In this Gabi Insurance review, you’ll learn about the company’s unique AI price comparison technology, its pros and cons, and when it makes sense to buy insurance through the platform.
Gabi Insurance Basics
Gabi is an insurance agent that helps you find the best insurance deals by comparing rates from more than 40 insurance companies. It was purchased by Experian in 2021, but still operates under the Gabi brand name.
You can utilize the service for:
- Auto insurance
- Home insurance
- Renters insurance
- Condo insurance
- Landlord insurance
- Umbrella insurance
- Motorcycle insurance
- RV insurance
Gabi’s starting point is your current insurance policy.
You can upload a copy of your existing policy or allow Gabi to access your online insurance account. Gabi then searches policies from its network of carriers to find a better deal than your current one, as well as for any discounts that may be available from your current insurer that you’re not taking advantage of.
Once your policy is uploaded or your account is connected, you’ll see initial rates within two minutes. However, these rates may change upon further underwriting from the insurance company (more details below).
You can then buy the new policy directly through Gabi.
Gabi is a fully-licensed insurance agent in all 50 states, which sets them apart from other insurance rate comparison sites like Zebra — a fact that we’ll discuss in more detail in the section below.
9 Things to Know About Gabi Before Getting a Quote
- Gabi is an independent agent, not just a comparison rate shopping tool. That means you’re buying the policy from Gabi without having to finish the process on the insurer’s website.
- Gabi gives you access to 40+ insurance companies. However, don’t expect to see quotes from 40 different carriers; many companies are only available in certain states, and some specialize only in certain types of insurance.
- Their quoting process is fastest when you can connect your existing insurance account. If you have to upload a PDF, it will need to be manually verified before you’re allowed to see rates.
- The initial quote you get may change. You get an initial quote up-front, based on your current policy. This quote has to be approved by the insurance company, which often requires verifying your driving record, loss history and other variables. This process can take 24 hours, although we received approval in less than one hour.
- There’s no guarantee the coverage of your existing policy is the same as the quoted policy. Gabi tries to match the coverage on your existing policy to the coverage on your quoted policy as closely as possible, but you need to review the coverage details to ensure you’re getting a true apples-to-apples quote.
- Gabi doesn’t help with obtaining the correct coverage. Instead, it assumes that the coverage on your existing policy is correct.
- Gabi recommendations are ordered based on price. While price is important, make sure to check that the coverages are the same. In some cases, the right policy for you may not be the cheapest one.
- You’re asked to submit payment information before you see approved rates. While Gabi doesn’t charge you until you’ve seen the final rate and approved it, you’re asked to submit your payment details in order to receive those rates.
- Gabi wasn’t over-the-top in trying to sell the policy. After I applied for a quote, I only received one automatically generated email and text. There have been no phone calls.
How Is Gabi Different from Zebra and Other Comparison Sites?
Comparison sites, also known as aggregators, allow you to compare prices across multiple websites and providers. However, those sites do not sell you the actual insurance policy. Once you click through or submit your information, their work is done.
An aggregator typically gets paid by selling your data, or earns a commission from the insurance company. In that way, they operate very much like Kayak or Expedia does when you’re searching for flights or hotels.
Gabi is an independent insurance agent. They actually sell you the insurance policy, and then provide continuous service throughout the life of that policy.
Gabi makes money when you purchase a policy from one of their carriers, which is typically a percentage of the total premium. Zebra and other large aggregators generate money via clicks or leads, whether a user ends up buying the policy or not.
Gabi’s business model — best defined as a nationwide independent agent — isn’t new. It’s been around for decades, and chances are you have a few independent insurance agents operating close by.
But Gabi has differentiated itself from more traditional independent and localized agents with its AI quoting technology, which makes it easier to compare prices across multiple policies, both when you’re looking to save money up-front and then once you become a customer.
Once you become a customer, if Gabi sees your rates have gone up by 8% or more at renewal, they’ll automatically re-shop for your policy to see if they can find savings through their carrier network.
Insurance Providers That Gabi Works With
Gabi works with more than 40 insurance companies.
Some of the most prominent include:
- 21st Century Insurance
- AAA
- Acuity
- Allstate
- Aspire
- Berkshire Hathaway
- Clearcover
- CSE
- Encompass
- Foremost
- Gainsco
- Hippo
- Kemper Specialty
- Lemonade
- Mercury Insurance
- Mapfre
- MetLife
- Nationwide
- Oregon Mutual
- Plymouth Rock
- Safeco
- Travelers
My Experience with Gabi
When getting a home insurance quote from Gabi, I connected my existing account (Esurance), as shown in the screenshot below.
