Elephant auto insurance review: New company with affordable rates
Elephant is a newer car insurance company with lots of discounts and attractive coverage options, but it only offers auto insurance in a handful of states.
By
Andrew HurstAndrew HurstSenior Editor & Licensed Insurance ExpertAndrew Hurst is a former senior editor at Policygenius who has spent his entire career writing about life, disability, home, auto, and health insurance. His work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, Forbes, USA Today, NPR, Mic, Insurance Business Magazine, and Property Casualty 360.
Edited by
Anna SwartzAnna SwartzSenior Managing EditorAnna Swartz is a senior managing editor who specializes in home, auto, renters, and disability insurance at Policygenius. Previously, she was a senior staff writer at Mic and a writer at The Dodo. Her work has also appeared in Salon, HuffPost, MSN, AOL, and Heeb.
Our proprietary ratings methodology takes multiple factors into account, including customer satisfaction, cost, financial strength, and policy offerings. See the “Ratings methodology” section for more details.
3.1
AM Best rating
AM Best is a global credit rating agency that scores the financial strength of insurance companies on a scale from A++ (Superior) to D (Poor).
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Cost
Using a mix of internal and external rate data, we grade the cost of each insurance company's premiums on a scale from least expensive ($) to most expensive ($$$$$).
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The bottom line
While Elephant, started in 2009, hasn't been around as long as a lot of other auto insurance companies, it’s worth considering as long as you live in one of the eight states where it currently offers car insurance.
We like the number of discounts that Elephant offers. While a policy from Elephant might be slightly more expensive than average depending on where you are, there’s a good chance you’ll save money with at least a few of the dozen discounts that Elephant offers.
Elephant also has lots of car insurance coverage options. Unlike with some larger companies, you can get gap insurance from Elephant, plus accident forgiveness, custom parts coverage, pet injury coverage, and other extra forms of protection.
Elephant offers all of the basic types of car insurance that make up a standard full-coverage policy, including:
Bodily injury liability: Covers the cost of injuries to other people after an at-fault accident.
Property damage liability: Covers the cost of damage to other people’s cars and property after an at-fault accident.
Collision coverage: Covers damage to your car that happens in a collision with an object or someone else’s car.
Comprehensive coverage: Covers damage to your car that’s not caused by a collision. This includes damage from falling branches, water damage, theft, and vandalism.
Uninsured/underinsured motorist: Covers injuries and property damage caused by someone who doesn’t have car insurance, or doesn’t have enough car insurance.
Personal injury protection: Covers your injuries, lost wages, and medical care after an accident, regardless of who’s at fault (PIP is required in no-fault states).
Medical payments: Covers your injuries after a crash, but usually comes with lower protection than PIP.
Additional coverages offered
You can add any of the following coverage add-ons to your Elephant car insurance policy.
Accident forgiveness: Elephant offers accident forgiveness for free after three years without a claim, or you can pay extra to add it to your policy earlier.
Custom parts coverage: Elephant automatically covers your car’s custom parts for up to $1,000, but you can add this endorsement to get even more protection for things like a custom paint job or stereo system.
Diminishing deductible: With this add on, which costs $60 a car, your policy will go down by $50 every six months or $100 every year for as long as you don’t make a claim. It can go all the way down to $0.
Gap insurance coverage: Covers the difference between your car’s loan or lease and the insurance payout you get from your collision coverage for a totaled car.
Rental reimbursement coverage: Pays for the cost of a rental vehicle (or other temporary transportation) if your regular car is damaged.
Pet injury coverage: Covers up to $1,000 in vet bills if your pet is injured in a crash while in the car with you.
Ratings methodology
Price
3.9/5
We found the average cost of car insurance from Elephant by getting a quote for a 30-year-old male driver in Springfield, Illinois. Our driver had a clean driving record and drove a 2017 Toyota Camry.
Customer experience
4.2/5
Elephant gets fewer complaints than average, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Elephant has a complaint index of 0.77, which is lower than the average complaint index of 1.00.
