Root car insurance review 2026: 2.0 out of 5 stars

Root is an app-based car insurer that prices your argumentation astir wholly connected however you drive. Instead of accepted underwriting, Root asks you to implicit a driving trial done its mobile app and builds your complaint from that data. Good drivers whitethorn spot competitory pricing, but everyone other whitethorn wage much — and immoderate applicants aren’t offered a punctuation astatine all.

Learn more: Best car security companies successful the U.S.

• Usage-based pricing rewards harmless driving

• Has bully lawsuit reviews connected Trustpilot

• Rideshare sum disposable successful prime states

• No mishap forgiveness

• No caller car replacement

• Higher-than-average rates

Root is disposable successful implicit 35 states and offers a elemental integer experience. But it has higher-than-average NAIC ailment levels, a C people from the CRASH Network, and constricted sum options compared to larger insurers.

Root outgo and lawsuit satisfaction

• Average monthly outgo for afloat coverage: $224

• J.D. Power lawsuit restitution people by region: Root Insurance did not look successful the J.D. Power lawsuit restitution survey.

• J.D. Power car claims satisfaction: Root Insurance did not look successful the J.D. Power car claims survey.

Learn more: How does car security work? The basics explained

• Different sum types: 9

• Number of discounts: 12

Root Insurance has these types of car security coverage:

• Liability coverage

• Comprehensive coverage

• Collision coverage

• Roadside assistance

• Mechanical breakdown coverage

• Rental car coverage

• Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage

• Personal wounded extortion (PIP)

• Medical payments (MedPay) coverage

Learn more: Most communal types of car security explained

Root Insurance does not connection mishap forgiveness. If you’d similar this coverage, cheque retired American Family oregon The Hartford.

Learn more: Is mishap forgiveness security worthy it?

Yes, Root offers optional roadside assistance you tin adhd to your policy. Each car connected your argumentation gets up to 3 work calls per six-month term, with sum up to $100 per incidental for things similar towing, state delivery, and artillery jumps.

Learn more: Do I request exigency roadside assistance coverage?

Root’s rates are the highest successful our comparison. Full sum averages $224 a month, and basal liability sum runs astir $133 a month.

Basic sum is the minimum your authorities requires. Full sum adds extortion for your ain conveyance aft things similar crashes, theft, oregon upwind events, which is wherefore Yahoo Finance recommends it erstwhile possible.

Root is tied with AAA of Southern California for the priciest afloat sum car security astatine $224 a month. For context, American Family is the cheapest insurer connected our list, averaging $151 per month.

Root has the astir costly liability-only car security sum of immoderate security institution we analyzed. A argumentation costs $20 much per period than the mean and $44 much than American Family.

Learn more: Car security rates are climbing. Here are 4 reasons wherefore and 11 ways to save.

Root offers less modular discounts than galore insurers we’ve reviewed. The bulk of imaginable savings comes from its usage-based pricing, wherever harmless and low-mileage drivers whitethorn prevention up to $900 annually.

Here’s the afloat database of discounts you could find with Root car insurance:

• Pay-in-full discount: Save by paying your six-month premium upfront alternatively of monthly.

• Accident prevention people discount: In immoderate states, you could get a discount for completing an approved antiaircraft driving course.

• Five-year accident-free discount: This rewards drivers who haven’t had an mishap successful the past 5 years.

• Connectivity discount: You could person a little complaint for opting into and staying connected to Root’s telematics program.

• Homeowners discount: Save if you ain a home, adjacent if it’s not insured done Root.

• Military discount: In Los Angeles, active-duty subject members whitethorn suffice for savings.

• Safety diagnostic discounts: These automatic discounts are for vehicles with features similar airbags, anti-lock brakes, and anti-theft systems.

• Good pupil discount: This car security discount is disposable to eligible students with a beardown world record.

• Multi-vehicle discount: With Root, you could prevention erstwhile you insure much than 1 car connected the aforesaid policy.

• Good operator discount: This is Root’s superior discount. If you show that you’re a harmless operator during the “Test Drive,” you could little your complaint by up to $900 per year.

• Low-mileage savings: Drivers who log less miles whitethorn suffice for little premiums.

• Referral rewards: With Root, you could gain currency erstwhile idiosyncratic signs up for a argumentation utilizing your referral link.

Learn more: Car security discounts: 17 ways to save

Root lets you record a assertion straight successful the app, which is the fastest mode to get things started. You tin besides telephone its claims enactment if you similar to speech to someone.

Here’s however the process works:

1. Start your assertion successful the Root app: Tap “File a claim” from the location screen. You tin study an incidental anytime, and it lone takes a fewer minutes.

2. Share the basics: Add a abbreviated statement of what happened, positive photos if you person them. Don’t interest if you don’t person each detail.

3. Connect with a claims expert: Once your assertion is submitted, Root assigns an adept who volition reappraisal your record and explicate the adjacent steps.

