3.5 out of 5 stars

USAA is known for its competitive rates, excellent financial strength, and service to military personnel and their families. Drivers with no military affiliation may not be eligible for USAA auto insurance.

USAA rates are well below average auto premiums. The company also scores well on J.D. Power customer service surveys, but has a higher-than-average complaint rating with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).

Insured drivers can manage their auto policy and claims on the USAA mobile app, which also has access to USAA banking services.

Learn more: How does car insurance work? The basics explained

• Average costs are below average

• Accident forgiveness coverage available

• Rideshare endorsement available

• Eligibility is limited to military members and their families

• No new car replacement option

• Higher than average number of complaints with the NAIC

USAA offers competitive rates, good J.D. Power satisfaction scores, ample coverage types, and more than a dozen discounts.

USAA cost and customer satisfaction

• Average monthly cost for full coverage: $168

• J.D. Power customer satisfaction score by region: USAA scored above average in all regions.

• J.D. Power auto claims satisfaction: USAA scored 49 points above the average.

Note: USAA did not receive an official claims ranking from J.D. Power because it only serves the military community.

Learn more: Car insurance discounts: 17 ways to save

USAA coverage offerings vary by state, but the options include:

• Property damage and bodily injury liability

• Comprehensive

• Collision

• Uninsured motorist/underinsured motorist

• Rental reimbursement

• Roadside assistance

• MedPay

• Personal Injury Protection

• Coverage for rideshare drivers

• Car replacement assistance

• Accident forgiveness

• USAA Safe Pilot Miles, mileage-based coverage

• USAA Safe Pilot usage-based insurance

Learn more: Most common types of car insurance explained

USAA offers accident forgiveness protection in some states. It’s available to drivers who’ve remained with USAA for five accident-free years.

The coverage is free and applied automatically. It prevents premium increases after a driver’s first at-fault accident. USAA notes that some accidents that aren’t considered “at-fault” can impact eligibility for other discounts. If you lose a discount due to an accident or some other issue, your premium would increase.

Learn more: Is accident forgiveness insurance worth it?

USAA roadside assistance is a paid upgrade to your policy that provides limited towing, winching, flat tire repair, fuel delivery, battery jump-starts, and lock-out services. Services within coverage limits are provided free of charge. Alternatively, you can pay for roadside services and use your coverage to submit a claim for reimbursement.

You can request roadside services by telephone or from the USAA mobile app. According to USAA, “It usually takes less than an hour for them to service your car.”

Learn more: Do I need emergency roadside assistance coverage?

USAA auto insurance costs vary depending on the level of coverage. The two main levels are basic and full coverage. Basic coverage is the minimum liability insurance required to drive legally. Basic coverage provides protection for causing harm to other people or property.

Full coverage also meets state requirements, but adds comprehensive insurance and collision insurance. These two lines of coverage pay for damage to your car in different scenarios. Auto lenders typically require full coverage because it provides more protection for car damage and theft. Yahoo Finance recommends increasing coverage beyond minimum state requirements if you can afford to do so, to ensure sufficient coverage for serious accidents and lawsuits.

Learn more: Minimum car insurance requirements in all 50 U.S. states

The average cost of USAA full coverage auto insurance is lower than the average calculated from 19 auto insurance companies. Full coverage insurance with USAA costs $168 monthly on average.

The average cost of USAA liability-only auto insurance is also lower than the average calculated from multiple auto insurers. The average monthly premium for USAA basic coverage is $99.

USAA rewards safe driving, low mileage, good grades, bundled policies, and more, with discounts of up to 60%.

• Good grades discount. Full-time students under age 25 can qualify for a discount of up to 10% in some states by maintaining at least a letter grade average of B or 3 on a 4-point scale. Alternatively, students can earn the discount by ranking in the top 20% of their class or making the dean’s list or honor roll.

• Clean driving record discount. Drivers who keep their driving record clean for five years or more may be eligible for a discount.

• Defensive driving discount. Completing an approved defensive driving course could lower your USAA auto premiums. The discount may not be available if you have had accidents or convictions within the last three years.

• Driver training course completion discount. In some states, USAA provides a discount to drivers who complete a basic driver training course.

• Telematics discount. You can save 10% when you enroll in USAA SafePilot and up to 30% at renewal. USAA SafePilot uses an app to track and evaluate your driving habits.

• Military garaging discount. If your car is garaged at a military installation, you can save up to 15% on your comprehensive premium. In California, this discount also applies to collision insurance.

• Car storage discount. If your insured car is in storage due to a military deployment or some other reason, you can save up to 60% on USAA car insurance.

• Multi-vehicle discount. USAA offers a discount for insuring more than one car on the same policy.

