Root Insurance is a tech-based auto insurance company founded in 2015 in Columbus, Ohio. The company sets premiums based on actual driving behavior tracked via a mobile app, not credit scores or demographics. Root only insures customers who qualify as good drivers. The carrier currently operates in 36 states.
Root earns 4.7 stars in the Apple App Store across 65,000+ reviews. Its pricing model ignores credit scores, using telematics instead. Good drivers save up to $1,200 per year. The NAIC complaint ratio of 1.39 sits above the national median. Claims delays and coverage gaps on financed vehicles are the most recurring concerns in user feedback across platforms.
Root delivers genuine savings for safe drivers but requires careful attention to coverage terms before binding any policy. This review examines how Root works, what coverage it offers, how it compares to competitors like The General and Jerry, and who it is best suited for in 2026.
What Is Root Insurance?
Root Insurance is a tech-based auto insurance company founded in 2015 in Columbus, Ohio that sets rates based primarily on driving behavior tracked via a mobile app. Traditional insurers use demographics and credit history. Root replaces those inputs with actual road data. Here’s the thing — that’s a pretty big deal for safe drivers.
Root operates on a selective model. The company only accepts customers who qualify as good drivers. Applicants complete a 3-week test drive before receiving a quote. And if the behavioral threshold isn’t met? Root declines coverage. No exceptions.
Root’s product lineup includes auto insurance, renters insurance, and homeowners insurance. The app runs on iPhone 5s and above and on Android devices. All products are managed through a single mobile interface.
Root Insurance Products:
- Auto insurance
- Renters insurance
- Homeowners insurance
Is Root Insurance a Real Company?
Yes. Root Insurance is a licensed, operating insurance carrier with an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau and financial strength ratings from AM Best. The company has been in continuous operation since 2015. That’s over a decade in business.
Root’s NAIC complaint ratio is 1.39. The national median is 1.0. So it’s slightly above average on complaints relative to its size. Not alarming — but worth knowing before you sign up.
What States Does Root Insurance Operate In?
Root Insurance is available in 36 states as of 2026. Coverage is not available in Alaska, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Drivers in those states can’t purchase Root policies — full stop.
Root has expanded steadily since its 2015 launch. The company continues adding states as regulatory approvals come through. Drivers can verify current availability directly in the Root app before starting the test drive.
States Where Root Is Unavailable:
- Alaska
- Hawaii
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- New Jersey
- New York
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
How Does Root Insurance Work?
Root Insurance works by requiring applicants to download the Root app and drive normally for approximately 3 weeks while the app records their behavior. After the test period, Root delivers a personalized quote based on actual driving data. In other words — your driving earns your rate. Not your zip code.
Traditional insurers use demographics, credit scores, and historical accident records to price risk. Root replaces those proxies with real-time telematics. Hard braking, sharp cornering, and phone use while driving all factor into the score. And here’s the part most people miss: if you drive well, that data works in your favor.
Once the test drive ends, applicants receive a quote valid for up to 30 days. Drivers who accept the quote bind coverage immediately through the app. Drivers who don’t qualify receive a decline notification with no penalty to their insurance history.
How to Get Root Insurance:
- Download the Root app on iPhone 5s or above, or Android.
- Drive normally for approximately 3 weeks with the app running.
- Receive a personalized quote based on your driving behavior.
- Review coverage options and accept the quote within 30 days.
- Bind coverage immediately through the app.
Does Root Use a Telematics App to Set Rates?
Yes. Root’s app tracks driving metrics including braking, cornering, speed, and phone use to produce a behavioral score during the test drive period. That score is the primary input for pricing. Not guesswork — data.
Root has tracked over 35 billion miles of driving. That dataset gives Root’s pricing algorithms a deep foundation for distinguishing low-risk from high-risk drivers. More data means sharper accuracy. And sharper accuracy means better rates for people who actually drive well.
How Long Does the Root Test Drive Period Last?
The Root test drive period lasts approximately 3 weeks, during which drivers must drive with the Root app active and running on their device. Root analyzes behavior across multiple sessions before scoring. Three weeks. That’s all it takes.
After the 3 weeks end, Root either approves the applicant and delivers a quote or declines coverage. Declined applicants face no penalty. They can seek coverage from traditional carriers without any mark on their insurance history.
What Kinds of Coverage Does Root Insurance Offer?
