Auto insurance · Updated August 2026
Erie Insurance vs Root Insurance
Erie Insurance is built for agent-served drivers in the East and Midwest. Root Insurance is built for good drivers priced by a measured test drive. On the NAIC's 2025 complaint index, Erie Ins. Exchange drew 0.55 and Root Ins. Co. drew 1.92, against an industry median of 1.00. AM Best rates Erie Insurance A+ and Root Insurance B++. Neither is reliably cheaper. For the same driver in the same state, either can return the lower number.
By Dylan Leggett, licensed insurance agent · NPN 17875887
The short answer
Erie Insurance has written auto since 1925 and writes through Erie Insurance Exchange. Erie Ins. Exchange drew 0.55 on the NAIC's 2025 complaint index, 108 complaints on $4.1 billion of private-passenger premium. AM Best rates it A+. It writes six lines: auto, home, renters, life, umbrella, and commercial. The tradeoff: its app holds 4.38 stars against Root Insurance's 4.70.
Root Insurance has written auto since 2015 and writes through Root Insurance Co.. Its iOS app holds 4.70 stars across 73,089 ratings. The tradeoffs: it drew 1.92 on the 2025 complaint index against Erie Insurance's 0.55, AM Best rates it B++ against Erie Insurance's A+, and it writes two lines against Erie Insurance's six.
Both companies state by state, and their filed rates trade the lead by address. A national average will not predict which one wins for you. For the same driver in the same state, either can return the lower number.
About two minutes. No effect on your credit score.
Side by side
Erie Insurance vs Root Insurance: the data sheet
Sources are listed under the measured figures. How we compare
Erie Insurance | Root Insurance | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Agent-served drivers in the East and Midwest | Good drivers priced by a measured test drive |
| Who underwrites it | Erie Insurance Exchange | Root Insurance Co. |
| Complaints per policyErie Insurance, by a wide margin | 0.55 108 complaints on $4.1B written | 1.92 71 complaints on $778M written |
NAIC complaint index, 2025, private passenger auto · Erie Ins. Exchange vs Root Ins. Co. · 1.00 is the industry median | ||
| Financial strengthErie Insurance, rated higher | A+ Superior | B++ Good |
AM Best financial strength rating · A++ is the highest issued | ||
| Coverage you can buyErie Insurance, if you want to bundle | 6 lines auto, home, renters, life, umbrella, commercial | 2 lines auto, renters |
| PriceNot rated | Filed state by state, priced to the driver. The main factors are below. | |
| Mobile appRoot Insurance | 4.38 2,713 ratings | 4.70 73,089 ratings |
Apple App Store, August 2026 | ||
| Telematics program | YourTurn | Test drive in the Root app |
| Availability | Available in 12 states and Washington, D.C. | Available in 30+ states |
| Known for | ERIE Rate Lock, first-accident forgiveness | Pricing by test drive, claims filed in the app |
In practice
Where they differ
The complaint records
On the NAIC's 2025 complaint index, Erie Ins. Exchange drew 0.55 and Root Ins. Co. drew 1.92, against an industry median of 1.00. The index weighs a company's complaint count against the volume expected for its size, so 1.00 is the industry median and a lower number is fewer complaints than expected.
Financial strength
AM Best rates Erie Insurance A+ and Root Insurance B++. A++ is the highest grade AM Best issues. The grade measures the company's ability to pay claims, not its service or its price.
Who underwrites each one
Erie Insurance policies are written by Erie Insurance Exchange. Root Insurance policies are written by Root Insurance Co.. The brand on the advertising and the company on the policy are often different entities, and the complaint figures on this page belong to the named companies.
What each one covers
Erie Insurance writes six lines and Root Insurance writes two lines. Erie Insurance writes auto, home, renters, life, umbrella, and commercial. Root Insurance writes auto, and renters. If auto is all you need, the difference costs you nothing.
Price
Which is cheaper: Erie Insurance or Root Insurance?
Neither company is reliably cheaper. What sets the price:
The record sets the range. A ticket, an at-fault accident, or a moves the two prices by different amounts, and the direction is not consistent between states. A quote on the real record is what separates them.
Rates are filed state by state. Both companies file their rates with each state's regulator, so the same company charges different amounts in different states. Availability differs by state as well, and the data sheet above carries what each company publishes.
Telematics moves the number. Both run a program: YourTurn at Erie Insurance, Test drive in the Root app at Root Insurance. A telematics program measures driving through an app or a plug-in device and adjusts the price on the result. The size of that adjustment is filed per state.
One application. Real prices from the carriers writing in your state.