Savvy Review: My Experience Pricing Auto Insurance with Savvy
Rating as of based on a review of services January 19, 2023.
Ranking
8/10
If you’re considering an auto insurance switch, Savvy can make the process quick and easy. You’ll simply link to your current insurer and wait while Savvy compares prices from hundreds of insurance companies.
Best for:
- New drivers
- Time-challenged consumers
- Dissatisfied policyholders
I’m sure you probably can’t remember the last time you comparison-shopped car insurance rates.
Trust me, you’re not alone.
It’s not something most of us think about on a daily basis.
For many of us, that’s because it’s just kind of a pain.
That’s where Savvy comes in.
In just seconds, you have Savvy help you shop rates from hundreds of insurance companies. Best of all, you don’t have to manually input your current policy information. You simply connect securely to your current insurance account and wait for the results to come back.
If you choose one of the providers, Savvy will populate the provider’s application with information from your existing policy to save some of that laborious manual entry.
What is Savvy?
Savvy is a relatively new company, having been founded in 2019. The site specializes in offering rate quotes from a variety of auto insurers.
The key differentiating factor between Savvy and traditional rate quote sites is the ease of inputting your policy information. With Savvy, you don’t have to pull information on your policy and manually input your coverage amounts. Savvy will link to your policy on your provider’s site and base your quotes on what you currently have.
How does Savvy work?
To get an insurance quote from Savvy, go to Savvy and click “Start Saving”.
You’ll first be asked to select your current insurer from a list. If you aren’t currently insured, choose My car is not insured at the bottom of the screen.
Savvy uses a SaaS solution called Trellis to securely verify your information with your current insurer. You’ll simply click “Continue” to allow Savvy to access your current insurance policy.
Once you’ve entered your username and password for your current insurer, you’ll get the confirmation you’ve successfully connected.
Choose “Continue” to go to the next step.
Give your phone number and Savvy can text you insurance recommendations and even walk you through the process of switching providers.
You can opt out of this step if you just want rate quotes for now.
Savvy then reminded me I’m paying $150 per month for car insurance (two drivers, two cars). It went through the process of searching for better deals, which took about 15 seconds.
Savvy let me know that five offers might fit my needs (a little disappointing considering they partner with hundreds of insurance companies). The insurers included Allstate, Progressive, State Farm, Motion IO, and Liberty Mutual.
To see the actual offer, I had to click on one of the providers.
Clicking on Progressive redirected me to the Progressive site, where I was asked to verify my identity to get information on the quote.
The site automatically imported the basic details of the vehicles at our location. However, there were still some questions to answer, including ownership and driving habits.
Next up were some questions about both drivers of the two vehicles at our location, myself and my spouse.
You’ll need to reveal the status of your driver’s license, as well as disclosing any accidents or moving violations in the past five years.
The basic details of my current coverage were pulled over from my existing policy. I just needed to review it and make any changes.
Progressive offered a rate significantly lower than the $150 a month we’re paying now.
If you choose to buy the policy, you’ll enroll directly with Progressive. Savvy simply offered a list of the insurers offering competitive rates. There’s no obligation to continue.
Pricing for Savvy
There’s no cost to use Savvy. It’s 100% fee-free. The company serves as a referral service, merely gathering information on your policy and recommending insurers who offer competitive rates.
Savvy makes its money off referrals, but you’re under no obligation to go with any of the recommended policies. It’s important to take a close look at the details of any policy you choose. You’ll pay premiums for your insurance coverage, but the insurer may charge its own fees.
Savvy features
Savvy’s easy-to-use platform makes shopping for better prices on insurance a breeze. But there are similar services out there.
Here are some things that set Savvy apart from the rest.
Fast quote process (for the most part)
Once you’ve connected to your insurer, you’ll be well on your way to a policy quote.
You’ll just need to supplement the information with some details about you and other drivers in your household, as well as your driving history and habits.
Fee-free process
You’ll pay no fees to use Savvy. It’s 100% free. You won’t have to go with any of the recommendations, either. It’s a great way to get a feel for whether you’re paying too much for insurance.
A reminder of current premiums
I wish I could say I knew off the top of my head how much I’m paying for insurance. With Savvy, I didn’t have to look it up. My current monthly premiums were displayed early in the quote process, giving me a baseline to use when gauging the competing quotes.
Free help with switching
You don’t have to deal with the process of moving from one insurance company to another alone. Savvy is available by phone, email, or text if you need help starting a new policy and closing out the old one.
Hundreds of insurers
Savvy leaves no stone unturned when shopping for the best rates for you. Instead of searching policies with just a few partners, Savvy works with hundreds of insurers and brings back the best rates.
Big-name insurers
When you see your list of options, you’ll likely recognize most of the names. Savvy grabs quotes from big brands like Allstate, State Farm, and Progressive.
Online application process
The entire quote process is completely online. No phone conversations or visits to an insurance company’s office required. You simply input some information and wait mere seconds for a list of insurers who can offer you a policy.
No insurance required
If you don’t currently have an insurance policy, you can still use Savvy. You’ll simply click on the link that reads “My Car Is Not Insured” when you’re on the screen to choose your insurer. Savvy will show you quotes that are currently being offered to uninsured drivers in your area.
