EverQuote is a marketplace or lead generation website focused on the insurance market. Although the website matches consumers with insurance companies rather than providing them with actual quotes, EverQuote does work with more insurance companies than most online insurance marketplaces.
About EverQuote (everquote.com)
Founded in 2008, EverQuote is an online insurance marketplace that functions as a lead generation website for auto, homeowners, renters, health, and life insurance. Like most lead generation websites, EverQuote pays its bills by making revenue on the sales of consumer referrals to insurance companies.
Unlike many insurance marketplaces, however, EverQuote doesn’t provide consumers with insurance quotes; rather, the website matches you with insurance providers based on your details. The company does business in all 50 states and partners with many insurance providers, most of which are big players like State Farm, Allstate, Nationwide, Liberty Mutual, Farmers, The Hartford, Travelers, National General, AAA, Progressive, Esurance, and more. This means consumers provide their personal and vehicle details to EverQuote and — more often than not — again to the insurance companies they’re matched with before they actually receive insurance quotes.
EverQuote claims to save consumers an average of $536 a year on auto insurance.
EverQuote Ratings & Consumer Complaints
EverQuote is accredited by the Better Business Bureau and has a B rating with the BBB.
Currently, there are more than 350 reviews, most of which are negative, and more than 80 customer complaints. Reviews and complaints focus on:
- Misleading marketing
- Spam phone calls and emails from insurance agents.
- Misuse of personal information.
Reviews on Clearsurance are mixed and:
- 66% of consumers reported a positive user experience.
- 58% of consumers gave a positive rating for how their info was used.
- 58% of consumers would recommend to a friend.
Additionally, HighYa reviews are dismal, with:
- A 1.2 star average rating.
- Only 7% of reviewers stating they’d recommend EverQuote to a friend.
EverQuote itself features several positive reviews from — and spotlights on — insurance agents who receive leads from the company.
How to Get Car Insurance Quotes With EverQuote?
You don’t get quotes from EverQuote; you provide EverQuote with information about yourself and any other driver, your vehicle, and your auto insurance and EverQuote then directs you to a handful of providers that are the best matches to work with you based on your information.
You can provide your details via the EverQuote website or by phone. EverQuote requires very similar details as other marketplaces and brokers.
- Yourself and Other Drivers: full name, address, years lived at address, residence status; birth date, gender, marital status; credit rating; education level; occupation; whether you’re licensed; age first licensed; suspended/revoked in last three years; claims/violations in last three years; email address, telephone number.
- Vehicles(s): Make,model, submodel, year; ownership status; primary use; annual mileage; night parking; desired coverage.
- Your Current Auto Insurance: whether currently covered; provider; coverage expiration date; how long insured; current bodily injury limits; currently monthly premium (optional); whether you need SR-22 filing.
Additionally, you’ll be asked if:
- You’re a member of AAA.
- You or a member of your family were a member of the military.
- You’re interested in quotes for homeowners, life, and/or small business insurance.
Once you submit your details, you can choose whether you want to receive your quotes:
- Online: You’ll see around three companies EverQuote labels as good matches for you. You choose which company/companies you want to get quotes from. EverQuote brings you to the provider’s website where you enter your details again. The provider — not EverQuote — provides you with a quote. EverQuote states that because you must purchase from the provider, you’ll only get exact pricing from the provider’s website or a company agent. Learn why you see around three companies only (not more).
- By Emails: Agents will contact you via email. Follow the prompts in the emails. Even if you don’t choose to be contacted by email, expect a followup email from EverQuote with links to continue the quote process with specific insurance companies.
- By Phone: Agents will contact you by phone. This is the most direct way to get an accurate quote the first time around.
Agents that contact you by emails or phone can be captive agents or independent insurance brokers
EverQuote states you maximize your chances of saving by choosing all options, which is actually true. However, what they do not say and is also true is that if you choose all options, they will also make the most money. Why does this make sense? Learn more why when consumers select all options to connect with auto insurance companies to get their quotes, not only do consumers maximize their savings, marketplaces like EverQuote also earn the most money.
EverQuote’s approach that allows consumers to choose the way they want to receive their quotes makes it unique and one of the most consumer-friendly marketplaces. Most marketplace websites do not offer consumers such a choice. They require consumers submit their email address and phone number as a part of the process.
>>MORE: The Best Car Insurance Comparison Sites
The Pros & Cons of Getting Quotes from EverQuote
Pros:
- Quote application is quick.
- EverDrive, the free app that brings potential insurance discounts.
- Work with many big and well-known insurance providers.
Cons:
- Don’t get immediate quotes from EverQuote.*
- Need to re-enter your information.**
- Potential risk for spam email and phone calls.***
* EverQuote doesn’t provide car insurance quotes. You provide your details and are matched with companies. You must then provide those details to the company or companies you choose (via their website, email, or telephone) and the company’s agent will give you a quote. This slows down the quote process.
** Although EverQuote claims to provide the insurance companies with your information, you will have to provide most if not all of it to the providers directly. This is frustrating and further slows down the quote process.
*** Spam emails and telephone calls are chief among the poor ratings and bad reviews for EverQuote, and choosing to have insurance agents contact you via email or phone opens you up to being contacted a lot.
Types of Insurance Through EverQuote
EverQuote works with providers that give you auto insurance quotes for:
- Liability Insurance.
- Collision/Comprehensive Insurance.
- Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage.
- Personal Injury Protection (PIP).
- Medical Payments (MedPay) Coverage.
You can also ask about rental reimbursement coverage, towing and roadside assistance, and other types of additional coverage.
Additionally, EverQuote can connect you with companies that provide quotes for homeowners, renters, health, and life insurance.
Final Thoughts
EverQuote won’t be for everyone. The website doesn’t provide consumers with auto insurance quotes; rather, it matches them with companies suited to their details and consumers must choose to get quotes from those companies online, by email, or by phone. Not only does this mean consumers need to provide personal and vehicle information again (despite EverQuote’s promise of not needing to), but also it opens up consumers to the spam emails and phone calls that make up the bulk of complaints against EverQuote. The bulk, if not all, of this spam can be avoided by choosing only the online option for receiving quotes, but EverQuote notes consumers chances of savings aren’t as high by going this route.
>>MORE: Compare.com Insurance Marketplace Review; The Zebra Insurance Marketplace Review