In business since 2017, Hippo Insurance offers exclusively homeowners and condo products. It has gained a reputation for excellent online service and unique claims options. However, Hippo does not offer in-person service and it is not offered in all 50 states.
Here, we look at the pros and cons of Hippo, how we arrived at our assessment, and we compare Hippo with other insurance carriers.
Our methodology
To review Hippo home insurance, we used the SimpleScore method, which looks at coverage options, discounts, customer satisfaction, support and website accessibility for every major provider. We go into more detail about our SimpleScore findings with Hippo later.
We analyzed Hippo home insurance reviews, as well as those of its competitors by looking at their SimpleScores, as well as third-party reviewers such as J.D. Power and Consumer Reports.
Great Digital Experience – Hippo
Hippo Insurance strives to offer a strong online experience, although in-person service is not an option.
- Great online experience
- Free smart home devices
- Unique coverage options
In The News
- When Hippo started selling home insurance in 2017, it earned a rave review in Forbes The author noted that the company was poised for success due to its financial backing “by top tier VCs, such as Horizons Ventures and GGV Capital, as well as a number of high profile FinTech investors, like Pete Flint, co-founder and CEO of Trulia, and Matt Humphrey, co-founder and CEO of LendingHome.”
- In June 2020, Hippo announced that it was acquiring Spinnaker Insurance Company, which would “expand Hippo’s smart home insurance policies’ geographical reach to all 47 US states where Spinnaker is licensed.”
- In July 2020, Hippo announced that it would be filing an IPO, and recently closed a $150 million financing round. The Insurance Journal noted that “Hippo is on track for more than $100 million of revenue in the next year.”
Hippo’s home insurance at a glance
| SimpleScore | 3.5/5 |
| In business | 2015 |
| States served | 34 |
| Best for | People who want affordable coverage |
| Not for | People who want a reputable provider |
| Standout features |
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| Available bundles | None |
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What we like about Hippo insurance
Unique coverage options
Hippo claims to offer modern home insurance coverage that homeowners need today. The company sells a wide variety of add-on coverages that most insurance companies don’t have, like smart home equipment coverage, house cleaning/sitters coverage and legal ordinance coverage. Customers can even get virtual home maintenance services to prevent small issues from becoming large claims.
Free smart home devices
Every new home insurance policy from Hippo comes with a free smart home monitoring system. The equipment is embedded with sensors that can protect your home against common perils, such as fires, theft and even water damage. After installing the smart home system, Hippo will automatically give homeowners a discount on their insurance premiums. While some other insurance companies offer anti-theft discounts, most don’t provide the actual equipment.
Who should get this policy
Hippo is a great home insurance company for the modern homeowner who wants comprehensive coverage and cares about protecting their home from any risk. It’s also ideal for homeowners who prefer to manage their insurance policies online, without having to work with a live agent or visit an agent in-person.
[Read: How to Find Cheap Homeowners Insurance in 2020]
Things to consider
No online claims
Even though Hippo has a great online experience, one thing it’s surprisingly lacking is online claims. In order to file a claim, customers need to contact a Hippo representative via phone or email. Once the claim is filed, however, customers can track the status online and get assistance from a dedicated claim concierge.
[ Read: How to File a Home Insurance Claim ]
No live agents
Some people prefer to manage their insurance the old-fashioned way — face-to-face with a live agent. Unfortunately, Hippo does not work with live agents in physical locations. If you enjoy the personalized experience of meeting with an insurance agent in-person, Hippo is probably not the right insurance company for you.
Who shouldn’t get this policy
Hippo is not the right fit for homeowners who don’t enjoy technology. One of the unique aspects of Hippo is its focus on technology and innovation, especially with its free smart home system and online interface. People who want a basic and traditional home insurance policy with the ability to meet with an in-person agent should look for home insurance elsewhere.
What we analyzed
Discounts
Hippo offers a variety of discounts to help homeowners save money on their home insurance. Customers can get a discount for:
- Signing a policy early
- Purchasing a new home
- Installing the free smart home device
- Having fire extinguishers in the home
- Being claims-free for several years
- Not having a mortgage
- Being part of an affinity group
- Being part of a homeowners association
- Living in a gated community
Coverage
Hippo is known for its robust coverage options. Every policy comes with standard coverage for their dwelling, personal property, liability, medical payments and loss of use. In addition, customers can purchase the following endorsements:
- Enhanced coverage for appliances and electronics
- Enhanced computer and home office coverage
- House cleaners and sitters coverage
- Water backup coverage
- Service line coverage
- Enhanced rebuilding coverage
- Full replacement cost coverage
- Legal ordinance changes coverage
Hippo also offers flood insurance through its partner, Neptune Flood, or through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Hippo also partners with companies to provide earthquake and windstorm insurance in certain states.