Automatic coverages
I’ll be honest, one reason I’ve put off pricing insurance is the dreaded question about what coverage you want. I have no idea what deductibles and coverage limits I currently have on my vehicles. It was such a relief to see that Savvy pulled all that information over and all I had to do was verify it.
Quick, secure insurer connections
To keep your information secure, Savvy has partnered with Trellis to sign you in to your policy while still protecting your sensitive information. If you can’t remember your password right away, Trellis can help you retrieve it without requiring you to abandon the quote process.
No geographical limitations
Savvy is available to consumers in all 50 states, so you won’t be locked out from using the service due to regulatory issues.
You’ll also be connected with the best insurers to handle your policy, which will include your geographical information.
My experience using Savvy
I have to admit, at first I didn’t like the fact that I couldn’t see the quote amounts on the page that listed the recommended providers.
The suggestions simply read “Check Offer”, requiring me to click over to get the actual number.
Worse, when I clicked on Progressive from the list of options, I went through an involved application process, where quite a bit of information was collected before I could see the number.
If I wanted to check other offers, I wondered if I’d have to go to each individual provider and fill out the application to see the rate quote.
But I’ve since learned that this isn’t always the case. Some insurers provide the quote immediately and when that happens, you’ll see the amount in the place of “Check Offer.”
One very nice thing about Savvy is that you know when you initiate a rate quote with them, you’re getting rates that are lower than your current policy. In my case, the quote was substantially lower, making me realize just how much I’ve overspent by procrastinating on an insurance switch for this long.
The simple, user-friendly interface makes Savvy a great choice for pricing your insurance. The whole process, including my Progressive application, still took no longer than 15 minutes.
Who is Savvy best for?
Those considering switching
Anyone can benefit from comparison shopping, but Savvy can be especially beneficial to those already considering making a switch. Although you don’t have to wait until your insurance term is renewing to cancel your policy, if you pay annually or semi-annually, you won’t have to deal with a prorated refund for the amount you’ve already paid if you do it then.
Accident-free drivers
Auto insurers offer the best rates to drivers who haven’t had an accident or traffic violation in the past three to five years. You still may find that you can save by switching even with a not-so-clean recent driving history, but most insurers won’t automatically reduce your rate once that period is up. Waiting until you’ve had a clean driving history for at least a couple of years could give you the best rates.
New drivers
If you’ve never had auto insurance, Savvy is a great resource. The site will provide quotes from insurers who offer competitive rates to uninsured drivers in your area. Whether you decide to go with the recommended insurers or not, it will give you an idea of the rates you can expect to pay as someone new to auto insurance.
Who shouldn’t use Savvy?
Insurer loyalists
Some consumers prefer to carefully vet each insurer and go with one provider. They stay with that insurer for the long-term, either because they trust the brand or they’ve had a consistently good experience with them. If you’re one of those customers, Savvy likely won’t benefit you.
Bundlers
If you prefer to bundle your auto insurance with life, home, or renter’s policies, you can still save with Savvy. But you won’t know just how much until you leave their site and go through the quote process with the provider. Savvy only prices auto insurance at this time.
Those with major changes
The best part about Savvy is that it links to your current policy to help you find the best rate. The problem with that is, if some things about your driving habits or lifestyle have changed, Savvy might not recognize that.
If you qualify for discounts, make sure you shop around and see what you can get with those changes reflected.
Pros & cons
Pros
- No fees — There’s no cost to use Savvy to price insurance, even if you decide not to go with one of its recommendations.
- Fast, user-friendly process — You’ll only need a username and password to link to your existing policy and get your quotes.
- Support while switching — Typically, you’ll simply need to sign up for a new policy and request a cancellation on the old, but if you have trouble, Savvy can help.
Cons
- Quotes are hidden — Although you’ll be able to see the insurers that can beat your current rates, you won’t be able to see the actual rate until you go to the insurer’s site and input more details about yourself and your driving history.
- Limited website information — The Savvy website is fairly simple, providing limited information about how the process works and the policies offered.
- Auto insurance only — You can only quote auto insurance through Savvy, but many of the insurers offer bundle discounts, so you can add other types of insurance once you’re on the insurer’s site.
Savvy vs. competitors
Savvy Insurify
Cost Free Free
Links to current insurer? Yes No
Policy types Auto Auto, home, life
Insurify
Like Savvy, Insurify promises fast, easy rate quotes, but it doesn’t link to your current insurer to provide them. Instead, you’ll need to provide some basic details about your vehicle(s) and your driving history.
You’ll then get a list of preliminary quotes, some displayed right on the page. You’ll have to either know offhand how much you’re currently paying or look it up to be able to compare.
Like Savvy, Insurify only displays quotes that are available on the page. With many of the insurers, you’ll have to click and provide some more information to get a number.
Summary
Whether you’re thinking about switching auto insurers or not, Savvy is a great way to determine whether you’re overpaying for insurance. With no fees and a process that takes just seconds, it’s a quick, easy way to discover how to trim a little expense off your monthly budget.
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