Best Auto Insurance

Review & Comparison, Last Update September 10, 2024
When virtually every state requires a liable car insurance for every car owner there are more and more options on how to insure your ...Read more
PROS

A huge amount of services and discounts that will be suitable for both servicemen and their families.

CONS

Available for military servicemen, veterans, and their family members only. The company does not service regular civilians.

OUR VERDICT

The USAA is a company with a vast history that still provides a top-notch quality of service today. The same qualities helped earn the company the highest score for customer service for the 5th consecutive year. As long as you're one of the brave men or women that served in the military (or one of their relatives), you get access to excellent protection. While the restriction is a bit discouraging, those that qualify shouldn't hesitate to choose the USAA.

detailed parameters
Discounts

Safe driving (Premium policy only), Defensive driving (optional), Good student, Family discount, No payment plan fees, Military installation

Services

Mobile app, Accident forgiveness, Vehicle storage, New vehicle replacement, Driver training

Available In

All 50 states, Worldwide (limited availability)

PROS

A mobile app that offers an unrivaled ease of use and functionality in terms of the claim reporting.

CONS

The company does not provide hybrid and electric car owners with any discounts in all states.

OUR VERDICT

The Allstate provides almost effortless claim filling and a big amount of various discounts that are exclusive to their customers. Although it's not the best option for owners of electric cars, all other vehicles are covered with outstanding care and bargain prices. Plus, it's very easy to file a claim and connect to your insurance reps thanks to the phone app that comes with the purchase. It also covers rideshares, which is a nice way to save money, making the Allstate an affordable and smart choice.

detailed parameters
Discounts

Safe driving, Good student, Good driver, Smart Driving

Services

Mobile app, Accident forgiveness, Rideshare coverage

Available In

All 50 states

PROS

The firm offers significant discounts for owners of hybrid and electric cars as well as for driving safe.

CONS

The discounts for student and teenage drivers leave something more to be desired.

OUR VERDICT

The Liberty Mutual offers the best in class quotes, policies, and discounts for emission-free vehicles. For everyone else, the company offers prices that are lower than average, which also make their policies suitable for younger drivers. Although the discounts aren't the best we've seen, they're a good first step towards helping new car owners feel safer on the road, especially because the company encourages safe driving and adds discounts based on those as well. Whether it's your first insurance or just a switch-over from a different one, the Liberty Mutual is sure to please.

detailed parameters
Discounts

Safe Driving, Green vehicle, Good student, Good driver, Smart driving

Services

Mobile app, New car replacement, Accident Forgiveness

Available In

All 50 states

PROS

Service packages that have no alternatives within certain price limits (medium to high prices).

CONS

The pay per mile discount is available only in the state of Oregon.

OUR VERDICT

The Esurance provides an array of different services that will be suitable for every wallet thanks to a vast amount of different discounts. Although some of them are limited to certain areas, the end-result is still an affordable insurance that's available to any proud US driver. It encourages driving green, allows switching to a different car, and has a nifty mobile app that lets you file claims a bit faster than usual. A solid and reasonably-priced choice though citizens of certain states might have more reason to choose it due to the regional benefits.

detailed parameters
Discounts

Safe driving, Good driver, Green vehicle, Multiple cars, Pre-paid policy, Switch & Save, Claim-free driving

Services

Mobile app, CarMatch, Gap insurance, Customized parts coverage

Available In

43 states

PROS

The company offers great budget-friendly options for low-mileage drivers.

CONS

Available only in 7 states across the US.

