The Best Auto Insurance in Idaho

Full coverage auto insurance guarantees peace of mind and a high amount of protection for you and your family. The downside is that full coverage costs more than minimum coverage. Allstate isn’t cheap, but its premiums reflect robust coverage options to protect your assets. We love its extended vehicle care program, tire and wheel protection, and fabric and paint coverage if you live somewhere more rural and want to keep your vehicle driving and looking like you just took it off the lot.

Extended Vehicle Care

Idaho is known for its rugged terrain, so the state minimum coverage is not going to cut it for most vehicles. Allstate makes it easy to piece together the right coverage for you. Allstate’s extended vehicle care acts like an extended warranty for your vehicle after the manufacturer’s warranty expires. You’ll pay a deductible of only $0 to $200 for the following types of covered repairs:

• Steering
• Emissions/exhaust
• Suspension
• Climate control
• Seats
• Safety restraints
• Transmission
• Engine
• Drive axle(s)

Tire and Wheel Protection

Allstate’s tire and wheel coverage add-on comes with no deductible, no limit on the number of occurrences, and one to seven years of protection, depending on your plan. It covers the following types of damage/equipment:

• Wheel repair or replacement if damage to the wheel prevents the tire from forming an airtight seal or it can’t be balanced
• Tire repair or replacement
• Mounting, balancing, valve stem, tire pressure sensor, and the disposal of the old tire and/or wheel
• Alloy wheel cosmetic repair with a factory-brushed, powder-coated, or painted surface

Paint and Fabric Defense

Life gets messy in small towns. Allstate offers paint and fabric protection to interior and exterior surfaces (great protection from little-kid messes). This includes:

• Ceramic exterior spray-on protectant to increase gloss, durability, and ease of cleaning to protect your paint job from road salt, hard water, tree sap, and more
• Interior protectant designed to keep stains from setting in on fabric, leather, vinyl, and carpet, and defend against rips, tears, and loose stitching caused by weather or UV rays; Allstate will replace or repair rips or tears less than two inches or punctures with a diameter of less than one-quarter inch

State Farm is one of the largest car insurance companies in the U.S. Its local agents can find you the best mix of coverages and discounts for your particular situation. It’s our pick for the best cheap auto insurance for teens because of its affordable rates and safe driving discounts, but almost everyone can get affordable rates through State Farm.

Local Offices

Idaho is rural, but you’ll still be able to find one of State Farm’s 19,000 agents nearby. Local agents can help apply discounts and formulate coverage so you’re paying for only what you want to — and getting the best deal, to boot. State Farm has more than 25 agents located just an online search away from you in Idaho.

Bundling With State Farm

You can reduce the burden of your auto insurance premium by bundling it with your other insurance products. State Farm offers a wide variety, including boat, motorhome, ATV, homeowners, renters, life, health, disability, and small business insurance products with a 17 percent discount if you bundle two or more. You can save up to 20 percent if you cover two or more vehicles.

USAA offers the cheapest rates on this list, but only for its members. To qualify, you or an immediate family member must be a U.S. Armed Forces member or veteran. As a USAA member, you get financial support for investments and retirement and benefits that extend to your children and grandchildren. It’s our pick for senior drivers in Idaho because of its network of member benefits and a handy rideshare endorsement for gig workers.

USAA member benefits

USAA offers benefits above and beyond auto insurance. Similar to AARP, these benefits are available only to members. They vary from state to state, but you can expect the following notable perks in Idaho:

• Financial advice for managing debt, planning for retirement, investing, and more
• Special rates on auto loans
• $0 down on ADT home security installation
• Discounts on hotels, cruises, vacation packages, travel insurance, and more
• 24/7 customer support hotline

Loyalty Discounts

If you value a long-term relationship with your auto insurer, USAA rewards you for your loyalty with discounts. After three years, you can receive up to 10 percent off your future premiums. This discount also applies if your child or grandchild moves to their first individual auto insurance policy, so you’re also setting the next generation up for success.

Rideshare drivers

Are you earning extra income in retirement from a rideshare service? When you drive for a rideshare company, your policy does not apply when you’re waiting to match with a ride, and neither does the rideshare company’s coverage. USAA provides a rideshare endorsement that extends your policy through the gap, ensuring you’re fully protected.

Nationwide ranks 10th in the nation for the value of premiums written.² We like its pay-per-mile insurance, SmartMiles, for infrequent drivers who want to save money on premiums. If you’re a young driver or a farmer without a regular commute, usage-based insurance can save you a lot of money annually. Other programs, like SmartRide for safe driving and Nationwide’s vanishing deductible, keep Nationwide competitive among many types of customers. Plus, Nationwide has offices in Bellevue, Hailey, and Ketchum.

Telematics Programs

Nationwide offers two telematics programs: SmartMiles and SmartRide. Telematics combines GPS systems, vehicle diagnostics, and black box technologies to record and transmit vehicle data, like speed, location, and maintenance needs, across a wireless device. SmartMiles is the aforementioned pay-per-mile auto insurance option. The price of your insurance through SmartMiles is derived from a monthly base rate and a per-mile rate. You can participate by installing a device in your car or connecting your car directly (if it’s a 2015 model or later from Acura, General Motors, Genesis, Honda, or Hyundai).

SmartRide is another usage-based program that rewards safe driving with savings of up to 40 percent. You earn a 10 percent discount for enrolling. After you install the SmartRide device, you can track your discount and get feedback on your driving trends online. The device tracks miles driven, hard braking and acceleration, idle time, and nighttime driving. After the program ends, Nationwide will apply your final discount.

Vanishing Deductible

With Nationwide’s vanishing deductible, you can earn $100 off your deductible for each year without an at-fault accident on your record for up to five years. That’s a potential $500 savings from usage-based insurance.

Gap Insurance

Gap insurance protects your financial investment in a new car by paying the difference between the replacement cost of your vehicle and the amount you owe on it when it is totaled in a covered loss. Nationwide is on our list of best gap insurance options for when you lease or finance a vehicle.