- Erie Insurance Overview: Founded in 1925, Erie Insurance is a well-established regional insurer in 12 states plus D.C., known for its strong coverage options and customer satisfaction despite recent financial challenges.
- Unique Coverage Features: Erie’s standard homeowners policy includes guaranteed replacement cost, coverage for lost and misplaced items, hard-to-replace documents, and animal damage, which are often add-ons elsewhere.
- Coverage Tiers and Add-Ons: Erie offers three bundles—Advantage, Plus, and Select—that add features like identity recovery and equipment breakdown, along with optional coverages for floods, earthquakes, and more.
- Financial Strength and Challenges: While Erie’s financial position remains strong with a $9 billion surplus, it was downgraded by AM Best to A due to weather-related losses and rising claims, with a recent cybersecurity incident also impacting its operations.
- Customer Experience and Digital Tools: Erie emphasizes personal agent service over digital convenience; its mobile app has limited features, and online quotes are not available, which may be a drawback for tech-savvy customers.
Erie Homeowners Insurance Overview
Erie Insurance has been in business since 1925, founded in Erie, Pennsylvania, as an auto insurer before expanding into homeowners and other lines. A century later, it operates in 12 states and Washington, D.C., with more than 7 million active policies, 7,000+ employees, and 14,000 agents working through 2,200+ independent agencies. Erie Indemnity Company trades on NASDAQ under the ticker ERIE and ranks #323 on the 2025 Fortune 500 list.
What makes Erie different from the national carriers is what comes standard. Every ErieSecure homeowners policy includes guaranteed replacement cost coverage for your dwelling, which means Erie will pay whatever it costs to rebuild your home after a total loss, even if it exceeds your policy limit. Most carriers cap replacement cost at 120% to 125% of your dwelling coverage. Erie does not. The base policy also covers lost and misplaced items (not just stolen ones), hard-to-replace documents like deeds and passports, and animal-related damage. These are all add-ons or exclusions at most competitors.
The trade-offs are real. Erie is only available in 12 states. You cannot get an online quote. There is no way to file a claim through the app. And in September 2025, AM Best downgraded Erie’s financial strength rating from A+ (Superior) to A (Excellent) after five years of declining surplus driven by elevated weather losses and rising claims severity. Add a significant cybersecurity incident in June 2025 that shut down Erie’s systems for a month, and 2025 was a difficult year for the company. But the fundamentals remain strong: top-tier claims satisfaction, a loyal customer base with a 90.4% retention rate, and coverage depth that few competitors can match.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Guaranteed replacement cost is standard: Erie will pay whatever it costs to rebuild your home after a total loss, with no cap. This is the gold standard in dwelling coverage, and most carriers either do not offer it or charge extra for it.
- Coverage depth that rivals Chubb: The base ErieSecure policy covers lost and misplaced items, hard-to-replace documents (deeds, passports, bills), animal damage up to $500, gift card coverage if a business closes, and higher default limits on jewelry ($3,000/item). Three ErieSecure bundles (Advantage, Plus, Select) add identity recovery, underground service line coverage, equipment breakdown, and enhanced watercraft liability.
- Top-tier claims satisfaction: Erie ranked #3 in J.D. Power’s 2024 U.S. Property Claims Satisfaction Study with a score of 888 out of 1,000, trailing only Amica (906) and AIG (889). In 2023, Erie was #1 in the same study.
- Low complaint rate: Erie’s NAIC complaint index consistently falls below the industry baseline of 1.0. Complaints ticked up slightly in 2023 but came back down in 2024.
- Agent-based model with high satisfaction: 92.9% of customers say they would recommend Erie, and 92.9% plan to renew. The agent network provides personal service that digital-only carriers cannot match.
- Rate Lock available on auto: While primarily an auto feature, Erie’s Rate Lock prevents premium increases at renewal even after claims or accidents. This is rare in the industry and signals Erie’s commitment to long-term customer relationships.
Cons
- Only available in 12 states + D.C.: If you do not live in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, or Wisconsin, Erie is not an option.
- No online quotes: You must contact a local Erie agent to get a quote. There is no self-service quoting tool on the website or app. In 2026, this feels like a significant gap.
