The Zebra Auto Insurance Review [2025]: Can It Save You Money?

Shopping for car insurance is no one's favorite way to spend their time, but we all want the best rates possible. The Zebra offers a simple (and free) way to shop for car, home, renters, or life insurance in one place. It's essentially a search engine to find personalized insurance quotes, shopping over 100 insurance companies using your criteria to match you potential offers that best meet your needs. You might see insurers such as Progressive, Allstate, Liberty Mutual, and more. If you don't mind providing some personal information, I'd recommend The Zebra to just about anyone.

Using The Zebra is a little like getting an online quote from an individual auto insurance company except that you'll end up with several options and don't know which companies you'll see. The process can be just a little tedious because you'll need to first enter your information with The Zebra before then providing it to the insurance company you're interested in, but this is a pretty minor inconvenience for the benefit of comparing prices more easily.

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.

The Zebra pros and cons

How much does The Zebra cost?

The Zebra is entirely free to use. It makes money through its insurance agents and commissions when it refers users to insurance companies.

It's important to keep in mind that The Zebra isn't itself an insurer. It doesn't issue policies, and you're not paying The Zebra if you decide to purchase coverage from a company you find through its platform. You can get policies through its site or visit an insurer directly, but you're buying insurance from another company.

All this said, the rates you see when using The Zebra can vary widely, and you might see different quotes from insurers than you do from The Zebra. This is common but important to keep in mind.

How The Zebra works

The Zebra has provided over 18 million quotes to consumers since its launch in 2012 to help people find the best match. It offers its services at no cost to customers in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

To get insurance quotes from The Zebra, you need to provide some information just like you would to get a quote from a single insurer. All told, filling out the form took me about five minutes.

After selecting the type of insurance you need, such as auto insurance, you'll enter your ZIP code and answer the following questions in order:

• Whether you have car insurance now
• Whether you own or rent your home
• When you plan to purchase your new insurance policy
• Where you park your car overnight
• Full name and date of birth
• The year, make, model, and trim of your vehicle
• Other vehicles you want to add to the policy (up to four)
• Whether you own or lease the vehicle
• How you use your vehicle
• Number of miles you drive per day, week, month, or year
• Length of time you've owned the vehicle
• Gender
• Marital status
• Estimated credit score
• Highest level of education you've completed
• How old you were when you got your license
• Current car insurance company
• How long you've been with your current insurer
• Your bodily injury coverage
• Accidents or tickets you've had in the past three years
• Email and phone number
• Military status
• Spouse's information

Next, the tool will ask you to choose a coverage package, with the options being Minimum, Better, Best, and Customize it. It'll also recommend one of these for you, but it seems to me like this is mainly just based on your current coverage.

I chose Minimum. Then, the tool works its magic (i.e., runs its algorithm) to provide personalized quotes.

From there, you can click Show details without leaving the site. I received seven quotes in total.

You can also click "View deal" to get a more accurate quote from the company. You'll be directed off the page and probably need to re-fill out some of your information.

The Zebra vs. competitors

The Zebra is far from the only car insurance comparison site. Other options include Insurify, Gabi, Simplfii, Jerry, and so many others. The Zebra works with more insurers than many other options, but some marketplace sites provide more quotes to individual customers.

Most tools like this are going to be free to use, and the prices you see depend on which insurance companies you're matched with and your coverage needs.

The Zebra vs. Insurify

Both The Zebra and Insurify work with over 100 insurance companies, so there's sure to be some overlap between the insurers you might see if you collect quotes from either. That said, Insurify has a very slightly higher Trustpilot rating on thousands more reviews than The Zebra, so it's possible that the former has happier customers.

You lose nothing except a few minutes by taking both options for a spin, though, and this is what I'll do the next time I compare policies.

The Zebra vs. Gabi

Gabi is a marketplace site operated by Experian, and it stands out from other car insurance comparison tools for providing more quotes at once. It works with far fewer companies (around 40), so there's going to be less variability in what you see versus what someone else might see. But this might not matter if you would prefer to see more quotes at the end of the process.

What customers are saying

Company ratings:

• BBB: A-
• Trustpilot: 4.6/5 stars.

The Zebra has an excellent Trustpilot rating for an insurance marketplace like this, with many reviewers reflecting favorably on their experiences talking with licensed agents. Good customer service is an important component that some comparison sites don't do as well; you should be able to talk to a real person, not just get quotes.

However, being reachable is also a common complaint. Any time you give your phone number and personal information to a company like this, you're going to be contacted by companies and agents asking about your coverage needs. You can expect this from any marketplace, but it doesn't mean The Zebra is selling your information to third parties (it isn't). Some disgruntled customers have a problem with this business model, which is valid. But know that you can request to have your data removed from The Zebra to escape this.

With the BBB, The Zebra has an A- with 12 complaints filed against it. When I looked at these, though, I could see that the company responded to each one in a timely manner (often within a day). Some of the responses felt a little canned or generic to me, but it's also true that some complaints aren't really fair. For example, one customer complained about their policy itself.

FAQs

Bottom line

The Zebra is a legitimate auto insurance marketplace site you can use to compare quotes from many of the best car insurance companies in one place. It has its limitations, and you won't see customized quotes from every company or more than a handful. But it's a good place to start your search if you have about five minutes to spare, and I found the tool to be easy to use and helpful.

Shopping for car insurance is one of my least favorite chores and any help I can get I welcome. The Zebra offers a simple way to shop for car, home, renters, or life insurance in one place, so you have all the answers you need. I did find their process to be a little repetitive because you must re-enter the same information on the insurance company's website that you entered on Zebra, but it's a minor inconvenience.