From there, I answered a few follow-up questions:
And, within minutes, I received initial rates:
In my case, Gabi found quite the savings with Travelers Insurance.
As noted below, however, the specific details of the coverage provided by carriers may be different. So, it’s important to click on “View Details” to make sure the coverage is indeed the same.
Once I clicked “Select,” I entered the rest of my contact information, which allowed Gabi to pull up an accurate loss history on my home.
From there, I was asked to submit my payment details.
I was surprised that I was asked to submit payment details at this point. After all, these rates aren’t final yet.
While Gabi notes that I won’t be charged until I approve the policy, this is different from other times I’ve shopped for insurance. Typically, payment details are among the final pieces of information an insurance company or agent collects — and only after final rates have been given.
My assumption is that the close rate is higher when asking for payment details upfront because it eliminates an obstacle later on in the buying process.
Regarding the difference in initial quotes vs. approved rates: this is a necessary step because the insurance company needs to verify that your application details are correct. Factors they’re confirming include your driving record, loss history and credit score. A soft pull is used to check your credit report, which doesn’t impact your score.
Back to my quote: since my insurance is billed through my mortgage provider, I entered my escrow details and clicked “Continue.” About one hour later, Gabi confirmed the rates I was shown in the initial review.
To purchase the policy, I would then go back to Gabi’s website to complete the transaction.
Gabi Customer Support Options
Gabi provides multiple customer support options to assist with inquiries. Users can access support through the Gabi app, via email at [email protected], or by contacting a personal advisor assigned after selecting a quote. The company also maintains a physical location at 512 2nd St, Ste 3, San Francisco, CA 94107, and can be reached by phone at 323-375-1121.
Gabi Insurance Reputation
After reviewing user feedback and complaints across various platforms, a recurring issue with Gabi seems to be the inaccuracy of initial insurance quotes. Many customers have reported that their initial quotes were not only revised, but were also sometimes significantly lower than what they were actually asked to pay, leading to unexpected costs.
This is similar to many insurance brokerages, as final quotes are only processed once all information is gathered. That’s in part because MVR (Motor Vehicle Reports) and credit scores cost agents money to pull. However, since Gabi is now part of Experian (a leading credit reporting agency) one might expect more accurate initial quotes, given the potential for streamlined access to credit information.
Gabi Insurance FAQs
A credit check isn’t required to get an initial quote. However, there often is a soft credit check, which does not impact your score, to get your approved rates. This credit check is performed by the insurance company, not Gabi.
Gabi doesn’t cancel your existing policy for you. However, they do provide guidance for how to cancel your policy as efficiently as possible.
Gabi doesn’t sell your information. This is much different than most comparison rate shopping tools, whose primary source of revenue is selling your information.
Gabi allows you to earn a $25 Amazon gift card when referring a friend. You’ll get a personalized link after applying for a quote (purchasing coverage isn’t necessary).
Gabi Insurance Review Summary
Gabi’s innovative price comparison service is worth checking out. Many of the insurance companies they work with are highly-rated carriers that only sell through independent agents. And, if you’re not someone who continuously shops your policy for better rates, their ability to do so on your behalf can save you money in the future.
The one drawback is that there’s very little guidance on coverage recommendations. So, make sure you have the proper coverage before applying, or that you fully understand what you need.
“A broker or Agent” are 2 different things, Gabi is a broker, which means they sell you insurance, but they do NOT provide any service or help beyond selling you the policy. An Agent continues to provide service after you sign up with them.
Thanks for the comment and thanks for reading! You’re right, and we edited the post to clarify that point.
Horrendous service!
Matt Behrend was in contact with me repeatedly with constant demands that I complete my registration for a new policy with Travelers. He initially quoted me a price of $44 dollars a month. He later came back and informed me that the quote changed upward to $79 dollars! How can any responsible company who is trying to get me to switch over, quote me low then so high? Who the hell needs this service? Matthew then tried to get me to choose another insurer, to only do the same damn thing. The next quote obviously included his extra compensation fee after telling me one number then raising that figure upward again!
I will never do business with Gabi ever again and I will use social media to complain about the horrendous service! Don’t trust them!
Hi John,
Most insurance companies run a credit and motor vehicle report, which costs them money only after potential customers are willing to move forward with the initial quote price.
In many cases, the credit or motor vehicle results will adjust the price, which is what I think happened here.
Agents/brokers typically have little to no wiggle room to adjust the price to increase their commission when it comes to home/auto insurance. You see it on larger commercial accounts, but then again, most states require clients sign a disclosure form that they’re taking additional compensation.
Nonetheless, sorry about the constant demands that you experienced with Gabi.