Buckle Insurance Review: Convenient Car Insurance for Ride-Share Drivers
Buckle provides quality, convenient insurance for ride-share and delivery drivers that covers your car during work and personal use.
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Editor's Rating
Buckle car insurance offers an inclusive policy that covers ride-share and delivery drivers and their cars during personal use and all ride-share or delivery phases. This is much more convenient that most other car insurance companies, which require you to purchase a separate ride-share policy or endorsement.
Having one policy whether you're driving for pleasure or work makes sense — it will mean fewer bills, one point of contact and less confusion. And gig workers may find Buckle's pricing more attractive because it uses your star rating to determine the cost of your insurance instead of checking your credit score.
Pros and cons
Pros
Specializes in insurance for ride-share and delivery drivers
No credit check
Easy to get online quotes
Cons
Doesn't offer coverage to non-ride-share or delivery drivers
Can't bundle home and auto insurance
Buckle Insurance: Our thoughts
Bottom line: People who drive for ride-share or delivery companies should get a quote from Buckle when shopping for car insurance. You'll benefit from having all of your needs covered by one company — if you ever have to file a claim, you'll avoid the confusion of figuring out which policy might cover the loss, and having one point of contact will save you time and frustration. Additionally, drivers can expect a positive customer service experience.
Buckle auto insurance is different from most major insurers because it offers people who drive for nine of the most popular rideshare and delivery companies the ability to purchase a single policy to meet all of their needs.
A Buckle policy covers you whether you're running personal errands, are on your way to pick up a delivery or have a paying passenger in the car. In contrast, many other companies require you to have a personal policy along with a separate ride-share policy or coverage add-on.
Having a single policy is beneficial for many reasons. One of the most important is that you'll only need to file a claim with one company if you're in an accident instead of spending time figuring out whether your loss is covered by your personal policy, ride-share policy or the ride-share company.
Buckle's pricing is also tailored to drivers who are part of the gig economy.
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Instead of using your credit score to determine your rate, the company uses your star rating from your ride-share or delivery company to determine the price you pay for car insurance.
Unfortunately, people who don't drive for a ride-share or delivery company can't buy car insurance from Buckle. You have to have an active account with a ride-share or delivery company to get a quote, so we were unable to access Buckle's rates.
How does Buckle insurance work?
Buckle offers insurance for ride-share drivers that covers you when you're driving your car for personal use, in between rides and while you have a passenger or delivery onboard.
The way that Buckle's coverage works varies based on the company you drive for.
Which company covers me, and when?
= Buckle
= Amazon Flex
= Uber
Company | App off | App on | En route or in progress[/tooltip] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Flex | covers liability covers damage | ||
| DoorDash | |||
| Favor | |||
| Gopuf | |||
| Grubhub | |||
| Instacart | |||
| Lyft | |||
| Uber and UberEats | covers liability covers damage | covers liability covers damage |
Buckle car insurance covers drivers who work with Lyft, Grubhub, Instacart, Gopuff, DoorDash and Favor 100% of the time.
Amazon Flex, Uber and UberEats all provide more limited coverage for drivers during specific periods, like when a rider or delivery is in your vehicle.
If your ride-share or delivery company's policy doesn't come with comprehensive and collision coverage, you can add it to your Buckle policy, and damage to your vehicle will be covered during all driving periods.
If your ride-share company does include this coverage but your deductible is higher than your Buckle deductible, Buckle will pay the difference.
How do I get Buckle insurance?
Drivers can purchase a Buckle car insurance policy on the company's website.
Since Buckle insurance is only available for ride-share and delivery drivers, you'll need to start by connecting your ride-share or delivery account to its secure system to get a quote. Buckle uses this information to verify your status as a driver and because the company uses your ride-share star rating to help calculate your car insurance rate instead of checking your credit score.
After linking your account, the process of getting a quote and purchasing a policy from Buckle is similar to most major insurers. As with most insurers, you'll also need to provide the vehicle identification numbers (VIN) for all of the cars you'd like to insure, along with your driver's license number, select your coverage options and provide payment information to get started.
Although Buckle coverage is limited to ride-share and delivery drivers, you can insure up to four vehicles on your policy — even ones that are only for personal use.
Where is Buckle Insurance available?
Buckle auto insurance is currently available in seven states and the District of Columbia.
Buckle auto insurance coverages and discounts
Buckle offers all of the auto insurance coverages you need to legally drive in your state, plus a few optional additions to enhance your policy:
Personal injury protection coverage is only available from Buckle in Maryland and Pennsylvania, the two states in its footprint where PIP is required by law.
Buckle has a number of discounts available to help drivers save money on their car insurance, including:
- Advance purchase discount
- Anti-theft device discount
- Car safety discounts
- Homeowner discount
- Multicar discount
- Paid-in-full discount
- Usage-based telematics discount
Although you have to participate in a ride-share or delivery program to purchase a Buckle policy, drivers can insure up to four vehicles, even if they're not all used for that purpose.
Buckle insurance customer service
Buckle is a newer company, but its auto insurance policies are underwritten by Gateway Insurance Company, which was established in 1986. Gateway has an "A" financial stability rating from Demotech, which serves as an alternative to AM Best. This is the third-best rating available from Demotech and means that the company has an exceptional ability to pay out claims, even in difficult economic times.
Policyholders are likely satisfied with the customer service and claims experience Buckle provides.
In terms of customer service, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) recorded zero customer complaints for Gateway in 2021.
Contact Buckle
Buckle makes it easy for drivers to communicate with them in whatever way you feel most comfortable:
- By phone at (866) 828-2553
- Via text at (866) 666-9099
- Through the website's live chat feature
- By email at [email protected]
Customer service is available Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturdays.
Frequently asked questions
Is Buckle Insurance legit?
Yes, Buckle is a legitimate insurance company. Its auto insurance policies are underwritten by Gateway Insurance, which has a strong financial strength rating from Demotech — that means it will be able to pay out claims even in difficult economic situations.
What states is Buckle Insurance available in?
Currently, Buckle auto insurance is available to drivers in Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Washington, D.C.
Methodology
Information about Buckle Insurance and its offerings was provided by Buckle's media department and gathered from its website. Customer satisfaction was determined by analyzing data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) complaint index and Demotech financial ratings for the company which underwrites Buckle's policies, Gateway Insurance.
Editorial Note: The content of this article is based on the author's opinions and recommendations alone. It has not been previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any of our network partners.