Best Auto Insurance for Law Enforcement

Nationwide was founded in 1926 and has grown to be one of the largest and most recognizable insurance companies in the country. It’s one of the few providers that offers an affinity discount exclusively to law enforcement members, increasing your savings potential beyond the typical list of car insurance discounts.

As a police officer, you might appreciate that Nationwide has partnered with several police organizations like Below 100.¹ Below 100 is dedicated to eliminating preventable line-of-duty deaths and injuries. It would like to see line-of-duty deaths reduced to fewer than 100 a year, and it facilitates its mission through education, awareness, and direct support to law enforcement agencies.

Affinity Discount and Police Partnerships

If your law enforcement agency is partnered with an affinity group organization, you could be eligible for a 25 percent affinity discount with Nationwide. Keep in mind that most insurance providers do not offer discounts to people just for being police officers, so choosing Nationwide might give you the ability to save more than you would with other providers.

Nationwide is committed to working with federal agencies, security organizations, and police departments to keep you safe. It has a dedicated investigation team that works with law enforcement agencies to combat insurance fraud. Not only are these partnerships and initiatives helping police departments do their jobs better, but they’re also helping Nationwide protect you from false claims, identity theft, and other forms of insurance fraud.

In addition to Nationwide’s partnership with Below 100, it also has partnerships with the National Insurance Crime Bureau and the Coalition Against Fraud.

Pay-Per-Mile Coverage

If your department allows you to use your patrol vehicle for personal use, you could save hundreds of dollars a year through Nationwide’s SmartMiles pay-per-mile program. Rather than paying a flat annual rate, you’ll have a rate based on the number of miles you drive each month.

To give you an idea of how SmartMiles compares to a traditional plan, let’s look at two plans for a single, 35-year-old male living in Chicago, Illinois. The individual in Nationwide’s database was driving a 2017 Jeep Cherokee and had no traffic violations in the past three years.

Big Bundling Savings

Nationwide has excellent bundling options if you’re a homeowner or want to combine two or more insurance policies together. You can save up to 20 percent on your car insurance when you bundle your home and car insurance, one of the highest bundling discounts among the top providers. You may be eligible for a multipolicy discount when you combine the following insurance policies:

• Auto and home
• Auto and renters
• Motorcycle and renters
• Auto, home, and life
• Multivehicle plans
• Boat and auto

GEICO is the second-cheapest large provider and one of the oldest insurance companies in the country. It has one of the longest lists of insurance discounts in the industry, and some of those discounts are unique to law enforcement members. With an excellent AM Financial Strength rating (A++), wide coverage options, bundling, and more, GEICO is an affordable option.³

Affordable Rates

With an annual average rate of $1,194 (57 percent of the national average of $2,071), GEICO is one of the most affordable providers in the country. Part of what makes GEICO so cheap is the long list of discounts it offers, some for police officers specifically. Some of those discounts include:

New Car Coverage

Did a new patrol vehicle inspire you to shop around for your own new car? GEICO has some exciting new car coverage options. If your car is less than 15 months old and has less than 15,000 miles on it, you could be eligible for mechanical breakdown coverage. Mechanical breakdown coverage is similar to an extended warranty, but GEICO packs in a few extra features you won’t find through a typical dealership warranty plan:

• Coverage for all parts and systems of your car after a $250 deductible
• Coverage if your vehicle breaks down
• The ability to choose where you want your car repaired
• The option to pay a small premium for each policy period as opposed to a large lump-sum payment upfront

Voice Assistance Feature

GEICO’s voice assistance features, GEICO Skill and GEICO Action, can make driving safer and more convenient. You can access both voice assistance apps with either Amazon’s Alexa (GEICO Skill) or Google Assistant (GEICO Action), allowing you to navigate the road hands-free.

With GEICO’s voice assistant, you’ll be able to do all of the following:

• Search for nearby gas stations and gas stations with the lowest prices.
• Send out a roadside assistance request if you have a flat tire or other car-related issues.
• Place a marker on your car so you’ll never lose sight of where you park.
• Check the status of your claims.
• Find out information on your policy, billing information, and important documents like your insurance card.

According to data from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), almost 40 percent of police officer line-of-duty deaths are related to auto crashes.⁵ Or you might have to look at laptops, screens, and other technological devices while you’re on duty, which might distract you while you’re behind the wheel.

GEICO’s voice assistant features can provide you with directions, insurance information, and answers to your questions while keeping your eyes on the road and your hands on the steering wheel. Learn more about how to prevent distracted driving.

USAA is the best car insurance provider for law enforcement members with a military background. If you’re a military member, veteran, or part of a military family (the spouse or child of a military member/veteran), then you’re eligible to sign up for a free USAA membership. USAA offers a number of benefits, discounts, financial support services, coverage options, and more.

Extensive Coverage Options

USAA offers a wide array of coverage options that can help get you the extra protection you need. With USAA, you’ll get standard coverage options like bodily injury and property damage liability coverage, collision, comprehensive, personal injury protection, and underinsured/uninsured motorist coverage. In addition to the standard coverage options, you can also get the following types of protection:

• Rideshare insurance: If you drive for rideshare services like Uber and Lyft when you’re not sporting the blue uniform, you can stay protected between and during pickups with rideshare insurance.
• Car replacement assistance: Replacement assistance ensures you get 20 percent more than the cash value of your car if you total it in an accident.
• Umbrella insurance: Umbrella insurance covers you when you have to pay claims or lawsuits that exceed the limits of your insurance policy.
• Classic and vintage insurance: Classic car insurance provides protection for your vintage and classic cars in the form of agreed-value coverage, which is a unique method for valuing older and specialty cars.

