Do you have questions about Root car insurance? Find your answers here, or use the in-app support for help with your policy. Want to see how much you could save? Start your quote online.
Have a question about renters insurance? Check our renters FAQ.
The insurance industry is broken. We’re here to reimagine it. To that end, Root is the first car insurance company that was founded on the relentless pursuit of fairness. We use an app to rate drivers based on how they actually drive—not just their demographics. By not insuring bad drivers, Root is able to save good drivers hundreds on their car insurance.
The Root app uses technology in smartphones to measure driving behavior—such as braking, speed of turns, driving times, and route consistency—and determines who is a safe driver and who isn’t. By only insuring safe drivers, Root can offer more affordable rates. And the entire Root experience is simple and easy.
You can do everything in the app—customize and purchase your policy, find your insurance card, make changes to your policy, and file a claim. We can even request cancelation of your old insurance policy for you.
You won’t know until you do the test drive—it depends on your driving skills and habits—but customers who switched to Root have saved hundreds annually.
Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. We’re rapidly expanding into other states, too—check out our availability map to see if your state is coming soon.
We’re working to bring Root car insurance nationwide as quickly as possible. Because each state is regulated differently, it takes longer to get into some states than others. Sign up for a notification when we get to your state.
Policyholders can transfer states, if Root is offered in the new state. Check the availability map to see if the new state is covered, then update your address right in the app.
Not a problem. In most cases, as long as Root is available in your state, you can still sign up for the test drive or be added to a policy. We’re still working on a few states, so if you have any trouble, send us a note.
Root is available for iPhones (5s and above) and most Android phones. Check the Google Play Store to see if we support your Android phone.
Driving ability is the single largest factor we consider when deciding your quote.
We do take into account several standard factors that are mathematically predictive of risk or fraud—it’s the responsible thing to do—but we’re committed to eliminating as many factors as we can (like your credit score) as technology progresses and artificial intelligence gets smarter.
This one is simple—because 30% of drivers cause nearly 45% of all accident costs[1]. We don’t think good drivers should have to pay for other people’s bad driving, so we don’t insure bad drivers. That means good drivers save.
The test drive is how we determine your good driving habits. We then use that information to help calculate your rate.
Here’s how it works:
Braking, speed of turns, times of day, miles driven, and driving routes are all considered when calculating your quote. Basically, follow the rules of the road and be mindful of other drivers when you’re behind the wheel.
Download the app, go through the 47-second signup, and hit the road.
The Root app does not need to be open. You actually give it permissions to run in the background on your phone when you set up the test drive.
Yes. Without GPS, we won’t be able to determine your quote.
You enable GPS when you set up permissions after installing the app. Or, you can enable it later by updating your settings to "always allow” location access.
Once you download the app, we use machine learning algorithms to identify patterns in the location and motion data we receive from your phone. These patterns are different based on whether you are driving a car or are a passenger. The patterns also change for other modes of transportation, so we can tell if you’re driving a car, riding a bike, or taking the subway. And don’t worry, it takes a little time for your Driver Scorecard to update. By only using data from when you’re driving, we are able to determine your rate based on your driving habits.
Every policyholder must take the test drive. It's how we keep our rates fair—by only insuring good drivers.
Yes, you can add other people to your policy as long as they live at the same address. In fact, we encourage it.
Here’s how you invite others to the test drive:
Did you forget to add someone when you created your profile? No worries—you can invite drivers to the test drive at any point before your test drive is complete. Here’s what you do:
When everyone on the account finishes their test drives, you’ll get your quote. You can always add more drivers after you have a policy, but they won’t take the test drive, and of course their addition will increase your price.
Not currently. However, it’s highly recommended that everyone who will be on your policy takes the test drive. The more people who do the test drive, the better we can determine the discount you deserve.
Root isn’t the right fit for everyone. Our models don’t work with every situation, so we may not offer you a quote after the test drive. That just means you could save more with another carrier, and we don’t want to stand in the way of your saving money.
Not at this time. But if that changes in the future, we’ll be sure to let you know.
Absolutely not. Your current insurer will never know you tried Root.
We do not sell your personally identifiable data. We care about your privacy. Learn more about our Privacy Policy.
Currently, every trip you take during the test drive will count toward your quote, regardless of why you’re driving. For people who drive for work, like EMTs, police officers, mail delivery personnel, and truck drivers, this means the trips you take for work will be used in addition to your personal driving to calculate your rate.
But, we encourage you to take the test drive anyway. Good drivers are often surprised by how low their quote is—even with their work trips.
We do our best to make sure that our test drive is as battery friendly as possible—many customers report no change or very little change. The good news? Any short-term inconvenience could lead to big savings.
The driver scorecard is how you can keep tabs on how the test drive is going. When you drive, we consider things like braking, turning, safe hours, and safe phone use to calculate your score.
You can check your scorecard to see how you’re doing on some of these driving habits—to make sure things are going well or so that you know where to make improvements. Once we’ve recorded enough trips, we’ll give you an overall number score for how you’re doing.
