Root Auto Insurance Review: Can you get affordable quotes? (2023)

With Root auto insurance available in over 30 states, you could save up to $75 per month ($900 per year) when you switch. If you’re ready to request a quote, you’ll need to download the Root app and sign up for a test drive, so Root can track your driving habits and calculate a quote. Root auto insurance is Better Business Bureau accredited with an A+, but only has a 1.31 out of five stars from customers and receives a high number of complaints (well above industry average).

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Rachel Bodine

Insurance Feature Writer

Rachel Bodine graduated from college with a BA in English. She has since worked as a Feature Writer in the insurance industry and gained a deep knowledge of state and countrywide insurance laws and rates. Her research and writing focus on helping readers understand their insurance coverage and how to find savings. Her expert advice on insurance has been featured on sites like PhotoEnforced, All...

Insurance Feature Writer

Leslie Kasperowicz

Farmers CSR for 4 Years

Leslie Kasperowicz holds a BA in Social Sciences from the University of Winnipeg. She spent several years as a Farmers Insurance CSR, gaining a solid understanding of insurance products including home, life, auto, and commercial and working directly with insurance customers to understand their needs. She has since used that knowledge in her more than ten years as a writer, largely in the insurance...

Farmers CSR for 4 Years

UPDATED: Jun 16, 2022

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Company Details
Address: 80 E. Rich Street Suite 500 43215
City: Columbus
State: OH
ZIP Code: 43215
Phone Number: 1-866-980-9431
Website: https://www.joinroot.com/
Year Founded: 2015
AM Best Rating: Not Available

We know shopping for and understanding auto insurance can be complicated and overwhelming. There is so much information, and with newer companies like Root auto insurance, it can be hard to find the details you need. We can help.

We’ve done the research for you and have all of the information on Root auto insurance. Who owns Root Insurance, and where can you get it? What are average Root auto insurance rates? How can you contact Root Insurance? We’ve got the answers to these and other questions in this Root auto insurance review. Read on for more.

Before we jump into this Root auto insurance review, take a minute to use your ZIP code in our rate comparison tool to get free auto insurance quotes from top companies.

What are average auto insurance rates from Root Insurance?

Root Insurance uses a combination of traditional metrics and your driving data, which is weighted more heavily than other factors, to generate quotes that reflect your driving behavior. As a result, the company doesn’t publish average rates. However, Root promises savings of up to $75 per month when you switch.

With the Root app, which all insured drivers must use, Root Insurance can continually track driving habits, calculate an initial quote, and recalculate rates at each policy renewal, which is every six months. This keeps driver rates as low as possible and ensures rates always accurately reflect current driving habits.

Where can you get Root Insurance?

You can buy Root auto insurance in more than 30 states, and the company is planning to expand into the remaining states in the future. This table lists the places in which you can currently buy Root Insurance. Take a look.

Root Insurance Availability by State
StateRoot Is Available
AlaskaNo
AlabamaNo
ArkansasYes
ArizonaYes
CaliforniaYes
ColoradoYes
ConnecticutYes
District of ColumbiaNo
DelawareYes
FloridaNo
GeorgiaYes
HawaiiNo
IowaYes
IdahoNo
IllinoisYes
IndianaYes
KansasNo
KentuckyYes
LouisianaYes
MaineNo
MarylandYes
MassachusettsNo
MichiganNo
MinnesotaNo
MissouriYes
MississippiYes
MontanaYes
North CarolinaNo
North DakotaYes
NebraskaYes
New HampshireNo
New JerseyNo
New MexicoYes
NevadaYes
New YorkNo
OhioYes
OklahomaYes
OregonYes
PennsylvaniaYes
Rhode IslandNo
South CarolinaYes
South DakotaNo
TennesseeYes
TexasYes
UtahYes
VirginiaYes
VermontNo
WashingtonNo
West VirginiaYes
WisconsinYes
WyomingNo
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Now that you know where you can buy Root Insurance and how Root auto insurance quotes are generated keep reading for more information you can use to decide if Root is right for you.

