Erie Auto Insurance Review

Last Updated on October 21, 2023

Erie Insurance is an Erie, Pennsylvania-based insurance company offering auto, home, business, and life insurance in 12 states. Founded in 1925, Erie has nearly a century of experience covering drivers and homeowners in the Midwest and surrounding areas. Today, Erie provides more than 6 million policies in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The company also operates in the District of Columbia.

Key Takeaways:

• Erie Insurance is a well-established company offering auto, home, business, and life insurance in 12 states and Washington, D.C.
• Erie Insurance has many features that make it unique, such as rate lock, accident forgiveness, personal service from independent agents, and various perks and coverages.
• Erie Insurance has excellent ratings from A.M. Best, J.D. Power, Forbes, and other sources for its financial strength, customer service, and claims satisfaction.
• Erie Insurance may not be the cheapest option in every area, but it offers customers good value for money and quality service.

Types of Auto Insurance Coverage Offered by Erie

Erie offers similar auto insurance products and policies to other major providers in the United States. Whether you need minimum liability insurance or full coverage insurance, you can get the insurance products and services you need from Erie.

Available coverages include:

Bodily Injury Liability Coverage: Erie provides bodily injury liability coverage in all states. If you cause an accident and other people are injured due to your negligence, then Erie’s bodily injury liability coverage protects you against any claims resulting from those damages, including medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Virtually all states require bodily injury liability coverage.

Property Damage Liability Coverage: Erie provides property damage liability coverage. If you damage another person’s car or their property, and it’s determined you are responsible or negligent, then Erie’s property damage liability coverage covers your liability.

Personal Injury Protection: Also known as PIP, personal injury protection covers you and others in your vehicle after an accident. PIP may cover medical treatment, ambulance expenses, and other healthcare costs resulting from a covered accident.

Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist Coverage: Optional in some states, uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage covers you from hit-and-run incidents, drivers with too little insurance, and incidents with uninsured drivers. If the other driver does not have sufficient insurance to cover your damages, or if the other driver is unknown, then Erie’s uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage can cover your costs.

Comprehensive Coverage: Erie’s comprehensive coverage covers your vehicle against non-accident damages, including hailstorm damage, fire damage, theft, vandalism, and other incidents. It’s optional in all states.

Collision Coverage: When your car collides with another car or object or flips over, you can make a claim through collision coverage. It’s also optional in all states.

What Makes Erie’s Auto Insurance Unique?

Erie has several features that make it unique. Here are some of the reasons you may or may not like Erie for auto insurance:

Exclusively Sold Through Independent Agents: Erie exclusively sells insurance through a network of independent agents. These independent agents review your needs, then recommend the best insurance for your unique needs. Independent agents sell more than just Erie insurance policies, which makes it easier to get the perfect fit for you. Many policyholders also like the personal experience of having an Erie insurance agent on their side who can adjust their policy, manage claims, and review needs to ensure the best coverage at the lowest price.

Additional Perks Built-Into Your Policy: Erie adds many perks to their policies by default, including first accident forgiveness, windshield repair, pet injury coverage, and travel expenses, among other bonuses. With most insurers, you need to pay extra for these coverages.

Erie Auto Plus: For added protection and peace of mind, you can choose an Erie Auto Plus policy. Erie Auto Plus comes with a diminishing deductible, transportation expenses, increased coverage limits, waived deductibles in certain situations, and death benefits.

Rate Lock: Erie also offers a Rate Lock feature that lets you avoid car insurance rate increases. Even if you have a claim, Erie won’t raise your rates (unless you add or remove a vehicle or driver or change your address). You must meet certain underwriting guidelines to qualify for Rate Lock, and features vary from state to state. However, Erie’s Rate Lock can prevent your insurance premiums from rising significantly after a claim.

First Accident Forgiveness: Erie includes first accident forgiveness on all auto insurance policies with no extra charge, as long as you have three claims-free years with Erie insurance. That means you will pay no surcharge the first time you’re at fault in an accident.

Free Windshield Repair: If you have Erie auto insurance, then you’ll pay no comprehensive deductible when repairing a broken windshield. This feature is included with all policies at no added cost.

Pet Injury Coverage: Erie bundles pet injury coverage with all policies at no added cost. If your pet is hurt in a covered accident when riding in your car, Erie will cover the vet treatment costs and reimburse you up to $500 per pet (or $1,000 total).

Coverage for Borrowed or Rental Vehicles: Erie automatically extends coverage to borrowed or rented vehicles.

Waived Deductible in Certain Situations: Erie may waive your deductible in certain situations, which means you pay nothing after a loss. Instead of paying a $500 or $1,000 deductible for a collision or comprehensive claim, for example, you might pay nothing.

Free Locksmith Service: Erie may cover locksmith services in certain situations. If you lock yourself out of your vehicle or lose your keys, for example, then Erie may cover the cost of a locksmith.

Complimentary Roadside Assistance: Erie offers complimentary roadside assistance to drivers at the site of the accident, covering reasonable towing and labor.