4. Send immoderate requested documents: Your adjuster whitethorn inquire for further accusation portion they verify the harm and coverage.

5. Receive payment: Once the assertion is approved, Root sends outgo either electronically oregon by mail.

Learn more: How to record a car security claim

Root doesn’t springiness a strict filing deadline, but it encourages drivers to study accidents close away.

Root doesn’t people a modular payout timeline. The velocity depends connected however analyzable the assertion is and however rapidly documents and photos are submitted. Once your assertion is approved, Root issues outgo either electronically oregon by mail.

Root’s mobile app allows you to take coverages, record a assertion “in astir 3 minutes,” notation friends and family, get started with a “Test Drive” to find your complaint and however overmuch you tin save, and more.

• App Store: 4.7 retired of 5 stars

• Google Play Store: 3.2 retired of 5 stars

Root is an autarkic company. It was founded successful 2015, became the archetypal afloat mobile-powered licensed insurer successful the U.S., and went nationalist successful 2020. The institution is inactive tally by its cofounder and CEO, Alex Timm.

It takes astir 3 minutes to record a assertion with Root, and its 4.2 standing connected Trustpilot suggests galore customers person affirmative experiences. But its manufacture scores archer a antithetic story. Root earned a C from the CRASH Network and has a higher-than-average NAIC ailment ratio. (It wasn’t included successful J.D. Power’s assertion restitution studies.)

It depends connected what you value. Root is much tech-driven and whitethorn entreaty to harmless drivers who privation pricing based heavy connected driving behavior. But Progressive is the stronger all-around insurer: it’s typically cheaper, offers acold much sum options (including mishap forgiveness and rideshare coverage), and has a longer way grounds of lawsuit satisfaction.

Tim Manni edited this article.

We researched the sum details and prices for 20 car security plans. We past weighted categories, and each car insurer was scored comparative to the others to find the champion car security companies. Here are the factors we incorporated.

Coverage types: 20% of score. We examined each the sum options disposable and assessed whether each insurer offered the following: caller car replacement (5%), GAP security (5%), mishap forgiveness (5%), and diminishing deductible (5%).

Average cost: 40% of score. The mean outgo was generated by Savvy Insurance Solutions' in-house instrumentality learning models based connected implicit 3 cardinal information points, and includes much than 20 of the largest security companies successful Savvy's nationwide information set. These estimates are for policies with afloat sum for the mean policyholder who owns 1 car. Average policyholder present is defined arsenic a 48-year-old driver, driving a 13-year-old car, successful an average-income ZIP codification with afloat coverage.

Customer satisfaction: 20% of score. We factored successful accusation from 2 large sources: 1) National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) complaints (10%), successful which we took the full fig of complaints each institution had implicit a three-year play (2022-2024) and 2) CRASH scores (10%) from the Crash Network which stock however good each institution ensures prime repairs and lawsuit service.

Discounts: 10% of score. We gave points for each benignant of discount that each car insurer offers.

App ratings: 10% of score. We included the mean ratings for each company's apps crossed some the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. All app ratings were close astatine the clip of publication.

Unless stated otherwise, the estimates supra are provided by Savvy Insurance Solutions (“Savvy”). Savvy operates a marketplace for location and car insurance, positive an bureau licensed successful each 50 states. Estimates are generated utilizing Savvy’s in-house instrumentality learning models based connected implicit 3 cardinal information points, and see much than 15 of the largest security companies successful Savvy’s nationwide information set. This includes information from much than 2 cardinal security accounts connected done Trellis Connect, an in-house exertion allowing consumers to “link” their security accounts earlier searching for insurance, and tens of thousands of policies bound by Savvy’s ain agents. It takes into relationship a myriad of factors to make predictions, specified as:

• Policyholder age

• Number of vehicles

• ZIP code

• Vehicle age

• Insurer

• …and more

Savvy creates estimates by moving models against aggregate inputs to the parameters of interest. For instance, the “teen driver” estimates were created by adjusting the policyholder property input into the pricing exemplary portion keeping each different variables dependable from the baseline for “full coverage.” The models alteration hyper-personalized estimates that instrumentality into relationship a plethora of idiosyncratic property permutations (e.g., teen drivers successful circumstantial states, teen drivers with caller vehicles, teen drivers successful circumstantial states with caller vehicles) to supply individuals with a unsocial and tailored experience. The charts supra are a subset of the kinds of personalization Savvy tin do.

The pursuing are definitions utilized by Savvy erstwhile providing its complaint estimates for assorted types of coverage.

Full sum car insurance: A argumentation with comprehensive, collision, and liability coverage.

Average policyholder: A 48-year-old operator who owns a 13-year-old conveyance and lives successful an average-income ZIP code.

Senior driver: A 70-year-old policyholder with afloat sum car insurance.

Good driver: Drivers crossed each sum types, conveyance types, and locations who person nary tickets, accidents oregon DUIs.