Reviews for Root: Better car insurance

This isn't about the insurance itself, but about the app. The app is very glitchy and inconsistent. I drive the exact same route to work and home every day. Some days it's 2 miles (according to the app), some days it's 6, some days it's 15, and some days it's 16 miles. How are you tracking my braking accurately when there is such a huge discrepancy? There is no way to say "I'm not driving" so I don't know if other people's driving counts into my score. Ran out of space

1. Driving score is based on only 2 things: braking and phone use while driving 2. No way to signify that you are not driving (in someone else's car). 3. No way to signify your phone is being used hands free (auto Bluetooth connection or navigation) 4. Doesn't matter though, because your rate increases no matter what your driving score is. 5. Excessive, unmutable notifications.

This is one of the most irritating companies I've ever seen. All the bills are automated, which means they simply slurp money from your card every month. And what happens if for any reason the money isn't there or accessible? Insurance cancelled. You will get emails, texts, a notification from the app will tell you, they sent me REGISTERED PIECE OF MAIL to say we've cancelled your insurance. Of course once I figured out the issue I paid up and it wasn't cancelled, but it was very...extra.

You get what you pay for, and Root is a perfect example. They'll probably offer a lower rate but with that comes a total lack of customer service. The claims handling process and customer service in general is terrible. The app itself is spotty with the trip tracking feature, which is the entire point of the app. Its claims to "know" when you're driving and when you aren't but in my experience it's usually working when I'm at home on the couch and is off when I'm driving. Buyer beware

It was good while it lasted. Starting out I was saving ~$55 after a few years with them and their new model I'm not saving anything at all. What I really don't like about them is despite the fact that I rarely drive, there's no way to notify them off whether or not I'm the one driving or if it's my car that's in use. I have switched to Progressive and am saving more with additional benefits. I can no longer recommend this company. I definitely suggest looking elsewhere.

I've used Root to compare and try to save, but after selecting the exact same coverage I currently have, Root is actually 3 dollars more per month than what I use now. The experience overall is easy though, the app is navigable and simple, easy enough for most people to use. Don't always believe the ads though, sure they can save you 52% but that's if you purchase the bare minimum of the state and your old policy was max coverage. overall it's a decent new insurance, but not as cheap as claimed.

Not sure about it's accuracy. I'm being warned not to use my phone, even though every trip says "No Phone Use." Also, on a trip where I drove up the street and parked at another house (no other stops), it says I had multiple hard braking events. I only had one, and it was slow. I can see how hard braking can determine tailgating, but that alone shouldn't determine if one is a safe driver. Exceeding the speed limit, multiple lane changes, and rapid acceleration should be included.

Well, I enjoy the service, but I hardly drive. The app say's I've driven far more than I have. It's very odd to me that, for instance, it says that I've "been on the road 5 times this week" when I haven't driven once in over a week. There should either be an option to indicate when one is a passenger or a more clear indication that the app can tell the difference between one's driving and one's being a passenger.

Avoid using this company. It might be cheap but you get what you pay for. If you ever need assistance expect almost zero response and call wait times are awful. I didnt get a phone number to contact until cancelation. Even then they couldn't help me since their app is super basic. If you do have them, take advantage but once they raise your rate start looking for something else. I'm glad I switched away from them.

The quote was great once I finally got it after more than *5 MONTHS* of presumed test driving. All the app and customer service were able to tell me was that they needed another "1-2 days"-worth of driving data from the app. All customer service can do is tell you to uninstall and reinstall the app. The app does not give any indication when it contacts their servers, nor whether there have been problems uploading data. It doesn't tell you when the app has been blocked from running in the background, or when you've turned your GPS off. All of these and more can "cause delays," lengthening the test drive period. They don't appear to have any sort of diagnostic procedures to troubleshoot problems with the app, and without data from the app, they have no way to even give you an insurance quote based on conventional criteria. Also, there is no way to suspend or cancel the test drive period. I made the mistake of installing the app to check it out, uninstalled it, then decided to actually do the test drive a couple of months later. According to one customer service rep, all that time not running the app counted against the averages they were calculating, supposedly stretching out the few weeks of a normal test drive into the 5+ months that it took after I had reinstalled the app and thought I had actually started my test drive. Or, maybe there were just lots of problems over a long period of time connecting to their servers. There's no way to tell.

