Erie Auto Insurance Review

Last Updated on October 7, 2026

By James Shaffer · Reviewed by Thomas Rockford, insurance industry executive and financial analyst, on October 5, 2026 · How we fact-check

Erie Insurance is a Pennsylvania-based insurer that sells auto, home, business, and life insurance primarily through independent agents. Founded in 1925, ERIE marked its 100th anniversary in 2025. It reports nearly seven million policies in force and calls itself the 11th largest auto insurer in the country, which makes it a big company inside a small footprint.

Today, Erie auto insurance is available in 12 states and Washington, D.C. If you live in its footprint and prefer working with a local agent (instead of buying everything 100% online), Erie is often worth a quote—especially if you like policy “extras” that some insurers charge for.

Erie Auto Insurance at a Glance

Where Erie Auto Insurance Is Available

Erie writes auto insurance in 12 states plus Washington, D.C. Availability is a big limitation—if you live outside these areas, you’ll need to shop another insurer.

• Illinois
• Indiana
• Kentucky
• Maryland
• New York
• North Carolina
• Ohio
• Pennsylvania
• Tennessee
• Virginia
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Washington, D.C.

Types of Auto Insurance Coverage Offered by Erie

Erie offers the standard coverage types most drivers need, from state-minimum liability to full coverage with comprehensive and collision. Your exact options (and required coverages) depend on your state.

Common coverages you can expect to see include:

• Bodily Injury Liability Coverage: Helps pay for injuries you cause to others in an at-fault accident (medical bills, lost wages, etc.).
• Property Damage Liability Coverage: Helps pay for damage you cause to someone else’s car or property.
• Personal Injury Protection: In PIP states, this can help cover medical bills and related expenses for you and your passengers, regardless of fault.
• Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist Coverage: Helps protect you if you’re hit by a driver with no insurance or not enough insurance (or in some cases, in a hit-and-run).
• Comprehensive Coverage: Covers many non-collision losses like theft, vandalism, falling objects, hail, and animal-related damage (subject to your deductible).
• Collision Coverage: Covers damage to your vehicle from a collision with another vehicle or object (subject to your deductible).

Depending on your state and policy, you may also be able to add coverages like rental reimbursement, roadside service, custom equipment coverage, loan/lease payoff (gap-style coverage), and rideshare endorsements.

What Makes Erie Auto Insurance Different?

Erie’s biggest differentiator isn’t a flashy app or a giant national footprint—it’s the agent-driven model and the “extras” built into many policies. Here are standout features that many drivers like about Erie:

• Sold through agents (not call centers): Erie policies are sold through a network of independent agents, more than 13,000 of them by Erie’s count, which can be a plus if you want a real person to review coverages, explain options, and advocate during a claim.
• Features built in rather than sold separately: Erie includes several things other insurers charge for, such as first accident forgiveness and glass repair. Erie also says not all coverages are in the base policy or offered in every state, so ask your agent for the list that applies to your policy.
• Erie Auto Plus: the “Auto Plus” package can include a diminishing deductible, which drops your deductible by $100 for each consecutive claims-free policy year, up to $500. Features vary by state.
• Rate Lock (in eligible states): with Rate Lock, Erie says your rate changes only if you add or remove a vehicle or a driver, or change the address where you routinely park the car. New York customers get Rate Protect instead.
• Accident forgiveness: Erie waives the surcharge for your first at-fault accident once you have been a customer for three years, which it calls First Accident Forgiveness.
• Glass repair features: comprehensive coverage from Erie includes Glass Repair, which waives the deductible on a windshield repair. For a small extra cost you can add Full Window Glass, which waives the deductible whether the glass is repaired or replaced. Both include new wiper blades if the windshield is replaced.
• Pet injury coverage: if your pet is hurt in an accident while riding in a car Erie insures, pet coverage helps pay vet treatment costs, up to $500 per pet and $1,000 in total.
• Borrowed and rental vehicle coverage: Erie often extends coverage to borrowed or rented vehicles similarly to how your personal auto policy works (always confirm with your agent, especially for business use and international rentals).
• Lockout help: comprehensive coverage pays locksmith costs up to $75.
• Roadside assistance options: Erie’s roadside coverage pays reasonable towing and the labor needed at the spot where your car breaks down. Erie publishes no mileage limit and no dollar cap for it, which is unusual. Accident-related towing is handled differently from breakdown roadside service.
• Personal item coverage: with physical damage coverage, Erie covers clothing, luggage and personal belongings inside a car it insures, up to $350.
• New car replacement: if a car up to 24 months old is totaled, Erie’s New Car Protection replaces it with a new vehicle of the latest model year. Better Car Protection does the same job for an older car, replacing a totaled one with a vehicle two years newer.

How Much Does Erie Auto Insurance Cost?

Nobody publishes reliable average premiums by company, Erie included, so treat any figure you see as an estimate from a rate study rather than a price. What Erie charges you depends on your location, driving record, age, vehicle, coverage limits, deductible choices, and credit-based insurance score (where allowed by law).

The more useful comparison is what the policy includes. Erie builds in several features that other insurers sell as add-ons, so the cheapest quote isn’t always the best deal once you line up what each one actually covers.

