INSURANCE - CAR INSURANCE

Elephant Auto Insurance Review [2024]: Is It Trustworthy?

Updated Sept. 26, 2023
Fact checked
Elephant car insurance has competitive discounts, but it’s only available in eight states and its customer reviews aren’t the best.

Compare car insurance rates in your area!

See if you qualify for a lower rate in less than 2 minutes

By clicking the button below I understand and agree that this site uses site visit recording technology (provided by Trusted Form, Jornaya, and Microsoft Clarity) Privacy Policy

Check Rates

FAST, EASY & FREE

We receive compensation from the products and services mentioned in this story, but the opinions are the author's own. Compensation may impact where offers appear. We have not included all available products or offers. Learn more about how we make money and our editorial policies.

Elephant Insurance is a company based out of Virginia that offers car insurance, homeowners insurance, life insurance, and more. It’s a relatively new auto insurance provider that offers plenty of discounts and coverage options.

But Elephant car insurance reviews aren’t always good, and you can only get policies in eight states. Let’s dig into our Elephant auto insurance review to see details about what this company has to offer and whether it makes sense for you.

In this Elephant Insurance review

Elephant auto insurance: Is it worth it?

Pros Cons
  • Variety of coverage options
  • Loads of available discounts
  • Highly-rated mobile apps
  • A+ BBB rating
  • Bundling offers
  • Only available in eight states
  • More than the average number of NAIC complaints
  • Many negative BBB customer reviews
Our verdict: As a lesser-known insurance provider that’s owned by a huge U.K. insurer, Elephant has limited availability and more negative customer complaints than many other providers. That said, Elephant also has highly rated mobile apps and a customer-friendly website, as well as a wide variety of coverage options and discounts to choose from.

What is Elephant auto insurance?

Elephant auto insurance is part of Elephant Insurance, a legit insurance company that’s based out of Richmond, Virginia and was founded in 2009. Elephant is a subsidiary of Admiral Group plc, a financial services company based in the U.K. that has more than 7 million customers worldwide.

The home page of Elephant Auto Insurance

Elephant is still limited in the U.S., as it only offers car insurance coverage in eight states. But it’s backed up by a large, global company and still has a lot to offer. This includes a variety of auto insurance coverage types and plenty of available discounts.

Elephant auto insurance details

Year founded 2009
Types of coverage
  • Liability
  • Comprehensive
  • Collision
  • Uninsured/underinsured motorist
  • Medical payments
  • Personal injury protection
  • Loan/lease
  • Rental reimbursement
  • Non-owner
  • Custom parts and equipment
  • Roadside assistance
  • Pet injury
  • Diminishing deductible
  • YourMechanic
  • Legal
Discounts available
  • Multi-car
  • Multi-policy
  • Claims free
  • Early bird
  • Homeowner
  • Student
  • Work from home
  • Pay in full
  • Paperless account
  • Electronic signature
  • Online quote
Where you can use it
  • Elephant Insurance website
  • iOS mobile app or Android mobile app
Customer support
  • Phone: 1-877-218-7865, available Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET
  • Chat: From the Contact page, available Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET
  • Email: customerservice@elephant.com
Availability Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia

How are Elephant car insurance reviews?

Elephant Insurance has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB). This is the highest possible BBB rating on a scale of F to A+. The BBB doesn’t include customer reviews in its ratings, but other factors, such as unanswered customer complaints and unresolved complaints, are included.

For customer reviews, Elephant has a low 1.14 out of 5 stars on its BBB profile. Many of the reviews mention bad experiences with Elephant’s customer service.

You can also see the National Complaint Index Report for Elephant Insurance on the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) website. This shows the total number of complaints for a company in a given year and whether that’s above or below the average number of expected complaints for a company’s size.

Elephant Insurance NAIC 2021 customer complaint details:

  • Number of complaints: 13
  • Company complaint index score: 1.87 (well above the national average of 1.0)

Based on its score, Elephant had more than the average number of complaints for a company of its size.

We also checked for reviews of Elephant Insurance from J.D. Power and AM Best, but weren’t able to find any available ratings. This is likely due to the fact that Elephant is relatively new in the U.S. auto insurance market.

What insurance does Elephant auto insurance offer?

Elephant offers these coverage options:

  • Car insurance
  • Homeowners insurance
  • Renters insurance
  • Condo insurance
  • Umbrella insurance
  • Motorcycle insurance
  • Life insurance

Note about availability
Elephant Insurance is available only in eight states, including Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.

