With no less than 20 insurance coverage insurance policies and a decade protecting the business below my belt, I used to be tempted to assume I’ve seen all of it relating to insurance coverage. However Lemonade, a digital insurance coverage firm, actually simplifies insurance coverage procuring, shopping for, and claims for individuals who have higher issues to do. And don’t all of us?
Lemonade is reasonably priced, tech-savvy, and super-easy to make use of. It’s additionally critical about giving again, sending a major share of premiums to charities chosen by its policyholders. It’s not good, however it’s positively price a more in-depth look if you happen to’re available in the market for a brand new property, life, auto, or pet insurance coverage coverage.
What Is Lemonade?
Lemonade is an internet insurance coverage firm that gives a number of kinds of insurance coverage for customers. Its insurance coverage merchandise embody:
That each one sounds fairly customary, however Lemonade isn’t your run-of-the-mill insurance coverage firm. They deal with the cash you give them as your cash. If on the finish of the yr, they’ve money left over, they take what quantities to a upkeep charge and donate the remainder of it to the charity of your alternative.
And Lemonade doesn’t simply do proper by its policyholders. As a licensed B-corp, a company that operates as a lot to profit society as become profitable, Lemonade’s enterprise mannequin incorporates revenue, folks, and planet. Lemonade vegetation timber to offset its automotive insurance coverage clients’ carbon emissions and donates a portion of its annual income to charity. And by some means, it’s nonetheless one of many extra reasonably priced insurance coverage firms round.
How Lemonade Insurance coverage Stacks Up
Lemonade stacks up effectively in opposition to larger insurance coverage firms regardless of its extra restricted vary of merchandise and shorter observe file.
However is Lemonade your best option for you? See the way it compares to Progressive, the USA’ greatest auto insurer and third-biggest property casualty insurance coverage firm total.
| Lemonade | Progressive | |
| Sorts of Insurance coverage | Dwelling, renters, auto, pet well being, life | All that and extra |
| Premiums | Beginning at $5 per thirty days for renters insurance coverage | Minimums undisclosed |
| Bundle Reductions | Sure | Sure |
| A.M. Greatest Score | N/A | A+ (Superior) |
What Units Lemonade Aside?
There’s no scarcity of respected insurance coverage firms desperate to seize your insurance coverage premiums. It’s all a bit overwhelming.
Happily, Lemonade stands out from the pack for a number of huge causes.
- Inexpensive Premiums. Lemonade could be very reasonably priced. Like, starving-student reasonably priced. Renters insurance coverage premiums begin at simply $5 per thirty days, life insurance coverage premiums at simply $9 per thirty days, and pet medical health insurance premiums round $10 per thirty days. However the choices are additionally scalable, which means the remainder of us can probably discover the fitting protection too. We’ll simply pay extra for it.
- Social Duty. Lemonade doesn’t simply pay lip service to social accountability and environmental stewardship. It donates critical cash to charity and goes above and past to offset auto insurance coverage clients’ carbon emissions.
- Tremendous-Straightforward to Apply and File a Declare. Lemonade is probably the most tech-savvy insurance coverage firm I’ve come throughout to this point. It takes only a few minutes to use for and activate a brand new coverage, and the all-digital claims course of is a breeze too.
Lemonade Insurance coverage Merchandise & Pricing
Lemonade affords a restricted however helpful mixture of merchandise. You’ll be able to bundle any mixture of Lemonade insurance coverage varieties to snag a bundle low cost. The precise quantity of the low cost varies relying on which insurance policies you mix and what number of you might have, however count on no less than 10% off the mixed premium.
Lemonade affords 5 kinds of insurance coverage merchandise.
Renters Insurance coverage
Lemonade’s renters insurance coverage insurance policies begin at simply $5 per thirty days. That’s considerably cheaper than many rivals, so take observe if you happen to’re on a good funds.
One partial clarification for Lemonade’s affordability is that your coverage is totally customizable, and your premium relies on your protection limits. You set your protection limits based mostly on the worth of the stuff you need to insure, the non-public legal responsibility limits you assume you want, and your required short-term dwelling expense allowance.
Lemonade renters insurance coverage contains three core kinds of protection:
- Private Property Protection. Lemonade protects the contents of your condo or dwelling — something not owned by the property proprietor or thought-about a part of the dwelling itself — in opposition to coated perils, similar to fireplace, storm injury, inner water leaks, and theft. You could have to pay a bit further so as to add endorsements (aka riders, that are add-on insurance policies for particular circumstances) for beneficial objects like positive artwork and musical devices.
