Erie Car Insurance Review 2024 (2024)

Erie may be a good choice if you’re looking for a car insurance company with decent prices and excellent collision claim procedures. Advantages of Erie include:

• Budget-friendly car insurance costs. Most of Erie’s auto insurance prices are lower than those of top competitors, so you may save money by switching to Erie if it’s available where you live.
• Great grade for claims procedures. Erie received an A- grade from collision repair specialists—the highest grade of the 13 companies we analyzed.

Erie has some drawbacks to be aware of, including:

• Not available nationwide. Erie is a regional insurance company, so you must live in one of the 12 states where it does business to buy a policy.
• No discount for monitored driving. Erie’s YourTurn app monitors your driving, but instead of giving you a discount for safe driving like other insurers, it gives you rewards in the form of gift cards to various retailers.

Erie’s average rate for a good driver is $1,642 per year, based on our analysis. That’s more than $380 a year lower than the national average cost of car insurance of $2,026 a year. Erie is cheaper than most top competitors for many driver profiles.

Erie Car Insurance Rates by Age

Erie’s auto insurance rates are lower than the national average for all ages we analyzed. For example, its car insurance for 18-year-olds is 43% cheaper than the national average.

Erie Car Insurance Rates for Adding a Teen Driver

Erie’s cost to add a teen driver is among the cheapest of the companies we evaluated, only beaten out by Nationwide. Erie’s average annual cost for car insurance for a 16-year-old is about $750 a year below the national average of $2,359 per year.

Erie Car Insurance Car Insurance Rates by Driving Record

Erie’s offers rates that are much lower than the national average for many types of drivers.

Erie Car Insurance Rates for Good Drivers

Erie has competitive car insurance prices for good drivers. Its average rate is 19% lower than the national average of $2,026 per year.

Erie Car Insurance Rates for Drivers With a Speeding Ticket

Erie offers pretty good prices for drivers with a speeding ticket, coming in third-cheapest of the companies we evaluated. If you have traffic tickets on your record, it’s smart to get car insurance quotes from multiple auto insurers.

Erie Car Insurance Rates for Drivers Who Caused an Accident With an Injury

Erie’s rates are the second-cheapest for those who caused an accident with an injury to someone else, among the insurers in our analysis. USAA is a bit cheaper, but only drivers with a military connection qualify for USAA car insurance.

Erie’s rate is about $780 a year lower than the national average of $3,009 per year.

Erie Car Insurance Rates for Drivers With a DUI

The national average insurance cost for drivers with a DUI is $3,363 per year, but Erie’s is nearly $700 a year cheaper. That makes Erie the fourth-cheapest company among companies we researched.

Drivers with a DUI can potentially find huge savings by shopping around for cheaper auto insurance.

Erie Car Insurance Rates by Credit Score

Erie’s average auto insurance costs are on the high side for drivers with poor credit compared to some competitors. Still, it’s slightly lower (7%) than the national average of $3,889 per year.

Erie’s rates for poor credit drivers are 125% higher than its rates for those with good credit.

Insurance companies say that data shows that drivers with poor credit have a higher likelihood of filing claims. This correlation leads to higher auto insurance rates for those with bad credit. California, Hawaii, Massachusetts and Michigan don’t allow car insurance companies to use credit when determining rates.

Erie is available in 12 states and Washington, D.C.:

• Illinois
• Indiana
• Kentucky
• Maryland
• New York
• North Carolina
• Ohio
• Pennsylvania
• Tennessee
• Virginia
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin

Erie Car Insurance Rates by State

Car insurance rates by state vary significantly for many reasons. These include differences in the state-mandated minimum coverage and the likelihood of weather-related claims, among other factors. For example, Erie’s average car insurance cost in North Carolina is much lower than in New York.

We found Erie’s average rates to be lower than the state average in all states where we analyzed its costs.

Erie has a lower level of auto insurance complaints compared to the industry average, based on complaints made to state insurance departments across the country.

Complaints about Erie are usually related to rates, nonrenewal of policies, claim delays, cancellations and surcharges.

Erie Car Insurance Complaints Trend

Complaints about Erie’s car insurance were above the industry average in 2021 but have since dropped below.

In a survey of collision repair professionals by CRASH Network, Erie earned an A- grade, which was the best grade among the insurers we evaluated.

