The Best Auto Insurance in Maryland

Allstate is one of the oldest, most financially reputable, and most popular providers (the fourth-largest) in the country.² It has one of the highest home bundling discounts among any provider (25 percent), which can be a huge benefit if you’re one of Maryland’s 67 percent residents who are homeowners.³ Additionally, Allstate has the second-highest J.D. Power claims satisfaction score on our list and plenty of unique coverage options for your ancillary needs.

Excellent Savings for Homeowners

If you’re a homeowner, you can benefit from the highest home bundling discount on our list (up to 25 percent). Allstate also offers bundling discounts for:

• Home and auto insurance
• Renters and auto insurance
• Renters and motorcycle insurance
• Life and auto insurance

Here are a few other ways you can save with Allstate:

• New-car discount: If you’re the first owner of a new vehicle and your car is either the current-year model or the last-year model, you could qualify for this discount.
• Smart student discount: If you’re a full-time student (or parent of a student), you could earn savings by fulfilling the following requisites:
  • Maintains a B-average or a GPA of 2.7 or above
  • Stores your vehicle 100 miles away from where you attend school
  • Completes the teenSMART driver education program
• Safe driver discount: You need to complete a defensive driving course and be accident-free for six months to earn this discount.
• Vehicle equipment discount: You can earn this discount by integrating an anti-theft device or other safety features (like adaptive headlights or anti-lock brakes) to your vehicle.
• FullPay discount: You can save on your premium if you pay your policy in full or have made all your payments on time for the past year.

Great Coverage Add-ons

In addition to offering all the coverage you need to meet Maryland’s minimum state requirements, Allstate coverage add-ons allow you to extend your limits and benefits. Here’s the full list of optional coverage you can integrate into your plan:

• Mexico coverage: Visiting Mexico soon? Allstate works with insurance companies in Mexico to help cover medical bills and car repairs if you’re involved in a car accident during your stay.
• Roadside assistance: You can add 24/7 roadside assistance to your plan for tows, jump starts, flat tires, lockouts, and other emergencies. Allstate roadside memberships start at $8 per month or $89 per year.
• Uninsured motorists coverage/underinsured motorists coverage: If you get into an accident with someone who doesn’t have enough insurance (and they’re at fault), you won’t pay out of pocket. Maryland has the 16th-highest rate of uninsured drivers in the country (14 percent), so we definitely recommend integrating this add-on if you can afford it.⁴
• Rental reimbursement: If your car is being repaired under a covered insurance claim, rental reimbursement will help you pay for a rental or public transport.
• Windshield and glass: Your Allstate policy comes with Auto Glass Claim Express, which gives you access to over 7,200 vetted repair shops to repair your windshield and car glass.
• Personal umbrella policy (PUP): An umbrella policy provides you with additional coverage beyond your bodily injury, personal injury protection (PIP), or property damage liability limits.

Plans for Low-Mileage Drivers

On average, Marylanders drive about 11,000 miles per year, slightly higher than the national average of 9,700.⁵ If you can drive less than 10,000 miles per year, however, there’s a good chance you can pay less for auto insurance with Allstate’s Milewise program.

Milewise is a pay-per-mile program that charges you based on how many miles you drive per month. Here’s an example of what your rate could look like with Milewise:

If you drive 25 miles a day on average, you’re looking at a rate of about $90 a month (or $1,080 a year). This is much lower than both the average cost in Maryland ($1,201) and for Allstate’s ($1,673).

That being said, your daily flat rate and per-mile rate will vary based on your location, driving history, and personal background, so be sure to speak with an agent to get a more accurate estimation. For example, someone with good credit and a clean driving record will have better luck finding cheap car insurance than someone with bad credit and a bad record. Your ZIP code may also play a factor, as cities in the state have higher rates than suburban or rural Maryland.

Compare car insurance quotes from different providers to find out the cheapest car insurance company for you.

USAA is our top pick for active military members, veterans, and their families in Maryland. It has the highest J.D. Power claims satisfaction score, the lowest rates among any large provider, and excellent services unique to military members (we’ll take a closer look at those services below). If you’re one of the 425,000 servicemembers, veterans, or military families in Maryland, you can sign up for USAA’s exclusive membership today.⁶

Coverage Designed for Military Members

If you’re deployed overseas or in a different state, you can keep your vehicle in Maryland and save with a USAA storage discount. Here are the three main saving opportunities USAA offers for deployed military members.

You can also extend your USAA policy with you on deployment if you plan on driving overseas. USAA can cover you in the following overseas regions/countries:

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

Excellent Third-Party Ratings

Third-party rating systems are some of the only reliable methods to evaluate the creditworthiness, financial stability, and customer service quality of insurance providers. USAA is consistently one of the highest-ranked, reviewed, and rated auto insurance companies.

• AM Best rating: AM Best, which rates the financial strength and creditworthiness of insurance companies, gives USAA an A++ (Superior) rating.⁸ An A++ rating is the highest score AM Best gives to insurance providers.
• J.D. Power U.S. Auto Insurance Study: J.D. Power notes USAA’s customer satisfaction ratings in every region it studies. It gave USAA an 890 out of 1,000 for customer claims satisfaction, which outranks every insurance company on our list, making it a top-10 provider in the U.S.
• Standard and Poor’s: Standard & Poor’s (S&P) assigns letter grades to companies based on their degree of investment risk. S&P gives USAA a rating of AA+, the second-highest rating it provides. This is a good indication that USAA will repay its debts with little risk of default.

