Quality of results/rates shown:
Number of results:
Spam risk:
Option to sell you a policy:
How results are generated:
For each car insurance comparison website we review, we evaluate several factors including user experience, risk of spam, the variety and relevancy of results, and more. We tested and evaluated results for 3 different driver profiles. The opinions expressed below are based on this experience as well as our team’s knowledge of the insurance comparison industry. Our editorial team follows a rigorous editorial policy and works independently from our insurance partners. Read more.
Policygenius is an online insurance marketplace that describes themselves on their “About us” page as “providing a one-stop platform where consumers can compare options from top insurance carriers, get unbiased expert advice, buy policies, and manage their insurance portfolio.” They go on to say that since its inception in 2014, Policygenius has been a resource for millions of people and has sold over $200 billion in coverage. Last year, Policygenius was acquired by Zinnia, an insurance tech and digital services company.
The goal of the tool is to help you compare insurance quotes from “multiple leading insurance companies side by side in minutes.” On their home page, they make a point of stating that your information is kept secure, however, since the site does collect contact information, there is still some risk of spam.
As an insurance marketplace, Policygenius works by partnering with numerous insurance companies and then matching you with the best option based on your answers to their 5-minute quiz. The quiz asks for information such as the state you live in, your exact address, your age, your accident history, and more. The site states that it utilizes proprietary technology to integrate with life, home, auto, and disability insurance providers so that it can deliver a positive digital experience for both consumer and carrier.
It is important to note that marketplaces like Policygenius primarily make money through commissions earned when you click on one of their insurance provider partners, so the companies you are matched with may be slightly biased to favor those companies. However, it’s worth mentioning that Policygenius emphasizes several times on their site that they “don’t push for or give preference to any one insurer over another because of the commission.”
Policygenius gets paid a commission for each sale that they make. The amount of compensation will vary depending on the size of the sale, the insurer, and the amount of business they have with that insurer. Policygenius may also make money through advertisements on the site or when you click through to purchase a policy on a partner website.
The site also stresses that they do not make money by selling any of your data or personal information to third parties, which sets them apart from some other, spammier insurance marketplaces out there.
Pros of Policygenius:
Cons of Policygenius:
Find the Right Car Insurance for You
After landing on Policygenius’s homepage, the first thing I noticed was the header: “The smarter way to buy insurance.” This immediately grabbed my attention and made me excited to explore the rest of their site to see how they were simplifying the insurance shopping process.
The next thing that caught my attention was that Policygenius highlights disability insurance as one of their main offerings. This is something I had not seen on many other insurance comparison sites, and I thought it was a nice addition to the more typical insurance products.
The site emphasized its promise to protect your information right at the top of the page. Having explored several different insurance comparison sites, I know that they are notoriously spammy, so seeing that Policygenius doesn’t play fast and loose with user data was reassuring.
Directly under that section, Policygenius touts their ability to compare prices among America’s top insurers with a list of just a few companies that they partner with. This is followed by a section showcasing their Trustpilot score of 4.6 stars out of 5, the fact that they have more than 250 experts available to help you along the way, and that they offer 2,500 peer reviewed articles to help get your questions answered. This worked to make me feel even more trust in the tool.
Moving further down the page, Policygenius features a section that explains why exactly you should trust them. They point out things such as their security policy, the availability of real people to help you, and more.
Finally, the second half of Policygenius’s homepage shows off the more than 30 million people they have served and the over $90 billion of life insurance that they have sold.
To get the full picture of Policygenius’s car insurance quiz, I went through the experience 3 different times, testing a different profile in a new zip code each time. One of the first things I noticed was that Policygenius’s questions were slightly more in depth than insurance comparison sites I’ve used in the past.
For example, I was asked how long my current car insurance policy is, if I have owned my home for more than 3 years (even though I was not taking the home insurance quiz), my annual income, and more.
Requiring so much additional information is not necessarily a good or a bad thing. It was a slight inconvenience because more questions meant I spent more time on the quiz, but I justified it by telling myself that they only asked so much because they wanted to provide me with the most accurate quotes possible at the end.