Liability

Liability insurance covers other people and property if you cause an accident. This typically includes bodily injury liability if other people are injured and property damage liability if property is damaged.

Liability coverage is required in most states, but it won’t cover any damages to your own vehicle.

Collision

Collision insurance covers damage to your vehicle that’s caused by a collision with another vehicle or object. This could include running into another car, a telephone pole, or another type of inanimate object.

Collision coverage doesn’t typically cover anything that’s not collision-related, including flood damage or running into an animal.

Comprehensive

Comprehensive insurance covers damage to your vehicle that’s not collision-related. This could include damages from hail, trees, animals, theft, vandalism, floods, fires, and more.

Uninsured/underinsured motorist

Liability coverage is required in most states, but that doesn’t mean every driver has it or has more than the minimum amount. This is where uninsured motorist or underinsured motorist coverage kicks in.

Another driver might not have enough liability insurance to cover your repairs and medical costs, so your uninsured or underinsured motorist insurance can help cover the gap in costs. This coverage could also pay for damages or medical costs if you’re involved in a hit-and-run accident.

Medical payments

Medical payments (MedPay) covers the cost of necessary medical bills for you and any passengers injured in a car accident. You don’t have to be at fault for this coverage to kick in.

Personal injury protection

Personal injury protection (PIP) basically covers the same costs as MedPay, but it can also cover funeral expenses, lost wages, and loss of essential services.

Other car insurance and vehicle-related services

Elephant also offers these other coverages and services in addition to its primary car insurance options:

  • Loan/lease: Helps cover the remaining amount of what you owe on a loan or lease if your vehicle is totaled or stolen.
  • Rental reimbursement: Provides a rental car while your vehicle is being repaired or replaced through the claims process.
  • Non-owner: Offers liability insurance if you don’t own a car.
  • Custom parts and equipment: Offers custom parts and equipment coverage for aftermarket items you’ve added to your vehicle.
  • Roadside assistance: Offers roadside assistance coverage for services such as towing, battery jump, flat tire replacement, lockout assistance, and more.
  • Pet injury: Covers vet bills and other related costs for pets injured during an accident while driving with you.
  • Diminishing deductible: Your deductible goes down automatically after certain periods of time without any accidents. Accidents freeze your deductible cost rather than resetting it, so you don’t have to worry about a deductible increasing after an accident.
  • YourMechanic: Offers over 600 repair services at a nearby location for you, including your home or office. Available services include oil changes, battery replacements, tire rotations, and more.
  • Legal: Covers legal assistance for complicated traffic violations and related situations.
  • Upgraded Accident Forgiveness: Accident forgiveness lets you waive one at-fault accident every three years you remain accident-free, but you typically have to wait until you’ve been accident-free on a policy for three years to get this feature.

Get rates, offers & more from top rated insurance providers!

By clicking the button below I understand and agree that this site uses site visit recording technology (provided by Trusted Form, Jornaya, and Microsoft Clarity) Privacy Policy

Check Rates

Elephant auto insurance: How cheap is it?

Elephant auto insurance could be an affordable option if you live in one of the eight states where it’s available. Elephant has plenty of discounts and coverage options, but you can’t know how cheap a policy will be until you get a quote. Your location, type of vehicle, type of coverage, and eligibility for discounts typically affect the cost of an auto insurance policy.

How to find discounts

Auto insurance companies often provide loads of different discounts on their products. Checking to see if you qualify for any discounts is often a quick and easy way to save money on car insurance.

A screenshot of Elephant Insurance's website showing various discounts they offer for auto insurance.

Here are some of the available Elephant auto insurance discounts, including a multi-car discount, multi-policy discount, and different student discounts:

Discount How to qualify
Multi-car Insure more than one vehicle at the same address.
Multi-policy Bundle multiple policies together, such as home and car insurance.
Claims free Avoid causing an accident for at least five years.
Mature driver Be over 55 and complete an accident prevention course (in certain states).
Early bird Switch from another insurance provider five or more days before your current policy expires.
Homeowner Own a home, including a house or condo.
Good student Be under 25, a full-time student, and have a GPA of 3.0 or better.
Student away at school Have a student on your policy that lives at least 100 miles away at school and doesn’t have a car.
Work from home Work from home rather than commuting to an office or school.
Pay in full Pay the full premium for your policy upfront.
Paperless account Agree to receive the majority of policy documents by email.
Electronic signature Sign policy-related documents using an e-signature.
Online quote Start your car insurance quote online.

