USAA Car Insurance Rates vs. Competitors
USAA is included on Forbes Advisor’s list of best car insurance companies. See how its rates compare to other companies.
USAA Car Insurance Cost Comparison for Good Drivers
USAA has the cheapest average car insurance rates for good drivers among the insurers we evaluated. Its national average price for good drivers is well below the average of $2,026 per year for the companies we analyzed.
USAA Car Insurance Cost Comparison for Drivers With a Speeding Ticket
USAA offers very low prices for drivers with a speeding ticket. If you have tickets on your record, it’s smart to shop around for car insurance quotes because of the wide variation in costs from one company to the next.
UUSAA Car Insurance Cost Comparison for Drivers Who Caused an Accident With an Injury
USAA has the lowest rate for motorists who have caused an accident with an injury to someone else compared to other top insurers we analyzed. USAA’s average car insurance cost for drivers who caused an accident with injury is more than $1,000 cheaper a year than the national average of $3,009 a year.
USAA Car Insurance Cost Comparison for Drivers With a DUI
USAA auto insurance costs are low for drivers with a DUI when compared to competitors. USAA’s average cost for drivers with a DUI is well below the national average of $3,363 per year among the companies we analyzed.
USAA Car Insurance Cost Comparison for Drivers With Poor Credit
Average USAA auto insurance costs are pretty competitive for drivers with poor credit compared to competitors. USAA’s average prices are below the national average of $3,847 a year among the companies we analyzed.
Insurance companies assert that a person’s credit correlates with the chances someone will make an insurance claim in the future. This correlation leads to higher rates. California, Hawaii, Massachusetts and Michigan prohibit insurers from using credit when pricing auto insurance.
USAA Car Insurance Cost Comparison for Adding a Teen Driver
USAA’s car insurance cost to add a teen driver is relatively competitive but still slightly above the national average.
Adding a new teen driver to a car insurance policy can hike up your rates. We found that the national average cost for adding a 16-year-old driver to a parent’s policy is $2,359 a year among the companies we analyzed.
USAA Car Insurance Cost Comparison for Young Drivers Ages 18 to 25
USAA car insurance costs are relatively low for drivers between 18 and 25. Its cost is around $1,300 per year cheaper than the national average of $3,704 a year, among the large insurers we analyzed.
The costs below are for young drivers on their own auto insurance policies. You can usually decrease costs by keeping a young driver on a parent’s policy as long as possible.
USAA Car Insurance Cost Comparison for Senior Drivers Ages 65 to 80
USAA car insurance costs for drivers 65 to 80 are reasonably cheap compared to other large auto insurance companies we analyzed. The national average is $2,150 a year, based on our analysis. USSA is about $700 a year below the average.
Auto Insurance Complaints Against USAA
USAA has a higher level of auto insurance complaints than many large insurers, based on complaints made to state insurance departments across the country. USAA complaints are slightly below the industry average.
USAA’s top auto insurance complaints are related to rates, claim delays and unsatisfactory claim settlement offers.
USAA’s Grade from Collision Repair Professionals: C-
In a survey of collision repair professionals by CRASH Network, USAA earned a C- grade.
The opinions of auto body professionals are insightful because they see how insurers compare in the use of lower-quality repair parts, whether insurers encourage the use of repair procedures recommended by car makers, and whether insurers have claims processes that lead to quick and acceptable claims for customers.
Does USAA Offer Accident Forgiveness?
Yes, USAA has optional accident forgiveness insurance. Having this perk may increase your premiums at first, but you can get the feature for free after five years if your household hasn’t had any at-fault accidents during that time. You can only get accident forgiveness from USAA for one accident during a six-month or 12-month policy period. It’s not available in all states.
Does USAA Offer New Car Replacement?
Yes, USAA offers a form of new car replacement coverage as an optional add-on. New car replacement protection helps if your new vehicle is a total loss. USAA adds an extra 20% reimbursement to the actual cash value of the vehicle if you have this coverage and your new car is wrecked and you need to replace it. You need both comprehensive and collision coverage to have this coverage and it’s not available from USAA for leased vehicles.
Does USAA Offer Gap Insurance?
No, USAA doesn’t provide loan or lease gap insurance. Gap insurance is meant to bridge the gap between what a car is worth and the amount still owed on the vehicle. For example, if a car is a total loss and its actual cash value (ACV) is $15,000 but the owner still owes $20,000, gap insurance picks up the $5,000 difference.
Does USAA Offer a Diminishing Deductible?
No, USAA doesn’t have a diminishing deductible option. Insurance companies that offer a diminishing deductible will decrease the deductible over a period of time if you don’t get into accidents or file claims.
Does USAA Offer SR-22s?
Yes, USAA can provide SR-22 insurance, which is for high-risk drivers. States may demand drivers get an SR-22 certificate from their insurance company if they’re involved in multiple accidents, get multiple moving violations or have other issues that make them higher risk. The SR-22 certificate confirms the car owner has at least minimum insurance coverage.
Does USAA Offer Usage-Based Insurance?
Yes, USAA has a usage-based insurance program called SafePilot. SafePilot is a smartphone-based app that gauges your driving and offers tips. The app monitors harsh braking, total hours driven, location and time, whether you have a passenger and phone usage.