- Weak digital experience: The mobile app (iOS 4.1/5, Android 1.6/5) lets you view documents and pay bills, but you cannot file claims, request policy changes, or save ID cards to your digital wallet. The Android app, in particular, has poor reviews.
- AM Best downgrade in September 2025: Erie’s financial strength rating dropped from A+ (Superior) to A (Excellent) due to multi-year surplus declines, elevated weather losses, and rising claims severity. A (Excellent) is still a strong rating, but the trend matters.
- Cybersecurity incident in June 2025: Erie detected unusual network activity on June 7, 2025, and proactively shut down systems for a month. While no sensitive data was breached, two class action lawsuits were filed, and the outage disrupted service to all policyholders.
- Pricing can look expensive on paper: At ~$2,745/year (U.S. News), Erie appears pricier than the national average. But this includes guaranteed replacement cost and broader default coverage. The Insurify estimate of $1,656 for a $300K dwelling suggests Erie is competitive on an apples-to-apples basis.
Coverage Options
Standard ErieSecure Home Coverage
Erie’s base homeowners policy (ErieSecure Home) is an HO-3 form with several built-in enhancements:
Coverage Type | What It Covers | Notable Details |
Dwelling (A) | Your home’s structure, roof, walls, and built-in systems | Guaranteed replacement cost standard (no cap on rebuild costs) |
Other Structures (B) | Detached garages, sheds, fences | Typically, 10% of dwelling coverage |
Personal Property (C) | Furniture, electronics, clothing, belongings | Replacement cost: covers lost/misplaced items, not just theft |
Loss of Use (D) | Additional living expenses if the home is uninhabitable | Hotel, meals, temporary housing |
Personal Liability (E) | Lawsuits for bodily injury or property damage | Standard limits; umbrella available |
Medical Payments (F) | Medical bills for guests injured on your property | No-fault coverage |
Built-In Extras (Not Available at Most Competitors)
- Lost and misplaced items: Erie covers the mysterious disappearance of your belongings, not just theft. If you lose your wedding ring, that is a covered loss. Most competitors require proof of theft.
- Hard-to-replace documents: Coverage for the replacement cost of deeds, passports, bills, and other documents that would be difficult to recover after a loss.
- Animal damage: Coverage for damage caused by animals, up to $500 on the base policy.
- Gift card coverage: If a local business closes and you hold gift cards or certificates, Erie covers the loss.
- Jewelry, watches, firearms: Up to $3,000 per item on the base policy. Most standard policies cap jewelry at $1,500 to $2,500.
- Cash and precious metals: Covered up to $500.
ErieSecure Bundles
Erie offers three coverage tiers that build on the base policy:
- Advantage: Adds identity recovery coverage and increased limits on theft, lost/misplaced jewelry, silverware, and firearms. This is the entry-level bundle.
- Plus: Everything in Advantage, plus up to $10,000 in underground sewer and service line coverage, higher limits on watercraft and siding, and the option to add sewer/drain backup coverage.
- Select: The most comprehensive bundle. Adds equipment breakdown coverage, sewer/drain backup, extra watercraft liability, and even covers the cost of a criminal defense attorney in watercraft-related legal disputes.
Add-On Coverage
- Identity theft protection: ~$20/year to cover the costs of restoring your identity after theft.
- Earthquake coverage: Available as an endorsement in applicable states.
- Flood insurance: Available through Erie’s partnership with American Bankers Insurance Company or the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
- Sewer/drain backup: Optional on Plus and Select bundles.
- Umbrella insurance: Extended liability protection beyond your homeowners’ limits.
What’s Not Covered
Standard exclusions apply: flood damage (separate policy required), earthquake (add-on available), normal wear and tear, pest damage, and intentional damage. Guaranteed replacement cost requires that home improvements over $5,000 be reported within 90 days, and the coverage is not available in North Carolina (enhanced replacement cost is offered instead).
Pricing and Cost
Erie’s pricing is complicated because the base policy includes more coverage than most competitors with average ranges being a little all over the place. The spread between $1,656 and $2,985 is large. The key is understanding that Erie’s standard policy includes guaranteed replacement cost, lost items coverage, and higher default limits on jewelry and personal property. When you compare Erie to a State Farm or Allstate policy with equivalent coverage add-ons, the price gap shrinks significantly. Some customers report that Erie is actually cheaper when matched coverage-for-coverage.