They also asked very specific questions about my driving history. This, of course, made sense to me as it is vital information for insurers to determine car insurance rates.
In the next part of the quiz, I had to enter my marital status, which is typical of these quizzes. However, something that was different was that saying I was married automatically also checked off the box stating that I had a co-applicant. While the spouse was the co-applicant for the profile I was testing, that may not be the case for everybody, and there was no option to de-select this box without changing my marital status.
Another aspect worth mentioning is that Policygenius asked for my driver’s license number. While it was not required, it still felt a bit odd as not many other insurance comparison sites ask for this information, optional or not. Furthermore, when I was inputting my car information, Policygenius gave me the option to add the vehicle using the VIN number, which was something else I was not used to. If they had provided any context as to why they needed these numbers, I would have been more likely to provide them. But in either case, I would have had to get up and fetch the documents, which didn’t seem worthwhile.
Something I appreciated about Policygenius’s quiz was that they asked whether cost or coverage was more important to me. They also had an option to do a balance of both (which is what I went with), and this just let me know that the results at the end of the quiz were really going to be tailored to me and what I’m looking to prioritize in an insurance policy.
However, something I didn’t love about the experience was that the site required my email in order to see my results. On top of that, once I used my email one time, it was then associated with a single account and I could not use that email again to test a different profile. This isn’t a huge deal, obviously, but it could become a hindrance if you share an email with your spouse or another family member, or simply want to get quotes for a few different driver profiles.
Let’s start with the things that I liked about the results I was provided with. Every profile I tested was returned at least one insurance company as a result.
The best results were for the second profile I tested (a 35-year-old man from Boston) where I was shown five different insurance companies, and coming in a close second was the first profile I tested (a 50-year-old man from Buffalo) where I was returned three insurance providers at the end of the quiz.
And now for what I didn’t love. The last profile I tested (a 20-year-old man from eastern Texas) sadly didn’t return any matches for me. However, it did give me the option to visit one of Policygenius’s provider partner websites and get a quote from them.
While I did appreciate that they provided me with some kind of option at the end of the quiz, it was a little disappointing to not receive an actual match after answering so many questions.
Furthermore, although there was a variety of insurance providers shown to be a match for certain profiles, none of them offered an actual quote or rate estimate. This made it unclear if these “matches” were based on what would be cheapest for me or if they were simply recommendations based on Policygenius’s partners. All results displayed a “get quote” button next to the company name that redirected me to the provider’s website where I had to confirm most of my information again before being shown my quotes.
Overall, I expected a bit more from Policygenius’s results. I thought that since the quiz was a bit longer than average, the results would be a bit better. However, this was still far from the worst results I’ve been returned from a comparison site. I did appreciate that every result was an actual insurance company instead of being a redirect to another comparison site (a problem I’ve run into with some other tools).
After going through Policygenius’s comparison tool I think that it is a good option on the market today. While the results were not perfect, I was happy to see that they were all legitimate insurance companies. Additionally, I appreciated the fact that the quiz did not require my phone number to see results. Lastly, the emphasis the site placed on user privacy makes me trust that (even with my email address) they will be one of the least spammy options for comparing insurance.
My main issues with Policygenius are:
Even though the tool left a few things to be desired, I do think that it is one of the better insurance comparison sites out there. It all comes down to you and what you are looking to get out of your experience.
If you are trying to see instant quotes or rate estimates, then Policygenius may not be the best option for you. However, if you are just trying to get an idea of the insurance providers in your area and which one may be best suited for your needs, then Policygenius may be a good starting point.
Policygenius also offers their users the opportunity to chat with a licensed agent over the phone so they can get answers to complicated questions more easily. I think this adds to the value of the tool and if working with an agent sounds right for you, Policygenius could help you get in touch with one.
One similarity between Policygenius and Bankrate is that both tools allow you to view your results without requiring your phone number, which puts them both at about the same risk for spam. Both sites also present the risk of not being matched with an actual insurance company, but rather being re-directed to another comparison site to re-enter your information.