OUR VERDICT

The pay-per-mile system that has no alternatives today makes Metromile a go-to pick for low-mileage and occasional drivers. Nevertheless, if your daily mileage exceeds 250 miles you get them for free, which means that even long-haul drivers or lovers of road trips should be looking towards Metromile as a viable insurance choice. The only problem is the limited states list and we do hope that it expands as the Metromile has the potential to become the best insurance available, it just has to reach all over the USA.

detailed parameters
Discounts

Safe driving, Good driver, Green vehicle, Low-mileage, High-mileage (free miles for over 250 miles/day)

Services

Mobile app, Metromile Pulse hardware

Available In

California, Illinois, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington

The Unrivaled Reputation

Available only to members of the U.S. military and their families, the USAA car and auto insurance packages are ones of the best options out there today. The fact that the company has an enormous cache of experience in the field of insurance and financing as well as high marks in various surveys such as customer satisfaction and online experience for several consecutive years tells a lot about their professionalism.

The USAA has been around providing insurance services for almost a century now. Founded back in 1922 in Texas, the firm is now a worldwide group of companies that offer insurance, banking, and financial services to their customers. The availability of the firm’s services is not limited to the US (although they have more than 10,000 local offices across the country). The USAA has several offices in Europe, including Frankfurt and London.

Annual Mileage

The USAA auto insurance coverage includes comprehensive damage protection as well as additional services such as roadside assistance, a safe driving discount, defensive driving to improve your skills in extreme situations on the road, and even a good student discount that allows students with good grades to save up on their premiums. However, note that if you need one of the most popular safe driver discounts it is only available with the premium payment plan that is not available in the state of Hawaii as of now. This exclusion is disappointing but we hope that it will be remedied soon.

Furthermore, in case you drive a lot or your current job and activities include traveling, you can get an exclusive annual mileage payment plant that grants you a significant discount based on the miles you drive yearly.

You Deserve the Best

The prices for USAA auto insurance may seem a little bit expensive for some customers but they are justified as the quality of service is top-notch, which is backed by numerous customer surveys. Every member of the USAA knows what he or she pays for and most of them don't even have to pay to sign up for the policy. In case you are not satisfied with the services the company provides, you can cancel the policy at any given time by simply calling the representative of the firm. The only downside of this option is that you won’t be able to get a new trial policy for the next three years and will have to choose a flat payment plan that costs $50 in case you wish to return.

The USAA offers one of the best rates on the market in all states they provide their services. Despite that, some customers may find that the USAA premium costs are too high for their wallet. In such cases, we recommend disabling the annual premium raising. By doing so you can lower the price of the premium significantly and the company’s representatives will have to notify you if or when they need to raise the prices.

Our vets deserve the best services possible and the insurance service from USAA will take good care of anyone that served or has blood relation to the heroes. Anyone who once enlisted to protect our country can always rely on USAA, and the company makes sure to protect them during both service time and civilian life. Thus, in case you are an active or ex-military member, the USAA is your go-to pick when it comes down to reliable auto, residential, and other types of insurance.


The Pioneers of Auto Insurance

Being one of the long-living insurance companies in the United States, the Allstate has been providing people with insurance services for almost 90 years. In fact, the Allstate was one of the pioneers in the field of car and automobile insurance and one of the first organizations to start selling auto insurance to clients by mail back in 1931, which at the time was a groundbreaking solution that popularized the service as a whole.

Today, if you sign up for the insurance plan you will be offered to download a special DriveApp, an exclusive piece of mobile software available only to Allstate customers. Using this mobile application, you will be able to swiftly submit claims and attach pictures to them (the detailed guide on how to make a claim is available in the app itself as well as on the Allstate website).

The user interface of the app is quite straightforward and has a simple design so even people that are not tech-savvy will be able to navigate through it easily. On top of the great software, the Allstate offers a 3% discount for those who use the DriveApp so you can start saving up on your deductible in just a few taps on the screen.

First-grade Solutions

Depending on which state you are living in, the policy prices may vary slightly from city to city, so you will have to visit the company’s website in order to get an auto insurance quote. Although the company doesn’t provide low-cost solutions for their services, the multitude of options available allows for covering almost all possible dangers that drivers might face both on and off road. You can pick and choose the most likely scenarios for protection to save money and avoid paying for insurance for something that's not a danger to you personally.