Root Insurance offers auto, renters, and homeowners insurance, with auto coverage including liability, collision, comprehensive, uninsured motorist protection, and roadside assistance. All coverage is selected and managed within the app. No agent calls required.
Drivers can customize their coverage tiers in the Root app. The app lets policyholders review, update, and switch coverage levels on their own schedule. Changes take effect immediately after confirmation. That’s the kind of control our team at Coffee Loving appreciates.
Coverage minimums vary by state. Lenders financing vehicles typically require full coverage — collision and comprehensive both active. Verify those terms during the quote review step. Do not skip this. It matters more than most people realize.
Root Auto Coverage Types:
- Liability coverage
- Collision coverage
- Comprehensive coverage
- Uninsured motorist protection
- Roadside assistance
Does Root Offer Full Coverage Auto Insurance?
Yes. Root offers collision and comprehensive coverage as part of its auto insurance product, which together constitute what most lenders define as full coverage. Both coverages are available for selection during the quote process.
Here’s the kicker: multiple user reviews warn that Root has issued policies without collision and comprehensive for financed vehicles. Buyers must verify their coverage selections before binding. Reviewing the declarations page isn’t optional for any financed car.
What Are the Pros and Cons of Root Insurance?
Root Insurance rewards safe drivers with rates below traditional market averages and delivers fully digital policy management, but it is unavailable in 9 states and has drawn criticism for slow claims handling. Bottom line: it’s great for safe drivers who do their homework.
The telematics model benefits drivers with clean records and predictable behavior. High-risk drivers aren’t eligible. That exclusion concentrates Root’s risk pool and enables lower average premiums for accepted policyholders. Good drivers subsidize themselves, in a sense.
Pros:
- Rates based on driving behavior, not credit score
- Savings of up to $1,200 per year for good drivers
- 4.7-star app with 65,000+ reviews
- Claims filing in 3 minutes via the app
- Multi-policy bundling (auto, renters, homeowners)
Cons:
- Unavailable in 9 states including NY, MI, and MA
- Slow claims response reported by multiple users
- Coverage gaps risk for financed vehicles
- High-risk drivers are ineligible
What Are the Biggest Advantages of Root?
Root’s top advantage is the potential for savings of up to $1,200 (approximately £940) per year for good drivers, driven by its behavior-based pricing model that ignores credit scores and demographics. The good news? You earn those savings with your actual driving.
The Root app earns 4.7 stars in the Apple App Store across 65,000+ reviews. Policyholders manage documents, update coverage, and file claims entirely within the app. Filing a claim takes 3 minutes through the mobile interface. Three minutes. That’s faster than most coffee orders.
Root also offers referral incentives. Existing policyholders earn gifts for bringing new customers. The program adds a loyalty benefit that traditional carriers rarely match.
What Are the Main Complaints About Root Insurance?
The most common complaint about Root Insurance is slow or absent claims response, with multiple users reporting no contact from the claims department for 30 days or longer after filing. That’s a serious problem. Claims delays are where trust breaks down.
A secondary complaint involves coverage gaps. Some customers found that collision and comprehensive coverage were absent from their policy, leaving financed vehicles exposed to total loss risk. This is not a hypothetical scenario. Multiple reviewers encountered it.
Root is also unavailable in 9 states, including New York, Michigan, and Massachusetts. Drivers in those major markets can’t access Root regardless of how clean their driving record is.
What Do Root Insurance Reviews Say?
Root Insurance reviews show a split between strong app satisfaction and concerns about claims handling, with a 3.8 out of 5 on WalletHub and 4.7 stars in the Apple App Store across 65,000+ reviews. So what does that split actually mean? It means the product works well until you need to use it.
The volume of reviews provides a statistically meaningful sample. With over 65,000 reviews on record, individual outliers have less impact on the aggregate score. The pattern of mixed feedback appears consistent across platforms. That consistency is worth paying attention to.
Root Insurance Ratings at a Glance:
| Platform | Rating | Review Count |
|---|---|---|
| Apple App Store | 4.7 / 5 | 65,000+ |
| WalletHub | 3.8 / 5 | Multiple sources |
| NAIC Complaint Ratio | 1.39 | National median: 1.0 |
| Better Business Bureau | A+ | Accredited |
What Are Positive Root Insurance Experiences?
Satisfied Root customers consistently report significantly lower premiums compared to their previous insurers and praise the frictionless onboarding process through the app. Savings are the primary driver of positive sentiment — by a wide margin.