USAA Membership Discounts

USAA is the most affordable large provider in the country. With an annual premium rate of $1,151 on average, its price is almost half the national average of $2,071. Part of what makes USAA so cheap is the long list of discounts that it offers to its members. Those discounts include the following:

• Up to 60 percent off for storing your vehicle
• Up to 15 percent off on comprehensive coverage if you’re garaging your car on a military base
• Up to 30 percent off with the USAA safe driver program
• 10 percent for bundling policies
• Discount for vehicles under three years old
• Good student discount
• 10 percent off for military family members
• Antitheft device discount

Driving Habits Inform Prices

If you sign up for USAA’s SafePilot App, you can save money by demonstrating safe driving habits. The app will track your driving habits and keep a record of behaviors like how fast you drive, how often you drive, what time of day you drive, and how hard you brake. The safer, slower, and less often you drive, the more you can save.

The SafePilot program can save you up to 30 percent on your car insurance. If it tracks unsafe driving behaviors, however, your prices might actually increase, so opt-in at your own discretion.

State Farm is the largest auto insurance company in the U.S. and one of the most affordable providers ($1,419 annual average auto insurance rates) in the country.⁷ You can sign up for low-mileage and safe-driver pricing models with State Farm, which can help bring down insurance premiums if you don’t use your personal vehicle often and/or are a safe driver. With plenty of additional discounts, bundling options, and coverage features, State Farm offers coverage that’s affordable and well-rounded for safe drivers.

Usage-Based Insurance

If you’re a police officer who has access to a patrol car for personal use, you might be able to save money on your personal car insurance through State Farm’s usage-based Safe & Save program. You can earn discounts through the program based on how safely you drive and how many miles you drive per month. The safer you drive and the less often you drive, the more you can save.

While the percentage you could save depends on where you live, State Farm’s pay-per-mile tiers work like this:

You can earn up to 30 percent off with the Drive Safe & Save program, but your rates might actually increase if you either drive more than what your current premium estimates or drive recklessly.

Big Savings

Not only is State Farm the largest and one of the most reliable insurance providers in the country, but it’s also one of the most affordable. State Farm’s average annual rate ($1,419) is about $600 cheaper than the national annual average ($2,071). Speak to an agent to see if any of the following State Farm discounts apply to you:

• Insuring multiple vehicles
• Bundling homeowners, renters, condo, or life insurance
• Insuring your child if they’re a high school/college student with a B average or higher
• Taking a defensive driving course
• Installing an antitheft system
• Driving a 1993 or newer vehicle or older with factory-installed airbags
• Having an accident-free record

Excellent Customer Satisfaction

State Farm has some of the best customer satisfaction and service ratings out of any insurance provider. In 2022, it scored the highest J.D. Power overall customer satisfaction index rating among large insurers (885). One of State Farm’s strongest customer service assets is consistency. Whether we’re speaking to an agent in Mississippi, California, or Alaska, we’ve experienced the same level of quality, care, and attention.

Progressive is our top pick if you’re a young officer, new driver, or the parent of a teen driver. You can lower your rates by opting into one of Progressive’s many student discounts or safe driver discounts. And if you’re the parent of a teen driver, Progressive allows you to track their driving habits with the Snapshot safe driver app.

New Driver and Student Discounts

The average cost for drivers aged 16 to 19 is $3,751 annually on average, higher than any other age group. If you’re fresh out of the academy, a new driver, or a parent who wants to add your teen driver to your plan, Progressive has some great discounts to bring those costs down.

You or your kids may be eligible for the following discounts:

• Teen driver discount (average savings vary state-by-state)
• Up to 10 percent off for full-time students with a B average or higher
• Distant student discount, which applies to full-time students who live at least 100 miles away and are under the age of 22
• Average savings of $146 annually if you opt-in to the Snapshot Safe Driver program, a safe driving app that tracks your driving habits to adjust your rates. Safer driving leads to lower rates, but unsafe driving might actually increase your premiums.⁹

Seamless Mobile Insurance Management

Progressive’s mobile app is intuitive, sleek, and easy to use. With just a few clicks from the dashboard, we could check on the status of a claim, review our annual plan, and shop around for additional coverage. The Progressive app has a 4.6 rating in the Google Play Store and a 4.7 in the Apple Store. With the Progressive app, you can take any of the following actions:

• Review your policy details for all your vehicles and drivers.
• Make payments via credit card, debit card, banking account, and more.
• Upload, share, and print your insurance ID cards.
• Upload photos for claims and check the status of past claims.
• Make a request for roadside assistance, which is available 24/7.
• Check out additional coverage options and shop for the best plans.

Diminishing Deductible Discount

If you think you’re a safe driver and can avoid tickets/violations, you might want to take advantage of Progressive’s diminishing deductible discount. A diminishing deductible is an optional type of coverage that reduces your deductible if you’re accident or ticket-free — without increasing premiums. Progressive will activate your deductible decrease when you renew your contract and that number can go all the way down to $0 over time.