Survey: 1 In 5 Would Rather Slam Hand In Car Door Than Shop For Car Insurance

Esurance is on a mission to make insurance surprisingly painless, which means constantly checking in with consumers on what's causing them pain.

Today the direct-to-consumer insurance company unveiled the results of its 2019 Consumer Insurance Aches & Pains report a study dedicated to exploring how people really feel about the insurance industry. The 2,000-respondent survey revealed the pain is real when it comes to dealing with insurance. In fact, one in five consumers admit they would rather slam their hand in a car door than shop for car insurance!

The pain doesn't stop there! The study confirmed three primary consumer pain points: Insurance is complex, confusing and expensive.

"At Esurance, we're committed to making insurance surprisingly painless for everyone, and that starts with understanding where the pain lies," said Jonathan Adkisson, President at Esurance. "Slamming your hand in a car door is pretty extreme, and undeniably painful. No one should ever prefer that experience to shopping for insurance, which should be easy, efficient and ultimately leave you feeling confident you and your family are properly protected. Our team is constantly working to address the most unsatisfying parts of insurance, so pain is never something that comes to mind during the process."

This study confirms there's a lot of work to be done in the industry to address consumers' major pain points when it comes to the insurance experience. Esurance is doing its part by continuing its mission to make insurance simple, transparent and affordable.

Simplicity

Let's be honest. Insurance is inherently complicated and needs to be simplified. Between all the jargon, coverage options and fine print, it can be a frustrating process for many consumers to get through. And, while comparing rates and reviewing coverage options is an important part of shopping for insurance, Esurance confirmed this is an area customers really don't enjoy—to say the least.

• The complexity of insurance may make it hard for people to stay focused. More than 75% of insurance owners multitask while dealing with insurance companies, including going to the bathroom!
• One in three shoppers of drinking age would rather have a cocktail than a calculator when researching coverage options—a sign some people may be more concerned with just getting through the process than getting it right.
• Twelve percent of insurance customers feel shopping for insurance is the biggest time drain, even more than sitting in traffic, which is significant because 20% said they've sat in 1-2 hours of traffic in the past (for comparison, getting a quote can take as little as six minutes).

Transparency

There's a clear need for more transparency around coverages so people feel confident they're properly protected. Coverage terms are confusing, and consumers don't always understand what they're buying since policies can feel like reading gobbledygook. Many customers aren't confident in their knowledge of important terms—and those who believe they do understand are overconfident in many cases. This not only leads to a painful experience, but also the possibility of getting the wrong coverage, which creates even bigger pains down the road.

• Nearly a third of consumers said they'd rather take a physics test than an insurance knowledge test.
• However, the 68% that do prefer to test their insurance knowledge may want to reconsider. Ninety-seven percent of respondents failed to separate at least one sports term from an insurance term!
• Consumers struggle with understanding insurance on their own. Twenty-nine percent of Millennials are likely to consult three or more resources for guidance on their insurance policy, and the majority (57%) of all consumers turn to sources such as a spouse, their parents, friends or co-workers to help them understand something about their insurance.

Affordability

Just because cars and homes cost a pretty penny doesn't mean people think their insurance should. Price is typically the top concern when it comes to purchasing insurance—and affordability is something consumers want across the board. Insurance is so essential some coverages are required by law, yet many don't feel it's valuable and want to be paying less for their coverage. However, when it comes to using insurance, people are relieved they have it and understand its worth.

• More than one third of consumers feel what you get isn't necessarily worth what you are paying for, rating the value of insurance a six out of 10 or lower, with 10 being completely valuable and zero as not at all valuable.
• Nearly 40% of consumers express dissatisfaction with their current rates or prices, rating their satisfaction as a five out of 10 or lower, with 10 being very satisfied and zero being very dissatisfied.
• Seventy-seven percent of customers said not having the coverage they need in an accident would be more terrifying than accidentally sending a snarky text to the person they were talking about, so there is a distinct fear around not being properly covered.
• There is a small group who do realize the overall value of insurance. Twenty-three percent of insurance owners stated they find insurance "completely valuable."

Esurance understands the insurance process can be painful, and wants to help make buying, owning and using insurance painless. Esurance is committed to simplifying the process so people can get through it with ease. To being transparent about what coverage terms really mean so they don't get it wrong. And, to offering cost-saving solutions so customers get the coverage they need at a price that's affordable. Consumers can trust Esurance is dedicated to making this essential part of life surprisingly painless. For more information on the 2019 Consumer Insurance Aches & Pain report, please visit esurance.com/pain-report.

About Esurance^®
Esurance offers auto, homeowners, motorcycle, and renters insurance that's surprisingly painless. With an easy-to-use mobile app, helpful online tools like photo claims and Coverage Counselor®, and caring experts, Esurance is making insurance simple, transparent and affordable. And as a member of the Allstate family*, Esurance benefits from over 90 years of industry expertise and support, so dependable insurance is just a click, call, or tap away. For more information, visit esurance.com or call 1-800-ESURANCE (1-800-378-7262).

*Allstate products are not available through Esurance

Research Methodology
Data for the 2019 Insurance Consumer Pain Report was obtained through an online survey conducted by Wakefield Research between July 10, 2019 and July 22, 2019 of 2,000 U.S. adults who have purchased property and casualty insurance in the past five years. The study was fielded by asking respondents a variety of questions relating to their feelings about the insurance process and their typical habits throughout insurance experiences. The margin of error for this study calculated at the 95% confidence level is +/- 2.2 percentage points.