The survey was based on the opinions of auto body professionals, who see how insurers compare in the use of lower-quality repair parts, whether insurers encourage the use of repair procedures recommended by car makers and whether an insurer’s claims processes lead to quick and satisfactory claims for customers.

Erie Car Insurance Collision Repair Grade Trend

Over the past four years, Erie has received stellar grades from collision repair experts. Its grades of A- and B+ indicate that customers’ claims experiences will generally be positive.

Erie offers the main types of car insurance that states require, such as liability insurance, as well as extra benefits and add-on coverage options.

Erie car insurance policies come in with some nice built-in coverage types, including:

• Pet injury coverage. An Erie auto policy automatically includes pet injury coverage if your pet is hurt in an accident covered by your policy. Erie will reimburse vet costs up to $500 per pet or $1,000 total.
• Travel expenses. This covers expenses like meals and hotel bills if you can’t drive your car and are stuck away from home because of a problem covered by your policy.
• Zero deductible windshield repair. If you can file a windshield repair insurance claim—rather than replace your auto glass—Erie will waive the deductible on your comprehensive coverage.

Erie has a good number of add-on coverage options as well.

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	Accident Forgiveness Erie offers accident forgiveness insurance, which keeps your rates from increasing after your first at-fault accident—if you’ve been with Erie for at least three years. This “First Accident Forgiveness” doesn’t apply if you have the Erie Rate Lock feature on your policy.
	Diminishing Deductible Erie has a diminishing deductible option through its Auto Plus endorsem*nt. Auto Plus reduces the deductible by $100 each year you don’t file a claim, with a maximum deductible decrease of $500.
	Gap Insurance Erie offers loan or lease gap insurance, which pays you the difference between your car’s worth and what you owe a lender if your car is totaled in an accident or by a problem covered by your policy. If your leased car is totaled, Erie's Auto Security pays the difference between its value and the amount due on the lease.
	New Car Replacement Erie’s Auto Security program—its new car replacement coverage—will replace your car with the newest comparable model year if it’s totaled and you’ve had it for less than two years. If you’ve had the car longer than two years when it’s totaled, Erie will pay to replace it with a comparable model up to two years newer.
	Rental Car Reimbursem*nt Rental car reimbursem*nt pays for a rental car if you cannot drive your car due to a problem covered by your policy. Basic rental car coverage is automatically included with comprehensive coverage with Erie in most states. To have it for an incident covered by collision coverage, such as hitting another car or a fence, you must pay to add rental car reimbursem*nt.
	Rideshare Insurance Erie’s rideshare insurance designates business use on your personal car insurance policy to fill in potential coverage gaps between your personal car insurance and the rideshare company’s insurance.
	Roadside Assistance If you’re stranded on the side of the road, roadside assistance insurance pays for services such as towing, changing a flat tire, refueling and jump-starting a dead battery. Erie’s plan is only about $5 per vehicle and is among the best roadside assistance plans, based on our analysis.
	SR-22 Erie provides SR-22 insurance, which a state may require for risky drivers, such as drivers with multiple infractions. An SR-22 confirms the driver has adequate car insurance.

Erie Car Insurance Packages and Perks

Erie has extra options you may want to take advantage of, including:

• Erie Auto Plus. This package of benefits includes roadside assistance, transportation expenses for up to 10 days if your car is totaled, a diminishing deductible for every consecutive claims-free year, increased coverage limits, waived deductibles (under certain conditions) and a $10,000 death benefit if you or a relative dies in a car accident.
• Erie Rate Lock. Your rates won’t increase unless you make certain policy changes, such as adding a car or another driver or moving to a new city.

Add-On Coverage Erie Does Not Offer

Erie does not offer these types of add-on coverage or programs:

• Pay-per-mile insurance. Erie doesn’t offer a pay-per-mile car insurance option. Insurers with pay-per-mile coverage base rates partially on how many miles you drive.
• Usage-based insurance. Erie doesn’t have a usage-based insurance program. Many other car insurance companies offer programs that monitor a person’s driving and produce a driving score, which, if you score well, can earn you a discount.

Erie offers several potential car insurance discounts.