Tip: When you compare quotes, match the same liability limits and deductibles across companies—otherwise, you might accidentally compare “apples to oranges.”

Erie Auto Insurance Discounts

Erie lists these discounts, though availability varies by state and it publishes a percentage for only two of them. You can also review common Erie discounts to see what you might qualify for.

• Multi-policy bundling: Erie publishes a multi-policy discount of 15% to 25%, depending on your state, when you insure your auto and home with it. It calls about 20% typical.
• Safe driver savings: If you are a safe driver with a good record, you may qualify for lower rates.
• Safety equipment: Some vehicles qualify for car safety equipment discounts based on factory-installed safety features.
• Multi-car discount: If you insure two or more vehicles with Erie, you may see additional savings.
• Reduced usage: Low-mileage or reduced-use situations may qualify for a discount (rules vary).
• Young driver discounts: Erie’s teenSMART driver education program can earn up to a 20% discount. Other young-driver savings depend on grades, training, or living situation.
• Annual payment plan: Erie lists paying annually among its ways to save.

Pros and Cons of Erie Auto Insurance

Pros

• Excellent option for drivers who want strong coverage and “built-in” perks
• Local, agent-led service model that many customers prefer
• Rate Lock can help reduce surprise renewal increases in eligible situations
• Highest in three of eleven J.D. Power regions in 2026, and first in the 2025 claims satisfaction study
• 24/7 Emergency Roadside Service if you carry the coverage

Cons

• Not available nationwide (limited to 12 states and Washington, D.C.)
• Less “instant” online self-service than some direct-to-consumer insurers
• Some perks and bundles vary significantly by state and underwriting rules

Erie Reviews and Ratings

Erie does well in the regions where it operates. In the J.D. Power 2026 U.S. Auto Insurance Study, published June 9, 2026, Erie ranked highest in three of the eleven regions: Mid-Atlantic (704), North Central (688) and Southeast (691). Other regions have different leaders, so results vary depending on where you live.

Claims is where Erie’s record is strongest. It finished first in the J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study with a score of 743, against a study average of 700. That study was published in October 2025 and is the most recent one out.

Erie also says more than 90% of its customers stay with it year after year. That is Erie’s own figure, not a rater’s.

On financial strength, A.M. Best rates Erie Insurance Exchange A (Excellent) with a stable outlook, affirmed September 11, 2026. Worth knowing: that is a step down. A.M. Best downgraded Erie from A+ (Superior) to A (Excellent) on September 5, 2025, having affirmed the A+ as recently as August 2024. A is still a strong rating, but if you are comparing Erie against an insurer that still holds an A+, this is the difference.

Important: Ratings and rankings change over time. Use them as one data point—but also consider your quote, coverages, deductibles, and your experience with the local agent you’ll actually work with.

See Erie’s awards and rankings and browse Erie’s review highlights directly from the company.

How to Get a Quote From Erie

Erie is primarily sold through agents. In many cases, the fastest way to get an accurate quote is to contact an Erie agent in your area.

1. Start online (where available): You can begin a quote in “active states” here: https://www.erieinsurance.com/onlinequote.
2. Or find an agent first: Use Erie’s agent locator: https://www.erieinsurance.com/find-an-agent.
3. Compare apples to apples: Match liability limits and deductibles across companies before deciding.

How to File a Claim With Erie

Erie runs policy service through local agents. Its contact page tells customers to contact their local ERIE agent during normal business hours for policy and service needs, and the agent is where most claims start too. The online account and the mobile app handle the rest.

Customer care: Call (800) 458-0811 and choose option 5. Erie answers it Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern, and closes it on New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Erie publishes no general auto claims number, so for an auto claim use the number on your ID card or policy documents, or call your agent. The number often listed online as Erie’s claims line, (800) 367-3743, is the one Erie publishes for starting a life insurance death claim, option 3.

Roadside assistance: Erie lists 24/7 Emergency Roadside Service for customers who carry the coverage. It doesn’t publish a separate roadside phone number, so the number to call is in your policy documents or the Erie mobile app.

FAQs About Erie Auto Insurance

Final Word on Erie Auto Insurance

Erie is worth a quote if you live in its 12 states or D.C. and you want an agent rather than an app. Its claims record is the best-evidenced thing about it, and its A.M. Best rating is one notch lower than it was in 2024. My advice is to get the Erie quote through an agent and one direct quote online with the same limits and deductibles, then decide whether the built-in features are worth any price difference.

If you want to learn more about Erie or need help finding the right contact, you can contact them today.

Erie Insurance Contact Information

Sources

Checked October 5, 2026

• Erie Insurance — Contact Page
• Erie Insurance — Auto Insurance Page
• AM Best — Rating Disclosure for Erie Insurance Exchange, September 11, 2026
• AM Best — September 5, 2025 downgrade release
• AM Best — August 8, 2024 rating affirmation
• J.D. Power — 2026 U.S. Auto Insurance Study, June 9, 2026
• J.D. Power — 2025 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study, October 28, 2025
• Erie Indemnity — Second Quarter 2026 Results, July 30, 2026
• Erie Indemnity — Form 10-K for 2025, Filed February 23, 2026
• Erie Indemnity — Form 10-K for 2014