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Root car insurance rewards good driving habits with lower auto insurance rates. Instead of basing your car insurance premium on factors such as where you live or your credit score, Root bases your rates mostly on your driving behavior. It even brands itself as "Car insurance for good drivers," and the company states that rates are primarily based on how you drive.
Although this is an appealing concept that could very well lead to savings, the process to determine your rate can take several weeks because you need to complete a test drive, which monitors your driving habits for several weeks. Still, Root Insurance is a good option for drivers who do well on the test drive, and I definitely suggest going through this step if you're interested in the company. However, a relatively high number of complaints and poor rates for drivers with imperfect driving records make this a less affordable option for some. Root is also only available in 35 states.
How we evaluate products
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 Insurify, 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.
Root pros and cons
- No credit score consideration as a factor for lower rates
- Affordable for good drivers
- Low premiums relative to many car insurance companies
- High percentage of consumer complaints with NAIC
- Few discounts and coverage options
- Not available in 15 states
Excluded states
Root car insurance isn't offered in Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, South Dakota, Michigan, New York, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey, North Carolina, Hawaii, Alaska, or Washington, D.C.How much does Root cost?
Root costs less than the average insurer and even less than many of the best car insurance companies. Its average rates for full coverage auto insurance are especially competitive, beating even larger national providers like State Farm and GEICO for many driver profiles. However, this auto insurance company does tend to be best for people with clean records only. For others, it could be a costly option.
Root's rates are among the lowest I've seen, even for teen drivers, although they're less impressive for drivers with accidents, incidents, DUIs, or tickets in their driving records. It's somewhat unusual for an insurer to provide great rates for teens and less competitive rates for drivers with imperfect driving histories.
Here's how the insurer's typical premiums shake out based on your record.
| Driver type | Root liability-only monthly premium | Root full coverage monthly premium |
| Clean driving record | $64 | $114 |
| Speeding ticket on driving record | $93 | $165 |
| At-fault accident on driving record | $96 | $172 |
| DUI on driving record | $87 | $155 |
| Teen driver | $86 | $153 |
| Senior driver (60s) | $57 | $101 |
| Senior driver (70s) | $57 | $102 |
| Data sourced from Insurify | ||
| Driver type | National average liability-only monthly premium | National average full coverage monthly premium |
| Clean driving record | $105 | $192 |
| Speeding ticket on driving record | $141 | $265 |
| At-fault accident on driving record | $146 | $274 |
| DUI on driving record | $166 | $313 |
| Teen driver | $194 | $364 |
| Senior driver | $85 | $160 |
| Data sourced from Insurify | ||
Is Root car insurance good?
Company ratings:
- AM Best: Not rated
- J.D. Power claims satisfaction: Not rated
- BBB: A-
- NAIC complaints: 1.93
On the whole, Root's showing is lukewarm with independent review agencies dedicated to assessing financial stability and customer satisfaction, and it doesn't help that it's not always rated.
Root wasn't included in J.D. Power's 2024 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study, but this isn't a reflection of anything or a comment on its claims. However, its NAIC index of 1.93 is — and not a positive one. 1.00 is the expected index for any insurance company based on its share of premiums for the market, so Root has a disproportionate number of complaints given its size.
When I dug into the complaint codes here, the vast majority of complaints had to do with delays. This isn't as common a complaint as unsatisfactory settlements or offers, which is Root's second-highest code, so it does make me wonder just how slow the insurer is at paying out claims.
Root has a BBB grade of A-. This isn't bad, but I've seen enough insurers pull an A+ to know it's more than possible. Its business profile also turned up information about a government action against the company. More specifically, the New York Attorney General entered into an Assurance of Discontinuance with Root because it "failed to adopt reasonable safeguards to protect private information." As a result, the company was ordered to pay $975,000 in penalties and required to improve its security practices.
Editor's note
I didn't love that Root was missing so much data, so I went to Trustpilot too for another source of information. Its profile over there paints a brighter picture, with a rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars on over 2,700 reviews. For a car insurance company, anything above a 4 (even 3) is great.
Get rewarded with savings for having a clean driving record.
Car insurance can be so simple. And so affordable.
Enjoy personalized policies, comprehensive coverage & more.
Drivers who switch their auto insurance and save with State Farm save $764 on average!
Discounts
While Root's discounts fall pretty flat compared to many of the top car insurance companies, this tends to be less important when you're starting out with a low rate.
Still, Root just doesn't offer many, and it isn't as forthcoming about the discounts it does provide as most companies. Some will brag about all the discounts you might qualify for with a detailed list of what's available, but Root doesn't really advertise these. Instead, it reminds users to see if they'd be able to save money through safe driving and stresses that it rolls savings into quotes and premiums instead of stacking them as discounts.
One of the best ways to save money on car insurance with Root is to get a high score when you use Test Drive, which I'll cover in the next section.
Here are the discounts Root offers, as well as the ones it doesn't.
| Discount | Does Root have it? | USAA | State Farm |
| Loyalty | No | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-policy/bundling | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Multiple vehicle | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Airbag | No | No | Yes |
| Anti-lock brakes | No | No | Yes |
| Anti-theft | No | Yes | Yes |
| Safe driver | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Good student | No | Yes | Yes |
| Away-from-home student | No | No | Yes |
| New car | No | No | No |
| Pay in full | Yes | No | Yes |
| Automatic payments | No | No | No |
| GAP insurance | No | No | No |
| Senior | No | No | No |
| Military | No | Yes | Yes (select states) |
| Defensive driving course | No | Yes | Yes |
Test Drive
Root's approach to offering safe-driving discounts is a little bit unusual. Remember how I mentioned your premium can be based on your actual driving? You can get a quote from the company instantly that doesn't factor for your real-life driving habits, and sign up for a test drive later on for potential savings, or you can start with a test drive right out the gate if you have some time to wait before you need coverage to kick in and feel confident your driving is drivers-education-approved enough to qualify you for discounts.