Before we get into the details we would like to point out that Allstate offers a top-of-the-line quality of service and is more suitable for clients that are looking for that instead of cheap second-grade insurance solutions.

As the company offers its services all over the USA, it's no wonder that the pricing and the subscription plan vary regionally. Nevertheless, the actual services provided are always comprehensive and, with Allstate, you can get personal injury protection in case you were injured in a car accident, medical payments coverage that will help you pay all your medical bills related to the car accident. Additionally, you can apply for uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage option. This service, in particular, protects you and your car from drivers that don’t use insurance or from those who haven’t gotten their insurance yet.

Drive Safe

The company strongly encourages safe driving and actually made and produced a TV-series back in 2011 that depicts the situations that teen drivers are facing while driving. The series was created to promote interest in responsible driving and safety on the road in general. Furthermore, Allstate has a series of educational videos on their website that will teach you how to react and respond to the critical or emergency situations on the road. You even get discounts for driving safely and following the traffic laws.

One of the main benefits of affordable auto insurance from Allstate is the fact that their services are available in all 50 states, unlike some of the other companies in our review. On top of that, the firm also offers rideshare insurance in the majority of states it is available in.

The Allstate is one of the leading insurance companies and that shows when it comes down to a fairly straightforward claim process and, all things considered, their policies is the top pick for those looking for high-risk drivers auto insurance.


Deductible Affordable for Everyone

The Liberty Mutual insurance company has been providing car insurance services to their customers for over 100 years and this fact alone says a lot about their professionalism in particular and about the organization as a whole.

One of the main reasons why you should pick the Liberty Mutual is their deductible insurance program that allows you to eliminate up to 70% of expenses in case of a car accident. But what kind of deductible the company offers? The firm provides you with a special Liberty Mutual Deductible Fund that is created to help you save personal funds as long as it is activated in your policy subscription plan. On top of that, you won’t be the only one contributing to the fund - the company will put money into the fund as well. Although the pricing varies depending on the state, with a deductible fund included in your policy plan you can rest assured that you will get the money when you need it the most.

There are some drawbacks to the fund, though. The value of the deductible cannot be transferred and can be terminated in case you decide not to renew or cancel the support from the insurance company. So make sure to weigh such a decision carefully, lest you lose your fund.

Your Hybrid Car Will Be Thankful

You would be surprised to know how many things determine the premium price, and your current credit rating is one of them. The bigger your credit rating is the less you are going to pay for the repair of your vehicle from your own pocket, in case of an accident.

One of the many reasons that make Liberty Mutual highly appealing to the owners of electric vehicles is the fact that the firm provides hybrid vehicle owners with significant discounts on their policies. This way, if you are a proud owner of a zero-emission car you can save up to several hundreds of dollars on your premium when signing up for the policy. This entices environmentally-friendly living and gives you a chance to get a super-affordable insurance to boot.

All Inclusive

The basic auto coverage includes collision and comprehensive, while other policies may also include the protection of your own vehicle or other cars owned by your family members. The collision coverage will help you in case you had your car damaged by another car or other objects such as a guardrail or trees. On the other hand, the comprehensive insurance will cover the damage to your vehicle that was caused by other events that you cannot control: vandalism, fire, natural disasters, and theft. Although the comprehensive insurance is not required in most states and acts like an optional protection solution it can and will cover most of the dangers that your car may face during its service life. So if you've got the funds, we definitely recommend going for that option.

In case you lease your car, the lender might require to add comprehensive insurance to your policy, although it is not necessary to do so. As a matter of fact, more than 70% of Liberty Mutual customers add comprehensive to their full auto coverage.

Another exclusive feature available to Liberty Mutual users is a better car replacement. In case you total a car, the company will help you get a new one with fewer miles and a newer model, which is quite amazing, to say the least. However, you need to be aware that this option is not available in some states (the full list is on the website).

All in all, the business and regular auto insurance from Liberty Mutual is perhaps one of the best in its class, despite the moderately high prices. There are few alternatives to the great service package the company offers and some of its features are enough to seal the deal as long as you can spare the cost.