We show you a score at the top of the scorecard once we’ve measured enough data from your driving. If you don’t see a score, it just means you haven’t driven enough yet for us to determine how you’re doing.
Driving is the number one factor we consider when we determine if Root is the right fit for someone, but there are also other predictive factors we have to consider. Unfortunately, that means we still may not be able to offer you a quote, even if you received a high test drive score.
Want to know more? You can see a breakdown of what we consider here.
While we do recommend drivers avoid driving very late at night whenever possible, we understand that some people still have to drive late. The good news is that when you drive is only one factor we consider in your overall score, so as long as you’re driving safely, everything should be fine.
If this happens, make sure your location services are on. If they are, follow these steps:
If you still have problems after 24 hours, contact customer support.
You can right in the app. We accept credit cards and Apple Pay, and you can choose to pay monthly or every 6 months. If you want to change your payment frequency, learn how here.
Please note that when you purchase your policy, payment will be processed immediately, even if you choose to start your policy at a later date. This is true whether you pay monthly or for a full 6-month term.
If you choose monthly:
If you choose full term (6 months), you will make a one-time payment when you purchase your policy, even if the policy starts at a later date. We will then automatically process your payment again at your 6-month renewal, using the payment method in your profile.
You can! You can either change your monthly recurring payment date for the rest of your policy period or you can make a one-time adjustment (except during your renewal month). You can always see your next payment date in the Root app.
If you choose to change your payment frequency from monthly to full term (6 months), that change goes into effect immediately.
If you’ve already paid for a full term and you prefer to pay monthly moving forward, you can make that change anytime in the app, but the new monthly billing schedule will not go into effect until the next term begins.
Here’s how to change your payment frequency:
Of course! Choose a start date based on what works best for you—the app will display the latest possible date your policy can begin. Keep in mind that your first payment—either for all 6 months upfront, or the first of your monthly payments—will be processed immediately.
Your policy will automatically renew every 6 months. Your price might change, so we’ll let you know what the new price will be ahead of your renewal date. If you don’t have any policy changes or questions, you won’t have to do anything.
We can request cancellation of your old insurance policy for you. You can choose that option in the app. It may take up to 2 weeks for your old carrier to process the cancellation, but it will be retroactive to the day you started your Root policy. Here are some tips on switching to Root.
You can access it anytime in the app. We’ll also mail you a physical copy.
You can make changes to your policy right in the app. It’s easy:
You’ll know if your policy changes affect your rate before you commit. Learn more.
Keep in mind: some coverage changes require a virtual inspection of your vehicle. Simply follow the prompts, submit the requested photos, and the app will let you know when your new rate is ready. No changes will take effect until your payment (or refund) is processed.
Maybe, but you’ll know how it will affect your rate before you commit.
At Root, we are committed to fairness. We will always give our good drivers the lowest rates we can sustainably offer. That said, risk is always changing and insurance rates can fluctuate for a variety of good reasons.
We’ll take care of that for you. If you have a loan/lease company, you do need to add them to your policy. Here’s what to do:
Once you’ve filled out this information in the Root app, we’ll contact your loan/lease company for you. They’ll receive all of the information they need within one week.
If your policy was canceled by you or due to nonpayment, you may still be able to reinstate.
Here’s what you do:
If it is too late to reinstate, the option will not be available in the app.
We are not able to make changes to your policy for you, but removing a vehicle from your policy is quick and easy.
If you’re trying to cancel your old insurance policy in the app, you must be listed as the PNI for your old policy. This means you’re listed as the main account holder with editing/canceling privileges. If you are the PNI, we’ll be able to easily end your old policy on your behalf, with your e-signature.
We don’t cover these vehicles at this time. We’re working on excelling in the personal vehicle industry at the moment, but you can sign up for our email list to be notified of any changes.
A limit is the highest amount Root will cover if you’re in an accident that you caused. You can choose to pay more per month for a higher limit and know you’re covered in case of a major accident. Or, you can pay less per month for a lower limit, but you risk paying out-of-pocket later, if an accident costs more than your limit.
A deductible is the amount you pay toward repairs (or maybe a replacement car) before Root pays for the rest. The lower your deductible, the higher your rate. That's because you would pay a lower amount toward the repairs of your vehicle after a covered incident, and we would pick up the rest. For example, your deductible could be as little as $100.
And the opposite is true, too. You could choose a higher deductible—say, $1,000—and pay less for your insurance. But if you ever need to use your Collision or Comprehensive coverages, you'd have to pay this higher deductible amount first before your insurance kicks in and covers the rest of the costs.
Deductibles are per incident. It's not like health insurance where once you pay your deductible for the year, insurance covers the rest. If you need to use your Comprehensive coverage three times in a year, you would have to pay your deductible each time.
There’s actually no such thing as full coverage in the industry. But the term usually refers to Liability (Bodily Injury and Property Damage), Collision, and Comprehensive coverages. Root offers all of these coverages.
To learn more about all our coverage options, visit our car insurance coverages page. Check out our Car insurance in everyday English article series to better understand what these coverages mean.