Rideshare Insurance

Not all insurance providers offer rideshare insurance, but you’ll need the additional coverage if you’re driving for a rideshare company like Uber or Lyft. Rideshare companies provide you some protection through Transportation Network Company (TNC) insurance, but there are situations when you might not be insured (like when you’re waiting for a rideshare request). Rideshare insurance provides you with the added layer of protection you need in that gap in coverage.

Liberty Mutual is the sixth-largest writer of property and casualty insurance, offering customers a long list of discounts, customizable plans, and unique add-ons, like teacher and Mexico insurance. Additionally, it offers excellent commercial and fleet auto insurance for business owners in Maryland.

Several Add-Ons

Liberty Mutual has 12 optional coverages that you could add to your plan. Although you don’t need additional coverage to drive legally in Maryland aside from the state’s car insurance requirements, we recommend getting full coverage car insurance with the highest limits you can afford and as many add-ons as you need. Here’s the full list; it includes above and beyond the state minimum:

Teachers’ Auto Insurance

Liberty Mutual is one of the only providers to offer customized car insurance for teachers. If you’re one of the 60,000 teachers in Maryland, you can get savings and protection that include:

• Vandalism loss coverage: If someone vandalizes your car on school property or during school events, you won’t have to pay a deductible for repairs.
• Personal property coverage: You get up to $2,500 in coverage per occurrence for materials or school-owned property that is stolen or damaged.
• Collision coverage: If you’re driving to school or a school-related event and you get into a collision, you won’t have to pay a deductible.
• Teacher discounts: Teachers get exclusive discounts with Liberty Mutual. Speak to your local agent to see what savings are available to you.

Best for Fleets

If you’re one of the 600,000 small business owners in Maryland, you probably need commercial auto insurance for your business and/or fleet.⁹ According to TRIP, a national transportation research nonprofit, Maryland’s highway system is among the worst in the U.S.¹⁰ Liberty Mutual’s fleet and commercial auto insurance program can help with some of the problems you might have with highway traffic, finding skilled drivers, rising repair costs, and more.

Here’s what the plan includes:

• Expert guidance in developing a fleet safety program and finding qualified drivers
• A telematics integration to identify poor or unsafe driving habits
• Help to find fleet tracking systems that provide the best routes with real-time traffic and weather updates
• Advanced analytics to review legal bills
• Digital appraisals and access to Liberty Mutual repair shops to get you back on the road as soon as possible

State Farm is the third most affordable large provider in the country and the second-cheapest provider on our list. Although State Farm’s national average rate is about $1,400, you can expect your rates to be lower in Maryland, which has a state average of $1,201.¹¹ State Farm also has a long list of discounts and perks for safe drivers to help bring your costs down.

Excellent Discount Opportunities

State Farm has one of the most extensive lists of discounts in the industry, with sizable saving opportunities for safe drivers, teen drivers, and more.

• Drive Safe & Save: Drive Safe & Save is a tracking program that records your driving habits, scores you on how safely (or unsafely) you’re driving, and calculates either a premium deduction or an increase. You get a discount just for signing up, and you can earn up to 30 percent off based on your performance.
• Good driver discount: New to State Farm? You can receive a discount if you don’t have any at-fault accidents or moving violations within your first three years as a customer.
• Steer Clear driver program: Steer Clear is a safety program for drivers under the age of 25. Here’s what you need to be eligible for the 15 percent discount:
  • A valid driver’s license
  • No at-fault accidents or moving violations in the past three years
  • A certification of program completion from Steer Clear
• Defensive driving course discount: State Farm has a network of safety courses in Maryland. Complete an approved course, and you can earn a discount on your premium.
• Vehicle safety discount: You can qualify for this discount by equipping your vehicle with modern safety features such as electronic stability controls, forward collision warnings, and adaptive headlights.
• Multiple vehicle discount: Insure more than one vehicle with State Farm, and you could qualify for this discount.
• Bundling discount: If you get homeowners, renters, condo, or life insurance, you could earn a bundling discount.

Seamless Mobile Experience

State Farm has a sleek, intuitive, and comprehensive mobile app that has everything you need to manage and review your plan. It’s one of our favorite apps for user experience because of how easy it is to navigate the menu, file claims, upload photos, and more. The app has a 4.7 out of five-star rating for Android and 4.8 rating on iOS, which are some of the highest mobile app ratings for a top provider.

Through the app, you can:

• Pay your bills.
• Enable personalized reminders and notifications for payments, claims, and other insurance needs.
• Get roadside assistance for flat tires, dead batteries, towing, and more.
• File and track the status of your claims.
• View your policy and coverage details.
• Search for repair shops.
• View details of investment products.
• Search for answers to frequently asked questions.
• Contact your agent.

Coverage for High-Risk Drivers

If you’re a high-risk driver in Maryland, it might be difficult to find a provider willing to insure you or offer affordable coverage. Insurance providers are less likely to offer you coverage if you have a history of traffic violations, at-fault accidents, lapses in coverage, and multiple insurance claims.

Fortunately, State Farm is a top provider for high-risk drivers. Not only is State Farm willing to insure high-risk drivers, but it also charges high-risk drivers about 15 to 20 percent less than the competition. That’s great news for people with bad driving records.