- Legal responsibility Protection. Lemonade may help cowl the price of lawsuits as a result of accidents that occur inside your rented dwelling. It additionally covers medical bills for folks injured in your house.
- Non permanent Residing Bills (Loss-of-Use Protection). In case your rented dwelling turns into unlivable for a coated cause, similar to a burst water pipe or fireplace, Lemonade pays for various dwelling preparations, similar to a resort or condo sublease.
Condominium or Householders Insurance coverage
Lemonade affords reasonably priced householders insurance coverage for individuals who personal indifferent, single-family properties and condominium insurance coverage for individuals who personal townhomes or condominium items in bigger buildings. Protection begins at $25 per thirty days — once more, decrease than many rivals.
That stated, householders insurance coverage premiums are extra risky than renters insurance coverage premiums as a result of properties range so extensively in worth. When you reside in a $1 million dwelling, you must pay much more than $25 per thirty days. However you’re in all probability used to that.
Your premiums rely upon the worth of your house’s contents, your legal responsibility limits, and your short-term dwelling expense allowance. As with renters insurance coverage, Lemonade makes it straightforward to customise these variables. You’ll be able to set a excessive deductible if you happen to’re keen to pay extra out of pocket after a declare or hold it low if you happen to’re keen to pay a better premium to restrict your out-of-pocket publicity.
As with different insurance coverage firms, householders and condominium insurance coverage premiums additionally range based mostly on components like:
- The worth of your house
- The estimated price to rebuild it after a complete loss
- Its age
- Its location
- The age and kind of roof
- Its development kind and supplies
Like just about all householders insurance coverage firms, Lemonade has escrow preparations with all main dwelling lenders and mortgage servicing firms. If you wish to embody your householders insurance coverage fee in your month-to-month mortgage fee — often known as “escrowing the fee” — it’s a snap to arrange.
Pet Well being Insurance coverage
Lemonade affords pet insurance coverage for pet house owners who need to offset the price of their furry associates’ medical care.
Premiums begin at $10 per thirty days however range based mostly on pet-specific components like species, breed, age, and recognized medical situations. Premiums additionally range based mostly in your protection limits and reimbursement share (coinsurance share).
You’ll get a 5% low cost you probably have a number of pets in your coverage and one other 5% low cost if you pay your premium yearly as an alternative of month-to-month. So you probably have two pets and sufficient within the financial institution to cowl a three-digit annual fee, Lemonade affords compelling worth.
Lemonade’s pet medical health insurance insurance policies are complete too. They cowl:
- Diagnostics like urinalysis, X-rays, MRIs, heartworm checks, and lab work
- One wellness examination per yr
- Routine dental cleansing
- As much as three vaccinations per yr
- Outpatient providers
- Specialty care
- Emergency providers, together with surgical procedure
- Scheduled surgical procedure
- Inpatient stays (hospitalization)
- Prescription medicines and in-office injections
- Limitless on-line chat with veterinary medication consultants — which is decidedly not customary within the pet insurance coverage world
And you may customise your coverage’s annual protection restrict, deductible, and coinsurance share.
Automotive Insurance coverage
Lemonade’s auto insurance coverage insurance policies begin at $30 per thirty days. As with different kinds of insurance coverage, your premiums range based mostly on components like:
- Your automobile make and mannequin
- Your automobile’s powertrain kind — Lemonade clients pay much less to insure electrical and hybrid autos than totally gas-powered autos
- Your driving habits and the way a lot you drive annually
- Your automobile’s age
- Your coverage deductible
- Your protection limits for every kind of protection on the coverage — legal responsibility protection and collision protection typically have completely different limits, for instance
- What kinds of protection your coverage contains — non-obligatory coverages like collision and complete protection price extra
Lemonade’s auto insurance coverage insurance policies include further coverages and perks like roadside help, towing protection, and glass protection. When you drive an electrical automobile or plug-in hybrid, Lemonade covers your charging tools and affords emergency roadside charging as effectively. These perks make Lemonade an acceptable alternative if you would like peace of thoughts on the street however can’t see the worth in paying for a AAA membership.