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What are the company ratings for Root Insurance?

If you’re ready to seriously compare insurance companies as a part of your coverage shopping process, we recommend looking beyond just coverage options and average rates.

It’s essential to look at factors like customer service and financial stability to make sure you’re choosing a company that has a reputation for good customer service and is able to pay out on claims.

We pulled data from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to look at Root Insurance’s customer service. On the positive side, the BBB accredits Root with an A+. However, the customer reviews aren’t quite so positive. The BBB reports a 1.31 out of five stars from Root customers.

To see if this poor customer rating data was a trend for Root, we also looked at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) complaint data. And unfortunately, we found similar information. This table summarizes the data we found. Take a look.

NAIC Root Insurance Complaint Data
Complaint Data201820192020
Total Number of Complaints86850
Annual Premiums$106,371,642$451,058,558$616,842,050
Share of Premiums U.S. Market0.01%0.03%0.04%
Share of Complaints in the U.S. Market0.01%0.12%0.15%
Complaint Index1.664.554
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What do all these numbers mean? The NAIC represents the industry average for complaints with the number one. We can then review the NAIC’s collected individual company complaint index and compare it to the average. With this in mind, it’s clear that Root Insurance’s complaint index has dramatically increased over the past three years.

Between 2018 and 2019, the complaint index nearly tripled, but so did the company’s growth (take a look at the change in annual premiums). There is some slight improvement from 2019 to 2020, as the complaint index decreased from 4.55 to four while the company grew and the total number of complaints dropped. But a complaint index of four is still high.

Finally, financial stability is a measure of whether or not companies will be able to pay out on any outstanding obligations like claims. One of the best resources for this information is A.M. Best, a financial rating institution focused on the insurance agency. However, A.M. Best hasn’t yet rated Root Insurance.

What coverage options does Root Insurance offer?

Coverage options are important when you’re shopping for a policy. Root offers standard options, including:

  • Liability coverage
  • Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage
  • Collision coverage
  • Comprehensive coverage

In addition to basic auto insurance coverage, Root has a few add-ons customers can choose to include in their policies.

Roadside assistance is automatically added to all policies at no charge to you.

With Root’s roadside assistance coverage, you’ll get up to $100 in coverage per incident for things like a flat tire, a dead battery, etc. You are limited to three incidents per six-month policy term, so if you have a fourth incident or the cost of a covered incident exceeds $100, you’ll be responsible for paying out of pocket.

In addition to free roadside assistance coverage, you’ll also have the option to add rental reimbursement to your policy for a fee. This coverage will enable you to rent a car or call Lyft when your vehicle is in the shop for repairs after a covered incident.

Finally, for insured drivers, you can get an SR-22 form through the Root app, should you need one.

Are there any discounts or other perks available with a Root Insurance policy?

You won’t get many discounts from Root because the company already applies most of the commonly offered ones to rates as a part of its goal of keeping rates as affordable as possible. One of the few discounts currently offered is a multi-policy discount, which applies if you have more than one auto insurance policy with Root Insurance.

As far as perks, Root Insurance offers a couple of different types to customers. Specifically, you can:

  • Earn free Lyft credits in certain states, which can be applied on various holidays
  • Earn cash for referring friends and family to the company

Keep reading for information on how to buy a Root Insurance policy.

How do you buy and manage a Root Insurance policy?

As we’ve noted a few times already, Root uses individual driver behavior to calculate insurance quotes. How is this done? Through the company app, which you’re required to download when you request a quote. After you’ve downloaded the app, you’ll be directed to sign up for a test drive and enable the app to connect to the GPS on your phone.

For three to four weeks, Root will track your driving behavior as a part of this test drive. Relevant data include how fast you drive, where and when you drive, and how hard you brake and turn. With the collected data, Root will calculate a quote that accurately reflects how you drive.

However, you should be aware that Root has a reputation for refusing to cover drivers who are considered too high risk, so be careful how you drive during the test drive.

