Encova insurance review 2023

Encova car insurance

Encova car insurance could be a good option if you want to support a regional carrier that uses local agents to sell coverage. While we didn’t find Encova to be one of the best car insurance companies of 2023, it could be a good option for some drivers. However, auto insurance from Encova car insurance is only available in 10 states, so not all drivers will be able to request a car insurance quote or buy coverage.

Encova car insurance, formerly Motorists Mutual car insurance, is fairly basic, and the website only lists one endorsement option — towing and labor coverage. However, the availability of endorsements may vary by state, so you could check with an agent in your area for more definitive information about coverage options. Although the company’s endorsements are limited, its discounts are fairly robust.

Pros and cons of Encova car insurance

As you are shopping around, gathering quotes and comparing rates, you probably have insurance priorities besides just price. While rates are important, there are other factors you might want to consider when choosing a car insurance company. Below are some perks and drawbacks that we identified in our Encova Insurance review:

Encova car insurance cost

An Encova car insurance policy averages $2,014 per year for full coverage and $622 per year for minimum coverage. For context, the national average cost of car insurance is $1,931 per year for full coverage and $410 per year for minimum coverage. If you’re seeking the cheapest car insurance, most insurance professionals recommend shopping around, since rates differ between companies.

Encova car insurance rates by driving history

Driving history is one of the biggest rating factors in car insurance. Your rates will likely be higher if you have a history of at-fault accidents or moving violations like speeding tickets. Below, we compare Encova’s average rates after driving incidents to the national averages. We’ve left off average DUI rates, because not all companies will write policies for drivers with a DUI. To find out if you are still eligible for Encova car insurance with a DUI conviction on your record, contact Encova directly.

Encova car insurance quotes by age

In most states, age is also a significant rating factor. Younger drivers have less experience behind the wheel and higher accident rates. This added risk to the insurer results in higher premiums, on average, for young drivers. We analyzed Encova’s average rates for drivers of several age groups, including young drivers both on and off their parents’ policy.

Average cost of car insurance for drivers on their parents’ policy

Average cost of car insurance for drivers on their own policy

Envoca car insurance discounts

If you are searching for ways to save on your car insurance, Encova could be a good fit. The company offers some standard discounts that you’d expect from a car insurance company, including savings for bundling your home and auto policies, being a good student and having a vehicle with anti-theft devices. However, the company also has a few more unique savings options:

Encova car tools and benefits

Motorists Mutual does not list any additional vehicle services on its website.

Encova home insurance

Available in the same 10 states as its auto insurance, Encova home insurance (previously Motorists Mutual home insurance) could be a good choice if you’re looking for a home insurance company that utilizes local agents. However, Encova doesn’t advertise many home insurance endorsements, so it may not be the best fit if you are looking for a highly customized policy. Coverage options do vary by state, though, and there may be more options available than are listed online.

Pros and cons of Encova homeowners insurance

As you compare home insurance quotes, consider taking the time to review more than just each company’s quoted premium. Reviewing coverage offerings, discounts and third-party scores may help you get a more holistic view of a company. Here are some pros and cons that we identified about the company’s home insurance during our Encova Insurance review:

Encova home insurance cost

The average annual premium for an Encova home insurance policy with $250,000 in dwelling coverage is $1,631. For comparison, the national average cost of home insurance is a little lower, at $1,428. Rates may vary based on the coverage level you need, the types of optional coverage you add, your location, your claims history and the details of your home.

Encova home insurance discounts

If you’re looking for the cheapest home insurance, you might want to look for relevant discounts that could bring down your premium. Encova lists a few discounts on its website, but none are particularly unique. Encova’s listed discounts include savings for the age of your home, bundling your auto and home policies, having a high credit rating (in the states where credit is an allowable rating factor) and having recently renovated one or more of your home’s systems. Savings opportunities may vary by state, so talking to an Encova agent might help you identify more ways to save.

Encova home tools and benefits

Encova does not appear to offer any additional home services.

Encova life insurance

If you’re shopping for a new life insurance company, Encova could be a convenient option if you have your auto and home policies with the company already. Encova offers a unique “Blend” life insurance option, which it notes is its most popular life insurance policy. Blend combines aspects of whole and term life insurance. For more information on the company’s life insurance offerings, talk with an agent.

Pros and cons of Encova life insurance

Just like with auto and home insurance, comparing life insurance quotes usually involves looking at more than just price. Life insurance rates are highly personalized, but they don’t typically vary as much between companies as auto or home insurance rates do. Comparing quotes tends to be more about finding the right product and company for your needs rather than finding the cheapest life insurance. Here are some pros and cons of Encova life insurance that you might want to consider:

Encova life insurance endorsements

There are no advertised life insurance endorsements on Encova’s website, although it’s likely that add-ons are available. You may speak with a local Encova agent to learn about the endorsement options available.

