Encompass auto insurance review: Solid rates & coverages
Encompass offers a range of car insurance coverage options that make it easy for drivers to get the most protection for their vehicles.
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.
4.6
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).
A+
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 ($$$$$).
NA
The bottom line
Encompass, backed by parent company Allstate, is a top insurance company for drivers who want the freedom to customize their car insurance policy. Encompass offers useful add-ons like accident forgiveness, gap insurance, new car replacement, and rental reimbursement coverage.
Drivers can bundle auto and home insurance with the EncompassOne package, which includes perks like unlimited accident forgiveness and premium rental reimbursement.
Adding more coverages to your Encompass policy will mean higher rates, but discounts could help offset extra costs. And many discounts at Encompass are easy for most people to qualify for, like enrolling in auto-pay or getting an Encompass quote before your current policy term is up.
But Encompass doesn’t have some of the digital bells and whistles of its competitors — there’s no online claims filings, and while it does offer a mobile app for roadside assistance, there’s no easy way to manage an Encompass policy or file claims on your phone.
Pros
Lots of coverage options
Long list of discounts
Good customer service
Cons
No online quote tool
No online claims filing
Not available in every state
Basic coverages offered
Encompass offers all the basic types of car insurance that are required in most states. Depending on where you live, this could include any of the following:
Bodily injury liability: Covers medical bills from injuries that you cause in an at-fault accident.
Collision coverage: Covers damage to your car when you collide with another driver or an object, even if you were at fault.
Comprehensive coverage: Covers damage to your own car that’s not caused by a collision, like water damage, hail, or falling objects.
Uninsured/underinsured motorist: Covers expenses after an accident caused by a driver without insurance (or enough insurance).
Personal injury protection: Also called PIP, this covers the cost of medical bills, lost wages, rehab care, and death benefits for you or your injured passengers (required in no-fault states).
Medical payments: Also covers medical bills for you and your passengers, but has less coverage than personal injury protection.
Additional coverages offered
You can also add more protection to a basic Encompass car insurance policy with these extras:
Accident forgiveness: Not exactly a coverage type, this add-on ensures that your rates won’t go up after your first at-fault accident.
Gap coverage: Covers the difference between what your collision coverage pays for a totaled vehicle and the remainder of your car’s loan or lease.
New car replacement: Replaces your totaled vehicle with a new model of the same car.
Encompass also packages home and auto bundles under the name EncompassOne.
There are three levels of EncompassOne to choose from (Premium, Delux, and Elite), and they all come with one combined premium for the bundled policies, as well as a single deductible if your home and car are damaged in the same event, like a fire. The highest tier of EncompassOne includes:
Trip interruption coverage: Covers travel, lodging, and food expenses if you’re stranded 100 or more miles from home.
Unlimited accident forgiveness: Prevents your rates from going up after an accident, even if it’s not your first one.
Ratings methodology
Price
4.3/5
While average rate data wasn’t available for Encompass, we compared the total number of available discounts to competitor offerings. Encompass offers a wide range of savings opportunities, meaning that drivers who qualify may be able to find low rates with Encompass.
Customer experience
4.1/5
We judged customer service at Encompass using the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ Complaint Index. The typical complaint index is 1.00, but Encompass scored 0.97. That means that Encompass receives fewer complaints than expected.
Coverage options
4.1/5
Encompass offers more types of car insurance coverage than its competitors. To be sure, we counted up the total number of coverages available from Encompass and its competitors, then assigned point values to each company based on the typical number of coverages available.
Financial strength
4.0/5
Encompass has a financial strength rating of A+ from A.M. Best. This means that Encompass customers don’t have to be worried that the company won’t be able to pay out claims. The company’s long-term stability is also healthy.
Encompass car insurance cost and discounts
Average rates aren’t currently available for Encompass, but, like with any other car insurance company, what you pay for coverage will depend on your location, driving history, age, vehicle, and other personal details.
Encompass also offers a wide range of car insurance discounts that can help drivers lower their insurance premiums. In fact, we found that Encompass offers more discounts than what’s typical among competitors. Auto insurance discounts with Encompass include:
Future effective policy discount: Earn this discount if you sign up for a car insurance policy at least a week ahead of the start date.
Homeowners discount: Save on your Encompass policy if you own your home, even if you don’t bundle coverage..
New car discount: Receive a discount if you’re the vehicle’s first owner.
On-time payments discount: Get a discount as long as you haven’t missed a payment in 12 months.
Safe driving discount: If no one on your policy has an accident in the last 12-months, you can save 5% at renewal.
Safe vehicle discount: Lower your rates if your car has anti-lock brakes, anti-theft devices, or other tech that reduces the chance of a claim.
Student away-from-home discount: Save if you have a college student in your household who attends school at least 100 miles away from home and doesn’t have a car.
There are also a couple of discounts that Encompass offers that are only available to young drivers. These are:
Good student discount: Save if you’re a full time student and you earn at least a “B” grade-point average in high school or college.
Young driver training discount: Drivers under 21 get a discount for completing a safety class and several hours of on-road training.
Where is Encompass car insurance available?
Encompass car insurance is available in almost every state. Encompass doesn't offer auto insurance in these states:
Alaska
Florida
Hawaii
Massachusetts
Mississippi
Montana
North Carolina
North Dakota
South Dakota
Wyoming
What to expect with Encompass insurance
How to get a quote: You have to contact Encompass online or reach out to an independent agent to get a quote. Unlike competitors, Encompass doesn’t have an online quote tool.
Customer service options: The best way to get answers for your customer service questions is to contact your Encompass agent. You can also fill out a form online and Encompass will answer your questions in one or two days.
How to file a claim: Encompass accepts claims over the phone, but not online. Customers can call 1-800-588-7400 to get in touch with the Encompass claims department.
How to cancel your policy: If you want to cancel your Encompass policy, reach out to your insurance agent.
Encompass vs. other car insurance companies
You should compare companies before you get car insurance. To help you, we’ve made it easy to check how the Encompass’ cost, service, and financial strength stand up to competitors.
Encompass is a good option for car insurance because of its range of coverage offerings. We also like that Encompass has a long list of discounts to help you reduce your costs.
Is Encompass good at paying claims?
Encompass receives fewer complaints than expected for its service, claims process, and cost than what's typical in the industry. But it doesn’t offer digital tools for claims filing, like an online claims portal, which can help make the process easier when available.
Who can get Encompass car insurance?
There are only a handful of states where Encompass doesn’t offer auto insurance. These are Idaho, Iowa, Oklahoma, and Nebraska, so drivers in those states can’t get Encompass.
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.