• Bundle and save discount. You can save up to 10% when you bundle homeowners or renters insurance with your auto policy.

• New vehicle discount. Cars that are not more than three years old may qualify for a new car discount.

• Anti-theft discount. In some states, you can earn a discount off your USAA auto premiums if your car has an anti-theft device installed.

• Low mileage discount. USAA doesn’t specify the threshold, but a low annual mileage record could mean lower car insurance rates.

• Loyalty discounts. You can earn lower car insurance rates if USAA insures your parents or if you maintain your USAA coverage over time.

• Early quote discount. In some states, you can save up to 3% if you buy your auto policy seven days before the coverage period begins.

• Automatic payments discount. Signing up for automatic payments may also earn you a 3% discount.

USAA accepts claims online, via the USAA mobile app, or by telephone. Follow the steps below for an efficient claims process.

1. Decide if a claim is necessary. Depending on your coverages and deductibles, you may not want to file a claim. For example, if your deductible is $1,000 and the damage is minor, the claim may not be worth it. Review your coverages and decide how to proceed.

2. Gather accident information. Organize the information you have about the accident, including the date, location, and contact information for the other driver.

3. Go online or open the mobile app. Claim filing is faster with the USAA website or mobile app. You don’t have to wait on hold, and you can upload photos of the damage immediately. USAA assigns an adjuster shortly after you file the claim. The adjuster begins the investigation process to determine who caused the accident. This can take up to two weeks.

4. Get an inspection. Next, you’ll get an estimate for repair costs. If the estimate cannot be prepared using uploaded photos, your adjuster will refer you to a USAA-approved repair shop. Estimate preparation and approval can take seven business days.

5. Get your car repaired or receive your payment. Once the estimate is approved, you can take your car to an approved shop for repair. If you owe a deductible, you will pay the shop when repairs are complete. The shop will coordinate with USAA directly if there are additional charges beyond the approved estimate.

Learn more: How to file a car insurance claim

USAA does not have an established window of time for filing auto claims. Generally, it’s wise to file a claim as soon as possible after the accident.

USAA doesn’t provide a specific timeline for paying auto claims, but the company does express the goal of closing claims as quickly as possible.

USAA’s mobile app includes insurance and banking features. Insured drivers can get insurance quotes, access their insurance ID cards, request roadside assistance, and file claims. Banking customers can pay bills, send money, transfer funds, and deposit checks.

USAA mobile app ratings:

USAA has earned high marks for customer and claims satisfaction from J.D. Power. The company also has an AA++ (Superior) Financial Strength Rating from AM Best. The AA++ rating indicates the company is financially healthy and well-positioned to meet its obligations and pay claims.

To cancel USAA auto insurance, call 800-531-8722 to speak with a representative.

USAA has a TrustPilot rating of 1.2 out of 5 stars. Negative reviews cite poor or inconsistent customer service, while positive reviews cite low rates and good service.

USAA serves military personnel and their families. Active-duty military, National Guard members and Reservists, veterans who served honorably, contracted ROTC cadets and midshipmen, officer and warrant officer candidates, service academy appointees, and spouses and children of USAA members are eligible for USAA auto insurance.

USAA has lower average auto premiums than GEICO, both for basic and full coverage. USAA’s average basic coverage premium is $99 vs. $120 for GEICO. For full coverage, USAA charges $168 monthly on average, while GEICO’s average is $202.

Tim Manni edited this article.

We researched the coverage details and prices for 13 auto insurance plans. We then weighted categories, and each auto insurer was scored relative to the others to find the best auto insurance companies. Here are the factors we incorporated.

Coverage types: 20% of score. We examined all the coverage options available and assessed whether each insurer offered the following: new car replacement (5%), GAP insurance (5%), accident forgiveness (5%), and diminishing deductible (5%).

Average cost: 40% of score. The average cost was generated by Trellis’ in-house machine learning models based on over 3 million data points, and includes more than 15 of the largest insurance companies in Trellis’ nationwide data set. These estimates are for policies with full coverage for the average policyholder who owns one car. Average policyholder here is defined as a 48-year-old driver, driving a 13-year-old car, in an average-income ZIP code with full coverage.

Customer satisfaction: 30% of score. We factored in information from three major sources: 1) National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) complaints (10%), in which we took the total number of complaints each company had over a three-year period (2022-2024), 2) CRASH scores (10%) from the Crash Network which share how well each company ensures quality repairs and customer service, and 3) J.D. Power scores (10%) from the J.D. Power U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study and the U.S. Auto Insurance Study.

Discounts: 10% of score. We gave points for each type of discount that each auto insurer offers.

All app ratings were accurate at the time of publication.