Encova life tools and benefits

Encova does not mention any additional life insurance services on its website.

Encova customer satisfaction

When you’re looking for the right insurance company for you, reviewing customer satisfaction and financial strength metrics may be impactful. J.D. Power, a consumer data analytics company, conducts several annual studies that assess various aspects of a company’s service level. Additionally, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) records complaints against insurance companies and assigns each carrier a Complaint Index. An index of 1.00 is the baseline expected number of complaints; higher scores indicate more complaints than average, while lower scores indicate fewer complaints than average.

Financial strength may also be an important metric, as it could give you insight into a company’s historical ability to pay claims. AM Best specializes in rating the financial strength of insurance companies and assigns scores ranging from A++ (Superior) to D (Poor). Encova has an A (Excellent) financial strength rating, which is relatively high and may indicate a stable financial outlook.

Encova auto satisfaction

Encova’s auto insurance is not rated in any of J.D. Power’s studies, nor does it have an NAIC Complaint Index. However, Motorists Mutual, which combined with BrickStreet to form Encova, does have an NAIC rating. For its private passenger auto product, Motorists Mutual has a Complaint Index of 0.26, which is well below the baseline of 1.00. This means that fewer complaints than average were recorded about Motorists Mutual’s service, which could indicate that customers are generally satisfied with their company interactions.

Encova homeowners satisfaction

Similarly, Encova home insurance isn’t rated by J.D. Power, likely due to the smaller size of the company. The home insurance product by Motorists Mutual has an even lower NAIC Complaint Index than auto, though, at just 0.11. This means that the NAIC received far fewer complaints than average, indicating a high level of service.

Encova life satisfaction

Encova life insurance has no third-party ratings for customer satisfaction. J.D. Power didn’t rate the company, and Motorists Mutual has no complaints and no written premium indicated in the NAIC Complaint Index system. We were unable to find an NAIC code for the Encova Life Insurance Company, which is listed as being part of the Encova Mutual Insurance Group. This could mean that Encova’s life insurance products are underwritten by another insurance company, but this information is not listed on Encova’s website. If you’re considering Encova life insurance, you may want to talk to current policyholders about their experience.

How to file a claim with Encova

You can file an auto or home insurance claim with Encova in one of two ways:

• Call your local agent
• Call 1-844-362-6821

Life insurance claims are a bit more in depth. Encova asks that beneficiaries fill out the required forms and then either:

• Fax the forms to 1-866-480-1526
• Email the forms to life.claims@encova.com
• Mail the forms to:
• Encova Life
  471 E. Broad St.
  Columbus, Ohio 43215

If you are the beneficiary of an Encova life insurance policy, your loved one’s agent may be able to help guide you through the process.

Encova availability

Encova insurance is available in 28 states and Washington, D.C., but availability depends on the product you need. Encova’s commercial (business) insurance has a wider range of availability than its personal and life insurance products.

Personal lines coverage — auto and home insurance, among other personal products — is available in 10 states:

• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kentucky
• Minnesota
• Ohio
• Pennsylvania
• Tennessee
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin

Life insurance is available in 16 states:

• Florida
• Georgia
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kentucky
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Nebraska
• Ohio
• Pennsylvania
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Virginia
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin

Other Encova perks worth considering

In addition to auto, home and life insurance, Encova also offers the following personal insurance coverage types:

• Condo: If you own a condo, you’ll need a special type of insurance called an HO-6 policy.
• Identity theft: Encova offers identity theft coverage as an option on your home insurance. This endorsement might help you recover your identity if it’s stolen.
• Recreational vehicles: This policy could give you coverage for campers, ATVs, RVs and other recreational vehicles.
• Renters: Renting a home or apartment means you don’t need coverage for the building, but you may still want a renters insurance policy for personal contents and liability coverage.
• Umbrella: Umbrella insurance provides extra liability above and beyond your auto, home and other underlying policies.
• Vacation home: Vacation and secondary homes often have unique needs since they may be unoccupied for part of the year. Encova offers a product to meet those needs.

Several types of business insurance are also available, including commercial package coverage, commercial umbrella coverage and workers’ compensation policies.