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	Annual Payment Plan Discount For paying the full amount of your premium at one time.
	Car Safety Equipment Discount Applied if your car has safety equipment, such as factory-installed air bags, anti-theft devices and anti-lock brakes.
	Multi-Car Discount For insuring two or more cars.
	Multi-Policy Discount Drivers who bundle auto and home insurance with Erie can get an average discount of around 15%, based on our analysis
	Reduced Usage Discount A reduced price if you go 90 straight days without using your car.
	Safe Driving Discount For avoiding at-fault car accidents and traffic violations.
	Young Driver Discount For households with an unmarried driver under age 21.
Discount availability can vary by state.

Erie’s digital experience earned only 2.2 stars (out of 5 stars) in our evaluation. Erie’s website provides the basics, such as the ability to get a quote online, file claims and a helpful search feature.

Erie’s mobile app users aren’t impressed by its limited functionality, which only allows you to:

• Contact your Erie agent.
• Make a payment.
• View and download policy documents, including your ID card.
• View your claim status.

Erie allows you to make payments, file and manage claims and cancel your policy, but not all of these are accessible online or on the app.

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	Erie Car Insurance Payments You can pay your bill through the Erie mobile app, online on the website or by calling customer care at 800-458-0811, option 4. You can also mail a payment to the address noted on your auto insurance bill.
	Erie Car Insurance Claims To make a car insurance claim with Erie, contact your Erie agent or call 800-367-3743 and choose option 4 to start a new claim. If you want to check on the status of your claim, select option 5. Once you have filed your claim, you can check your online account to: Get the contact information for your assigned claims adjuster. See the status of your claim. View the payment status of your claim.
	Erie Car Insurance Cancellations Contact your local Erie agent to request a cancellation. The agent’s contact information can be found on your policy papers or on Erie’s website.

Oliver Crawford and Henry Hirt founded Erie Insurance in 1925 in Erie, Pennsylvania. In the decades since, it has expanded to 12 states and Washington, D.C., with over 6,500 employees, 14,000 independent agents and over 7 million policies in force.

Erie AM Best Financial Strength Rating

Erie has an A+ (Superior) financial strength rating with AM Best.

This high financial strength rating indicates a company will be able to pay out on future claims.

Erie sells other insurance policies to protect a variety of financial interests and assets:

• Home insurance
• Renters insurance
• Umbrella insurance
• Business insurance
• Commercial auto insurance
• Identity theft
• Life insurance and long-term care riders
• Medicare supplement
• Workers compensation insurance

In addition to insurance, Erie offers a variety of retirement savings solutions, including annuities and IRAs.

To identify the best car insurance we evaluated each company on its auto insurance rates, the coverage options offered, complaints against the company and its collision repair process.

Auto insurance rates (50% of score): We used data from Quadrant Information Services to find average rates from each company for good drivers, drivers who have caused an accident, drivers with a speeding ticket, drivers with a DUI, drivers with poor credit, drivers caught without insurance, adding a teen driver, senior drivers and young drivers.

Unless otherwise noted, rates are based on a 40-year-old female driver with a Toyota RAV4 and coverage of:

• $100,000 for injuries to one person, $300,000 for injuries per accident and $100,000 of property damage (known as 100/300/100).
• Uninsured motorist coverage of 100/300.
• Collision and comprehensive insurance with a $500 deductible.

Car insurance coverage options (25% of score): Any auto insurance company can provide the basics of liability insurance, collision and comprehensive coverage and other standard offerings. But it’s also important to have access to additional coverage types that can provide greater protection or cost savings. In this category we gave points to companies that offer accident forgiveness, new car replacement, vanishing deductibles, usage-based or pay-per-mile insurance and SR-22s.

Complaints (20% of score): We used complaint data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Each state’s department of insurance is in charge of logging and monitoring complaints against companies operating in their states. Most auto insurance complaints center on claims, including unsatisfactory settlements, delays, and denials. The industry complaint average is 1.00, so companies with a ratio below 1.00 have lower levels of complaints.

Collision repair (5% of score): We incorporated grades of insurance companies from collision repair professionals. We used data provided by CRASH Network, a weekly newsletter covering the collision repair and auto insurance market segments. CRASH Network’s Insurer Report Card used grades from more than 1,100 collision repair professionals to gauge auto insurers on the quality of their collision claims service.

Read more: How Forbes Advisor rates car insurance companies