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Elephant auto is a small insurer with coverage options in a few states. It’s not the cheapest option around, and we found customer complaints about ballooning renewal rates and extended wait times to file claims or get other basic support.
Founded in 2009 in Richmond, Virginia, Elephant Auto Insurance – Product Name Only is under the Admiral Group, a top 100 FTSE company. Car, homeowners, and renters insurance are Elephant’s primary products, but it also offers life, condo, motorcycle, umbrella, and off-road vehicle coverage.
Recent reports indicate Elephant may offer auto insurance in as many as eight states. But when we attempted to run quotes, some of the states named on other sites did not have quoting options on its website. We did a deep dive into Elephant’s coverage to answer common questions and help drivers make informed decisions.
Read on to see whether Elephant stands out among the best auto insurance companies.
Types of Auto Insurance Plans from Elephant
Elephant offers the following types of auto insurance:
Liability: When you’re at fault, this covers bodily injury and property damage. Comp and collision: Covers crashing into something, but also weather-related incidents and theft. Uninsured/underinsured: Covers when the other driver is uninsured or lacks insurance. MedPay and PIP: Covers medical or related expenses after an accident.
Elephant also offers:
Loan/lease: A great backup if you’re currently paying for your car or leasing it. Rental reimbursement: Pays for a rental car while yours is being fixed after an accident. Non-owner car insurance: Covers the cost if you are driving someone else’s car and get in an accident. Custom parts and equipment: Covers custom car modifications, such as tire rims.
For no additional charge, Elephant also has the following unique benefits:
Pet injury coverage: If your dog or cat is injured in a covered accident, Elephant will give you $1,000 for vet bills and other related costs for free. Coverage includes two pets. YourMechanic: Allows Elephant policyholders to book over 600 repair, maintenance, and diagnostic services for a reduced rate. The service person will come to your home or office with contact-free repairs and contactless payments.
Additional Coverage Options (Riders)
Elephant offers additional coverage options, including:
Real-time roadside assistance: An additional service provided by Elephant’s partner, Agero, and offers help with towing, battery jump, flat tire replacement, emergency fuel delivery, and lockout services. Available 24/7/365 and offers real-time tracking of your service provider from your phone. Diminishing deductible: Available for vehicles that have a collision with at least a $500 deductible. For $60/year for each vehicle, your deductible will be reduced by $100 yearly and $50 for 6-month policies. From there, this coverage will reduce by $100 yearly and $50 for six months each term without accidents. Unlike other companies’ policies, if you have an accident, your deductible amount will freeze and then return to reducing after another term accident-free. Legal: For as little as $6/month, this plan covers 100% of attorney fees for minor traffic violations once per year and a 25% discount on other attorney services such as will preparation, real estate transactions, family law, elder law, and tenant/landlord law. Upgraded accident forgiveness: After three consecutive years without an accident, accident forgiveness waives the next at-fault accident. With upgraded accident forgiveness, the benefits of this start right away, as long as there are no accidents within the past three years.
Services like roadside service have become a standard building block in most auto insurance plans. You pay a few dollars per month to get a set number of service calls or discounted rates each renewal period. However, Elephant’s diminishing deductible is more unique— only a few other insurers we’ve reviewed offer it. Especially for buyers on a tight budget, a $0 deductible could make an accident less stressful. Of course, this should be balanced against the online reviews we saw indicating monthly rates rise substantially upon renewal.
What stood out to us, though, was its legal services. To date, Elephant is the only auto insurance company to offer this rider. While we all hope to never find ourselves in an accident, let alone one serious enough to get lawyers involved, $6 seems extremely affordable for a little extra peace of mind.
How Much Does Elephant Auto Insurance Cost?
Although the price of auto insurance through Elephant Auto Insurance – Product Name Only will depend on various factors, including your zip code, driving history, age, and type of car, it offers many discounts to lower the overall cost of insurance. Elephant claims that users can save up to 40% or more on their premiums once discounts are applied.
We ran a quote for a couple in their 30s with one car, no accidents or tickets, and all common discounts (like paperless and college discounts) in Maryland. We did not include rideshare extension coverage to keep things simple. With these parameters, Elephant returned an initial quote of $147 monthly subject to verification of our driving history and other data. For a single woman of similar background with one car, the monthly rate jumped to $163 monthly.
A similar rate we found with GEICO was just $93.60 monthly for a single female driver in her 30s with no traffic marks. Combined with the complaints about rising rates upon renewal, Elephant becomes even less competitive. If you want to check your quote, the following discounts could reduce your rate compared to our sample quotes. Elephant offers the following discounts:
Multi-car: Up to 46% off by having all vehicles in one household insured. Early bird: Save up to 10% when you switch from your old insurer five or more days before expiration. Multi-policy: Bundle home with auto and save up to 12%. Bundle with renters, motorcycle, or condo and save up to 4% Bundle with life insurance and save up to 6%. Homeowner: If you own your home, even if it’s not covered with Elephant, you’re eligible for a discount. Claims free: Automatically applied for those that are accident-free for at least five years. Mature driver discount: Available for age 55 and older in Illinois, Tennessee, and Virginia and after age 60 in Ohio. Student discounts: Those 25 years and younger with a GPA of 3.0 or a B average or better qualify for a discount. Dean’s List, Honor’s Roll, or ranking in the upper 20% on SAT or ACT also count. Work from home: The more you work from home, the more you can save. Pay in full: Paying upfront saves on average 8-15%. Paperless account: Going paperless saves on average 3%. Electronic signature: Authorizing e-signature saves up to 18%. Online quote: Starting an online quote saves on average 3%. Note: Elephant offers a loyalty rewards program with Silver, Gold, and Platinum levels based on how long you are an Elephant customer. Silver benefits start immediately and include pet injury protection, referral business eligibility, and access to Elephant’s network of repair shops.