Coverage options
3.2/5
Elephant’s coverage options compare well with other car insurance companies. We like that Elephant offers gap insurance in addition to more basic types of car insurance.
Financial strength
NA
Normally, these ratings would tell us about the long-term stability of an insurance company. But Elephant hasn’t yet received a rating from A.M. Best, Moody’s, or S&P.
Cost of Elephant car insurance
To give you an idea of what you may pay for insurance with Elephant, we found the average rate for a sample driver in Springfield, Illinois. On average, Elephant offers full coverage for $1,812 a year, or $151 a month in Springfield, which is higher than the average rate of $1,303 per year.
The average cost of insurance already tends to be cheaper in the states where Elephant offers coverage, so be sure to compare quotes from other companies to be sure you’re not overpaying.
Coverage amount
Annual average rate for Elephant
Required state minimum
$790
Full coverage ($50,000/$100,000)
$1,812
Full coverage ($100,000/$300,000)
$1,820
Car insurance discounts from Elephant
Elephant has a number of ways that you can save money on an auto insurance policy.
Claims-free discount: Earn a discount if it’s been more than three years since your last ticket or accident.
Email discount: Elephant offers a discount to drivers who share their email. Sharing your email also lets you provide electronic signatures for policy documents.
Good student discount: Drivers who are students under 25 years old can get a good student discount by keeping a B grade point average or scoring in the top 20% on a standardized test, like the SAT or ACT.
Homeowner discount: Receive a discount if you own a home, even if you don’t insure it with Elephant.
Mature driver discount: If you’re at least 55 and live in Illinois, Tennessee, or Virginia, you can complete a safe driving class and qualify for lower rates.
Multi-car discount: Insure more than one car with Elephant and receive a discounted rate.
Multi-policy discount: You can get a discount on your car insurance for buying home insurance from Elephant.
Online quote discount: Receive a small discount for getting a car insurance quote online.
Paperless discount: Get a discount when you sign up to receive your policy documents and bills electronically.
Pay-in-full discount: You can get a lower rate if you pay your whole premium at once when your policy starts.
Quote-in-advance discount: Elephant offers a discount to drivers who request an online quote before their existing policy is supposed to end.
Student away from home discount: Parents can receive a discount if an insured student driver lives more than 100 miles from home and doesn’t have regular access to a car.
Work from home discount: Get a discount if you don’t have to drive into the office.
Where is Elephant car insurance available?
Elephant is only available in the following eight states:
Georgia
Illinois
Indiana
Maryland
Ohio
Tennessee
Texas
Virginia
What to expect with Elephant insurance
How to get a quote: It takes about 10 minutes to get a quote using Elephant’s online quote tool. You can also get a car insurance quote over the phone by calling 1-855-ELEPHANT and speaking with a representative.
Customer service options: Elephant has a mobile app available for download. You can view and manage your policy, pay your bill, and access your insurance ID card through the Elephant app.
How to file a claim: You can file a car insurance claim online or by calling Elephant at 844-937-5353.
How to cancel your policy: To cancel your car insurance, call Elephant at 877-321-2095 and have your policy number nearby.
Elephant vs. other car insurance companies
See how Elephant’s car insurance rates, service, and financial strength compare to its competitors.
We recommend drivers at least consider getting car insurance from Elephant if it’s available in their state. The company has great coverage options and receives fewer-than-average complaints, but whether it’s right for you may depend on your quotes.
Is Elephant a legit insurance company?
Yes, Elephant is a real company where you can get car insurance. Elephant has offered car insurance since 2009.
Who can get Elephant car insurance?
Anyone who lives in Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia is eligible for car insurance from Elephant.
Andrew Hurst is a former senior editor at Policygenius who has spent his entire career writing about life, disability, home, auto, and health insurance. His work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, Forbes, USA Today, NPR, Mic, Insurance Business Magazine, and Property Casualty 360.
Anna Swartz is a senior managing editor who specializes in home, auto, renters, and disability insurance at Policygenius. Previously, she was a senior staff writer at Mic and a writer at The Dodo. Her work has also appeared in Salon, HuffPost, MSN, AOL, and Heeb.
