The Zebra Car Insurance Review: Consumer Reviews, Quotes (2024)

The Zebra is a quote-comparison website with a seamless user experience, multiple insurance products, and good customer reviews.

Elizabeth Rivelli
Elizabeth Rivelli
  • 5+ years writing insurance and personal finance topics

  • Auto, home, health, and life insurance expertise

Elizabeth has extensive insurance industry experience, having written for Insureon, Rate Retriever, and Insurify. She’s also finance and insurance editor for Car and Driver.

Featured in

media logomedia logomedia logo
Courtney Mikulski
Courtney MikulskiSenior Editor, Auto
  • 3+ years producing insurance and personal finance content

  • Main architect of the Insurify Quality Score

Courtney’s deep personal finance knowledge extends beyond insurance to credit cards, consumer lending, and banking. She thrives on creating actionable content.

Featured in

media logomedia logo
Mark Friedlander
Reviewed byMark Friedlander
Mark Friedlander
Mark FriedlanderDirector, Corporate Communications
  • Corporate communications director for Insurance Information Institute

  • 20+ years in insurance and communications

As Director, Corporate Communications for Triple-I, Mark serves as the non-profit’s national spokesperson, sharing information and education on a wide array of insurance issues.

Andrew Huang
Data reviewed byAndrew Huang
Headshot of Andrew Huang, Directory of Analytics at Insurify
Andrew HuangVice President, Performance Marketing
  • Chartered financial analyst

  • 12+ years in data analysis and marketing

Andrew applies his vast knowledge of analytics and insurance industry trends to help inform Insurify’s content and marketing efforts.

Featured in

media logomedia logomedia logo

Updated January 19, 2024

Save up to $717 by comparing quotes from the top 100+ insurance companies

Secure. Free. Easy-to-use.
Based on 3,806+ reviews
4.8/5
Shopper Approved
ProgressiveLiberty MutualTravelers
Advertiser Disclosure

At Insurify, our goal is to help customers compare insurance products and find the best policy for them. We strive to provide open, honest, and unbiased information about the insurance products and services we review. Our hard-working team of data analysts, insurance experts, insurance agents, editors and writers, has put in thousands of hours of research to create the content found on our site.

We do receive compensation when a sale or referral occurs from many of the insurance providers and marketing partners on our site. That may impact which products we display and where they appear on our site. But it does not influence our meticulously researched editorial content, what we write about, or any reviews or recommendations we may make. We do not guarantee favorable reviews or any coverage at all in exchange for compensation.

Why you can trust Insurify: Comparing accurate insurance quotes should never put you at risk of spam. We earn an agent commission only if you buy a policy based on our quotes. Our editorial team follows a rigorous set of editorial standards and operates independently from our insurance partners. Learn more.

Today, it’s easier than ever to purchase a car insurance policy online. You don’t need to pick up the phone or walk into a local insurance agency. If you search online for car insurance, you’ll probably come across a couple of quote-comparison platforms where you can see rates from many different insurers in just a few minutes.

However, not all quote-comparison platforms are reliable. Some websites actually collect your information and sell it to insurance companies rather than giving you real quotes.

We reviewed The Zebra, one of the most-visited quote-comparison websites, to figure out whether it’s a good tool for you to compare car insurance rates.

Quick Facts
  • The Zebra makes it easy to compare quotes for many different insurance products.

  • Its reviews on Trustpilot are mostly positive, but some shoppers complained about receiving few quotes.

  • Users won’t find real-time quotes with The Zebra — they must finish the quote process with one of its partner insurance companies.

The Zebra at a glance

The Zebra is an insurance quote-comparison platform that works with more than 100 insurance companies to provide quotes in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. You can compare quotes for lots of different insurance products on The Zebra, including car insurance, homeowners insurance, renters insurance, and pet insurance.

The company was founded in 2012 as a way to simplify the experience of shopping for insurance. Since then, The Zebra has produced more than 18 million insurance quotes.

Using The Zebra can be a great way to compare auto insurance quotes with little effort. But the platform has some downsides that are important to consider. Here are several pros and cons of The Zebra:

Pros
  • Works with more than 100 insurance companies

  • Offers quote comparisons for multiple insurance products

  • Could potentially help you find a cheaper insurance policy

Cons
  • Doesn’t offer real-time quotes

  • Might match you with only a few insurers

  • Must go back through the application to choose different coverage limits

How does The Zebra work?