One of the benefits of Root’s refusal to cover high-risk drivers is that it helps keep overall rates lower because of the lower risk to the company.

Once you’re insured by Root, you’ll be required to continue to use the Root app so the company can consistently gather driving habit data and keep your rates up-to-date. In addition, you’ll be able to use the app to pay your bills, file claims, make adjustments to your policy, and more.

The Root app tracking function is always on to ensure no data is missed. But the company uses a machine-learning algorithm to filter out tracking data collected when you aren’t driving. That way, you won’t be penalized for someone else’s poor driving habits.

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How do you file a claim with Root Insurance?

Root Insurance works to offer hassle-free claims filing to drivers through the Root app or by calling the company customer service line, 866-980-9431. In support of this goal, the company promises an average of a three-minute claims-filing process with only a few steps.

You’ll need to start the process either through the app or by calling customer service before you leave the site of the accident. If you call customer service, the company representative will walk you through the necessary steps. With the app, you’ll need to:

  • Gather all the relevant information about the type of accident
  • Photograph the scene of the accident (get as many angles and shots of the damage as possible)
  • Submit all the information and photos through the app

During the review process, Root will reach out to you with questions or if any extra information is needed to finalize your claim. You can review the status of your claim at any time through the Root app. If your claim is approved, you can request either an electronic deposit or a check.

What are the pros and cons of Root Insurance?

Now that we’ve provided you with plenty of information about Root Insurance, what does it all mean? Your specific auto insurance needs may vary from someone else’s. So with that in mind, we’ve compiled a brief list of pros and cons to help summarize the data we’ve provided and give you an idea of whether or not Root Insurance could meet your needs.

Pros:

  • If you need an SR-22 form, you can get one through the Root app
  • You can manage your entire insurance policy through the Root app
  • Root uses your driving habits to generate your rates, meaning rates reflect how you (and not anyone else) drives

Cons:

  • You can’t get Root in every state (it’s available in about 30 at this time)
  • Root has received almost three times the national average for complaints in the past couple of years
  • You may not be able to buy insurance from Root if you’re too high-risk

It’s a good idea to put together your own pros and cons list, taking into consideration your specific situation, coverage needs, etc., to see if it differs from ours.

What else should you know about Root Insurance?

Before he co-founded Root Insurance with Dan Manges, Alex Timm spent several years working in the auto insurance industry and was dissatisfied with what he saw as an unfair approach to auto insurance rates.

Out of this experience and his frustration with the currently available insurance options, Root Insurance was born with the goal of offering a unique and equitable approach to auto insurance.

The key to Root Insurance’s offerings is the company app. As we noted in earlier sections, the Root app is a way to track your driving behavior, which is then used to generate a quote based on your driving data (rather than on generalities). However, you can also use it to manage your policy.

You can download the Root app for free from the Google Play store and the App store, and to date, the Root app has a 3.5 out of five-star customer rating.

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Root Auto Insurance: The Bottom Line

While Root auto insurance doesn’t receive the best reviews from customers (1.31 out of five stars as reported by the BBB) and receives well above the industry average in complaints, you can save up to $900 on your rates when you switch.

In addition, because of the usage-based approach the company uses to generate quotes, your rates will accurately reflect your driving habits. The continuous tracking through the Root app enables the company to maintain accurate quotes for you at each policy renewal as well.

When you’re shopping for coverage, whether you’re considering Root auto insurance or not, we know you want to save. And the best way to save on your rates is to comparison shop. You can get started right now by entering your ZIP code in the tool on this page to get free auto insurance quotes from companies in your area.

Reviews
for Root Insurance

3.22 (616 reviews)
1
May 16, 2023

D_W_G_

Root refuses to fix damage 15,000 spent still needs new roof

Insurance spent 15,000 and body shop said roof needs to be replaced. Root refuses to fix car creaks
3
May 11, 2023

chrislsaanders

Beware, hidden fees!

