Reviews Report
- Erie car insurance offers plenty of discounts and programs like Rate Lock to help drivers save on premiums.
- Customers can save up to 25% on premiums when bundling home and auto with Erie insurance.
Founded in 1925, Erie car insurance has operated primarily in the eastern United States for almost a century and pioneered many of the car insurance coverage that is standard today.
Though Erie auto insurance definitely has some competition, it deserves to be considered by anyone shopping for car insurance. Unfortunately, it is only currently available in 12 states and the District of Columbia. However, drivers in its serviced states can find a variety of ways to save through its discounts.
To create an Erie car insurance review, we looked at its J.D. Power score, A.M. Best rating, available discounts, coverage options, and claims process. We also considered Erie auto insurance reviews and complaints with the NAIC to compare it to top car insurance competitors.
Erie Auto Insurance Overview
Erie auto insurance is one of the leading companies in the industry when it comes to customer service. It earned an average of 868 out of 1,000 points across U.S. regions in J.D. Power’s 2021 auto insurance study and it routinely gives scores one of the highest scores in the industry year after year. Though it would be nice to be able to file a claim through the mobile app, customers do not seem to be bothered by the fact that they must speak with an agent when filing a claim.
Erie insurance is also a financially strong company. A.M. Best, an independent financial strength ratings company, gives Erie an A+ (superior) rating, which speaks to its ability to pay out large claims.
PROS
CONS
Erie Auto Insurance Highlights
Erie’s Car Insurance Bundling Discounts for Cheaper Insurance
Erie’s bundling discount is quite significant when compared to other providers. Currently, drivers can save between 16% and 25% when they purchase multiple policies with Erie. Most customers combine auto with either homeowners, life insurance, condo insurance or renters insurance.
The amount saved by bundling with Erie auto insurance depends on which state you are in and if you are taking advantage of other endorsements Erie offers. For example, if you plan on using Erie Rate Lock, you cannot receive a bundling discount with Erie life insurance. Erie offers many types of insurance, so customers can receive the bundling discount by combining it with any other insurance product it offers.
Erie Car Insurance vs. The Competition
| Provider | Average Annual Full Coverage Premium* | J.D. Power Customer Satisfaction* | AM Best | Discounts |
| Erie | $1,233 | 862 | A+ | 10 |
| State Farm | $1,457 | 847 | A+ | 10 |
| Geico | $1,405 | 833 | A++ | 12 |
| Auto-Owners | $1,351 | 845 | A++ | 13 |
Information accurate as of July 2021
*Data from Bankrate.com
**J.D. Power 2021 Auto Insurance Satisfaction Study average rating across regions. Based on a 1,000-point scale.
Erie vs. State Farm
Both providers have the same amount of discounts available to customers, and both received a superior rating (A+) from A.M. Best. On the surface, these are two very similar companies. However, Erie does edge out State Farm when it comes to customer satisfaction with a 15-point advantage. Erie also has a lower average premium than State Farm for full coverage.
Erie vs. Geico
Erie does have a significantly better J.D. Power average score in auto insurance customer satisfaction, earning 862 across the studied regions, compared to Geico’s 833 average score. Erie’s average premium is also quite a bit lower than Geico’s for a full coverage policy. However, after that, Erie starts to lose out. Geico beats out Erie when it comes to both financial strength — A++ compared to A+ — and discounts.
Erie vs. Auto-Owners
Erie and Auto-Owners are also similar in customer satisfaction, according to J.D. Power. Erie is a bit cheaper. However, Auto-Owners has the advantage when it comes to financial strength and discounts. Auto-Owners offers three more discounts than Erie, and received an A++ for its financial strength where Erie only received an A+.
Erie Auto Insurance FAQ
Methodology
We evaluated Erie based on discounts, coverage, online resources, financial strength, and customer satisfaction to create our best car insurance reviews. To compare car insurance companies with other providers across the board, we analyzed:
- Discounts: Auto insurance companies that advertised more discounts received higher scores in our methodology.
- Financial Stability: Reviews.com utilized AM Best ratings to assign a score based on each car insurance company’s financial stability.
- Customer Satisfaction: J.D. Power ranks car insurance companies by customer satisfaction, so we used its 2021 Auto Insurance Satisfaction Study to compare the average rating of insurers across all regions.
- Coverage: Car insurance companies were awarded higher scores for advertised coverages beyond the body liability, property liability, collision, and personal injury protection.
- Online Resources: We reviewed the digital resources of each car insurance company and awarded higher scores to insurers with mobile claim estimates, digital insurance cards, and more
Reviews.com reviews products, services and companies based on five criteria to help readers understand how companies compare based on similar metrics. For the best car insurance companies, our editorial team compared affordability, customer support, coverage options, customer satisfaction scores and online resources from each company to determine top providers.
As for average pricing, we used Bankrate.com’s data of car insurance, based on the profiles of a 40-year male and female. For full coverage, the details used were the following:
- $100,000 bodily injury liability per person
- $300,000 bodily injury liability per accident
- $50,000 property damage liability per accident
- $100,000 uninsured motorist bodily injury per person
- $300,000 uninsured motorist bodily injury per accident
- $500 collision deductible
- $500 comprehensive deductible
To determine minimum coverage limits, Bankrate used minimum coverage that meets each state’s requirements. Our base profile drivers own a 2019 Toyota Camry, commute five days a week and drive 12,000 miles annually.
These are sample rates and should only be used for comparative purposes.
About the Authors
Lauren Ward is a personal finance writer who regularly covers consumer insurance products. Her work has appeared in a variety of online publications, including Bankrate and The Simple Dollar. She graduated from Georgetown University with a BA in Japanese.
