance for a longer amount of time. You can potentially bundle auto home renters insurance if it is provided in your state. But that is only if you like their services.
Is Root Insurance Good?
Root Insurance is a welcome innovation in the insurance sector, particularly for vehicle insurance. Root Insurance’s data-driven approach to insurance provides another option in the market. It does, however, have its own advantages and disadvantages. Make sure Root Insurance fits your needs and driving preferences before committing. Making the best pick for your coverage requirements requires thorough study and comparisons, just as with any insurance decision.
Compare Root Insurance To Strickler Insurance
At Strickler Insurance we encourage you to download the Root insurance app and get a auto quote from them. At the same time compare auto insurance coverage with us, your local insurance company. We will try to provide you the best current insurance coverage possible. In the unlikely chance that they provide more affordable coverage and service, be sure to compare pricing yearly with Strickler Insurance. Root insurance might save you money for a short amount of time, but at Strickler we aim to provide insurance coverage for you and your family long-term.
Contact us at Strickler Insurance to get a free quote on car, renters, and home insurance. We are located in Lebanon Pennsylvania and have been providing coverage for over 160 years. We provide insurance in PA, MD, NY, NJ, DE, and VA. Contact us to compare insurance!
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