The Best Auto Insurance Apps

On top of being the largest provider in the country, the State Farm app has millions of downloads and hundreds of thousands of reviews across both the Google Play and Apple App stores.² State Farm is our No. 1 app pick for a few reasons. It’s won several awards for apps, software, and internet services, including the 2019 Mobile Web Award and the Webby Awards. It also connects with extension apps, like Alexa and the State Farm Steer Clear app, that help improve the overall driver experience.

Excellent User Experience Features

How does State Farm create such a seamless user experience and cull together so many awards? It has innovative features, like damage estimation technology, that set the technological standard for auto insurance providers. Here are a few of State Farm’s app features:

• Check deposit capabilities
• Roadside assistance
• File and track claims
• Ability to upload photos of car damage to get an instant estimate of how much your claim will be
• Helpful chatbots
• Find-An-Agent functionality that provides information on agents in your area, with a seamless transition to an insurance quote

State Farm App Awards

State Farm has several prestigious awards in the technology and software space. In 2020, it won two People’s Voice winner awards and a Webby winner at the Webby Awards. The latter is one of the world’s largest international award ceremonies for innovative technologies. In fact, over the past few years, State Farm has picked up the following awards:

• 2019 Mobile Web Awards for Best Mobile Industry Application
• 2020 American Business Awards for Best User Experience and Gold Recipient for the Steer Clear Safe Driver Program, among others
• 2018 Best Mobile App Awards – Gold Award for Best Overall App
• 2019 and 2020 People’s Voice Winner Webby Award
• 2018 and 2019 Genis Brand Award in Gartner L2’s inaugural Digital IQ Index for Insurance

Additional Apps With Discounts, Safety Programs, and More

You can get more out of your service with State Farm by downloading the Steer Clear app and Drive Safe & Save app, along with the Amazon Alexa extension. Let’s break down what each of these apps does.

• Steer Clear app: The Steer Clear app is designed for teens and young adults to improve their driving skills and save money on their car insurance. To qualify, you need to be under 25 years old, have a valid driver’s license, complete all program requirements, and carry three years of no at-fault accidents. The six-month program involves training videos, practice drives, mentorships, quizzes, monitored drives, and more. Eligible drivers could earn a discount upon completing the Steer Clear program.
• Drive Safe & Save: This is another safety driving app that tracks your driving habits and encourages safe driving. You get a discount by signing up for the app, and you can earn up to 30 percent off your car insurance if you exhibit safe driving habits. However, if you drive poorly, your premiums might actually increase.

• Alexa extension: You can link your mobile account to Alexa and benefit from voice-activated commands to help you navigate your State Farm app. Just by using your voice, you can: pay your bills, find an agent, get information on your agent, request your insurance card by mail, and check how much in savings you’ve earned on your Drive Safe & Save discount.

With 3.5 million in the Apple App Store, a long list of app-related awards, and excellent customer satisfaction ratings, GEICO is our top choice for iPhone users. GEICO has some impressive accolades and rankings within the Apple App store, which we’ll get into below. It also boasts excellent ratings for best software development, best app company to work for, and other tech-related accolades.

Great iOS Ratings for the GEICO Mobile App

With 3.5 million reviews and a 4.8 rating, no other major car insurance provider has as many reviews in the Apple App Store as GEICO. It’s also ranked No. 20 out of the top 100 finance apps in the Apple Store, beating out Capital One, Liberty Mutual, and Allstate. Version 5.48 was released in the App Store on December 8, 2022, which included more options to chat with the virtual assistant (chatting in Spanish or chatting about your RV policy, Assurant, or renter’s policy).

GEICO App Awards and Accolades

Similar to State Farm, GEICO has garnered various industry and app-related awards, honors, and accolades. These awards and accolades vary from internet competitions and global tech awards to recognitions for GEICO’s talented team of web and app developers. Here are a few of GEICO’s most distinguished apps and tech-related recognitions:

• Potentialpark recognition: In 2019, Potentialpark rated GEICO No. 1 for mobile communication, No. 3 for online application, and No. 3 for its career website.
• The Webby Awards: GEICO won the 2021 Winner for People’s Voice & Software (Best Practices), and a technical achievement win for the GEICO DriveEasy app.
• Web Marketing Association Award: Between 2019 and 2021, GEICO won the best mobile insurance application.
• Mobile WebAward Competition: The company was the 2019 winner of the Best Insurance Mobile App.

Great Third-Party Ratings

GEICO has earned several high-scoring third-party ratings for financial strength, customer satisfaction, and customer data usage. The Kanbay Research Institute rated GEICO as the No. 1 desired insurer among customers based on a high regard for customer service and staff/training development. Kanbay also gave top honors in a survey that evaluated how auto insurers treated their customers based on app usability, communication, and trust of personal data.

