By: Matt | Last updated July 16, 2019 
Root Insurance is a modern car insurance system that uses technology to calculate your insurance rate.
Drivers know how annoying and time consuming it can be to apply for car insurance. You have to make phone calls, contact agents, go to an office, fill out papers and wait for the paperwork to be processed. Root Insurance knows how frustrating it can be to go through all that trouble and found a better, more comfortable solution.
Root Insurance helps you get insurance for your car straight from your smartphone. The entire process happens through their Root app, which is compatible with both iOS and Android devices. The app is easy to install and you can create an account in less than a minute.
The Root app will act like your personal agent and will put you though a test drive to analyze your driving skills. Based on your results on the ‘test’ you will get an insurance rate. The better your score, the lower the rate. However, if you are a bad driver, you drink and drive, you get involved in accidents and abuse your vehicle every time you’re behind the wheel, expect to be rejected, because Root doesn’t cover bad drivers.
How much does Root Insurance cost?
Unlike most insurance companies, Root Insurance doesn’t have a fixed quote. In order to receive a price, you have to take the test drive, which takes around 2 to 3 weeks. During that time, you have to keep your phone with you every time you drive, have the app installed on your phone and your GPS always enabled. The Root app will use your GPS, your phone’s motion sensors, complex algorithms and artificial intelligence, to analyze your driving habits.
During the test drive, you’ll receive scores for things like: your braking, the way you take your turns, when do you drive the most (during what hours), how often you stop and start the engine, how you use the gas pedal and more. The smoother you drive, the better your score will be. Driving during safer hours rather than late in the night also helps.
The motion sensors are different when you are driving than when you are in the passenger seat, on you bike or on the bus for instance. The app will only analyze and rate your driving.
At the end of the test drive (up to 60 days, until the app gathers enough data related to your driving) you will receive an overall score for your driving. The higher the score, the lower your insurance rate. If your score is really good, you can save up to 52% more than with previous car insurances. You can also earn cash by referring Root Insurance to your friends.
What does Root Insurance cover?
All policies offered by Root include Roadside Assistance. They also include bodily injury and property damage, which are required by law in all states. Root’s policies also come with collision, medical payments, rental, personal injury protection, underinsured and uninsured motorist bodily injury and uninsured motorist property damage. You can add or remove coverages based on your needs, as soon as you receive your quote from Root.