Beware, hidden fees! I've been a long-time customer & fan of Root but was recently charged a late fee. The kicker is that they didn't even notify me. I noticed the additional amount on my credit card and had to call their customer service to get clarify on the discrepancy with what I was quoted for my premium. Customer service reps super friendly but not empowered by their leadership to make things right. Sadly, I had to cancel my policy and ...
Beware, hidden fees! I've been a long-time customer & fan of Root but was recently charged a late fee. The kicker is that they didn't even notify me. I noticed the additional amount on my credit card and had to call their customer service to get clarify on the discrepancy with what I was quoted for my premium. Customer service reps super friendly but not empowered by their leadership to make things right. Sadly, I had to cancel my policy and find another insurer. Frustrating experience.
5
May 10, 2023

KLC

Started a auto policy a few days ago. Root makes it so easy.

Just started a auto policy with Root. So far everything is good. No Hassel in setting up the policy.
5
May 9, 2023

Joseph_Flores_

Root helps improve your driving abilities

Root insurance does a good job at helping you drive better. With the tracking you can see what you are doing wrong and fix it. Nice information to help you drive safely.
1
April 17, 2023

B__Zen

BEWARE OF THIS COMPANY

This company is a scam. If you read the fine print in their paperwork, it says they have permission to continue to withdraw money from your account even if the account has been canceled or is no longer active. They doubled my policy amount after 6 months (no late payments, accidents, or violations), so I canceled my policy. The next month, they claimed that I never canceled and pulled the money out anyway! I made it very clear I was canceling the...
This company is a scam. If you read the fine print in their paperwork, it says they have permission to continue to withdraw money from your account even if the account has been canceled or is no longer active. They doubled my policy amount after 6 months (no late payments, accidents, or violations), so I canceled my policy. The next month, they claimed that I never canceled and pulled the money out anyway! I made it very clear I was canceling the second time: phone call, app, and website. That's when I was told by their rude "customer service" representatives to read the fine print about withdrawing after you cancel. Twice I asked for a manager call. The first time they said it would be 4 DAYS, but no one from Root ever called me either time, even though they claim they did. They continued to withdraw money in $200-$350 type amounts from my account. I disputed every charge, but Root would refund Chase and then pull it right back out of my account. They kept trying to tell me I had still never canceled (!!!), just straight up lied to me in addition to theiving from me. Altogether, they stole about $1100.00 from me, and I had to get a new bank account to keep them from stealing more from me. Then, to top it all, the petty people at this company turned my husband and I in for driving uninsured, even though we had purchased a new policy from another company when I canceled Root. Those jerks tried to get our licenses suspended and a couple of nice, fat fines since they waited a couple weeks before reporting us. Now we have to go through the headache of proving Root is full of it, and we've been insured this whole time. I wish I had the resources to take them to court! 0/10 I would NEVER recommend this company. Honestly, I don't know how it's even legal to run a business like they do.
1
April 15, 2023

Gigi1

Worst company insurance

Rude adjuster. Worst investment ever, I was rear ended twice and not at fault. The female adjusters were rude, inefficient and let me hanging. I fired them for poor support and performance. They agreed to pay for repairs and then back down at last minute. True story, I got rid of them for playing games and bad faith.
5
April 10, 2023

Bmvirgil19

Switching is easy

You always see ads on switch to this company and it will save you $200 on car insurance. I can personally say that switching to root did just that. Excellent service and the cheapest I’ve found !
5
March 22, 2023

Cowleyty

Simple quick and easy

Very quick and easy. App simple and easy to use Needed to add a sr-22 to my policy. Got an e-mail within minutes.
5
March 18, 2023

tonig73

Root insured four vehicles for $250 !!

I read reviews about Root insurance online so I was in the market to find some better insurance an decided to give them a try. I downloaded the app put my information in and in a matter of minutes I had a quote. Just like that, it was that easy! I got policies for four vehicles under $250 a month. They gave me a very good quote and I am well pleased.
4
February 25, 2023

Retake_

Shorten the test drive

Overall good I don’t drive everyday .. the test drive should be shorten The ease of changing items was good
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