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

The Zebra is a quote-comparison website with multiple insurance products and good customer reviews, but it doesn’t offer instant quotes.

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.

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Sara Getman
Edited bySara Getman
Sara Getman
Sara GetmanAssociate Editor

Sara Getman is an Associate Editor at Insurify and has been with the company since 2022. Prior to joining Insurify, Sara completed her undergraduate degree in English Literature at Simmons University in Boston. At Simmons, she was the Editor-in-Chief for Sidelines Magazine (a literary and art publication), and wrote creative non-fiction.

Outside of work, Sara is an avid reader, and loves rock climbing, yoga and crocheting.

Mark Friedlander
Reviewed byMark Friedlander
Mark Friedlander
Mark FriedlanderDirector, Corporate Communications, Triple-I
  • 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 HuangVP, Marketing & Analytics
  • 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.

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Updated November 14, 2024

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*Quotes generated for Insurify users within the last 10 days. Last updated on November 14, 2024

Rates shown are real-time Insurify user quotes from 100+ insurance companies and Quadrant Information Services data. Insurify’s algorithm excludes anomalous quotes and anonymizes personal details, then displays refined quotes by price, date, and insurer popularity up to 10 days ago from November 14, 2024. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer’s unique driver profile.

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.

The Zebra is a popular quote-comparison website that has largely positive reviews, helpful agents, and partners with reputable companies. But The Zebra doesn’t offer instant, real-time quotes, and users can’t bind policies on its website. Instead, it shows partner insurance companies and redirects shoppers to the insurer’s website, where they’ll have to re-enter all their information and may receive a different quote.

Keep reading to learn about The Zebra to figure out whether it’s a good tool for you to compare car insurance rates.

Quick Facts
  • The Zebra might match users with only a couple insurers instead of multiple.

  • It has 4.2 stars on Trustpilot, with mostly positive reviews highlighting The Zebra’s agents.

  • 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 insurers. 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, address, and ZIP code.

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 and if you’ve had any tickets or accidents recently. It’ll also list some common discounts you may qualify for. The Zebra will only show policy start dates no more than 30 days out. 

The Zebra also requires users to give an email and phone number, and it’ll send automated texts until you unsubscribe.

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

Although the button says “Show quotes at this coverage,” The Zebra doesn’t show any quotes. Instead, it shows one of its partner insurers and the company’s highlights, discounts, add-ons, and other options. It then redirects users to the insurer’s website, where they’ll have to re-enter all their personal information to get a quote. The Zebra only offers two options, and users have to scroll all the way down to view a second insurer.

The Zebra reviews: What real customers are saying

Overall, The Zebra’s reviews are solid. Many people mention the company’s quick and easy online application, friendly customer service representatives, and an overall good experience. But it has some negative reviews, too. Some customers said it only matched them with a few insurance companies, others complained about not being able to see quotes, and others said that their quotes weren’t accurate.

Ratings

  • Shopper Approved: 4.8 out of 5 stars

  • Trustpilot: 4.2 out of 5 stars

  • Better Business Bureau (BBB): 2.89 out of 5 stars, A- rating

Reviews

The Zebra’s positive reviews largely focused on its excellent customer service and agency team.

The negative reviews focused on the lack of quotes from The Zebra, with many users accusing it of “data farming” and wasting their time.

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 75 national and regional insurance companies, whereas The Zebra’s network 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.

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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.

But Gabi only has about 40 insurers in its network. The Zebra works with more than 100 companies, so you might find fewer matches if you use Gabi.

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 Insurify’s experience. After navigating to Allstate’s and Root Insurance’s sites after The Zebra’s quoting process, we 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

If you’re thinking about shopping for car insurance using The Zebra, consider this additional information.

  • 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. The Zebra also 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.

  • Is The Zebra trustworthy?

    The Zebra is a reputable comparison platform. It has no history of scandals, financial issues, or data breaches. It advertises that it keeps your personal information safe, which is important considering you have to give them your email and phone number.

  • Does The Zebra run your credit?

    No. The Zebra states on its website that it doesn’t run your credit, and it didn’t request any credit information during the quote process.

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

Sara Getman
Edited bySara GetmanAssociate Editor
Sara Getman
Sara GetmanAssociate Editor

Sara Getman is an Associate Editor at Insurify and has been with the company since 2022. Prior to joining Insurify, Sara completed her undergraduate degree in English Literature at Simmons University in Boston. At Simmons, she was the Editor-in-Chief for Sidelines Magazine (a literary and art publication), and wrote creative non-fiction.

Outside of work, Sara is an avid reader, and loves rock climbing, yoga and crocheting.

Mark Friedlander
Reviewed byMark FriedlanderDirector, Corporate Communications, Triple-I
Mark Friedlander
Mark FriedlanderDirector, Corporate Communications, Triple-I
  • 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 HuangVP, Marketing & Analytics
Headshot of Andrew Huang, Directory of Analytics at Insurify
Andrew HuangVP, Marketing & Analytics
  • 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

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