App store reviewers describe the experience as ‘the way car insurance should be.’ Several users report switching from traditional carriers and saving hundreds of dollars per year. The 3-minute claim filing feature also draws specific praise from those who’ve used it successfully.
What Are the Most Common Root Insurance Complaints?
The most frequent Root complaint is delayed or nonexistent claims response, with users reporting filed claims receiving no follow-up contact for weeks. Claims delays represent the majority of negative reviews across platforms. And here’s what no one tells you: a cheap premium means nothing if a claim goes ignored.
A second recurring complaint is coverage misrepresentation. Several reviewers report Root sold policies without collision and comprehensive coverage for financed vehicles. One reviewer called the practice a scam due to the financial exposure it created. Our reviewers at Coffee Loving Cardmakers consider this the most critical red flag.
Root’s NAIC complaint ratio of 1.39 confirms the pattern. The ratio sits above the national median of 1.0, indicating a slightly elevated complaint volume relative to Root’s market share.
What Discounts Does Root Insurance Offer?
Root Insurance offers driving-behavior discounts, multi-policy bundling discounts for combining auto with renters or homeowners insurance, and referral bonuses for existing policyholders who bring new customers. In fact, the entire discount structure flows from one idea: reward safe behavior.
Root doesn’t offer credit-score discounts or demographic-rate reductions. All savings flow from verified safe driving behavior captured during the test drive and ongoing telematics monitoring after binding. Your record matters. Your zip code doesn’t.
Root Insurance Discount Types:
- Safe driver discount (telematics-based)
- Multi-policy bundle discount (auto + renters or homeowners)
- Referral bonus for existing policyholders
How Much Can Good Drivers Save With Root?
Root’s best drivers save up to $1,200 (approximately £940) per year compared to rates from traditional insurers, according to Root’s published savings claims. Actual savings vary by driver profile and state. But for clean-record drivers? That’s a meaningful number.
The savings mechanism works through risk pool selectivity. Root excludes high-risk drivers entirely. The remaining pool produces fewer claims per dollar of premium. Those savings pass through to policyholders as lower rates. It’s a model that works — when you qualify.
How Does Root Insurance Compare to Competitors?
Root Insurance occupies a distinct market position as a direct insurer that prices entirely on telematics rather than the demographic proxies traditional carriers rely on. And this is where it gets interesting: that positioning benefits safe drivers while being completely irrelevant to everyone else.
Root’s differentiator is its willingness to decline high-risk applicants. Traditional carriers price bad drivers higher but still take their money. Root refuses them outright. The result is a cleaner risk pool and lower average rates for accepted policyholders.
How Does Root Compare to The General Insurance?
Root and The General serve opposite ends of the driver risk spectrum: Root targets only good drivers with clean records, while The General specifically targets high-risk drivers who can’t qualify at standard carriers. These two products are not competing for the same customer.
The General’s rates are structurally higher because its customer base files more claims. Root’s rates are structurally lower because its customer base is screened before admission. By comparison, the two are mirror images of each other.
Root vs The General Insurance Comparison:
| Feature | Root Insurance | The General Insurance |
|---|---|---|
| Target drivers | Good drivers only | High-risk drivers |
| Rate-setting method | Telematics-based | Traditional + risk surcharge |
| Typical premium level | Below average | Above average |
| Application process | App test drive | Standard quote |
How Does Root Compare to Jerry?
Root and Jerry operate in different roles: Root is a direct insurance carrier that writes and holds policies, while Jerry is an aggregator and broker that compares quotes from multiple carriers on behalf of shoppers. Short answer: Jerry finds options. Root is the option.
Drivers who want to compare rates across many carriers use Jerry to shop the market. Drivers who’ve qualified as safe and want a telematics-first insurer choose Root directly. The two services can be used together without any conflict.
Is Root Insurance Worth It?
Root Insurance is worth it for safe, tech-savvy drivers who want to escape demographic-based pricing and can verify their coverage terms carefully before binding. For drivers with poor records, Root is not an option. And that’s by design.
Root delivers genuine value through its savings potential and app experience. The claims handling and coverage transparency issues are real. They’re not outliers — they appear consistently in user reviews. Reviewing the declarations page for collision and comprehensive before finalizing is non-negotiable for any financed vehicle.
Drivers considering Root should complete the test drive, review the full quote for all coverage types, and compare against at least one additional carrier. Root’s telematics model is a legitimate innovation. Its execution in claims handling still has room to grow.