Erie’s Rate Lock feature (primarily for auto) also signals a philosophy of stable pricing. The company uses 12-month policies rather than the industry-standard 6-month terms, which means fewer renewal cycles and more premium stability. However, this same feature slowed Erie’s ability to implement rate increases after catastrophe losses, which contributed to the September 2025 AM Best downgrade.
Discounts and Savings
Erie’s discount menu is shorter than carriers like Nationwide (12 discounts) or Liberty Mutual (11+), but the savings on each discount are meaningful:
Discount | Estimated Savings | Details |
Multi-policy (home + auto) | Up to 25% | Bundle home and auto for the largest discount; the life insurance bundle also qualifies |
Claims-free | Up to 20% | No claims or few claims in recent history |
New home | Varies (largest discount) | Newly built homes qualify for the biggest savings; the exact amount varies by state |
Safety devices | Up to 5% | Smoke alarms, sprinklers, burglar alarms, fire alarms |
Advance quote | Up to 5% | Get a quote 7 to 60 days before your current policy renewal date |
The claims-free discount (up to 20%) is one of the more generous in the industry for long-term, claim-free policyholders. But if you are someone who maximizes every possible discount, carriers like Nationwide or Liberty Mutual offer more categories to work with.
Claims Experience
Among the Best in the Industry
This is where Erie separates itself from most competitors:
- J.D. Power 2024 Property Claims: #3 overall with a score of 888 out of 1,000. Only Amica (906) and AIG (889) scored higher. In 2023, Erie was ranked #1.
- J.D. Power 2024 Home Insurance: #4 in the homeowners segment, behind Chubb, AIG, and Amica. Above the industry average.
- J.D. Power 2025 Home Insurance: Back in the top three. Score of 705 (well above the 642 industry average).
- NAIC Complaint Index: Consistently below the industry baseline of 1.0. Erie receives fewer complaints relative to its size than most carriers. There was a slight uptick in 2023, but 2024 showed improvement.
- Customer loyalty: 92.9% of Erie customers say they would recommend the company. 92.9% plan to renew their policies. These are among the highest retention and recommendation rates in the industry.
The one caveat is that a Pennsylvania Insurance Department market conduct examination was opened in September 2024, specifically reviewing hail damage claims in two zip codes from March to November 2023. This is worth monitoring, but it is a limited review, not a broad enforcement action.
How to File a Claim
- Call your local Erie agent during business hours
- Call Erie’s claims line at (800) 367-3743 (available 24/7, 365 days/year)
- File online through Erie’s website
Note: You cannot file a claim through the Erie mobile app. This is a significant gap compared to carriers like Nationwide, Lemonade, or USAA, which all support in-app claims filing.
Customer Service and Digital Experience
Agent-Centered Model
Erie’s service model is built around its network of 14,000 agents across 2,200+ independent agencies. Your local agent is your primary point of contact for quotes, policy changes, questions, and often claims. This is the opposite of the digital-first approach taken by Lemonade or Hippo, and it is a deliberate choice. Erie customers consistently rate the personal service highly.
Contact Options
- Local agent: Available during business hours for all policy needs
- Customer Care: (800) 367-3743, Monday to Friday 8 AM to 7 PM, Saturday 9 AM to 4:30 PM Eastern
- Claims: (800) 367-3743, available 24/7, 365 days/year
- Online chat: Weekdays 8 AM to 10 PM Eastern
- Email: Contact form on erieinsurance.com
Digital Experience
This is Erie’s weakest area. The company has not kept pace with digital expectations:
- No online quoting: You must contact an agent. There is no self-service quote tool.
- Mobile app (iOS): 4.1/5 stars. View policy documents, pay bills, and find your agent. No claims filing.
- Mobile app (Android): 1.6/5 stars based on 907 reviews. Frequent crash reports and limited functionality.
- No Apple Wallet integration for insurance cards.
- No in-app claims filing or policy changes.
If you value being able to manage your insurance entirely from your phone, Erie is not the right fit. The app is functional for basics (viewing documents, making payments), but lacks the features that have become standard at other carriers.
Financial Strength
Erie’s financial position is strong overall, but 2025 brought notable changes:
- AM Best: A (Excellent), downgraded from A+ (Superior) in September 2025. Outlook is stable.