Encova corporate sustainability

Motorists Mutual has a robust giveback program that includes community support and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Through the Encova Foundation of Ohio and the Encova Foundation of West Virginia, the company supports numerous organizations, focusing on community and family support, educational support and fostering wellness. Organizations can submit themselves for consideration on the company’s website. Encova has an Encova Diversity Council that helps the company stay aligned with its desires to foster inclusion within its workforce and supplier base.

Not sure if Encova is right for you?

Shopping for a home, life or car insurance company often means getting multiple quotes to review. If you aren’t quite sure if Encova is right for you, you could consider these options:

Envoca vs. Erie

Erie operates in 12 states and Washington, D.C., and is active in many of the same states as Encova. The company is known for its robust policies and its auto insurance Rate Lock feature. If Encova’s local agents appeal to you, Erie might be a comparable company. Erie offers more products than Envoca, with insurance options for classic and collector cars, mobile homes and even a Medicare supplement policy.

Learn more: Erie Insurance review

Envoca vs. Auto-Owners

Operating in about half of the U.S., Auto-Owners could be a good choice if you like bundling all your policies together. On top of the standard discount for bundling home and auto policies, Auto-Owners also offers a discount for bundling with a life insurance policy. Auto-Owners coverage is sold by local independent agents, which means you may be able to get quotes from several companies at the same agency.

Learn more: Auto-Owners Insurance review

Envoca vs. State Farm

If having a local agent is appealing but you’d like a company with a national footprint, you could explore State Farm. As the largest personal lines insurer in the United States, State Farm is a well-known company with a robust network of local agents. State Farm could also be a good choice if you are looking for term life insurance, as it won the best term life Bankrate Award in 2022 and 2023.

Learn more: State Farm Insurance review

Is Envoca a good insurance company?

We conducted our Encova Insurance review to help you decide if the company is suitable for your needs. Our editorial team — which includes three licensed agents — has nearly 50 years of combined experience in the insurance industry. We know that finding the right insurer may have a profound impact on your financial health.

Encova might be a good company if you value working with local agents and are looking for fairly basic policies. However, Encova doesn’t advertise many endorsements online, especially for home insurance, so if you have specialized needs, it may not be the right choice for you. Additionally, Encova doesn’t have many third-party reviews, so you might want to talk to current policyholders to get a sense of customer satisfaction before you buy a policy.

Methodology

Auto

Bankrate utilizes Quadrant Information Services to analyze 2023 rates for ZIP codes and carriers in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Rates are weighted based on the population density in each geographic region. Quoted rates are based on a 40-year-old male and female driver with a clean driving record, good credit and the following full coverage limits:

• $100,000 bodily injury liability per person
• $300,000 bodily injury liability per accident
• $50,000 property damage liability per accident
• $100,000 uninsured motorist bodily injury per person
• $300,000 uninsured motorist bodily injury per accident
• $500 collision deductible
• $500 comprehensive deductible

To determine minimum coverage limits, Bankrate used minimum coverage that meets each state’s requirements. Our base profile drivers own a 2021 Toyota Camry, commute five days a week and drive 12,000 miles annually. 

These are sample rates and should only be used for comparative purposes. 

Age: Rates were calculated by evaluating our base profile with the ages 16-60 (base: 40 years) applied. Depending on age, drivers may be a renter or homeowner. Age is not a contributing rating factor in Hawaii and Massachusetts.

The rates for drivers ages 16–20 added to their parents’ policy reflect the good student and driver's training discounts applied. The rates for drivers aged 16-20 on their own policy do not include the good student and driver's training discounts. Additionally, 25-year-old rates are based on the driver as a renter and 30+ on the driver as a homeowner. 

Incidents: Rates were calculated by evaluating our base profile with the following incidents applied: clean record (base), single speeding ticket and single at-fault accident.

Homeowners

Bankrate utilizes Quadrant Information Services to analyze 2023 current rates for ZIP codes and carriers in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Rates are weighted based on the population density in each geographic region. Quoted rates are based on 40-year-old male and female homeowners with a clean claim history, good credit and the following coverage limits:

• Coverage A, Dwelling: $150,000, $250,000, $350,000, $450,000, $750,000
• Coverage B, Other Structures: $15,000, $25,000, $35,000, $45,000, $75,000
• Coverage C, Personal Property: $75,000, $125,000, $175,000, $225,000, $375,000
• Coverage D, Loss of Use: $30,000, $50,000, $70,000, $90,000, $150,000
• Coverage E, Liability: $300,000, $300,000, $300,000, $300,000, $500,000
• Coverage F, Medical Payments: $1,000

The homeowners also have a $1,000 deductible and a separate wind and hail deductible (if required).

These are sample rates and should be used for comparative purposes only. Your quotes will differ.