Elephant Car Insurance Review

Pros Explained

• Loan/lease payoff coverage – Loan/lease payoff coverage, also known as gap insurance, protects you if your car is a total loss and you still owe money on the vehicle. Most insurance companies don’t sell gap insurance, and you have to purchase it from the bank or dealership when you buy your car.
• Save up to 40% with available discounts – According to Elephant, you could potentially save a substantial amount of money with its available discounts, including online quote, multiple policy, and pay-in-full discounts.
• Coverage Wizard tool – If you’re not sure what coverages you really need, Elephant’s Coverage Wizard tool can help. It will ask you questions about your vehicle and driving habits and make personalized recommendations based on your answers.

Cons Explained

• Only available in a few states – Elephant is only licensed to write auto insurance policies in 14 states. If you don’t live in one of its service areas, you’ll have to find another insurance company.
• No access to insurance agents– Elephant sells directly to consumers, meaning you can buy insurance online or over the phone. However, it doesn’t have insurance agents you can talk to about your insurance needs or coverage options.
• Significantly more customer complaints than its competitors – Elephant has received more complaints than is expected for its market share for the past three years.

Elephant Car Insurance Coverage Options

Elephant offers the standard coverage options you need to meet state minimum requirements, but it also has other coverages you can add to your policy for extra protection. You can get a quote and purchase insurance online, or you can call 877-321-2096 to get a quote over the phone.

Collision

Collision coverage pays for damage to your vehicle if you collide with another car or an object, regardless of who is at fault.

Comprehensive

With comprehensive insurance, you have protection if you experience losses from incidents other than vehicle accidents. For example, if your car is damaged by a hail storm, comprehensive coverage would pay for the repairs to your vehicle.

Custom Equipment

If you purchased after-market parts for your vehicle, such as custom wheels or devices, custom equipment coverage will pay for their repairs or replacement. When you purchase collision or comprehensive coverage with Elephant, $1,000 in custom equipment coverage is included. You can purchase up to $4,000 in additional custom equipment protection.

Income Loss

If you experience bodily injuries caused by an accident and lose your income as a result, income loss coverage will provide up to $100 per week for up to 52 weeks.

Legal Assistance

Legal assistance is a unique benefit from Elephant that gives you discounted access to an attorney. You can add legal assistance to your policy for as little as $5 per month.

Liability

Liability coverage, sometimes called “third-party coverage,” pays for injuries and property damage that others experience if you are at fault. There are two main types: bodily injury and property damage. Not only does liability coverage pay for the other person’s medical expenses or car repairs, but it also gives you a legal defense if the other party decides to file a lawsuit against you.

Loan/Lease Payoff

Gap coverage can be useful for some drivers. You can purchase loan/lease payoff insurance from Elephant for vehicles that are financed or leased. If your vehicle sustains a total loss in an accident and your comprehensive or collision coverage has paid the actual cash value for your car, loan/lease payoff protection will pay the difference between the car’s cash value and what you owe on your loan or lease.

Medical Payments

Medical payments coverage, or Medpay, pays for the cost of necessary medical care that you and your passengers receive resulting from an auto accident, regardless of who is at fault.

Personal Injury Protection (PIP)

PIP covers everything that Medpay does, but it also reimburses you for lost wages and nonmedical expenses, up to policy limits.

Pet Injury

If your dog or cat is injured while inside a covered vehicle and you have collision or comprehensive insurance, you could receive up to $1,000 for veterinary costs, or a $1,000 death benefit if the pet dies.

Rental Car

If your car isn’t drivable for more than 24 hours because of a covered loss, rental car protection will provide a replacement car while your vehicle is in the shop, up to coverage limits.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist

If you are in an accident with a driver who is uninsured, has insufficient coverage, or leaves the scene of the accident, uninsured motorist insurance and underinsured motorist insurance will cover your medical treatments and car repair costs, up to the limits you select.

Elephant Car Insurance Discounts

Elephant has a number of discounts that can help reduce your premium costs by as much as 40%, though their availability can vary by location.

• Good Student Discount – For students who maintain a strong GPA
• Multiple Policy Discount – For customers who bundle car insurance with homeowners, condo, or renter’s insurance
• Multiple Vehicle Discount – For drivers who have two or more insured cars
• Online Quote Discount – Receive a discount for getting a quote online rather than over the phone
• Paperless Discount – For customers who opt for electronic statements and notices
• Pay-in Full-Discount – For customers who pay their annual premiums in one lump sum
• Responsible Driver Discount – For drivers who haven’t been in an accident in several years
• Safe Car Discount – For people who have added features that improve your vehicle’s safety, such as hands-free calling.

Elephant Car Insurance Availability

Elephant is only available in 14 states: Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.

Elephant Customer Service

With Elephant, you can get quotes for car insurance and purchase policies online, or you can call its customer service department to purchase a policy over the phone. The sales department is available at 877-321-2096 Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET. On Saturday the hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET, and on Sundays they are 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. ET.

Elephant was not included in the J.D. Power 2019 Auto Claims Satisfaction Study, a study that evaluated and ranked top insurance companies based on their product offerings, pricing, communications, and customer interactions. In addition, neither Elephant nor Admiral Group have been rated by AM Best, the credit rating agency dedicated to the insurance industry.

Complaint Index

Unfortunately, Elephant has received more customer complaints than is typical for an insurer of its size. According to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), Elephant’s complaint ratio was 4.13 for private passenger insurance in 2019, more than four times as high as expected in the market.

Complaints were mostly about delays in claims processing and a lack of responsiveness from Elephant’s customer service team.

Other Insurance Provided by Elephant

Elephant has several other insurance products, including:

• Homeowners Insurance
• Condo Insurance
• Life Insurance
• Renter’s Insurance
• Motorcycle Insurance
• Umbrella Insurance

How to Make a Car Insurance Claim With Elephant

You can file a claim with your smartphone or online, or you can call the claims department during business hours at 844-937-5353. When reporting an accident or incident, make sure you have your policy number handy and be prepared to provide the date and time of the incident, the other party’s information, the name of the police department involved, and the police report number.

Elephant Car Insurance Cancellation Policy

To cancel your policy, you must call the cancellation department at 877-321-2095. The representative will ask for your policy number, the date your policy should end, and your reason for canceling.

Get a Elephant Car Insurance Quote

You can get an insurance quote online. You’ll be asked for the following information about you and your car:

• Year, Make, and Model
• Financing Information
• Driver’s License Number
• Estimated Use
• Birthday
• Driving Record
• Gender 
• Marital Status
• Zip Code

If you are not eligible for an Elephant car insurance policy, Elephant may recommend other insurers in your area.

Compare Other Car Insurance Reviews

Elephant has some interesting optional coverages, and it’s a convenient option for drivers who want to get quotes and purchase policies online. However, with its poor history of customer complaints and a lack of insurance agents, drivers who are looking for excellent customer service will likely be disappointed.

Before purchasing an auto policy, compare quotes from multiple car insurance companies to ensure you’re getting the best rates.

Methodology

Investopedia is dedicated to furnishing consumers with unbiased, comprehensive reviews of car insurance providers. We reviewed each insurance provider’s coverage options, available discounts, customer services, and satisfaction ratings to ensure that our content helps users make the right insurance decision for their needs.

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