While these are a few acknowledgments relevant to GEICO’s use of data and site usability, you can still expect GEICO to score highly with known industry leaders. J.D. Power, for example, gave GEICO a 874 out of 1,000 for auto claims satisfaction, which puts GEICO in the top 10 for claims satisfaction among all insurance providers in the J.D. Power study.

Progressive has some of the highest app ratings on Android (4.6 out of five) across more than 10 million downloads and thousands of reviews. If you’re a young driver or the parent of a young driver, you can benefit from the many discounts for young adults. With the Snapshot app, you can also track your driving habits (or your teen’s) and earn some discounts along the way.

Savings for Teens

Young adults and teen drivers spend more than any other age group on car insurance on average. Drivers between the ages of 16 and 19 spend $3,751 on average for car insurance annually, which is about three times more than the national average of $1,204 (according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners).³

Young adults or parents of young adults could save on their car insurance through the following discounts:

• Good student discount: If you or your child is under the age of 23 and a full-time student with a B average or higher, you could be eligible for a 10 percent discount.
• Student away from home: If you or your student driver is under the age of 22, lives at least 100 miles away from home, and leaves your car at home, you could be eligible for a discount.
• Snapshot teen driver monitoring: Progressive’s Snapshot program will reward you or your teen driver for safe driving habits. When you drive less and at safer hours, avoid hard brakes and accelerations, and abstain from phone use while driving, you could see your premiums drop. The average discount for signing up for Snapshot is $47, and the average discount after six months is $156. However, poor driving habits could increase your premiums.

Trusted Roadside Assistance

Progressive has a comprehensive and reliable roadside assistance service that you can access from the app 24/7. Agero provides Progressive’s roadside assistance, which serves over 80 million drivers nationwide. Roadside assistance with Progressive is available for car insurance policies, motorcycles, RVs, and some towing vehicles. Roadside assistance covers:

• Vehicle towing anywhere within a 15-mile radius of your vehicle
• Winching services for when your car is covered in mud, snow, or sand
• Battery jump-starts
• Fuel delivery
• Battery charge for electric cars
• Locksmith service
• Flat tire change
• On-scene labor

Mobile App Management

Managing your policy, plans, and coverage has never been easier for Progressive customers. Not only is all of your policy information available at your fingertips, but you can also make changes to your plan directly from the app. With the Progressive mobile app, you’ll be able to:

• View policy details and coverage for all vehicles and drivers.
• Pay your bills by credit, debit, checking account, and more.
• View, share, or print ID cards directly from your phone.
• Report an insurance claim, send a photo, or see a status update in the claims center.
• Explore plans, products, and coverage options.

Esurance was designed for online and app-based insurance management. Rather than working with agents, customers have to navigate Esurance’s user-friendly app to find quotes, file claims, and review their policies. With the financial backing of Allstate, its parent company, and several coverage options/discounts, Esurance provides reliable, flexible insurance for those who prefer a do-it-yourself approach.

Website and App-Based Insurance

Esurance is not a typical car insurance provider because you can navigate its services only online. You can’t work with an agent to compare quotes, file claims, or manage your policies. However, Esurance has a few interactive online and app resources to help you manage your plan on your own.

The Coverage Counselor, for example, is an interactive tool that helps you find the best plan for your budgets and needs. You can look for discounts, bundle policies, check your eligibility for policy changes, and more — all from the comfort of your phone.

The Financial Backing of Allstate

Esurance has excellent third-party financial strength ratings. Because it’s the child company of Allstate, one of the largest providers in the country, Esurance benefits from all of Allstate’s financial ratings and risk scores. Moody’s, a financial research institution, gave Allstate an A3 ranking in its credit and risk assessment, which indicates a high-quality financial rating and low credit risk. Esurance also has an A+ rating with AM Best’s credit rating system, which is the second-highest credit score rating.

Robust Set of Discounts

Esurance’s online and app-based platform makes it easy to see what discounts you qualify for. Through the Coverage Counselor feature, you can check your eligibility for the following set of discounts:

• Multipolicy discount: Bundle your policies with Esurance to receive a discount. For example, you can bundle auto insurance with renters, homeowners, or motorcycle insurance to save on each policy.
• Paid-in-full rates: If you pay your premium upfront and in full, you’ll receive an extra 10 percent off your car insurance rate.
• Claims-free price: Receive between 10 percent and 25 percent off your price if you’ve been claim-free for at least five years.
• Safety feature discounts: If your vehicle has safety devices, like airbags or automatic seat belts, you can receive between 2 and 33 percent off your MedPay and PIP policies.
• Roadside assistance: Get up to 5 percent off for obtaining an emergency roadside assistance provider.
• Good student discount: Full-time students under 25 who maintain B averages or higher will get up to 10 percent off their rates.
• Driver training reduction: Consider completing a defensive driving course to receive up to 10 percent off.
• Homeowner discount: If you or your spouse owns a house or condo, you may be eligible for a discount.
• DriveSense discount: Receive a discount just for downloading the DriveSense app. For additional discounts, activate the app while you drive. The app monitors driving habits and encourages safe driving by giving you a safety score based on your speed, hard braking, and the time of day for each trip. Your driving wellness score will determine your discount percentage at each policy renewal.
• Multivehicle savings: When you insure multiple vehicles with a spouse or child, you’ll receive a discount. Learn how to add a vehicle to your policy.

