By: Hailey | Last updated July 22, 2020 
Buying the best insurance for your vehicle requires some research. You have to find the best option for your specific needs, carefully read the fine print, compare prices with the competition and so on. Then, in most cases, it also requires you to go the provider’s office, sign a lot of papers and so on.
Root Car Insurance offers a more convenient solution, one that uses technology to determine your rates.
Root operates in approximately 25 states in the United States, as this provider has only been around for approximately 6 years. Even so, Root promises to expand to nationwide coverage in the near future.
What does Root Car Insurance offer?
Root Car Insurance differs from most car insurance companies through the fact that it can sell you an insurance policy online, so you don’t have to make any trips to sign papers.
Another thing that sets Root apart is the system used by the company to determine the rate for your insurance policy. If most companies determine how much you have to pay for your insurance based on criteria such as demographics, age, ZIP code, credit score and so on, Root Car Insurance has another approach.
The first aspect taken into consideration by Root Car Insurance when calculating your quote is your driving behavior. Root tests the abilities of the drivers through its Root app and charges them based on their driving skills. This is the first thing this company focuses on. The next ones are your driving records, your credit, age and other aspects.
How does the Root app work?
The Root app is compatible with iOS and Android devices and can be downloaded for free. The app uses complex algorithms, machine learning and artificial intelligence to determine your driving skills.
What you need to do is download and install the app on your phone and keep your GPS enabled at all times. Root will give you a “test drive” that will take around 2 to 3 weeks to complete, to observe and analyze your driving behavior. The app also uses the motion sensors of your phone, which will show different data when you are sitting in the driver’s seat than when you are in the passenger seat, in a bus, on a bike and so on. You will only be scored when you are driving the car.
While the app can run in the background, the GPS has to be enabled during the entire test period.
The Root app will score you based on how you use the brakes, based on when you drive the most (during what hours), how you take turns, how you use the gas pedal and more.
In order to get a good score, you should have a careful, responsible driving behavior, you should avoid as much as possible to drive during rush hours, you should take turns slowly and ease into them, you shouldn’t make too many engine starts and stops, you should be gentle on the gas and brake pedals and so on.
At the end of the test drive, you will receive a score. The higher the score, the lower your rate will be. Root claims that good drivers can save up to 52% more money than with other insurance companies.
It is simple: the better you drive, the less you have to pay for your insurance with Root.
In terms of coverage, Root offers roadside assistance with every policy. You also get rental insurance, in case you need to rent a car while your vehicle is getting repaired. You also get collision coverage, personal injury protection, medical payment, bodily injury, property damage.
