Cover wants to modernize the way people shop for and buy auto coverage, and we think it’s definitely worth a try for consumers who thrive in the digital age.
- About Cover
- Types of Insurance Through Cover
- Cover Ratings & Consumer Complaints
- How to Get Car Insurance Quotes With Cover?
- The Pros & Cons of Buying Car Insurance from Cover
About Cover (cover.com)
Cover was founded in 2015 by a team of engineers, designers, and insurance experts who want to “revolutionize the insurance buying experience” and to steer insurance away from “archaic technology.” Backed by investors like Social Capital, Shasta Ventures, and SV Angel, it seems Cover’s big step in that direction is their “mobile-first” approach. With Cover, you can get an insurance quote online, but the company pushes its mobile app for everything from getting quotes and sending images to texting with agents and purchasing coverage.
Cover works with more than 30 insurance companies including Allstate, Progressive, Nationwide, MetLife, Mercury, and Travelers. Although Cover states its licensed in all 50 states, we couldn’t find licenses for Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, or Wisconsin.
Also, if you live in Texas you can get car insurance quotes from Cover’s own insurance program, Cover Auto.
>>MORE: The pros and cons of buying car insurance from an insurance broker
Types of Insurance Through Cover
Cover provides quotes for auto insurance, as well as:
- Homeowners Insurance.
- Renters Insurance.
- Personal Property Insurance, such as jewelry coverage.
With Cover, you can also get quotes for business insurance including coverage for commercial property, general liability, product liability, cyber liability, errors & omissions (E&O), and directors & officers liability (D&O)
Cover Ratings & Consumer Complaints
Cover doesn’t have much of a traditional online presence in terms of ratings and consumer complaints. Currently, they aren’t on the Better Business Bureau (BBB) website, nor are they featured on any consumer review websites such as Cleasurance, HighYa, or ConsumersAdvocate.
However, Cover does highlight glowing reviews on its own website, many of which focus on:
- Modern way of doing business.
- Saving money.
- Great customer service.
How to Get Car Insurance Quotes With Cover?
You can get auto insurance quotes with Cover via the website or smartphone app. There’s no option to get a quote or buy a policy over the phone.
Be prepared to provide basic details about yourself and any other driver, your vehicle, and your auto insurance.
- Yourself and Other Drivers: full name; date of birth; gender; marital status; age at first license; driver’s license status; education; occupation; home ownership; address; phone number.
- Vehicle(s): Make; model; year; own, finance, or lease; main use; annual mileage; whether it’s a rideshare vehicle; parking address.
- Current Auto Insurance: whether you’re currently covered; whether you’ve been covered for six continuous months; current provider; how long you’ve been covered; current monthly premium; levels of coverage you want; when new coverage should take effect.
Note that you must give your phone number to begin the quote process; Cover sends a text to your mobile phone to set up an account to begin.
Once you provide your information, Cover provides your quotes — or, quote. We tried several times to get more than one quote, but always ended up with just one and with no provider details. We can say, at least, the quote we received was on par with our area’s average auto insurance costs.
However, if you choose to proceed with the quote, Cover will connect you with an agent via text message who will offer to move forward with you reviewing coverage, applying discounts, and determining whether you want to buy the policy.
The Pros & Cons of Buying Car Insurance from Cover
Pros:
- Quick website quote process; fewer than five minutes.
- Versatile smartphone app for shopping and messaging with agents.
Cons:
- Cover doesn’t seem to like talking.*
- Not fully transparent about the insurance providers.**
* Cover doesn’t post any phone number on the website or app. We’re assuming this is to stay in line with their “mobile-first” mentality. On the website’s FAQ page, the company states consumers can contact them via the app, email, or the website contact form. To date, we’re not sure how to get a live person on the phone.
** Each time we got a quote with Cover, we weren’t told who the insurance provider was. Perhaps Cover provides this information once a customer agrees to buy a policy, but not all customers are going to be interested in going that far — especially if they don’t know the company.
Final Thoughts
With its “mobile-first” approach and emphasis on its smartphone app, Cover is a forward-thinking insurance brokerage; however, consumers who aren’t completely comfortable shopping for and buying car insurance through an app can still use the company’s website. Neither will appeal to folks who enjoy the comfort of being able to actually speak to a representative on the phone, but those customers who have used Cover report enjoying the modern way of doing business.
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