This app is only good if you are always on time with payments. God forbid life gets in the way your credit card expires and you find out a day too late your policy was cancelled and it's to reinstate,then you have to wait for a year before you can use their insurance again. Also takes too long to load, freezes up, and eats battery power. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Progressive was cheaper.

The app tracks your phone. Period. It has no way to determine, or option, to tell when you're a passenger, or if a passenger is using your phone. It also randomly "thinks" you're driving, i.e. pops up saying it's tracking your drive... While you're sitting at your desk. Very flawed. Also, when it updates your "score", there is no score ard or metrics or anything. Just a rate hike with no reasoning.

They cut my insurance in half. I'm psyched! Having said that. This app is horrible. It nearly crashed my phone several times and while using it in my first initial month. It wouldn't allow other apps to work properly. Plus, it seems as though Root has made their horrible app the only way you can pay for your policy online. That's right I had to Google search how to pay for my car insurance, because paying on their website is a lost cause. Pretty sad! Do I download the app, just so I can pay? Idk

The company's ideals are awesome. Insure safe drivers and don't insure otherwise. I had a fantastic rate at first and they were always helpful and eager to settle my claims. However, after the one year mark, my rate doubled for seemingly no reason. I haven't been given an explanation. Also, the app keeps track of whether you're driving safe, even if you're the passenger in another vehicle. That doesn't seem entirely fair. I carpool a lot and I've watched my phone usage get worse because of it.

I installed this app almost 8 weeks ago and thought it was a little long to receive a quote but never the less I stuck with it. Early this week it finally got to 1-2 more days till I get my quote, on Thursday I looked again and it went back to 4-7 weeks. I contacted CS and I was told it depends on habits of the driver but usually it takes 2-3 weeks, but I should have a quote in 8 more days. So it's more than double the time with no real explanation. One thing I did notice, I noticed that my score was almost perfect for the first 3 weeks but the more time the app gave me the more it would move away from perfect, little by little. I've got a schedule and I drive exactly the same route everyday, this app was a scam and after over 2 months I've uninstalled it.

I'm getting a higher rate because of their non working app and their customer service only said to "turn on the location." I have proof location has been turned on the whole last month. Feels like they have it not working correctly on purpose just to charge me more. Edited: I have reached out to customer service several times. The responses have been incompetent and unhelpful. They also are charging more each month, even though my driving score is 9/10 every month.

I did the test drive for about 10 days. I got a quote for $40 cheaper than what I pay. I was ready to switch. The next day I open app to purchase and the quote was increased...it was more than I pay now. No I will not be switching. I sent an email because they have no contact number. Mary emailed me back 2 days later and said the quote went up because of rates in my area. Well that was not on anything i read in the beginning. It stated that the insurance was based off your driving. Also i had a 10 on everything up until the last 2 days and it went to a 7. This app also eats up your battery life. I don't like the fact that you have to email and wait for a response. No contact number was ever given. Good luck to all.

I had to switch insurance because the one I had closed down, chose root. Update, I've had this for 2-3 years and I've only stayed because though it is the cheapest, their driving score thing doesn't work. they've tried telling me that I don't drive enough for it, which is complete BS but whatever helps them save money. I've tried switching but root has been the cheapest one for me.

It will consider you to be using your phone if the screen is on at all, so avoid using GPS or anything else during a trip. It requires full permissions and completely unrestricted resource use. It says it can tell if you are driving or a passenger or doing some other activity, but don't trust it. It will negatively impact your score. I ended the "test-drive period" with a score of 9/10 (I had to use maps once), and my rate actually went up by a couple dollars!!!

Continually increases rates with no explanation. Finally got to the point where literally any other insurance company was cheaper, so I dropped them. They also make you enable a driving score tracker but don't allow you to see what your score is. You also get an alert that it's tracking you even when walking around your house, which probably leads to a worse score. Further, they have no built in option to say "hey I'm not the one driving".