Esurance Review 2018: Complaints, Ratings and Coverage

Auto insurance rating

Esurance ranked 19th out of 23 insurers in NerdWallet’s ranking of the best car insurance companies, earning 3.5 stars out of 5 for overall performance. NerdWallet’s rating is a score based on:

• J.D. Power ratings for customer service, claims satisfaction and shopping satisfaction
• Consumer Reports customer satisfaction ratings
• Consumer complaints against the insurer, based on data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners

Esurance availability

Esurance is available in 43 states.

Esurance auto insurance

DriveSense from Esurance lets drivers in 15 states use an app or device that tracks driving behavior like speed, hard braking and time of day you drive. You get a 10% discount just for signing up, and good drivers are rewarded with policy discounts.

Pay Per Mile: Available in Oregon only, Pay Per Mile is geared toward those who drive under 10,000 miles per year. The program charges drivers a base rate, plus a per-mile rate for up to 150 miles a day. Additional miles are free. Esurance tracks mileage using a device that plugs into your car’s diagnostic port. If you and your vehicle are eligible, Esurance will show you a Pay Per Mile quote alongside a quote for traditional car insurance.

CoverageMyWay is technology from Esurance that uses the information you provide when requesting a quote to help you find the right coverage. It will help you navigate through all the usual coverage options, plus optional coverage including:

• Emergency roadside assistance: Esurance pays up to $75 for towing, tire changes, lockouts and other services when you’re stranded if you have this coverage. It can be added to auto policies that have comprehensive and collision coverage, and help can be summoned from your Esurance mobile app.
• CarMatch pays for the full cost of a rental comparable to your car if it’s stolen or while it’s being repaired after an accident, for up to 45 days or $3,000. This option isn’t available in all states, and you must have comprehensive and collision coverage to qualify.
• Gap insurance: If you financed or leased a vehicle and it’s totaled, insurers typically pay out what the car is worth at the time of the accident. But if you still owe more than that, Esurance will pay the difference, up to 25% of your car’s value.
• Customized parts and equipment coverage reimburses you if custom parts you added to your car are damaged or stolen, up to $4,000. It can include stereos, navigation systems and spoilers, as well as equipment for disabled passengers or drivers. In some states you must have comprehensive and collision coverage to add this option.

Esurance home insurance

Esurance offers homeowners insurance policies in many states; if you don’t live in one of those, Esurance will help you get home insurance through a partner company. Esurance’s standard policies include two features that many insurers don’t offer:

• Water backup coverage pays when a drain overflows or a sump pump backs up and causes damage. This coverage varies by state, ranging from $5,000 to $25,000.
• Fire department charges: If you call the fire department and later are charged for its services, Esurance pays up to $5,500 toward the fee.

Esurance’s optional home insurance features include:

• Building codes coverage: This comes in handy if your home is damaged and you file a claim but a new law requires more expensive repairs than your policy covers. This coverage helps pay the difference, up to 20% of your dwelling limit.
• Increased building structure coverage is extra protection for extreme damage. With this optional coverage, your policy pays up to an additional 40% of your dwelling limit.
• Identity theft coverage helps pay for costs up to $10,000 to repair your name and credit after identity theft, plus help from an ID theft advisor. Esurance also provides access to an annual credit report and score and monthly credit monitoring. It costs $3 per month for one person, and $4 for a couple.
• Fair rental income reimburses you for lost revenue if a rental space in your home is left uninhabitable after a claim for up to 24 months.
• Home day care: If you run an in-home day care, this covers you in case an accident happens and you’re liable, up to your policy’s liability limit.
• Extended premises: If you run a two-, three- or four-unit building, this optional coverage extends your dwelling limit to the units and covers you if a tenant is injured.

Other insurance through Esurance

Aside from auto, homeowners and renters insurance, Esurance offers insurance for:

• Motorcycles
• All-terrain vehicles
• Snowmobiles
• Scooters
• Segways
• Golf carts

Esurance offers these other types of insurance through its parent company, Allstate, and other affiliates:

More about Esurance

Website: Esurance’s website has everything you’ll need to buy and maintain a policy, plus user-friendly tools like:

• Coverage Counselor, which can help you determine what kind of coverage you need
• Fuelcaster, which predicts gas prices so you can time fill-ups when prices are cheaper
• Express lane, which allows you to save time getting a car insurance quote by automatically looking up your vehicles when you provide your name, date of birth and address

Mobile app: You can file and track a claim, view auto insurance ID cards, see policy details and make payments in the Esurance app, or you can also use it to find nearby repair shops, gas stations and restaurants. Special features include:

• Video appraisal: Esurance policyholders can chat in real time with appraisers after filing a claim. Rather than meeting in person to assess car damage, you can schedule a smartphone appraisal at your convenience. Esurance says that in some cases, you can get your repair estimate and even payment that same day.
• RepairView allows you to check in on your car while it’s in an Esurance-approved shop during a claim repair. You can view the car’s status, see a daily photo of repairs, contact the shop directly and find out when your car will be ready.