Drivers who enroll in USAA’s program save 10% and may be eligible for a 30% discount based on their driving score. The discount could vary annually based on your driving for the year. USAA says SafePilot isn’t used to assess a person’s insurability and won’t lead to higher rates.
Does USAA Offer Pay-Per-Mile Insurance?
No, USAA doesn’t have a pay-per-mile car insurance option. Pay–per–mile coverage charges drivers a base rate combined with a per-mile rate. The less someone drives, the lower the rate for a pay-per-mile policy.
USAA Car Insurance Discounts
- Annual mileage discount: Got low annual mileage? You’ll qualify for discounts.
- Automatic payments discount: Save up to 3% when you set up automatic payments for your USAA car insurance.
- Bundling discount: You can save up to 10% when you bundle USAA auto and home policies.
- Defensive driving discount: Make sure to get this discount if you take an approved defensive driving course.
- Driver training discount: This is for completing a basic driver’s training class.
- Family (legacy) discount: When a child of a USAA auto insurance member signs up for auto insurance, they can receive up to a 10% discount on their insurance.
- Good student discount: You could get a price break if your student gets good grades.
- Length of membership discount: Long-time members are eligible for savings.
- Military installation discount: When you keep your car in a garage on a military base, you can save up to 15% on your policy’s comprehensive coverage.
- Multi-vehicle discount: You’ll get this if you Insure two or more vehicles with USAA.
- New vehicle discount: Savings if your car is not more than three years old.
- Safe driver discount: Have a good driving record for more than five years and you’ll earn a discount from USAA.
- Vehicle storage discount: You can save as much as 60% on your car insurance when you store your car—for example, when you’re away on deployment.
More Insurance from USAA
Not only does USAA offer home and auto insurance, but it also provides a variety of other insurance products. For those who are constantly dropping or losing their phones, USAA sells cell phone protection insurance. Since warranties usually don’t cover theft or loss, a protection plan can help replace your phone.
For those who love their pet like they love their family members, USAA sells pet insurance from Embrace to help with veterinary care costs. And, if you’re hosting an event, USAA offers special event insurance that can cover event cancellation due to deployment, severe weather, illness and other reasons.
Other policies USAA offers include:
- Dental insurance
- Farm and ranch insurance
- Life insurance
- Major medical insurance
- Small business insurance
- Travel insurance
- Vision insurance
USAA Mobile App
Through the USAA app, customers can manage insurance and banking products, including:
- Pay bills
- Access insurance ID card
- Request roadside assistance
- Report claims
- Review accident checklist
- Access member-exclusive discounts for travel deals, online shopping, and more
- Join USAA Member Community
- Send money with Zelle
- Access mobile wallet
- Mobile deposits
- Calculate loan payments
- Locate ATMs
About USAA Car Insurance
USAA has been serving military members and their families since 1922. It began when 25 Army officers decided to insure each other’s vehicles. Today, USAA serves millions of members with its diversified group of financial services companies.
You can join USAA only if you are a current or former military member or the spouse of a military member. Children of military members may join USAA as well.
USAA sells insurance for a wide variety of vehicles: cars, motorcycles, recreational vehicles, boats and classic cars. For members with their pilot’s license, USAA offers aviation insurance.
Optional insurance coverage types like roadside assistance and rental reimbursement are also available from USAA.
Related: Classic Car Insurance Companies
What States Does Travelers Car Insurance Operate In?
USAA is available in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
Methodology
To identify the best car insurance companies we evaluated each company based on its average rates for a variety of drivers, the coverage options offered, complaints against the company and collision repair grades from auto body professionals.
Auto insurance rates (50% of score): We used data from Quadrant Information Services to find average rates from each company for good drivers, drivers who have caused an accident, drivers with a speeding ticket, drivers with a DUI, drivers with poor credit, drivers caught without insurance, adding a teen driver, senior drivers and young drivers.
Unless otherwise noted, rates are based on a 40-year-old female driver with a Toyota RAV4 and coverage of:
- $100,000 for injuries to one person, $300,000 for injuries per accident and $100,000 of property damage (known as 100/300/100).
- Uninsured motorist coverage of 100/300.
- Collision and comprehensive insurance with a $500 deductible.
Car insurance coverage options (25% of score): Any auto insurance company can provide the basics of liability insurance, collision and comprehensive coverage and other standard offerings. But it’s also important to have access to additional coverage types that can provide greater protection or cost savings. In this category we gave points to companies that offer accident forgiveness, new car replacement, vanishing deductibles, usage-based or pay-per-mile insurance and SR-22s.
Complaints (20% of score): We used complaint data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Each state’s department of insurance is in charge of logging and monitoring complaints against the companies that operate in their states. Most auto insurance complaints center on claims, including unsatisfactory settlements, delays and denials. The industry complaint average is 1.00, so companies with a ratio below 1.00 have lower levels of complaints.
Collision repair (5% of score): We incorporated grades of insurance companies from collision repair professionals. We used data provided by CRASH Network, a weekly newsletter covering the collision repair and auto insurance market segments. CRASH Network’s Insurer Report Card used grades from more than 1,000 collision repair professionals to gauge auto insurers on the quality of their collision claims service.
