USAA Auto Insurance Review 2024

USAA is a great car insurance option for anyone affiliated with the U.S. military. Its rates are below the national average for drivers with many profiles, including drivers with a DUI, at-fault accident, and bad credit.

Who Is Eligible for USAA?

If you fall into any of the following categories, you are eligible for USAA membership:

U.S. military members and veterans

• Active-duty, guard, and reserve members
• Veterans who are separated or retired from the U.S. Armed Forces with an honorable or general under honorable conditions discharge

Precommissioned officers

• Contracted cadets or midshipmen attending a U.S. service academy, affiliated academy preparatory school, or advanced ROTC program
• Officer or warrant officer candidates commissioning within 24 months

On average, USAA charges $1,322 annually ($110 monthly) for full coverage and $356 annually ($30 monthly) for minimum coverage. USAA has the lowest rates among the companies we analyzed. Its rates are 31 percent below the national average for full coverage and 35 percent below the national average for minimum coverage.

We recommend getting an auto insurance quote if you’re eligible for USAA membership. Some customers report that USAA has raised its rates in the past year, which my family and I experienced as well. However, it was not a large bump and seemed to be in line with the industry as a whole.

Another thing I love about USAA is the plethora of discounts you can get. With three vehicles to insure, plus a teenage driver and a teenager with a learner’s permit, we utilize as many as we can. You can get earn discounts with USAA for following:

• Automatic payments
• Bundling your auto insurance with another policy (like home or life insurance)
• Driving a vehicle that is less than three years old (additionally, we ranked USAA as one of the best auto insurance providers for new cars)
• Insuring multiple vehicles on the same policy
• Low annual mileage
• Maintaining a 3.0 GPA or higher as a student
• Maintaining a good driving record for the last five years
• Parking your car on a military base
• Storing your vehicle long term, whether due to deployment or another reason
• Taking a defensive driver course
• Tracking your driving habits with the SafePilot app
• Transitioning off your parents’ policy onto your own USAA policy
• Vehicle safety and anti-theft devices

My family has tapped into the following discounts, which save us $433 per six-month policy cycle. USAA threw in an additional $882 discount for having multiple USAA products, an on-time payment history, and a longtime membership.

• Multi-car
• Low annual mileage
• Automatic payment
• Passive restraint
• Daytime running lights
• Driver training
• Good student

You can begin your USAA quote online at https://www.usaa.com/inet/wc/auto-insurance. To get a quote from USAA by phone, call 800-531-USAA (8722). To check your membership eligibility, go to https://www.usaa.com/join/get-started/.

USAA offers all standard auto coverages, such as liability, medical payments, uninsured/underinsured motorist, collision, and comprehensive. In addition, you can purchase the following coverages:

• Better-car replacement, which adds 20 percent of the actual cash value of your vehicle to the settlement amount in the event of a total loss (for example, if your car is worth $10,000 when it’s totaled, USAA will pay out $12,000)
• Rental reimbursement, which pays for a rental car while your car is in the shop for repairs after a covered loss
• Roadside assistance, which can help with towing, flat tires, breakdowns, running out of fuel, lockouts, and stuck vehicles
• Rideshare coverage, which you may need if you drive for a company like Lyft, Uber, or DoorDash. USAA offers rideshare coverage in every state except Hawaii, Michigan, Montana, North Carolina, New Mexico, New York, South Carolina, and Virginia.
• Umbrella insurance, which helps pay for damages that exceed your policy limits, typically due to major losses, injury claims, or lawsuits.

USAA does not sell stand-alone gap coverage, but better-car replacement coverage functions similarly and will usually cover any remaining loan balance in the event of a total loss.

Why I Added Accident Forgiveness to My Policy

One type of additional coverage we elected to get is accident forgiveness. With teen drivers in our household, this seemed like a prudent coverage to add. USAA’s accident forgiveness coverage means it won’t increase your premium after the first at-fault accident of anyone on the policy, including teens.

You can also earn accident forgiveness by maintaining an accident-free driving record with USAA for five years. Once earned, you get the coverage without paying any additional premium. We’re glad we’ve earned accident forgiveness coverage — and hope our teen drivers help us keep it!

Where Is USAA Auto Insurance Available?

USAA sells auto insurance in all 50 states; Washington, D.C.; and select international locations, including the following:

• Azores
• Belgium
• Cuba
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Guam
• Italy
• Netherlands
• Portugal
• Puerto Rico
• South Korea
• Spain
• U.S. Virgin Islands
• United Kingdom

Highlighted Offering: Usage-Based Insurance

Through Noblr, a USAA company, USAA offers usage-based insurance in the following states: Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Usage-based insurance can save you money if you drive infrequently (less than 8,000 miles annually). With this type of policy, your premium consists of a fixed monthly rate plus a variable rate. An app will track how many miles you drive, as well as behaviors like braking, accelerating, phone use, and nighttime driving. Every month, your variable rate is determined by how many miles you drive and your driving behaviors.

As I mentioned above, you can also get a low-annual-mileage discount with USAA without signing up for the app, which is what my family and I do.

Other Insurance USAA Provides

USAA also sells the following policies:

• ATV
• Aviation
• Boat and personal watercraft
• Business
• Classic car
• Condo, homeowners, and renters
• Cybersecurity
• Farm and ranch
• Flood
• Health, including dental and vision
• Landlord
• Life
• Mobile home
• Motorcycle
• Personal property
• Pet
• RV and motorhome
• Special event
• Travel

My family has bundled several additional policies for even more savings with USAA, including camper, life, homeowners, and personal property insurance.

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel your USAA auto insurance policy by calling 800-531-8722. There is no cancellation fee, but make sure you find a new insurance policy before you cancel your USAA policy so you don’t have a gap in auto insurance coverage.