There’s one potential deal-breaker for some drivers. Lemonade requires you to make use of an app to trace your driving based mostly in your location. It’s commonplace for automotive insurance coverage firms to supply reductions for permitting them to trace your driving habits (a apply often known as telematics). What’s uncommon is required monitoring and the truth that Lemonade makes use of an app you in all probability carry if you’re not in your automotive to trace your driving fairly than a separate system that plugs into your automobile.
That presents important privateness issues as a result of an app that at all times is aware of the place you’re, effectively, at all times is aware of the place you’re. Regardless of how carefully Lemonade guards it, there’s at all times an opportunity this info can fall into the mistaken palms. So if you happen to’re uncomfortable with required phone-based location monitoring, Lemonade automotive insurance coverage won’t be best for you.
Life Insurance coverage
Lemonade affords time period life insurance coverage insurance policies with no medical examination required. Premiums begin at $9 per thirty days however range based mostly on components like:
- How a lot protection you want (your loss of life profit) — protection ranges as much as $1.5 million, larger than many no-exam suppliers
- Your age if you apply — insurance policies can be found to candidates between the ages of 18 and 60, which is a bit older than another no-exam suppliers
- Your coverage’s time period — choices vary from 10 years to 30 years, with decrease premiums for shorter phrases
- Your private and household well being historical past
- Your private well being historical past, together with any recognized medical situations
Premiums stay stage for your entire time period. Your coverage solely pays out if you happen to die whereas it’s in impact. In any other case, it expires nugatory when the time period ends otherwise you cease paying your premiums.
One disadvantage of Lemonade life insurance coverage is that there aren’t any everlasting life insurance policies, similar to entire life. When you’re in search of lifelong protection, Lemonade gained’t give you the results you want.
All Lemonade time period life insurance coverage insurance policies are underwritten by the North American Firm for Life and Well being Insurance coverage, which has been in enterprise for 130 years and counting. So whereas Lemonade is comparatively new, you’ll be able to take solace in realizing that it’s backed by an organization older than any human on Earth has been alive.
Further Options of Lemonade Insurance coverage
Selecting an insurance coverage firm isn’t all concerning the plan varieties and price. You additionally need to know what else you’ll be able to count on out of your expertise with the corporate.
Software Course of
Lemonade makes it straightforward to get protection with a fast, all-digital utility course of. The corporate says it takes simply 90 seconds to use. And whereas I can’t vouch for the precise period of time as a result of I didn’t time it, I can verify it’s fast. My quote for householders insurance coverage positively didn’t take lengthy. I simply answered a sequence of straightforward questions, and it gave me a quote.
Lemonade has an approachable utility course of led by Maya, its AI onboarding persona. Whichever kind of insurance coverage you’re making use of for, Maya leads you thru the method with a sequence of easy-to-understand questions.
The entire thing takes just a few minutes, which is way sooner than conventional insurance coverage purposes. When you’ve been laying aside making use of for insurance coverage as a result of you’ll be able to’t spare the time, Lemonade is ideal for you.
Protection Areas
Not all Lemonade insurance coverage merchandise can be found all over the place.
Time period life insurance coverage is probably the most widespread. It’s extremely probably Lemonade sells it in your state. Different varieties are extra hit and miss. For instance, Lemonade householders insurance coverage is on the market in 23 states plus the District of Columbia as of August 2022. That’s an issue if you wish to bundle as many insurance policies as attainable with Lemonade.
To be truthful, Lemonade continues to be a younger firm, and it constantly provides new markets. However verify Lemonade’s The place We’re Reside web page to see if the product you want is on the market in your state. If it’s not accessible, you’ll be able to join a notification when it launches.
Claims Course of
If the worst occurs and you must file a declare, it doesn’t take for much longer to file a type of than it does to enroll in insurance coverage — simply three minutes, in line with the corporate. I haven’t filed a declare, however because the utility course of lived as much as the hype, I’ve no cause to doubt the claims course of does too.
Every thing flows by means of the app — declare reporting, documentation, communication with claims adjusters, claims selections, and even appeals if it involves that.
The Lemonade app is user-friendly and never as glitchy as some rivals’ apps, which really feel extra like afterthoughts. Lemonade was designed round an app, so it simply works.