USAA boasts some of the highest customer satisfaction ratings, sizable discounts, and the cheapest insurance rates in the country. It has several services and benefits for its members, like savings on tires and repair shops, which you can find through the web portal or mobile app. USAA has a 4.2 out of five in the Google Play Store and a 4.8 rating in the Apple App Store with more than 1.5 million reviews.

Mobile App Features

With USAA’s mobile app, you get a seamless user experience, sleek design, and comprehensive app with a number of useful features. And in 2022, you get USAA’s updated version with simplified navigation, smart search features, security fingerprint, voice, face recognition, and more. Here’s what you can do directly through the USAA app:

• Chat with USSA’s in-app assistant
• Pay bills
• File and follow claims
• Find an agent
• Receive a quote
• Manage your plan by adding a vehicle, driver, or new policy
• Use crash detection technology, which will check on you if the app detects you’ve been in an accident

USAA Discounts

USAA members get access to a long list of discounts that help make it one of the most affordable providers in the country, with a national annual average rate of $1,151. Here are a few ways you can save on car insurance with USAA:

• Safe driving discount: USAA’s safe driving program, SafePilot, can save you up to 30 percent on your auto insurance premium. You’ll get a 10 percent discount just for enrolling. Once you download the USAA SafePilot app, it will track how well you’re driving and log your trips automatically. On your next renewal, USAA will provide you with a new rate and reset your driving score for your next policy period.
• Vehicle storage discount: Get a discount of up to 60 percent if you’re deploying or storing your insured vehicle in the U.S. for any reason. To qualify for this discount, you must not drive your car, and you must store it in a secure location. The storage discount is unavailable in Hawaii, North Carolina, and Virginia.
• Good student discount: Receive a discount if your teen is a full-time student with at least a B average. This discount is not available in Hawaii and North Carolina.
• Military on-base discount: Save up to 15 percent on your comprehensive coverage premium when you garage your car on base. In California, this discount applies to your collision coverage, as well. The discount is not available in New York.
• Family discount: Former dependents save up to 10 percent on their policies if their parents have USAA insurance policies. Children must establish eligibility through a USAA group sponsor’s policy, be 25 years old or younger, and have no major violations within the last three years.
• Multivehicle discount: Qualify for a multi-vehicle discount when you extend your coverage to two or more vehicles.
• New car discount: Get a discount on your car insurance if your vehicle is less than three years old. We ranked USAA as one of the best auto insurance providers for new cars.
• Vehicle equipment: You can get a discount on your car insurance if you install an anti-theft device in your car.
• Auto-pay discount: Save up to 3 percent on your auto premium when you set up automatic payments.
• Defensive driving discount: In addition to SafePilot, USAA offers discounts if you maintain a good driving record for more than five years and complete an approved defensive driving or basic driver training course.
• Bundling discount: Save up to 10 percent when you bundle auto and property policies (i.e., USAA home insurance or renters insurance).
• Low mileage discount: Get a discount for driving less. USAA offers a usage-based low mileage program that can result in a discount. This discount is not available in Hawaii and North Carolina.

Extra Coverage Options and Add-ons

On top of being one of the most affordable auto insurance providers in the country, USAA offers several coverage options that you can review and add through the mobile app. USAA comes with basic car insurance options such as liability coverage (bodily injury and property damage), uninsured/underinsured coverage, collision coverage, comprehensive coverage, and medical coverage (PIP), but it has a few add-ons as well:

• Roadside assistance, which you can request through the mobile app
• Rental reimbursement, which helps pay for your rental car if your car is in the shop
• Rideshare insurance, which helps you stay covered in between rides if you’re driving for a rideshare service (like Uber or Lyft). Your personal insurance may not cover you in between rides with passengers (known as period one) because you’re technically working as a contractor. This means you may not have coverage if you get into an accident while waiting for a ride request on the app. Rideshare coverage will help fill the coverage in the window where neither your insurance provider nor rideshare company can cover you.
• Umbrella insurance
• Mobile home, boat, RV, and motorcycle insurance
• Pet insurance