Another way Policygenius and Bankrate are similar is that they both allow you to call and speak with a live agent to answer any questions you may have and to help you purchase your policy.
One key difference between these two sites is that Policygenius is an insurance marketplace, and so you have the ability to purchase a policy through them directly. Bankrate is categorized as an online personal finance website, so they can offer necessary insight, but you cannot purchase a policy through them directly.
| Option to speak with live agent | Option to sell you a policy | |
|---|---|---|
| Policygenius | Yes | Yes |
| Bankrate | Yes | No |
First of all, we are aware of our own bias here. We designed Rate Retriever to solve the key pain points of the insurance comparison industry, so of course we think our tool is the best on the market. However, for the purposes of this review, we will be setting our personal feelings aside and giving you just the facts.
One of the key differences between Rate Retriever and Policygenius is that Rate Retriever displays rate estimates immediately at the end of the quiz, no matter what. For the profiles I tested, Policygenius only offered me the option to go to the provider’s site to view my rates, which made the process a bit clunkier since I was required to confirm my information again to access my quotes.
Another difference is that since Policygenius is an insurance marketplace, the site offers you the ability to purchase a policy directly through them. Rate Retriever acts as more of an insurance guide, gathering information and showing you your options but not allowing you to purchase your policy through us. This helps us to prioritize unbiased results, but it also means that you will need to leave our site to complete the process.
Next, Policygenius requires your email address to view your results while Rate Retriever doesn’t need any contact info, and lastly, Policygenius asks a few more in-depth questions than we do in our own quiz.
| Rates immediately following quiz | Option to sell you a policy | |
|---|---|---|
| Policygenius | No | Yes |
| Rate Retriever | Yes | No |
Policygenius generally has pretty positive reviews, with 89% of the consumer ratings on Trustpilot being 5 stars. Most of the positive reviews highlight things such as getting insured quickly, positive customer service experiences, and knowledgeable agents who made the shopping process simple.
The 3% of user reviews that were 1 star featured complaints such as the customer service workers being too salesy or not calling them back when they said they would, the quotes being inaccurate and unreasonable, and a lack of diversity in the number of insurance companies provided.
Based on my own experience and other consumer reviews, Policygenius is best suited for drivers who are looking to explore their options for insurance companies rather than those who are looking to buy a policy immediately.
Since Policygenius provides the majority of users with at least 3 provider options at the end of the quiz, it would be great for you if you’re just looking to get a better idea of the leading providers in your area.
In my opinion, anybody looking for a quick process should not use Policygenius. With the longer than average quiz and the lack of actual quotes or rate estimates on the results page, shopping for insurance with Policygenius may be a bit of a time commitment.
If you would like to learn more about Policygenius, you can reach their customer service number at 1-855-695-2255. The life insurance team is available Monday-Thursday from 9AM-10PM ET and Friday-Sunday from 9AM-8PM. The auto and home insurance team as well as the disability insurance team are available Monday-Friday 9AM-6PM.
They can also be reached via email at [email protected].
Policygenius is not an insurance company. It is an insurance marketplace that matches you with insurance companies based on your answers to questions such as what state you live in, the kind of car you drive, and your accident history.
Policygenius is legit in that they are a reputable company that will try to help you compare insurance rates from providers in your area. They also promise to keep your data secure and not sell your information to third-parties.
Policygenius is safe to use as they promise not to mishandle your personal data. They are a trustworthy source for comparing car insurance rates.
Based on the over 5,030 user reviews on Trustpilot that earned the site a 4.6-star rating, Policygenius is a reliable source for comparing insurance rates.
Policygenius was founded by Jennifer Fitzgerald in 2014. The company was acquired by the insurance technology and digital services company Zinnia in 2023.
For each car insurance comparison website we review, we evaluate several factors including:
We tested and evaluated results for 3 different driver profiles:
The opinions expressed in our review are based on this experience. Our team also has previous knowledge of the insurance comparison industry that may influence how we review top insurance comparison sites.
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