The Zebra helps streamline the process of comparing insurance quotes. After you fill out the online application, it matches you with a list of insurance companies that provide coverage in your area.

To start, you fill out your personal information and answer some questions about your current coverage.

Then, you’ll answer questions about your vehicle, including its year, model, make, trim package, whether you own it or finance it, and how long you’ve had it.

You continue answering questions about yourself, including if you want to add other drivers to your policy, if you’ve had any tickets or accidents recently, and how long you’ve had any gaps in coverage.

Finally, The Zebra creates four coverage packages you can choose from: Minimum, Better, Best, and Customize it. These packages vary in coverage levels, with Minimum including liability coverage plus comprehensive and collision coverages with $1,000 deductibles. However, you can customize your options in the Customize it package and decline optional coverages.

When you choose your coverage package, The Zebra then shows you its partners that it believes are your best match. However, The Zebra doesn’t provide any real-time quotes; when I got to the end of the process, I had to click through to the partner websites to fill out my personal information again to get my final quote.

Find Affordable Car Insurance

Compare rates from 70+ top insurers and save

Secure. Free. Easy-to-use.
Based on 3,806+ reviews
4.8/5
Shopper Approved
ProgressiveLiberty MutualTravelers

The Zebra reviews: What real customers are saying

Overall, The Zebra’s reviews are good. Many people mention the company’s quick and easy online application, friendly customer service representatives, and steep savings. But it has some negative reviews, too. Some customers said they were only matched with a few insurance companies, and others said that their quotes weren’t accurate.

Ratings

  • Shopper Approved: 4.8 out of 5 stars

  • Trustpilot: 3.8 out of 5 stars

  • Sitejabber: 3.72 out of 5 stars

Reviews

Many of the negative reviews on Trustpilot point to the same issue I experienced with the quote process, and users expressed disappointment that they didn’t receive real-time quotes.

However, many positive reviews cite professional and helpful brokers who can help drivers get the coverage they need.

The Zebra vs. Insurify

Insurify is a real-time quote-comparison tool that makes it easy to compare rates for many types of insurance. Insurify is a licensed insurance broker in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

While Insurify’s model is similar to The Zebra’s, they have their differences. Insurify has a network of more than 300 national and regional insurance companies, whereas The Zebra’s network only has about 100 companies.

Insurify allows you to adjust your coverage levels on a sidebar when comparing quotes so you can easily see how different policy limits will affect your rate. With The Zebra insurance, you have to go back through the application to choose a different level of coverage, so it’s not as seamless. Insurify also shows you real-time quotes so you can purchase your policy on its website, while The Zebra navigates you to its partners’ websites to get your quote and finish buying your policy.

How Long Does It Take to Get Car Insurance? A Consumer Guide

How Long Does It Take to Get Car Insurance? A Consumer Guide

The Zebra vs. Gabi

Gabi is a newer online quote-comparison platform owned by credit bureau Experian. Unlike The Zebra, Gabi’s focus is on helping users save money by switching insurance companies.

After you sign up, Gabi uses the account credentials for your current insurance policy to find your coverage types and policy limits. Then, it provides quotes for the same coverage you have from different insurers, with potentially lower auto insurance rates.

All of this sounds great; however, there are only about 40 insurers in Gabi’s network. The Zebra works with more than 100 companies, so you might find fewer matches if you use Gabi.

The Zebra vs. Compare.com

Compare.com makes it easy to compare insurance quotes online without calling an agent. The company claims it has more than 7 million customers, which is a good sign that Compare.com is a reliable way to find affordable insurance.

Through Compare.com, you can get quotes for many different types of insurance, including car, home, motorcycle, renters, life, and health insurance. The company has more than 75 insurance companies in its network, but The Zebra still has more insurance company partners.

One of the best features of Compare.com is that you can compare costs for products and services other than insurance, which The Zebra doesn’t offer. For example, you can compare mobile phone plans, medical procedures, electric vehicles, and more.