- Reason for downgrade: Multi-year surplus declines driven by elevated weather losses and rising claims severity. Policyholders’ surplus decreased at a -0.5% CAGR over five years, a $231.8 million decline.
- Revenue: $3.8 billion in 2024. Q1 2025 revenue up 13.4% year-over-year.
- Net income: $600 million in 2024, up 35% year-over-year. Q1 2025 net income: $138.4 million.
- Policyholder surplus: Approximately $9 billion for Erie Insurance Exchange.
- Fortune 500: #323 on the 2025 list.
- Retention rate: 90.4%.
The AM Best downgrade in context: A (Excellent) is still the third-highest rating on AM Best’s scale, and the stable outlook means no further downgrade is expected in the near term. The downgrade reflects real financial pressure from weather-related catastrophe losses, but Erie remains well-capitalized with $9 billion in policyholder surplus and strong profitability ($600 million net income in 2024). For comparison, carriers like Travelers (A++) and USAA (A++) sit higher, while Hippo’s Spinnaker subsidiary (A-) sits lower. Erie can pay its claims.
June 2025 Cybersecurity Incident
On June 7, 2025, Erie detected unusual network activity and proactively shut down its systems. The outage lasted approximately one month, with full operations restored by July 7. Erie filed a Form 8-K with the SEC and worked with law enforcement and cybersecurity experts. Key findings:
- No evidence of ransomware.
- No evidence that sensitive personal information, financial records, or legally protected data was breached.
- Two class action lawsuits were filed (one by a policyholder, one by a former employee), each seeking more than $5 million in damages.
- AM Best confirmed that the incident did not affect Erie’s credit ratings.
The incident was disruptive but appears to have been handled responsibly. The month-long outage was frustrating for policyholders, but the proactive shutdown likely prevented a worse outcome. The lawsuits are pending.
Who Is Erie Good For?
Best For
- Homeowners who want the most comprehensive default coverage: Guaranteed replacement cost, lost items coverage, hard-to-replace documents, and higher jewelry limits are all standard. If coverage depth is your top priority, Erie delivers.
- People who value personal agent relationships: Erie’s 14,000-agent network provides the kind of personal service that digital carriers cannot match. If you want to sit across a desk from someone who knows your policy, Erie is built for that.
- Long-term, claim-averse policyholders: The claims-free discount (up to 20%) and Rate Lock (auto) reward loyalty. Erie’s 90.4% retention rate suggests that once people sign up, they tend to stay.
- Homeowners in the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, and Upper South: Erie’s 12-state footprint covers Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland, New York, and D.C. If you live in this corridor, Erie should be on your quote list.
Not Ideal For
- Anyone outside Erie’s 12-state footprint: This is the biggest limitation. Erie is not available in 38 states.
- Digital-first customers: No online quotes, a mediocre app, and an agent-required model mean Erie is a poor fit for anyone who wants to manage everything from their phone.
- Bargain hunters: Erie’s sticker price can look high, especially before you account for the additional coverage included. If you are optimizing purely for the lowest premium, other carriers will appear cheaper (even if they cover less).
- Discount maximizers: Five discount categories are solid but unremarkable. Nationwide, Liberty Mutual, and Farmers all offer more ways to save.
How to Get a Quote
Erie does not offer online quoting. To get a homeowner’s insurance quote, you have two options:
- Contact a local Erie agent: Use Erie’s agent finder at erieinsurance.com/find-an-agent. Agents can provide quotes in person, by phone, or by email.
- Call Erie directly: (800) 458-0811 to be connected with an agent in your area.
Tip: Get your quote at least 7 days before your current policy renewal date to qualify for the advance quote discount (up to 5%). Have your current policy declarations page handy so the agent can do a true apples-to-apples comparison.
