Wawanesa is a specialist in selling insurance to Californian and Oregon drivers with clean driving records. Established in 1896 as a farmers’ mutual insurance carrier in Canada, Wawanesa opened up its United States branch in 1974 and sells auto, home, condo and renters insurance directly to consumers.
Wawanesa auto insurer earned 4 stars from 5 overall for performance. Our editorial team determines NerdWallet’s ratings. The scoring formula considers pricing and discounts, filing claims quickly, website transparency, financial strength, and complaint data from National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
California and Oregon have different eligibility requirements for Wawanesa Car Insurance. Coverage is denied to applicants who have been involved in more than one accident at fault or have committed traffic violations within the past 36 months. The driver must have held a valid license for at least three years. Wawanesa claims that its auto insurance rates can be applied to more stringently than those of other insurers. However, Wawanesa’s guidelines are much less restrictive than those of standard rates.
Wawanesa offers the usual auto insurance coverages, including roadside assistance and rental reimbursement coverage. If you have comprehensive and collision insurance and your vehicle is less than 11 years old, you can add vehicle manufacturer replacement parts coverage, which replaces parts from the original equipment manufacturer at an additional cost.
Wawanesa offers auto insurance discounts that include:
- Wawanesa offers a discount if you have a Wawanesa policy for more than one year.
- Discount for good drivers (California only)
- Multi-car discount.
- Drivers 55 years and older who complete a driver improvement course will receive a discount
- Driver education discount for students under 19 who successfully complete a driver training course (Oregon only).
- Discount on insurance (Oregon only)
- If the vehicle has a recovery device such as LoJack, you will receive a discount (Oregon only).
- Discount for military personnel (Oregon only)
- Monthly autopay discount (Oregon only)
- Wawanesa Discounts based on your insurance status before applying for coverage (Oregon only).
- Multi-coverage Discount if you also own an active Wawanesa Property Policy (Oregon only).
Wawanesa homeowners’ insurance
Wawanesa offers renters, condo and standard homeowners insurance coverage. Condo and homeowners insurance are not available in California.
NOTE: Condo policies and homeowners are not currently available as the company changes its policies. __S.28__
Additional perks include:
- The wildfire defense program can help protect your property against wildfires by removing debris, closing structure openings, and reducing fuel source.
- Extended replacement cost for dwellings, which guarantees that your home will be rebuilt in the event it is damaged beyond your policy limits, up to 125% of what you have. This coverage does not cover damage caused by an earthquake.
- Inflation guard keeps your policy amount at the same level as your home’s replacement value. This protects your policy, but increases the cost of replacing your home.
- Contents replacement cost is the cost to replace items if they are damaged or destroyed by an event covered under your policy. Some items, such as antiques or memorabilia, are excluded.
For an additional cost, you can choose to have optional coverage.
- Increased coverage for valuables which includes jewelry, guns, silverware and money.
- Scheduled property pays out in the event that certain valuables are damaged. Appraisals will be required for all items.
- Earthquake coverage (California only) provides limited coverage for earthquakes, including personal property up up to $5,000 and $1,500 to cover the temporary costs of moving during repairs. Before coverage is available, you will need to pay a deductible equal to 15% of the dwelling limit.
- Forgery, counterfeit money, credit card and fund transfer card. This covers up to $10,000 for expenses due to check fraud or unauthorized use.
- *Identity fraud expense covers expenses up to $25,000 related to identity theft
- Home systems protection* pays up to $50,000 to cover an accident to critical systems or appliances such as water heaters, generators, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and alarm systems.
- *Service line coverage covers costs of repair or replacement for water, data or communications lines up to $10,000
- Cyber protection for your home, which covers up to $25,000 in expenses arising from cyber attacks, cyber extortion, or online fraud
*You will need to pay a $500 deductible in order for coverage to apply. The amount that is subtracted from a claim payout is called a deductible.
Wawanesa offers home insurance discounts that include:
- Multi-policy discount
- Nonsmoker discount.
- If you have a burglar alarm or sprinkler system, get a discount
- If your water system automatically shuts off, you will get a discount
Wawanesa complaints
According to data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, Wawanesa received far more complaints than expected to state regulators for its size in auto insurance. It received more complaints than expected for home insurance.
Learn more about Wawanesa
Website: Wawanesa has a website that clearly outlines traffic violations and results in denials of applications. It also offers a blog with tips and insurance advice for homeowners and auto owners. You can also view your policy information, pay your bills and obtain your ID card.