This program isn't looking at anything other programs like it don't analyze, though. It'll take the smoothness (or abruptness) of your braking, your speed and acceleration, your phone use, and the time of day you drive into account to assign you a score. If you're still feeling confident after reading those, consider a test drive with Root. The company claims you can save as much as $900 on car insurance each year with safe driving or up to 44% off your initial quote.
Average rate:
Coverage
Root's coverage options leave a lot to be desired. The company doesn't offer many add-ons or policy types beyond the basics required by most states (such as liability and personal injury protection (PIP)), so it's a poor choice for drivers who need specialty coverage, like classic or collectible car insurance, or those who want to pay for extra coverage.
Notably, Root doesn't provide GAP insurance, any sort of specialty deductibles (like vanishing deductibles), or accident forgiveness. But it does stand out from some insurers for offering rental car coverage and roadside assistance.
Here's a complete list of the coverage Root offers:
- Bodily injury liability
- Property damage liability
- Collision coverage
- Comprehensive coverage
- Uninsured motorist property damage
- Uninsured and underinsured motorist bodily injury
- Personal injury protection
- Medical payments
- Roadside assistance
- Rental car coverage
Root vs. competitors
Compared to many of its competitors, Root provides lower average rates for good drivers but fewer coverage and discount options. It scores a little worse than some other companies for customer and claims satisfaction, but the data for this is missing or mixed in many cases.
Root isn't featured in the table below because it's smaller than many of its most popular competitors, but it would fall right around GEICO and State Farm in terms of prices alone when you take the average of full-coverage and liability-only coverage. Again, its rates for full coverage are more competitive than its rates for liability coverage, which is notable.
| Company name | Average monthly full coverage | Average monthly liability-only coverage |
| USAA | $99 | $46 |
| GEICO | $118 | $55 |
| State Farm | $119 | $55 |
| Allstate | $132 | $62 |
| Progressive | $148 | $101 |
| American Family | $157 | $72 |
| Nationwide | $181 | $85 |
| Travelers | $191 | $90 |
| National average | $199 | $105 |
| Farmers | $236 | $110 |
| Liberty Mutual | $250 | $169 |
| Data sourced from Insurify | ||
Root vs. USAA
USAA is one of the only car insurance companies that beats Root's prices handily in many categories, but it's worth noting that Root's average full-coverage premiums are actually lower for teens and people with DUIs. Like Root, USAA doesn't offer car insurance to everyone. To open a policy with USAA, you have to be affiliated in some way with the military, whether that's through your own service or a relative's.
If you can qualify for car insurance with USAA, you'd be smart to get a quote. In addition to great prices, the company provides decent coverage and scores very highly for customer satisfaction and financial stability. Plus, it's available in all 50 states.
Root vs. State Farm
State Farm is another well-known car insurance provider that stands out for its low premiums, but these two are more closely matched than USAA and Root when you compare prices across every driver profile (as I have).
For full coverage, Root is generally the more affordable option for younger drivers and people with good, average, or poor credit, but then State Farm swoops in with the lower prices for people with excellent credit and non-DUI incidents in their driving histories. But for liability coverage, State Farm mostly has the better average rates, except for teens and people with poor credit or DUIs. Because these two trade places with prices, get quotes from both to see what your premium might be. Just know that State Farm offers coverage in every state and has fewer NAIC complaints and the best possible score from AM Best.
FAQs
How do I contact Root?
You can get in touch with a representative from Root by calling 866-980-9431 for general questions and new claims between the hours of 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. ET Monday through Friday. Unfortunately, Root doesn't offer customer support over the phone on weekends. You can also email help@joinroot.com.
Does Root car insurance always track your driving?
Yes, Root car insurance continuously tracks your driving through its mobile app if you sign up for Test Drive. This is in lieu of a plug-in device you need to install in your vehicle and send back to the company after data is collected. However, the company says your driving scorecard and trip data aren't used to adjust your premium rates after the initial test drive, and you can opt out of continued tracking.
Is Root car insurance legit and trustworthy?
Although it isn't rated by AM Best or J.D. Power, Root is considered trustworthy by the Better Business Bureau (BBB), which has given it an A- grade. It also scores well with Trustpilot. All in all, Root is a legitimate and trustworthy insurance company, even though it isn't going to be a good option for everyone, and it receives an above-average amount of complaints.
Bottom line
If you're a good driver looking for affordable car insurance, Root car insurance may be a good option. Root worries less about your credit score and demographics, such as where you live, when determining its car insurance rates than other insurers. Instead, Root sets its rates based mainly on your good driving habits. This means you may be able to lower your car insurance by switching to Root if you're a safe and conscientious driver.
However, to assess your driving behavior, Root requires you to participate in a test drive, during which your driving is monitored through its mobile app. If you don't drive safely enough, or the app picks up on some less-than-responsible habits, you're not likely to get a lower quote. I'd mostly recommend Root for super-safe drivers, but it's also a surprisingly decent option for teens. Steer clear if you've got a track record of accidents or incidents, though.
Average rate:
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