MASTER THREAD: Tesla Insurance Services in California

[Jedi2155]

I just bit.

A few pieces of additional info:

• You basically get a policy document and proof of insurance card.
• The only way to access to your policy on the site is to click "get a quote" on tesla.com/insurance lol....

On Geico I was paying about $223/month for:

• $100/300k
• $50k property
• No Medical
• $500 Collision
• $50 Comprehensive

Now with Tesla I'm paying $149/month for:

• $250/500k
• $250k property
• $10k Medical
• $500 Collision
• $100 Comprehensive
• Roadside Plus

The main difference is that I haven't added my spouse yet which I think would increase it significantly but I might not as my wife avoids driving my car whenever possible lol.

 

[ibGeek]

I just bit.

A few pieces of additional info:

• You basically get a policy document and proof of insurance card.
• The only way to access to your policy on the site is to click "get a quote" on tesla.com/insurance lol....

You can easily access your policy by logging in to www.tesla.com then clicking manage. From there click View Details.

 

[ganzo]

I'm in California and tried to get the Tesla insurance through Liberty Mutual as I was directed on the Tesla website. Online the quote was good, around $45/ mo less than my current Geico policy. I have two cars on the policy, a 2003 Prius and 2018 model 3. Both cars get around 4000 miles per year of use. When I contacted the Liberty agent and attempted to finalize the policy the numbers changed and suddenly the quote was now around $60/mo more than Geico. I politely declined. Was this just a typical bait and switch? I don't know but I was sorely disappointed.

 

[STRTRKE]

Wow! Just applied for Tesla insurance for my MX. Dropped my payment by more than 50% for the same coverage. I thought I already had a good deal. Score!

 

[chewyc]

Not to get all tin foil hat, but what's stopping Tesla from selling/sharing your driving habit data with some big data firm, which in turn provides it to the insurance industry... therefore creating a profile on you for future pricing/liability calculations. I'm not a conspiracy theorist by any stretch but all those OBDII insurance dongles creep me out.

I found this snippet on the Tesla privacy policy.

---

We may share information in other circumstances, such as:

• With your employer or other fleet operator or the owner of the Tesla product, if you do not directly own it and as authorized under applicable law.
• With a third party in connection with any reorganization, merger, sale, joint venture, assignment, transfer, or other disposition of all or any portion of our business, assets, or stock (including in connection with any bankruptcy or similar proceedings).

We do not share information that personally identifies you with unaffiliated third parties for their marketing purposes unless you opt in to that sharing.

If you wish to opt out of any processing of information for which you have provided your prior explicit opt-in consent, you may do so by contacting us as indicated in the “How to Contact Us” section below.

 

[wujohnny10]

This is amazing - waiting for VIN assignment to do the tesla insurance quote

I just bit.

A few pieces of additional info:

• You basically get a policy document and proof of insurance card.
• The only way to access to your policy on the site is to click "get a quote" on tesla.com/insurance lol....

On Geico I was paying about $223/month for:

• $100/300k
• $50k property
• No Medical
• $500 Collision
• $50 Comprehensive

Now with Tesla I'm paying $149/month for:

• $250/500k
• $250k property
• $10k Medical
• $500 Collision
• $100 Comprehensive
• Roadside Plus

The main difference is that I haven't added my spouse yet which I think would increase it significantly but I might not as my wife avoids driving my car whenever possible lol.

 

[Waverider]

How quickly does the Tesla insurance go into effect? So once you get your quote and click on the submit payment button, are there other approval steps, or are you covered at that point?

Taking delivery tomorrow so I can either add the car to my GEICO coverage through the app instantly after delivery or try Tesla and save $300/6mo.

 

[Dariushd]

I'm in California and tried to get the Tesla insurance through Liberty Mutual as I was directed on the Tesla website. Online the quote was good, around $45/ mo less than my current Geico policy. I have two cars on the policy, a 2003 Prius and 2018 model 3. Both cars get around 4000 miles per year of use. When I contacted the Liberty agent and attempted to finalize the policy the numbers changed and suddenly the quote was now around $60/mo more than Geico. I politely declined. Was this just a typical bait and switch? I don't know but I was sorely disappointed.

For me in California, I have State Farm for multiple policies from homeowners to life and with two cars and the discounts State Farm was cheaper than Tesla’s online quote by an appreciable margin of several hundred bucks a year. Without the discounts would be a different story.

 

[tbwnm]

Quotes I received for Los Aneles for Model 3 ST+
Mercury $133 month
Tesla $121 month
Ameriprise (through Costco) $113

Coverage (both my wife and I on the policy with clean record):

Car Cost $45K
Bodily Injury $250/$500K
Property Damage $100K
Medical Payment $1K
Uninsured Motorist $100/$300K
Uninsured Motorist Property Damage $3,500
Deductible Collision $1k
Comprehensive Deductible $1K
Rental Car $50/$1,500 (Tesla just lists s In Network

 

[RubberToe]

How quickly does the Tesla insurance go into effect? So once you get your quote and click on the submit payment button, are there other approval steps, or are you covered at that point?

Taking delivery tomorrow so I can either add the car to my GEICO coverage through the app instantly after delivery or try Tesla and save $300/6mo.

Immediately.