Overall, you can get quotes from over 100 of the best auto insurance companies, so The Zebra can save you time and money, and best of all, it's free.

The Zebra pros and cons

What is The Zebra?

The Zebra is essentially a search engine to find car insurance. It shops over 100 insurance companies using your criteria to match you with the insurance that best meets your needs. 

Along with auto insurance, The Zebra offers quotes for the following types of insurance:

• Homeowners insurance
• Renters insurance
• Life insurance
• Pet insurance
• Motorcycle insurance
• Recreational insurance
• Small business and commercial insurance

It's provided over 18 million quotes to consumers to help them find the best match and potentially save hundreds of dollars per year. The best part is it offers its services free to customers. Of course, that doesn't mean The Zebra isn't making money. It makes money through its insurance agents and through the commissions it receives when it refers users to insurance companies. 

I use the tool annually before my current car insurance renews to ensure there aren't better options available that might save me more money.

Year founded	2012
Types of coverage	The Zebra is an insurance comparison site and does not sell insurance directly. It does employ independent insurance agents who can sell insurance, however.  The insurance companies and agents that provide quotes through The Zebra may offer multiple auto insurance coverage options, including: Collision Comprehensive Property damage liability Bodily injury liability Uninsured motorist (UM) Underinsured motorist Personal injury protection Rental reimbursement insurance Roadside assistance Personal umbrella liability
Discounts available	Available car insurance discounts vary by insurance provider and your location but may include: Bundled policies Multiple policies Multi-car Loyal customer Safe driver Teen driver Away at school Defensive driver or driver education courses Added auto safety equipment Anti-theft devices Low mileage driver
Where you can use it	Desktop and web browser
Customer support	Phone: 1-888-419-3716 Customer service for insurance company partners can be found on the individual partner's website.
Availability	The Zebra can search for insurance in all 50 states and Washington, DC, but specific coverage availability and requirements may vary.

How does The Zebra work?

To get insurance quotes from The Zebra, you must provide some basic information. The more accurate the information is that you provide, the more realistic the quotes you receive will be.

After selecting the type of insurance you need, such as auto insurance, you'll enter your zip code and answer the following questions:

• Do you have car insurance now?
• Do you own or rent your home?
• The reason you're shopping for car insurance (buying or renewing)
• The year, make and model of your vehicle
• Whether you own or lease the vehicle
• How you use your vehicle (pleasure, commuting, farm, or business
• Number of miles you drive per day, week, month, or year
• Length of time you've owned the vehicle
• Name, address, and birthdate
• Gender and marital status
• Estimated credit score
• Information about your driving history
• Information about any other drivers, such as a spouse or child

After entering this information, you must select the type of coverage you want. Zebra offers a few options that they label Minimum, Better, and Best. It also offers an option to customize your package, but it always "picks" the Better option, which is usually the middle-of-the-road option.

You select which coverage option you want and then it provides you with a list of insurance companies with options. If you want quotes from any of the insurance companies it mentions, you click on "Get Price" and it takes you to the insurance company's website where you will re-verify the information you entered on The Zebra to get an accurate quote. It also may include options where it doesn't include the price and you need to click to go to the insurer's site to get more information. 

How to maximize your savings with The Zebra

The point of using The Zebra for auto insurance is to lower your car insurance costs. While The Zebra shops the best deals for the vehicle you drive, your driving habits, location, and credit history, there are a few things you can do to increase your savings.

• Bundle multiple policies: Bundling your home and auto policies together can help you save money on both. Compare rates before and after bundling to ensure you get the best deal and the right coverage.
• Automatic payments: Setting up automatic withdrawals to pay your bill usually qualifies you for a monthly discount.
• Full payment: Paying your six-month or annual policy in full may earn you a discount off the total amount due.
• Multi-car: Having multiple vehicles covered by the same insurance company could earn you extra savings on top of any bundled policies.
• Student discounts: Many insurance carriers will provide a discount to full-time high school or college students that maintain a set GPA for a term or semester.
• Purchase a policy in advance. Waiting until the last minute before your current policy expires could cost you money. According to a report by The Zebra, people who purchase a policy at least 10 days in advance of when they need it can save up to 4.2%, on average. Note, however, that some insurers may offer this discount with a seven-day advance notice instead of 10 days.
• Improve your credit score. Your credit score may affect your car insurance prices in states that allow this practice. The higher your credit score is, the less risk you pose to an insurance company, which may result in lower rates. However, if you live in California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, and Michigan, they don't allow this practice.
• Don't let your coverage lapse. Your insurance rates are based on the risk you pose to the insurer. If you allowed your coverage to lapse, the insurance company has less information to work with, which could result in a higher rate. Even if you don't own a car at times, non-owners insurance may be worth the cost to maintain continuous coverage.
• Ask about other discounts. Ask insurance companies about any additional discounts they may offer, such as installing a device on your vehicle to track your driving habits. The better driving habits you have, the more money you may save on insurance.

FAQs

Bottom line

Shopping around for car insurance is one of my least favorite things to do for my personal finances, but if you don't do it regularly, you could leave money on the table. I try to check the latest quotes once a year, at the very least to confirm that I'm still getting the best rate from my current company.

I may also check if I need to make changes to my coverage or other aspects of the policy because each company prices things differently. Using The Zebra is an excellent way to go through this process without wasting a lot of time, and getting more information than you might get from other comparison websites.

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.