Claims

USAA scored highly on J.D. Power’s 2023 Claims Satisfaction Study, which assesses customer claims experience in six areas: claims servicing, estimate, first notice of loss (i.e., when you first file the claim), rental car, repair, and financial settlement. Because USAA is available to military affiliates only, it was not technically eligible for award criteria. However, with a score of 900 out of 1,000, it would have tied NJM for third place overall in claims satisfaction.

Reviews from CRASH Network — an independently published survey of collision repair shops — are mixed. USAA received an overall grade of C-, placing it in the bottom 20 percent of companies. This means some collision repair shops may find the company difficult to work with. Customers may have a better experience working with a USAA-affiliated shop (also known as a direct repair shop), as the company received a B+ average from its in-network shops.

Customer Satisfaction Highlight: Roadside Assistance

While we’ve not filed an auto claim recently, we have used USAA’s 24/7 Roadside Assistance several times over the past few years. Here’s what we have liked and disliked about the service, which costs us roughly $100 yearly for our three vehicles and popup camper.

You’ll need more than my opinion to make your own decision about USAA. Read on to see what other USAA customers have to say about the company.

Customer Profile

• Customer for over 10 years
• Also has renters insurance
• Financed vehicle with a USAA loan

How long have you been a USAA customer?

I’ve been a customer since my very first insurance policy at age 16, and my family have been members for over 20 years.

Have you ever had to file a claim with USAA? How would you describe the experience?

I have once, and the experience was incredibly quick, smooth, and easy.

How easy was it to get a quote?

I was able to get a quote almost instantaneously over the phone, with minimal wait time.

Customer Profile

• Customer for seven years
• Added spouse to policies
• Also has homeowners and valuable personal property insurance

Have you ever had to file a claim with USAA? How would you describe the experience?

No, I haven’t had to file a claim, but customer service has been very knowledgeable and helpful whenever I’ve called in. They’ve never failed to address an issue I’ve had with policy enrollment, ID card requests, etc.

How easy or difficult was the process of obtaining membership?

Obtaining membership was extremely easy. What I appreciated the most was USAA’s rate comparison tool. That helped my wife and me figure out the best balance of coverage versus cost.

Customer Profile

• Bundles multiple policies
• Has filed a claim

How has your experience been with USAA?

They’re decent, but I did have some issues after a drunk driver hit me and USAA tried to undervalue my underinsured motorist claim. They’re always helpful and insightful, and I don’t make a habit of getting hit by drunk drivers, so hopefully that’s my first and last issue with them.

USAA recommends customers begin a claim on the USAA website or mobile app. You can also file a claim by phone at 1-800-531-USAA (8722). You can work with an in-network USAA shop or your preferred shop; however, be aware that USAA will coordinate repairs with its own shops only. If you choose your own shop, you are responsible for coordinating repairs. Most in-network USAA shops have an Enterprise agency on-site or nearby, making it easy to pick up a rental car if you need one while your vehicle is being repaired.

A few months ago, I considered whether or not to file an uninsured motorist claim with USAA after a minor fender-bender. However, since I wasn’t 100 percent certain I should, the process was difficult on the mobile app, which required yes or no responses to questions about the claim. I ended up calling a customer service representative instead. I decided against filing that claim, and my recommendation is to call if you’re not sure you want to file the claim.

Also, because this was related to an uninsured motorist, there was confusion on my part and the agent’s regarding what exactly my uninsured motorist coverage included. She insisted I couldn’t file a claim because I had the name of the driver, whose auto insurance policy had lapsed. Ultimately, I decided not to file a claim, so the point was moot.

USAA has a robust set of online tools. You can use USAA’s mobile app to file and manage claims, view your ID card, and request roadside assistance. You can also use the app to manage other financial services you might have with USAA, like banking. Like most insurers, USAA has a separate app (SafePilot) for its safe driving discount.

In the beginning, I wasn’t a fan of the app, but now I’ve come to like its features, especially the roadside assistance. I also like getting notifications about my insurance bill and other services we have with USAA.

In 1922, 25 Army officers met in San Antonio, Texas, and decided to insure each other’s vehicles. The group elected William Garrison as its first president. Maj. Walter Moore purchased an auto insurance policy and became USAA’s first member in 1922. The next year, USAA expanded its membership to include Navy and Marine Corps officers.

The first half of the 20th century saw USAA expand internationally. In 1934, its membership grew to include Foreign Service officers, State Department officials, and their widows/widowers. In 1948, USAA opened membership to Air Force officers after the National Security Act of 1947 established the department. USAA opened its first location outside San Antonio in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1952.

In 1961, USAA changed its bylaws to include veterans. USAA reached another milestone in 1969, when its millionth member joined. The company grew in other areas, including banking, over the second half of the 20th century. In 1996, enlisted personnel became eligible for membership for the first time.

USAA’s eligibility requirements expanded again in 2008 to include military retirees regardless of when they retired, as well as their spouses and children. In 2009, all men and women currently serving or who have honorably served in the U.S. military, and their families, became eligible for membership. USAA’s mobile app launched in 2009. As of 2017, USAA serves over 12 million members with a net worth of $31 billion.

We aim to offer consumers accurate and unbiased information. Our methodology involves the following steps to evaluate companies:

1. Value and coverage: We examine companies’ pricing, discounts, availability, and coverage options.
2. Customer experience: We speak with customers to provide readers with firsthand insights into a company’s customer service.
3. Claims handling: Our evaluation includes an analysis of claims processes using both third-party data and customer feedback.
4. Industry ratings and reviews: We compile data from independent agencies to measure factors such as financial strength, complaint records, and customer satisfaction.
5. Digital tools and technology: We assess the user-friendliness of websites, mobile apps, and online account management features to provide insights into the digital experience.