 

[MARK123]

It could be the very first report with Tesla's own Insurance experience. (I could be wrong, but I googled a lot, haven't found anything similar online, feel free to beat me for the first experience)


================You can just read this instead of my whole story====================
A short version and something I want to highlight here:
1. My case, Tesla Insurance is cheaper than GEICO
2. No Tesla employees contacted me, at least for my case so far
3. You will still use old fashion Enterprise for your rental service, not Tesla
4. Based on my experience so far, I would say
Tesla Insurance is cheaper because they are using 3rd party insurance companies to provide the service
5. TBD

=====================Something for Tesla, or Elon Musk==============================
1. You should train your vendor / third-party guys better, at least ask them to declare they are under Tesla's umbrella when facing customers
2. As a customer, I DON'T expect to hear any other companies' name, I do not care your tricks as long as I do not know, play better please
3. For my case, your third-party guys are doing well so far
3. TBD

============================================Where My Story Begins===================

Okay, folks, I bought my Tesla Model 3 last year (2018), and was using GEICO starting from my first day, then transferred to Tesla's won Insurance on the very first day they published (Yes I live in SoCal, and yes Tesla Insurance on the very first day was very buggy).

9/13/2019
I was hoping I could never use it, but unfortunately, yesterday (9/13/2019) a motorcycle hit me on 405 HWY and ran away when I was just driving on the carpool.

So I called Telsa Insurance, the phone number provided in the insurance card after I off the HWY. A female picked my phone, collected my information, told me an adjuster would contact me in 1 or 2 business days; then she said me they are 3rd party company, not Tesla itself. (Wait, what!?, okay... that's my first shock)

After that, I also called 911 trying to report the hit&run, as that motorcycle's license plate number is easy to identify from my dash camera. An officer picked up and collected information and then transferred, then they told me it was too late to file a report, asking me to visit CHP to do so. Then they also told me Insurance should be fine without a police report for my case. (Yeah that was what I thought)

9/14/2019
Today, an adjuster called me around 2 pm PDT, reviewed my case, and told me I have to go to the police to fire a case. (Okay....) Lucky it was only around 2pm. So I did so and sent information back to the adjuster. BUT, I recognized her email address was a third-party insurance company named Crawford... NOT TESLA...
Additionally, in her email, she explained I could use a rental service while repairing later, but the current in-network rental provider is Enterprise... NOT TESLA...

TBD.....
I will keep posting with my updates.

 

[ibGeek]

How quickly does the Tesla insurance go into effect? So once you get your quote and click on the submit payment button, are there other approval steps, or are you covered at that point?

Taking delivery tomorrow so I can either add the car to my GEICO coverage through the app instantly after delivery or try Tesla and save $300/6mo.

Next day. So if you buy it now, tomorrow you are insured.

 

[Resist]

I thought everyone knew Tesla didn't make their own insurance company. Just like how Costco insurance isn't really a Costco company.

 

[Tam]

...it was too late to file a report, asking me to visit CHP to do so. Then they also told me Insurance should be fine without a police report for my case. (Yeah that was what I thought)...

I am not an expert but I think the CHP meant it's too late for them to write up a report at the accident scene but you should file one at CHP office instead.

It's California law that you must file a police report within 10 days if there's any:
fatality
$1,000 damage
injuries

I think your insurance will need that police report sooner or later.

 

[Resist]

It's California law that you must file a police report within 10 days if there's any:
fatality
$1,000 damage
injuries

Police reports are only needed if there are injuries. No matter how much damage is done to the car (without injury to people), no report is needed.

 

[jamaro]

Additionally, in her email, she explained I could use a rental service while repairing later, but the current in-network rental provider is Enterprise... NOT TESLA...

Pretty standard: the Tesla service center I used a few weeks ago had an Enterprise Rental desk in the service waiting room where the advisor arranged for a loaner (an S 85D) while my 3 was in the shop getting a new A/C compressor.

 

[Tam]

Police reports are only needed if there are injuries. No matter how much damage is done to the car (without injury to people), no report is needed.

Ok, I just look it up:

From the DMV handbook:

Collisions On Your Record
DMV retains information on every collision reported to DMV by:

• Law enforcement, unless the reporting officer states another person was at fault.
  
• You or another party involved in the collision, if any one person has over $1,000 in damage, or if anyone is injured or dies.

It does not matter who caused the collision; DMV must keep this record.


-------------

Traffic Accident Report SR 1


If you are involved in a vehicle accident that occurred in California, you must report it to DMV if:

• There was property damage of more than $1,000 ($750 for accidents prior to January 1, 2017) or
• Anyone was injured (no matter how minor) or
• Anyone was killed.

Each driver must make a report to DMV within 10 days, whether you caused the accident or not and even if the accident occurred on private property. Mail the completed report form to the address on the form.

 

[Mojito]

I dont get it if it is a hit and run should not the police get involve and get the motor cycle insurance information and file thru his insurance.

 

[Tam]

I dont get it if it is a hit and run should not the police get involve and get the motor cycle insurance information and file thru his insurance.

If the victim doesn't file a police report, the other hit-and-run driver might have filed one first and claimed to be a victim.

After 10 days, the insurance might pull up the police report and all of what they see is the other driver is the victim according to the system.

On the other hand, the victim now will have to fight off what insurance had just found out from the system that the victim is now accused of hit-and-run with a minimum of 90 to 365 days in jail and $1,000 to $10,000 fine.

 

[TomT]

In California, the cops or CHP won't even show up to an accident anymore unless there is an injury...

I am not an expert but I think the CHP meant it's too late for them to write up a report at the accident scene but you should file one at CHP office instead.