How Erie Compares
Erie | Amica | State Farm | |
Overall Rating | 4.0 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 | 4.0 / 5 |
Avg. Annual Premium | ~$1,656-$2,745 | ~$1,281-$2,100 | ~$1,820-$2,300 |
AM Best Rating | A (Excellent) | A+ (Superior) | A+ (Superior) |
J.D. Power Claims | 888 / 1,000 (#3) | 906 / 1,000 (#1) | Not inthe top 5 |
NAIC Complaint Index | Below 1.0 baseline | 0.37 (lowest) | 0.72 |
Guaranteed Repl. Cost | Standard | Platinum Choice HO-5 | Add-on |
States Available | 12 + D.C. | 49 + D.C. | 48 + D.C. |
Best For | Coverage depth/agents | Overall quality | Bundling/availability |
Erie vs. Amica
These two share a lot of DNA: both are regional-leaning carriers with exceptional claims satisfaction, low complaint rates, and comprehensive coverage options. Amica edges Erie in almost every metric (J.D. Power #1 vs. #3, NAIC 0.37 vs. below 1.0, available in 49 states vs. 12), plus Amica offers dividend policies that return a portion of your premium. But if you live in Erie’s footprint and value guaranteed replacement cost as a standard feature, Erie’s coverage depth is genuinely comparable. The choice often comes down to which agent relationship you prefer and whether you value the dividend.
Erie vs. State Farm
State Farm is the largest homeowners insurer in the country and is available in 48 states. Erie beats State Farm on claims satisfaction (J.D. Power 888 vs. not in the top 5) and default coverage (guaranteed replacement cost is standard at Erie, an add-on at State Farm). State Farm wins on availability, digital tools, app quality, and discount variety. For homeowners in Erie’s footprint, Erie is the better product on paper. State Farm is the better choice if you need national availability or a fully digital experience.
Final Verdict
Erie Insurance earns a 4.0 out of 5 in our review. If you live in one of Erie’s 12 states, this should be one of the first quotes you get. The guaranteed replacement cost coverage alone sets Erie apart from nearly every competitor, and the base policy includes extras (lost items, hard-to-replace documents, animal damage, higher jewelry limits) that would cost you additional premium elsewhere. Claims satisfaction is among the best in the industry, the agent network is well-regarded, and the NAIC complaint data confirms that Erie treats its customers well.
The deductions come from real limitations. Erie is not available in 38 states. You cannot get a quote online. The mobile app, particularly on Android, is poor. The September 2025 AM Best downgrade from A+ to A signals financial pressure from weather losses, and the June 2025 cybersecurity incident raised questions about infrastructure resilience. These are not small issues.
But on the fundamentals that matter most when your roof is leaking, or your kitchen is on fire, Erie delivers. The coverage is deep, the claims process works, and policyholders overwhelmingly recommend it to others. If availability and digital experience were better, Erie would challenge Amica and USAA for the top spot in our reviews.
Our Methodology
This review uses a weighted scoring system: coverage options (25%), pricing and value (20%), claims experience (20%), customer service (15%), discounts and savings (10%), and digital experience (10%).
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to your questions about Erie home insurance.
Yes. Erie is widely regarded as one of the best homeowners’ insurers in the country among regional carriers. It ranked #4 in J.D. Power’s 2024 homeowners satisfaction study, #3 in claims satisfaction (888/1,000), and has one of the lowest NAIC complaint rates in the industry. The base policy includes guaranteed replacement cost coverage and several extras that competitors sell as add-ons. The main limitations are availability (12 states + D.C.) and a below-average digital experience.
Erie Insurance has been in business since 1925 and is approaching its 101st year of operation. Erie Indemnity Company is publicly traded on NASDAQ (ticker: ERIE) and ranks #323 on the 2025 Fortune 500 list. The company holds an A (Excellent) rating from AM Best, manages more than 7 million active policies, employs 7,000+ people, and generated $3.8 billion in revenue in 2024. Erie is one of the most established insurance companies in the United States.
In September 2025, AM Best lowered Erie’s financial strength rating from A+ (Superior) to A (Excellent). The downgrade reflected five years of declining policyholders’ surplus (down $231.8 million), driven by elevated weather-related catastrophe losses and rising claims severity in both homeowners and auto lines. Erie’s Rate Lock feature and 12-month policy terms also delayed the impact of rate increases. The outlook is stable, meaning AM Best does not expect further downgrades.
On June 7, 2025, Erie detected unusual network activity and proactively shut down all systems to contain the threat. The outage lasted about one month, with full operations restored by July 7, 2025. A forensic investigation found no evidence of ransomware or data breach. Two class action lawsuits have been filed but are pending. AM Best confirmed the incident did not affect Erie’s credit ratings.