Lemonade Giveback
Lemonade’s Giveback program places a portion of the premiums you pay for insurance coverage towards the charity of your alternative. Right here’s the way it works:
- Every Lemonade policyholder chooses a charity they care about when making use of for a coverage
- Lemonade takes a flat charge out of your premium to pay itself for administering the insurance coverage
- Lemonade pays out claims utilizing premiums paid by clients
- On the finish of the yr, Lemonade sends no matter’s left over to its clients’ charities
Carbon Offsets
Lemonade vegetation timber to assist offset the carbon its auto insurance coverage policyholders generate by driving. It doesn’t promise a 100% offset, however it does use your location info to calculate your automotive’s approximate annual carbon footprint. Lemonade then makes use of that info to find out what number of timber to plant to no less than partially offset your emissions.
Is Lemonade Legit?
Sure, Lemonade is professional.
Positive, the model has solely been round for a couple of years and isn’t a family title like Geico or New York Life. However its financials are sturdy and it’s a publicly traded title (NYSE: LMND), which implies any would-be policyholder can do their due diligence on the corporate earlier than shopping for a coverage.
And Lemonade’s life insurance coverage protection is underwritten by the North American Firm for Life and Well being Insurance coverage, a 130-year-old insurer that’s in wonderful monetary form and has no plans to go wherever.
Benefits of Lemonade Insurance coverage
Lemonade is an reasonably priced, user-friendly insurance coverage firm. It’s enjoyable to work with and appropriate for folks from all walks of life. And it has some clear benefits.
- Huge Vary of Insurance coverage Merchandise Out there. Lemonade dwelling insurance coverage to your dwelling and its contents, Lemonade automotive insurance coverage to your automobile and legal responsibility on the street, Lemonade pet insurance coverage to your pet’s medical payments — it’s fairly the portfolio. And you may create a customized bundle to save lots of much more.
- Tremendous-Quick Software Course of. Lemonade’s AI-led utility course of is quick and straightforward. No paper purposes or lengthy, boring telephone conversations with brokers desperate to upsell you.
- Very Low Premiums. Lemonade stands out for comparatively low insurance coverage prices regardless of impressively complete protection choices. For instance, renters protection begins at simply $5 per thirty days, and time period life protection begins at simply $9 per thirty days.
- Quick Claims Course of. Lemonade makes the insurance coverage claims course of straightforward, if not enjoyable. Every thing goes by means of the user-friendly Lemonade cell app with minimal human interplay. And it has some spectacular claims stats if it does say so itself.
Disadvantages of Lemonade Insurance coverage
Lemonade has a couple of notable downsides for some would-be policyholders. They could not have an effect on some, however they might be deal-breakers for others.
- Comparatively Low Most Protection Quantity for Life Insurance coverage. Lemonade’s life insurance coverage protection tops out at $1.5 million. That’s sufficient for most individuals, however if you happen to’re a excessive earner or have important money owed and dwelling bills, you in all probability need extra.
- Not Out there All over the place. Lemonade affords insurance coverage protection in most states, together with huge ones like California, New York, Florida, and Texas. However not all Lemonade merchandise can be found in all states, so that you won’t have the ability to construct as complete a bundle as you’d like.
- Lemonade Auto Insurance coverage Requires Location Monitoring. Lemonade’s requirement that automotive insurance coverage clients share their location whereas driving is a professional privateness concern. When you’re uncomfortable with Lemonade realizing the place you’re always, Lemonade automotive insurance coverage isn’t for you.
Options to Contemplate
Lemonade affords 5 several types of insurance coverage. It has numerous competitors for every. So if you happen to’re not constructive Lemonade is your best option to your insurance coverage wants, think about these options.
| Insurance coverage Firm | Greatest For |
| Policygenius | Evaluating quotes |
| State Farm | Complete life insurance coverage |
| Geico | Low-cost automotive insurance coverage |
| Amica | Low-cost renters insurance coverage and wonderful bundle reductions |
| Embrace Pet Insurance coverage | Complete (although barely costlier) pet medical health insurance |
Closing Phrase
Lemonade stands out because of low premiums, straightforward utility and claims processes, and strong bundle choices.
When you’re available in the market for a brand new insurance coverage firm, Lemonade is price a more in-depth look. However first, guarantee it affords the kind of insurance coverage you need in your house state, and think twice about whether or not its advantages make up for its shortcomings. If not, verify the chart above to search out an alternate that higher fits your wants.