Find Affordable Car Insurance

Rates start as low as $20 per month for liability coverage

Secure. Free. Easy-to-use.
Based on 3,806+ reviews
4.8/5
Shopper Approved
ProgressiveLiberty MutualTravelers

The Zebra auto insurance discounts

Most car insurance companies offer discounts, which can lower your premium. Because The Zebra works with more than 100 insurance companies, the discounts you can take advantage of depend on which insurers The Zebra matches you with.

Here are some common car insurance discounts you might be able to find:

  • Policy bundling discount: If you purchase home and auto insurance from the same insurance company, you can usually qualify for a lower premium or a significant discount on both policies.

  • Payment discount: Insurers might offer discounts for paying your premium in full, enrolling in auto pay, or signing up for paperless policy statements.

  • Good driver discount: If you have a clean driving record with no accidents or tickets for the past three to five years, many insurance companies will give you a discount.

  • Military or veteran discount: Active-duty military and veterans can often save money on their car insurance.

  • Defensive driver discount: Some insurers will offer a discount if you complete an approved defensive driving course.

Is The Zebra a spammy site?

Some users on Trustpilot and Sitejabber complained that they received calls and texts after using The Zebra, but that wasn’t my experience. After navigating to Allstate’s and Root Insurance’s sites after The Zebra’s quoting process, I didn’t receive any calls or texts.

If you’re concerned about the personal information The Zebra may have about you, you can visit its privacy request page, input your email address, and follow the steps to verify your identity to review your profile.

The Zebra FAQs

Here are answers to some commonly asked questions about The Zebra.

  • Is The Zebra a good site for car insurance quotes?

    The Zebra (thezebra.com) is a solid insurance comparison site. The application process is simple, and you can get matched with quotes from more than 100 insurance companies. We also like that The Zebra offers quotes for a variety of insurance products, not just car insurance.

  • How does The Zebra make a profit?

    Similar to insurance agencies, The Zebra uses a commission-based business model. That means the company only makes money when a customer applies online and purchases a policy from one of its partner companies. The Zebra also makes money when a customer buys insurance from one of its licensed insurance agents after getting personalized quotes.

  • How is Insurify different from The Zebra?

    Insurify and The Zebra are both online quote-comparison tools that have simplified the process of comparing insurance quotes. However, Insurify has a network of more than 300 insurance companies, whereas The Zebra has a much smaller network of only about 100 insurers. Also, Insurify is officially accredited by the Better Business Bureau with an A+ rating, while The Zebra only has an A rating.

Elizabeth Rivelli
Elizabeth Rivelli

Elizabeth Rivelli is a freelance writer covering insurance and personal finance. She has extensive knowledge of various insurance lines, including property and casualty, health, and life insurance. Her byline has been featured in dozens of publications, including Investopedia, Forbes, Bankrate, NextAdvisor, and Insurance.com

Courtney Mikulski
Edited byCourtney MikulskiSenior Editor, Auto
Courtney Mikulski
Courtney MikulskiSenior Editor, Auto
  • 3+ years producing insurance and personal finance content

  • Main architect of the Insurify Quality Score

Courtney’s deep personal finance knowledge extends beyond insurance to credit cards, consumer lending, and banking. She thrives on creating actionable content.

Featured in

media logomedia logo
Mark Friedlander
Reviewed byMark FriedlanderDirector, Corporate Communications
Mark Friedlander
Mark FriedlanderDirector, Corporate Communications
  • Corporate communications director for Insurance Information Institute

  • 20+ years in insurance and communications

As Director, Corporate Communications for Triple-I, Mark serves as the non-profit’s national spokesperson, sharing information and education on a wide array of insurance issues.

Andrew Huang
Data reviewed byAndrew HuangVice President, Performance Marketing
Headshot of Andrew Huang, Directory of Analytics at Insurify
Andrew HuangVice President, Performance Marketing
  • Chartered financial analyst

  • 12+ years in data analysis and marketing

Andrew applies his vast knowledge of analytics and insurance industry trends to help inform Insurify’s content and marketing efforts.

Featured in

media logomedia logomedia logo

Compare Car Insurance Quotes Instantly

Secure. Free. Easy-to-use.
Based on 3,806+ reviews
4.8/5
Shopper Approved
ProgressiveLiberty MutualTravelers

Latest Articles

View all