How to maximize savings

Many of the factors that affect car insurance rates are uncontrollable, including how old you are and how long you’ve been able to legally drive. But there are still a few things you can control that might affect your car insurance premiums:

  • Having a good credit score: A good credit score could mean paying less on your premiums.
  • Finding discounts: Check to see what discounts are available and whether you qualify.
  • Being a responsible driver: Fewer accidents typically means lower rates, so having a clean driving record could help you save money.
  • Selecting lower coverage limits: Higher coverage limits offer more protection, but it’s also more expensive.
  • Avoiding optional coverage and add-ons: Removing surplus services from your policy can help lower its cost.
  • Not submitting claims: Consider whether every small event related to your vehicle requires a claim. In some cases, you might be able to get a small dent or scratch fixed yourself and avoid any rate hikes.

How to get an insurance quote from Elephant auto insurance

Are you planning on renewing your coverage or switching car insurance providers? Then it helps to know how to get car insurance. Here’s how to get an insurance quote from Elephant auto insurance:

1. Navigate to Elephant.com and select the “Get a Quote” option.

A screenshot of Elephant Insurance's website showing the Get a Quote button in the upper right-hand corner.

2. Enter your ZIP code and click the “Start Quote!” button.

3. Fill out required information, including your full name and date of birth.

4. You’ll also need to add your street address and living situation.

A screenshot of the address form portion of Elephant Insurance's quote process.

5. Include information about the vehicle(s) you want on your policy.

A screenshot of the vehicle information form portion of Elephant Insurance's quote process.

6. Add more personal details, including your gender, marital status, and education level.

7. Enter your email address to receive your quote.

8. Check out your quote, including eligible discounts and your monthly premium. You can also adjust your automatically selected coverage limits to suit your needs.

A screenshot showing an example quote from Elephant Insurance for $141 per month.

We went through the online quote process and it took less than five minutes. It was easy, straightforward, and didn’t require extensive information that you wouldn’t likely already have on hand. You can also call Elephant customer service at 1-877-321-2096 if you have any questions.

Elephant auto insurance FAQs

Is Elephant a real insurance company?

Yes, Elephant is a real insurance company. It’s based out of Richmond, Virginia and was founded in 2009.

Elephant Insurance offers a variety of insurance products, including:

  • Car insurance
  • Homeowners insurance
  • Condo insurance
  • Renters insurance
  • Umbrella insurance
  • Motorcycle insurance
  • Life insurance

Is Elephant Insurance owned by Allstate?

No, Elephant Insurance isn’t owned by Allstate. Elephant is based out of Richmond, Virginia, but it’s owned by Admiral Group, which is a financial services company based out of Cardiff, Wales. In the U.K., Admiral is a leading insurance provider with more than 7 million customers worldwide. Admiral currently operates in eight countries.

What is Elephant Insurance AM Best rating?

Elephant Insurance doesn’t have an AM Best rating, including a Financial Strength Rating (FSR). This rating generally shows whether a company is able to continue meeting its ongoing insurance obligations. But even without this rating, it seems safe to assume Elephant Insurance’s business is financially-sound since it’s owned by Admiral Group, one of the largest insurance providers in the U.K.

Bottom line

Elephant car insurance provides a variety of discounts and coverage options to make its products more appealing. But Elephant car insurance isn’t yet a household name in the U.S., and its insurance is available only in eight states. This likely makes it tough to compete with huge car insurance companies, including Geico, Liberty Mutual, and State Farm.

Chances are you might not live in a state where Elephant operates. And even if you do, you might be thrown off by the high number of NAIC complaints linked to Elephant Insurance. For more options, use our tool to compare auto insurance rates from major companies and find the best car insurance for you.

Methodology

FinanceBuzz researches a number of factors in each auto insurance provider to create our reviews. These factors include cost and discounts, complaints and customer satisfaction, coverage, and ease of use. We also gather information from sources such as J.D. Power, AM Best, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), and the Better Business Bureau to ensure we provide the most useful information to our readers.

  • You could save up to $600 with some companies
  • Compare dozens of providers in under 5 minutes
  • Fast, free and easy way to shop for insurance
  • Quickly find the perfect rate for you

Author Details

Ben Walker, CEPF, CFEI® Ben Walker, CEPF, CFEI®, is credit cards specialist. For over a decade, he's leveraged credit card points and miles to travel the world. His expertise extends to other areas of personal finance — including loans, insurance, investing, and real estate — and you can find his insights on The Washington Post, Debt.com, Yahoo! Finance, and Fox Business.