Motorcycle Insurance: Erie offers competitively-priced motorcycle insurance. Erie’s motorcycle coverage comes with special perks, including $3,000 in coverage for damage to accessories, gear, and safety riding apparel.

New Car Replacement: Some car insurance companies offer new car replacement coverage, while others do not. Erie offers new car replacement for a few extra dollars per month.

Personal Item Coverage: If you have collision coverage with Erie, then you automatically get personal item coverage. Erie reimburses you up to $350 for any damage or loss of items in a vehicle insured by Erie.

Local Presence in your Neighborhood and Community: Erie aims to differentiate itself from faceless competitors by maintaining a presence in your neighborhood and community. Erie’s agents have offices in your neighborhood and are a part of your community.

How Much Are Erie’s Auto Insurance Rates?

Erie is known for offering good coverage at a competitive price. The company tends to offer the best value in most subregions. It may not be the rock-bottom cheapest provider in your state, but Erie tends to offer more perks than competing providers.

According to our research, the average Erie policyholder pays $1,399 per year for full coverage car insurance, or around $117 per month. That’s lower than the nationwide average of $1,450 per year.

Erie’s Auto Insurance Discounts

Erie offers a range of discounts to help you save money on car insurance. Available Erie discounts include:

Multi-Policy Bundling Discounts: Erie offers multi-policy bundling discounts of around 20%. According to Erie, the multi-policy discount ranges from 16% to 25%, depending on your state and insurance policy.

Safe Driving Discount: If you are a safe driver with a good record, then you could save on your auto insurance coverage with Erie.

Car Safety Equipment Discounts: Erie offers car safety equipment discounts for factory-installed airbags, passive restraint devices, anti-theft devices, and anti-lock brakes. Even though many of these features are required on new vehicles, you could save with Erie.

Multi-Car Discount: If you insure two or more of your vehicles with Erie, then you could save money.

Reduced Usage Discount: If you’re not using your car for at least 90 consecutive days during the policy period, you could qualify for a discount on car insurance.

Young Driver Discount: Unmarried drivers under 21 who live with their parents could qualify for additional savings on car insurance.

Annual Payment Plan Discount: Save money on car insurance by paying your auto insurance premium in a lump sum.

Pros and Cons of Erie

Customers are generally happy with their Erie auto insurance and how it works. Here are some of the pros and cons of buying car insurance with Erie:

Pros

• Ideal for customers who want good coverage at a reasonable price
• Personal interactions with local agents in your area (Erie exclusively sells through independent agents)
• Lock in rates to avoid paying higher premiums
• Numerous perks and coverage options
• Accident forgiveness, basic roadside assistance, pet injury protection, and other coverages come bundled with most policies for free

Cons

• Only available in 12 states
• Difficult to manage your policy online
• Some customers pay higher than average rates compared to Erie’s larger competitors

Erie Reviews: What Do Customers Have to Say?

Erie is one of the best-rated insurance companies in the United States for claims satisfaction and customer service. Generally, customers are very satisfied with the service they receive from Erie. Erie also has strong ratings from the media, industry rating organizations, and insurance experts.

According to Erie, 90% of customers stay with the company year after year.

Erie has a financial strength rating of A+ (Superior) from A.M. Best, an organization that assesses insurance companies based on their assets and liabilities. A rating of A+ (Superior) indicates Erie is in a very strong financial position and should have no trouble covering its liabilities in the near future.

Erie is also ranked 347 on the 2021 Fortune 500 list, which ranks the largest companies in America based on total revenue. Forbes also ranked Erie as one of the best insurance companies in the United States, rating the company in the top 2% of insurers nationwide.

Erie received ratings of 4.0 out of 5 from NerdWallet and 5 out of 5 from Forbes. The company also has a 3.6 star out of 5 rating from WalletHub reviewers (930+ reviews) and a 3.9 out of 5 rating from Consumer Affairs (With 1,100+ reviews).

According to J.D. Power’s 2022 auto insurance rankings, Erie scored above average in most subregions. J.D. Power ranks insurance companies based on interviews with policyholders who have recently made claims.

J.D. Power ranked Erie as the top insurance company in the North Central region, scoring 857 points out of 1,000. Erie also scored second in the Southeast region with 874 points out of 1,000 and second in the Mid-Atlantic region with 856 points. In all subregions where Erie was rated, Erie scored above average, sitting in the first or second position in all rankings.

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has given Erie a score of A+. The company has a 1.25 star out of 5 rating on BBB.org with 50+ customer reviews.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Word on Erie Insurance

Erie is the 13th largest auto insurance company in the United States and the 12th largest home insurer.

Backed by some of the best reviews in the industry, Erie continues to make a name for its strong claims handling, competitive pricing, and approachable customer service.

To learn more about Erie or to request a quote from the Erie, Pennsylvania-based company, contact them today.

Erie Contact Information
Company Address	100 Erie Insurance Place Erie, PA 16530
Website	https://www.erieinsurance.com/
Customer Service Phone Number	1-800-458-0811
Claims Phone Number	1-800-367-3743
States Served	Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington DC, West Virginia, Wisconsin