Clearcover Car Insurance Review: Good Online Experience, but Limited Availability
Clearcover Car Insurance Review: Good Online Experience, but Limited Availability
Clearcover is a new auto insurance company that offers varying levels of coverage in 13 states, including California, Texas and Illinois. The company stands out for its top-notch digital experience. Getting a quote takes only a few minutes, and its mobile app has high ratings from consumers. However, our analysis found that you'll likely find cheaper rates from a competitor.
Clearcover insurance: Our thoughts
While Clearcover's car insurance rates were middle-of-the-road in our analysis of California drivers, its user-friendly website makes it easy to get a quote in a matter of minutes, so it's worth including Clearcover in your quote comparison if you live in one of the states where it operates.
Where is Clearcover insurance available?
- Arizona
- California
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Pennsylvania
- Louisiana
- Texas
- Utah
- Wisconsin
We also liked Clearcover's coverage options. The company doesn't offer quite as broad of a package of optional coverages as a large insurer, but it does offer a few notable ones. Our favorite is alternate transport coverage, which is offered instead of rental car coverage.
If your car is being repaired, Clearcover will give you money to use as you see fit to get around — you aren't limited to renting a car. There's also ample information throughout the process of getting a quote, which makes it simple for you to understand what coverage you may need.
Clearcover uses AI to make suggestions for the right level of insurance to buy. However, we recommend that drivers make their own informed decisions about how much coverage they need and not depend solely on Clearcover's recommendation.
The company provides online quotes, and it has a smartphone app, both of which are easy to use. Unfortunately, the process is a little disjointed: many important activities related to your car insurance policy can only be done on the website or the app, but not both. And if you don't have a smartphone, you should not consider Clearcover at all: you won't be able to sign up for a policy without one.
Action | Where to do it |
|---|---|
| Get a quote | Website only |
| Chat with customer service | Mobile app, email or phone |
| View insurance card and documents | Mobile app only |
| File a claim | Mobile app, email or phone |
As an online-only insurer, Clearcover doesn't use insurance agents. You can't meet with anyone from Clearcover in person. However, its customer service receives positive reviews. Its team is only available over the phone from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Central Time on business days, but customers can file a claim through the app 24 hours a day.
One potential issue with Clearcover is its relatively short track record. The company started selling insurance in February 2018. Given how important it is for your insurance policy to be reliable, there are definite advantages to choosing an insurer that has demonstrated financial stability and the ability to weather major disasters in the past. Clearcover's more recent entry into the insurance industry means that some aspects of its policies may see significant change in the near future.
The good news is that Clearcover's policies are underwritten by Response Indemnity of California and Lyndon Southern. Both companies are owned by Fortegra, a longstanding company with strong financial footing. This means you don't need to worry about the company being unable to pay your claims.
Discounts
Clearcover takes an unorthodox approach to discounts compared to other insurers: it doesn't offer them explicitly. Most car insurance companies tell you when they are giving you a discount for things like safe driving and insuring multiple cars. Clearcover still considers all the same details as a mainstream insurer when setting your rate, but you don't see the specific criteria it uses to set your rate.
Clearcover also only sells car insurance. You can't buy renters, homeowners or umbrella insurance from the company. If your insurer offers you a meaningful discount for bundling your policies together, you may save money elsewhere.
Bottom line: Clearcover's innovative features make the company a good choice for users who want a quick and efficient auto insurance experience. But keep the risks of dealing with a brand-new company in mind, given that Clearcover may not offer significant savings.
Coverage options from Clearcover
Clearcover's approach is to provide only the essentials, so it doesn't provide a ton of extras or add-ons to drivers. But it does offer a few notable perks. First is that in lieu of rental car coverage, it provides "alternate transport coverage." If your car is in the shop for repair after an accident, you receive a certain amount of money to spend on alternate transportation. This could be a rental car, but it can also be used for rides with Lyft or Uber, public transportation or however else you want to get around. This is a more flexible option than what is available from most insurers, which allow you to use the money only for a rental car.
Other extra add-ons available from Clearcover include a ridesharing endorsement, meaning you can drive for Lyft, Uber or another transportation network company (TNC) with your Clearcover policy. While prices may vary, ridesharing endorsements can be as cheap as $10 per month.
Besides these, Clearcover also provides all the legally required and typical coverage you expect from a reputable insurance company. Standard coverage options include:
- Liability (bodily injury and property damage): Pays for damages to another driver's car if you are at fault in an accident.
- Medical payments: Pays for the medical costs of yourself and your passengers after an accident, regardless of who is at fault.
- Collision: Pays for the repair of your vehicle after a crash, regardless of who is at fault.
- Comprehensive: Pays to repair damage to your vehicle that is sustained in any situation besides a crash, such as by falling rock or a house fire.
- Uninsured motorist (bodily injury and property damage): Pays for your own medical and car repair expenses if the other driver in a crash was at fault and lacks liability insurance. UI property damage and collision coverage are mutually exclusive.
Clearcover car insurance rates vs. competitors
Clearcover's rates, while good, are not the most affordable out there. We compared quotes for three sample drivers in California and found that Clearcover's rates were consistently more expensive than average. For instance, a 20-year-old would pay 25% more than average for a Clearcover policy.
Find Cheap Auto Insurance
Insurer | 20-year-old female | 30-year-old male | 50-year-old couple |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clearcover | $276 | $139 | $174 |
| Geico | $181 | $87 | $69 |
| Allstate | $245 | $158 | $207 |
| State Farm | $184 | $137 | $198 |
| Average | $221 | $130 | $162 |
We collected sample rates from Clearcover and three leading national car insurance companies: Geico, State Farm and Allstate. For each profile, we considered an adult living in Thousand Oaks, Calif., who has a clean driving record and owns a 2015 Honda Civic EX (the married couple owns two Civics).
Customer reviews, ratings and financial stability
As Clearcover has only been selling insurance for a few years, it doesn't have as many customer reviews as more familiar brands such as State Farm.
For instance, reviews from sources like the Better Business Bureau and Trustpilot tend to be positive. The Clearcover app experience has earned positive feedback among users as well, earning high marks in both the Google Play store and the Apple App Store for its iOS version.
App Store | Rating |
|---|---|
| Google Play store | 4.7/5 |
| Apple App Store | 4.7/5 |
While Clearcover is a relatively new company, its policies are underwritten by Lyndon Southern and Response Indemnity of California, both owned by Fortegra. Fortegra and its subsidiaries have an A- rating from A.M. Best, meaning they have an "Excellent" ability to pay out claims. While we always recommend caution when dealing with a new, untested company, Clearcover's policies being underwritten by a financially stable insurer is a positive sign.
Methodology
We pulled quotes for a 20-year-old female driver, a 30-year-old male driver and a 50-year-old married couple, all of whom live in Thousand Oaks, Calif. They all drive approximately 12,000 miles each year on the 2015 Honda Civic they own and have clean driving histories. The 20-year-old driver is a full-time student who has her own policy and does not receive a discount for good grades. Their coverages are as follows:
Bodily injury liability | $25,000/$50,000 |
|---|---|
| Property damage liability | $5,000 |
| Medical payments | Waived |
| Underinsured/uninsured bodily injury liability | $25/$50 |
| Underinsured/uninsured property damage | Waived |
| Collision/comprehensive | $500 deductible |
| Alternate transportation | Waived |
| Ridesharing | Waived |
| Roadside assistance | Waived |
Editorial Note: The content of this article is based on the author’s opinions and recommendations alone. It has not been previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any of our network partners.