[ Read: What Is Loss of Use in Home Insurance? ]
Customer Satisfaction
Hippo is not rated by J.D. Power or the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), two of the leading industry rating organizations. However, the company has an ‘A’ rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and an average rating of 3.81 out of 5 stars.
Support
In terms of customer support, Hippo offers 24/7 phone support for general policy questions and claims. Customers can also email Hippo’s customer service team or login to their online account to make basic changes to their policy, or pay their bill.
Accessibility
Overall, Hippo’s website is easy to use. Prospective customers can apply for a quote online in less than one minute using Hippo’s online quote tool. Currently, Hippo does not offer online claims, but customers can track an existing claim through the online customer portal. The company maintains a blog and has an entire Learning Center dedicated to educational resources about home insurance.
Hippo home insurance vs. the competition
Great for fast claims processing – Lemonade
Lemonade is also a relative newcomer to the home insurance industry, offering AI-driven policy offerings and claims processing, sometimes in as little as three seconds, it says.
Lemonade is similar to Hippo in that it operates entirely online and only sells property insurance. Their websites even have a similar look and feel. However, Lemonade does not offer the same comprehensive coverage options or discounts that Hippo does. In fact, Lemonade offers basic coverage with the promise of affordable premiums. Hippo, on the other hand, does not advertise cheap coverage. This is where the two companies differ.
Read our full Lemonade review.
Great for accessibility – Progressive
Progressive fares better than Hippo in both accessibility and support, with a 5 out of 5 on their SimpleScore for both.
Progressive has excellent financial strength, but its home insurance offering only gets decent ratings. Like Hippo, Progressive has a good online experience, helpful resources and a variety of discounts. But Progressive falls short in terms of its coverage options. The company only offers two additional policy options, whereas Hippo offers eight endorsements. For homeowners who want to customize their policy, Hippo will be a better option.
Read our full Progressive review.
Great for discount options – Chubb
While Chubb only scores a 3 out of 5 in customer satisfaction with our SimpleScore, it offers a crazy-high number of discount options, at 26.
Chubb and Hippo are geared towards different audiences. While Hippo is ideal for technology-loving homeowners, Chubb is better for high-income homeowners who need to protect an expensive property. Chubb is unique in that it includes extended replacement cost coverage in its standard homeowners policies, which most companies don’t offer. It also has a variety of coverage options and discounts.
Read our full Chubb review.
[Read: The Best Homeowners Insurance Companies ]
Hippo’s home insurance rates
Hippo does not disclose its home insurance prices online. However, prospective customers can apply for a free rate quote online in less than one minute. Keep in mind that every homeowner pays a slightly different rate based on their age, state, claims-history, credit score, the size of their home, the condition of their home and more.
[ Read: The Average Cost of Home Insurance ]
Additionally, adding endorsements to your policy will increase your premium. The same goes for discounts. If you are able to take advantage of one or more discounts from Hippo, you’ll lower your annual premium.
Hippo online and mobile app
Hippo does not have a mobile app, but it does offer a few online tools. Customers can get a quote online or check out the online Learning Center for basic insurance education and questions. It also has an online portal where customers can log in to their account and make updates or changes to their policy. Currently, Hippo does not offer an option for online customer support or live chat.
Hippo home and condo insurance
Hippo does not offer renters insurance, auto insurance or life insurance, but it does offer condo insurance. As a result, homeowners don’t have the option to bundle their policies.
Hippo in the news
- In December 2020, it was reported that Hippo had raised $350 million to enable the company to reach more states. According to Pulse 2.0, Hippo’s goal is to reach 95% of the United States homeowners population within the next year.
- In November 2020, Hippo announced that it had partnered with Kangaroo to provide customers with more smart home technology. The new equipment, which is provided for free with every Hippo home insurance policy, will include a siren and keypad, water and climate sensor, motion and entry sensor and a Kangaroo protection yard sign.
Too long, didn’t read?
Despite the lack of ratings, Hippo is a great choice for homeowners insurance. The company focuses on online experience, comprehensive coverage and smart home technology. Some of the downsides of Hippo are that it does not offer online claims, a mobile app or in-person agents. But for the modern homeowner, Hippo offers the right coverages to protect your home against almost any peril.
We welcome your feedback on this article and would love to hear about your experience with the home insurance providers we recommend. Contact us at inquiries@thesimpledollar.com with comments or questions.
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