Gold benefits start after 12 months and include the same benefits as Silver, plus an increased responsible driver discount. Platinum benefits start after two years and include all the benefits of Silver and Gold, as well as priority call routing and accident forgiveness (starting at four years).
How to File a Claim With Elephant Car Insurance
If the unexpected happens, Elephant customers and I-Car Gold claims adjusters can rest assured with Elephant’s easy-to-use claims process. Here’s how to file a claim:
Claims can be filed 24/7 through the online claims filing tool accessed here: https://www.elephant.com/contact/manage-claim After submitting the form online, a claims representative will reach out. Tracking your claim can be done inside your online account.A new claim can also be made by calling 877-218-7965 8:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. (EST) Monday-Friday. The online tool can also be used for glass claims, or if preferred, 1-800-413-8860 can be dialed.
For claims-related emails, use claims@elephant.com.
Elephant Auto Insurance FAQs
How can I get a quote for Elephant auto insurance?
To obtain a quote for Elephant insurance, you can enter your zip code at https://quotes.elephant.com/t. From there, the site will bring you to QuoteWizard powered by LendingTree. Entering the information takes less than five minutes, and then you will be matched with the cheapest auto insurance provider for the information provided.
The site will then direct you to that company’s site, where you may have to re-enter some information and provide additional information to receive a quote. You can also call 1-877-321-2096 to receive a quote.
How do I know how much insurance I need with Elephant?
Elephant offers QuoteWizard, an online tool that asks questions and selects what type of insurance coverage you need based on the answers. You can find out more here: https://www.elephant.com/coverage-wizard.
What does Elephant insurance do if my car is damaged in an accident?
If you have a damaged vehicle after an accident, you can choose one of Elephant’s pre-qualified shops, backed by 100% guaranteed repairs as long as the car is yours. Elephant also has an easy-to-use photo app to send photos of the damage to get a repair estimate. If you decide not to use a pre-qualified shop, Elephant will work with you and your chosen shop.
Methodology: How We Reviewed Elephant Auto Insurance
Insider evaluates auto insurance companies based on customer service, claims satisfaction scores, and more. This review also factors in availability, price, user-friendliness, and additional features. All information gathered on this company came from Elephant’s website.
You can learn more about how we evaluate insurance companies by reading our insurance rating methodology.
Compare Elephant Auto Insurance vs. Farmers Auto Insurance – Editorial Name Only
Farmers Insurance is offered nationwide, while Elephant auto insurance is only available in eight states, including Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. Both Farmers and Elephant have apps to make the user experience more friendly. Bundling auto with home insurance through Farmers can save up to 20% while bundling home and auto only through Elephant saves up to 12%.
J.D. Power has ranked Farmers in the top six companies for US Overall Customer Satisfaction, ranking above the national average. With its long-standing history, availability, and customer service, individuals may want to consider Farmers over Elephant for their auto insurance needs. That being said, if the individual is in one of the eight states coverage is offered, they may find that Elephant offers lower rates once all discounts are accounted for.
Compare Elephant Auto Insurance vs. MetroMile
While Elephant offers customers a discount for working from home and thus driving less, MetroMile is a pay-by-mile insurance provider. Owned by Lemonade, an insurtech company, MetroMile claims to save users up to $947 per year on auto insurance. MetroMile users pay a low monthly fee and then a few cents for each mile driven, up to 250 miles a day (or 150 miles a day in New Jersey).
Elephant and MetroMile offer collision, liability, comprehensive, underinsured/uninsured, personal injury protection (PIP), medical payments, roadside assistance, and rental car coverage. Those who drive more may not find MetroMile the best fit, while those who drive less may want to compare Elephant and MetroMile’s rates to see the cheapest option. Both are only available in eight states, so the location will also be an eligibility factor.
Compare Elephant Auto Insurance vs. Esurance
Esurance is an insurtech company now owned by Allstate that offers auto insurance in 43 states, while Elephant only offers auto insurance in eight. Founded in 1999, Esurance has been in business ten years longer than Elephant. While Elephant offers many discounts, Esurance has a DriveSafe program. DriveSafe monitors driving and gives a discount each term after tracking your driving. Esurance customers get a discount for enrolling, while even non-customers can use it to track their driving.
Esurance also offers ShareSmart coverage, which helps cover the gap between a rideshare company’s insurance and your own. Those needing auto insurance will have more availability and features with Esurance, but those in the eight states Elephant covers may want to compare prices.