With 15 years of immersion in the world of personal finance, Ashley Kilroy simplifies financial concepts for individuals striving toward financial security. Her expertise has been showcased in reputable publications including Rolling Stone, SmartAsse.
Ashley Kilroy Insurance WriterWith 15 years of immersion in the world of personal finance, Ashley Kilroy simplifies financial concepts for individuals striving toward financial security. Her expertise has been showcased in reputable publications including Rolling Stone, SmartAsse.
Written By Ashley Kilroy Insurance WriterWith 15 years of immersion in the world of personal finance, Ashley Kilroy simplifies financial concepts for individuals striving toward financial security. Her expertise has been showcased in reputable publications including Rolling Stone, SmartAsse.
Ashley Kilroy Insurance WriterWith 15 years of immersion in the world of personal finance, Ashley Kilroy simplifies financial concepts for individuals striving toward financial security. Her expertise has been showcased in reputable publications including Rolling Stone, SmartAsse.
Insurance Writer Jason Metz Lead Editor, InsuranceAs a former claims handler and fraud investigator, Jason Metz has worked on a multitude of complex and multifaceted claims. The insurance industry can be seemingly opaque, and Jason enjoys breaking down confusing terms and products to help others mak.
Jason Metz Lead Editor, InsuranceAs a former claims handler and fraud investigator, Jason Metz has worked on a multitude of complex and multifaceted claims. The insurance industry can be seemingly opaque, and Jason enjoys breaking down confusing terms and products to help others mak.
Jason Metz Lead Editor, InsuranceAs a former claims handler and fraud investigator, Jason Metz has worked on a multitude of complex and multifaceted claims. The insurance industry can be seemingly opaque, and Jason enjoys breaking down confusing terms and products to help others mak.
Jason Metz Lead Editor, InsuranceAs a former claims handler and fraud investigator, Jason Metz has worked on a multitude of complex and multifaceted claims. The insurance industry can be seemingly opaque, and Jason enjoys breaking down confusing terms and products to help others mak.
| Lead Editor, Insurance
Updated: Jan 3, 2024, 4:37am
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Elephant car insurance offers all of the standard coverage types you’d find at most insurance companies, along with some extra coverage types like loan/lease coverage and rideshare insurance. Elephant has a complaint level around the industry average.
Elephant Insurance came onto the car insurance scene in 2009 as a subsidiary of Admiral Group plc. Headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, Elephant insures more than 200,000 vehicles.
Elephant Insurance is available in eight states:
The company sells insurance for cars, motorcycles and off-road vehicles. YourMechanic is available to all Elephant customers and connects customers to more than 600 diagnostic, maintenance and repair services at a discounted rate.
You can also set up contactless payments and contact-free car repairs.
Elephant sells the standard types of auto insurance you will find at other car insurance companies:
This pays for injuries and property damage you accidentally cause to someone else. Liability car insurance also covers your legal costs, settlements and judgments if you are sued because of an accident. You are required to carry liability car insurance in most states.
Comprehensive insurance pays to repair or replace your vehicle if it’s stolen or damaged by problems such as fire, vandalism, floods, hail and other severe weather, falling objects or striking an animal.
Collision insurance pays to fix or replace your car if it’s damaged in a car accident or a collision with another object, such as a fence or tree. Collision insurance pays regardless of fault.
In some states, uninsured motorist insurance is required, and it’s optional in other states. If you get hit by a driver without liability insurance or does not have enough liability insurance to cover your losses in full, uninsured/underinsured motorist insurance provides coverage for you and your passengers’ injuries. In some states you can also buy coverage for damage to your vehicle caused by an uninsured driver.
PIP pays for you and your passengers’ medical bills if you get hurt in a car accident, no matter who is at fault. Personal injury protection also pays other expenses, such as lost wages and funeral services. PIP is required in no-fault insurance states, optional in other states and unavailable in some.
Medical payments (MedPay) coverage covers you and your passengers’ medical bills no matter who is at fault for an accident. It’s not available in all states and is typically sold in small amounts between $1,000 and $5,000.
Elephant sells additional coverage types, including:
Elephant has a higher-than-average level of complaints compared to many other car insurance companies, based on complaints made to state insurance departments. Its complaint level is 1.65 times the industry average.
Elephant car insurance offers coverage beyond standard car insurance, such as accident forgiveness, a diminishing deductible and SR-22s. But you’ll have to get coverage elsewhere if you want new car replacement, pay-per-mile or usage-based insurance.
Yes, Elephant offers accident forgiveness. To qualify, all drivers on your policy must be accident-free for three years. After this three-year period, you’re eligible to have your next at-fault accident waived, meaning your premium won’t increase because of the accident.
Elephant also offers an upgraded accident forgiveness, which eliminates the three-year waiting period, meaning your accident forgiveness will kick in right away. To qualify for the upgrade, none of the drivers on your policy can have an at-fault accident on their records from the past three years.
No, Elephant does not offer new car replacement insurance. This type of coverage typically reimburses you for a brand-new vehicle of a similar make and model instead of only the depreciated value of your car if it is totaled due to a problem covered by your policy (like a fire or accident).
Elephant sells “loan/lease coverage” which is similar to gap insurance. Generally, gap insurance pays the “gap” between what you owe on your car loan or lease and the depreciated value of your car if it is totaled due to a problem covered by your policy (like a car accident).
With Elephant’s loan/lease coverage, you’ll get up to 25% of your vehicle’s depreciated value if you are “upside down” on your car loan.
For example, if you owe $20,000 on your totaled car and its depreciated value is $17,000, you have a $3,000 gap. With Elephant’s loan/lease coverage, you are covered up to 25% of $17,000 ($4,250). In this scenario, loan/lease coverage would be sufficient to pay the remaining balance of your loan.
Yes, Elephant offers a diminishing deductible as an optional policy add-on. If you have collision insurance with at least a $500 deductible, you’ll see your deductible reduced by $100 for annual policies and $50 for six-month policies for each term you remain accident-free, up to $500.
Yes, Elephant offers SR-22 insurance forms in Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.
An SR-22 is a court-order document that auto insurance companies file with the state as evidence that you meet the minimum liability coverage requirements. The state typically requires drivers with DUI convictions or multiple driving offenses to file an SR-22.
No, Elephant currently does not offer usage-based insurance (UBI). UBI uses telematics to track driving behaviors such as speeding, harsh braking, acceleration and phone use. Drivers who practice safe driving habits typically earn discounts.
Elephant does plan to launch its own telematics app, according to the company’s website.
No, Elephant does not offer pay-per-mile insurance. With pay-per-mile insurance, you’ll typically pay a daily or monthly base rate and a per-mile rate. It can be a good fit for low-mileage drivers.
Yes, Elephant sells rideshare insurance as an auto policy add-on. If you drive for a company like Lyft or Uber, you might have a coverage gap between your personal auto insurance and the rideshare company’s insurance.
Elephant’s rideshare insurance covers you while your rideshare app is on and you are waiting for rider requests. It does not cover you when you accept a ride, pick up and drop off your passenger (that’s typically covered by your rideshare company). Elephant’s rideshare insurance resumes when your app is on and you’re waiting for the next ride.
Elephant offers various car insurance discounts to help you cut your bill, such as:
Other types of insurance policies offered by Elephant include:
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