What does Elephant Full Coverage Auto Insurance Cover?
Full coverage auto insurance from Elephant includes basic liability coverage, collision coverage, and comprehensive coverage.
Written by Jason Tushinski
Reviewed by Amy Bobinger
Elephant’s full coverage insurance includes basic liability insurance along with both collision and comprehensive coverage. However, Elephant Insurance is available in just eight states—Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.
When you’re buying car insurance, you’re no doubt going to ask yourself if you can get by with just basic liability coverage, or if you should splurge and purchase full coverage. Sure, going with just basic liability coverage may be the least expensive car insurance option—but it will leave you vulnerable to financial peril if you cause a serious, at-fault accident.
That’s why insurance companies, including Elephant, offer full coverage
car insurance
policies that include vital add-ons like collision insurance and comprehensive insurance. So, let’s take a trip up this Elephant’s trunk to see what else is covered under its full coverage insurance umbrella, and whether it might be worth it to you.What does Elephant full coverage insurance cover?
Now, us insurance geeks have to level with you—”full coverage” insurance isn’t an actual policy you can buy. There’s not even an agreed-upon, official definition of the term “
full coverage
.” So, when an insurance company offers you full coverage, or when a lender requires full coverage as part of a car loan
agreement, they’re talking about a policy that includes at least these three following types of coverage:- Liability coverage: Mandatory in every state, liability coverage pays for other drivers’ medical bills and vehicle damage if you cause an accident.
- Collision coverage: Elephant’s collision coverage will cover damages to your own vehicle sustained in an accident with another vehicle or a stationary object.
- Comprehensive coverage: With comprehensive coverage, you’ll be covered for repairs or replacement of your vehicle if it's damaged by something other than another motor vehicle (i.e. wind, storms, flooding, falling objects, being trampled by elephants, etc.)
A full coverage policy from Elephant insurance includes basic liability coverage, collision and comprehensive insurance. That said, full coverage with Elephant is flexible, and you can add additional options to your policy such as
bodily injury liability coverage
, property damage liability coverage
, uninsured motorist coverage, rental reimbursement, and towing and labor coverage. RECOMMENDED
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Does full coverage really cover everything?
No, full coverage car insurance from Elephant doesn’t cover everything. Still, that doesn’t mean you should put your wallet away after purchasing a policy with liability, collision, and comprehensive insurance.
Both lenders and car insurance carriers talk about “full coverage” so as to distinguish it from basic liability coverage. Of course, the key difference between the two is that full coverage allows you to make claims on your own vehicle, while basic liability coverage by itself only covers the damages of other drivers.
That all said, Elephant offers numerous policy add-ons that can make your full coverage plan even more robust. See the table below for what else you can add to your suite of coverage:
Type of coverage | Description |
|---|---|
Elephant’s uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage pays for your medical bills and vehicle damages if you’re involved in an accident with a driver carrying no insurance, or not enough coverage. | |
Medical payments (MedPay) coverage from Elephant will help pay for medical bills or funeral expenses for you or others in your vehicle if injured or killed in a vehicle accident. | |
Along with covering medical costs, personal injury protection can help cover non-medical costs stemming from a covered accident, including loss of essential services or lost wages. | |
If you need help, towing services, or a battery jumpstart, Elephant provides it if you have its towing and labor coverage. | |
Elephant’s rental reimbursement coverage will, after a covered claim is filed, pay for a rental car if your vehicle is inoperable due to that covered accident. | |
Pet Injury | With this add-on, your pet (cat or dog) will be covered with up to $1,000 of pet insurance protection if they are injured in a covered accident. |
Is full coverage car insurance from Elephant worth it?
If you’re in one of the eight states that Elephant Insurance operates in, getting full coverage car insurance with them could be worth it. While it is a relatively new company, Elephant has become known for offering cheap rates and lots of coverage options. That said, it's always a good idea to shop around and find the best insurance coverage for you.
While full coverage isn’t mandated by law in any state, you’ll likely need it if you want to finance a car—most lenders require
full coverage on a financed car
in order to do business with you. Even if you purchase your vehicle outright, buying full coverage is almost always a smart idea, because it will protect you if your car is deemed a total loss
after an accident.Benefits of full coverage Elephant car insurance
Carrying full coverage with Elephant means you will:
- Meet any requirements made by a lender
- Have peace of mind while driving through inclement weather or areas prone to crime
- Have the ability to make a claim if your vehicle is totaled
If you drive an expensive car, if you live in an area prone to extreme weather, or close to areas with high-crime rates, full coverage will almost certainly serve you well, even if peace of mind is all it provides.
Drawbacks to full coverage Elephant car insurance
That said, there are some drawbacks to using Elephant as your full coverage provider:
- Does not offer gap insurance or mechanical breakdown insurance
- Elephant is known to have many more complaints about its service than other insurers of similar size
If you’re worried about how much full coverage will cost you, look into discounts. Elephant does offer the ability to bundle car insurance with other products, including
homeowners insurance
, renters insurance
, condo insurance, and life insurance.Does Elephant have the best full coverage auto insurance?
Likely not. While it does offer many coverage options, Elephant isn’t available in most states, and combined with its poor customer service reviews, you might be better served looking for full coverage with a more established insurer.
But an even more important reason to look around for the best full coverage insurance is because rates will be different depending on the insurer. Every insurance company has its own algorithm to determine an individual’s rate, and while all insurers will weigh your driving record, age, marital status, credit score, age, and other factors, they will all weigh them slightly differently. But if you’ve got
good credit
and a clean driving record
, Elephant’s full coverage might entice you, especially because of its lower-than-average rates.As well, Elephant Insurance could be useful if you are a high-risk driver. In five states—Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia—Elephant offers
SR-22 insurance
, an add-on certifying that a high-risk driver meets a state’s minimum liability requirements. So, while Elephant Insurance does offer full coverage, including to young drivers as well as
insurance for high-risk drivers
, it’s not all good news for “the herd”. Elephant gets low rates for customer satisfaction, including a paltry 1.2/5 grade from the Better Business Bureau for its customer service. So if you want an insurer known to satisfy claims quickly, Elephant might not be the best choice.That all said, the best way to ensure any insurer is good for you (Elephant or otherwise) is to shop around. Use a mobile broker to compare quotes in real-time, and make sure you consider between 3 and 5 choices before making your decision.
The bottom line
If you live in one of the eight states Elephant operates in, this insurance newcomer could be a great choice for you, considering its low rates and plethora of coverage options. That said, it is known for having subpar customer service, and not processing claims quickly. So if you want the best service possible and are willing to pay a bit more for it, you’ll want to look to one of Elephant’s bigger competitors for full coverage.
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FAQs
At what point is full coverage not worth it?
If you drive a vehicle that’s beaten up, old, and with lots of miles on its chassis, then full coverage might not be worth it. As a rule of thumb, think about it this way—if a full coverage quote is more than your car is worth, full coverage isn’t worth it.
What is the difference between full coverage and liability coverage?
Liability-only coverage covers the medical bills and vehicle damages of other drivers if you cause an accident—but none of your own costs. If you have full coverage, you’ll have liability coverage as well as collision and comprehensive coverage, so you can make a claim if your vehicle has suffered any damage in an accident.
What is a deductible?
Before your collision or comprehensive coverage can kick in, you’ll have to pay a deductible, or a set amount you must pay before utilizing this coverage. Deductibles usually apply to uninsured motorist coverage and personal injury protection as well.
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