AIS Insurance Review: Is AIS Good for Auto Insurance?

Last Updated on April 20, 2023

AIS Insurance Specialists, or Automobile Insurance Specialists Insurance, isn’t like most other insurance companies featured on insurance-comparison websites. It’s a company that provides a service: you go to them when it’s time to insure your vehicle, and they shop around for you so that you will get the absolute best deal that suits your specific insurance needs.

Based in California and founded over 50 years ago, they provide their services in all 50 states and tailor-make your policy to meet your needs and your state’s requirements.

Key Takeaways:

  1. AIS is not like most other insurance companies; it is a brokerage firm that shops around for you to find the best deal for your specific insurance needs.
  2. AIS provides Mexico automobile insurance for those who need to travel to Mexico for work or leisure.
  3. AIS educates its clients on different policies by explaining standard insurance terms and coverage options on auto insurance policies.
  4. AIS agents will search for discounts to get the best deal for their clients, such as good driver, good student, multiple car, and anti-theft device discounts.
  5. While most reviews are positive, recent reviews are more negative due to long waiting times and difficulty reaching customer service representatives. However, AIS can still save you time and money by doing the shopping for you.

Auto Insurance for Mexico

Because so many Americans need to travel to Mexico for work, leisure, or family commitments, AIS Insurance also provides Mexico automobile insurance. For those who don’t know, Mexico does not recognize American car insurance; therefore, specific Mexican car insurance is needed, even if you cross the border with your vehicle for an afternoon of shopping.

If you’re still confused about what AIS Insurance is all about, their corporate slogan says it best: “We Search. We Find. You Save”. They do the legwork comparing the best rates; in the end, you save money, and most of all, you don’t waste time doing hours and hours of research comparing prices and coverage.

AIS Insurance Car Insurance Coverage Offerings

It will be mentioned here again that AIS is not an insurance provider as such: they are a brokerage firm and do the shopping around for you. This means they don’t have actual offerings but can explain what insurers offer. In fact, their specialty appears to be educating their clients, and the website takes the mystery out of automobile insurance by explaining what different policies consist of.

The “Understanding Auto Insurance” section of their website is like a “Car Insurance 101” course. They go through the common insurance terms and coverage options on auto insurance policies, like:

AIS mentions that a customer can get the bare minimum when it comes to insurance, but basic coverage requirements change from state to state. In some cases, a basic policy has to include only bodily injury and property damage liabilities, but some states require more.

Most drivers want insurance to cover more; they want the cost of repairs and medical treatment covered if they’re in an accident. This type of policy is called standard coverage.

Additional coverage is also available, and AIS Insurance agents will search for the best deal if you want towing and rental car reimbursement.

AIS Insurance Auto Insurance Discounts

As mentioned above, this company doesn’t provide discounts as they are not insurance providers. Still, they will look into dozens of insurance companies and examine the discounts they offer you to get the best deal. To keep your costs down, they will look for the common types of discounts, which are:

Other types of discounts include multiple policy discounts (also known as insurance “bundles” where your car and home insurance are bundled together), mature driver discounts, and group or association discounts, where your membership in a qualifying club, organization, or sports team will save you money on your car insurance.

There are plenty of other discounts available through different insurance companies, and AIS agents will ensure you get the most bang for your buck when it comes to auto insurance coverage.

What Do Customers Have to Say?

On insurance websites, it’s normal only to see five-star reviews; they want to put their best foot forward and persuade people to become clients. Therefore, those reviews will be somewhat biased and may not represent what customers think. That makes it a good idea to visit non-affiliated review websites.

The reviews are mostly positive, with most customers giving AIS customer service high marks. Clients say the agents are looking out for them and getting the best deals. In some cases, reviewers mention that they have saved several hundred dollars thanks to all the discounts their agent could find.

However, more recent reviews are more negative. Some who want to insure classic cars have long waiting times, and several clients cannot reach a customer service representative at all, even after waiting on hold for hours at a time. However, this may be through no fault of AIS: the COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on many services and businesses, insurance providers included.

Negative reviews also mention that in recent months, AIS Insurance has been strongly recommending Mercury Insurance, even when it is not in the client’s best interest. Mercury has been in the insurance business for a long time but does have a below-average rating for customer service. Some review sites mention that Mercury receives more complaints than other insurers. But remember, it may not be AIS policy to recommend Mercury; this could be the actions of individual agents. As a client, you always have the right not to buy a policy and go with another insurance company.

AIS Insurance:  Pros and Cons

The pros and cons are pretty easy to sum up regarding AIS Insurance. The pros: they do the shopping for you, freeing up your time and saving you money by finding discounts you may not have been able to find on your own. They claim they’ll get you the lowest rates available, which is a good thing.

The cons: what isn’t so good is that you might get more discounts if you do the work yourself and buy insurance from a company they aren’t affiliated with. Several customers on review websites complained about being pressured to buy insurance from Mercury, which is concerning. And finally, the fact that it has been hard to contact representatives during the ongoing pandemic is worrisome. This means that AIS Insurance might not be equipped to deal with extraordinary situations, which is exactly what insurance is supposed to do.

Our Rating of AIS Insurance

AIS Insurance Specialists is a California-based brokerage firm that searches for the best car insurance rates that suit individual needs and state requirements. The company has been in business for over 50 years, and customers claim that AIS agents are knowledgeable and efficient in finding the best deals; however, the company has received negative feedback for only recommending Mercury Insurance and for long waiting times for classic car insurance.

Convenience
Price
Customer Service
Discounts

Summary

Is AIS Insurance good for car insurance? In a nutshell, yes, it is. As long as you get an agent who doesn’t heavily promote one insurance over another, even when better offers are on the market, you’ll have someone doing the hard work for you and getting a great deal. Just remember that if you’re not happy with what is offered, you can always say no or ask your agent to look at other companies.

3.8

Contact AIS Insurance

For more information, you can visit the AIS website or call directly to speak with an agent.

AIS Insurance Company Information
Mailing AddressP.O. Box 6507
Artesia, CA 90702-6507
Customer Service Phone Number1-800-493-7879
Get a Quote Phone Number1-888-772-4247
Website URLhttps://www.aisinsurance.com/
James Shaffer
James Shaffer James Shaffer is a writer for InsurancePanda.com and a well-seasoned auto insurance industry veteran. He has a deep knowledge of insurance rules and regulations and is passionate about helping drivers save money on auto insurance. He is responsible for researching and writing about anything auto insurance-related. He holds a bachelor's degree from Bentley University and his work has been quoted by NBC News, CNN, and The Washington Post.
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