Discounts for Every Wallet

The Esurance company has quite a few discount options available that make their rate options stand out on the auto insurance services market. There are 3 basic discount types that are intended for various purposes and can save you up to half the price of the policies and significantly decrease the cost of your premium. These categories consist of policy, driver, and vehicle discounts and we would like to do a little rundown on some of them so you could see a better picture of how much you can save up.

The Esurance tries to make it as easy as possible for you to save money on the car insurance. Hence, these discounts don’t actually require much of your involvement. You become eligible for the discount if you own more than one Esurance policy or by simply switching from another insurance company.

The Switch & Save discount will help you cut the cost on switching from your previous policy to a new one from Esurance. To be more specific, you save at least 5 percent off your premium by avoiding a coverage gap and the only thing you have to do is buy an Esurance policy while having an auto insurance policy for a second car at the same time.

Safe with Esurance

The Esurance is considered one of the most technologically advanced companies on the market and when it comes down to the mobile application the firm has no shortage of them. One of their applications can even record the driving data such as speed or instances of hard braking. This is helpful in terms of determining whether you're at fault during accidents or car crashes.

What's more, the mobile application allows you to save up more than 5 percent based on your driving behavior and habits. Thus, it is extremely convenient to drive safely. Moreover, by driving for 3 years without any penalties you can save up 30 to 40 percent off your premium.

Additionally, you can even get a 25 percent off your premium, thanks to a claim-free discount program. In order to get this discount, you need to have at least 5 years without claims and have at least 60 months of prior driving experience (or any other person on the policy with the same amount of experience). Although the specifics may differ slightly from state to state, in some cases any comprehensive claims under $1,000 will not disqualify you from the program. The other great way to save up on the policy price is by simply prepaying, this way you can save up to 10 percent of the total policy price.

An Investement That You Cannot Miss

In case you or your family members own more than 1 car you can also get a discount that compounds with the existing ones (be aware that the amount of the discount can vary from policyholder to policyholder and may not be available in the state you are living).

Driver coverage will allow you to protect yourself in case of an accident, while the Personal Injury Protection will cover the medical expenses of high-risk drivers in case of injury.

In conclusion, we would like to point out that Esurance has created a great discount system that makes it easier to use all benefits of full coverage auto insurance and turns their policies into a good long-term investment at a very reasonable price, compared to partial auto insurance that only includes collision coverage.


The Less You Drive the More You Save

The Metromile offers great opportunities for low-mileage drivers or drivers that use their cars occasionally. If you happen to be an auto user that drives daily, your insurance bill will fluctuate depending on your overall mileage.

As the company states on its website - the less you drive the more you save. Nevertheless, it actually works both ways. In case you have driven more than 250 miles per day (150 miles per day in the state of New Jersey) anything above that is completely free for you. So, what are the downsides of Metromile? They are only available in a few select states instead of the whole country, which is a bummer, to say the least.

All Data in One Box

The company offers great prices for low-mileage drivers that usually overpay for the premium. Today, the company’s per mile insurance is available only in 7 states but its coverage does extend past these regions anyway. In some cities, you can download and use a mobile app that offers a ton of other handy features such as parking spots and street sweeping alerts. The cities where these features currently work are Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, and Chicago but the list is expanding consistently. On top of that, the application will help you optimize your trips in order to save up on small mileage even more.

Even if you are not tech-savvy, the simple user interface of the app is fairly easy to navigate so you can track and monitor the car’s health as well as find your vehicle in case you forget where you parked it. In order to accurately monitor the mileage and the health of the integral parts of your car, you will receive a Metromile Pulse, which you can plug into your vehicle’s OBD-II port. The main advantage of this device is that it measures all the data accurately, unlike simple mobile software applications from other insurance companies that rely solely on GPS data, without any hardware.

By utilizing a Metromile Pulse you will always know when it is time to visit a repair station to diagnose and fix (if needed) possible issues with the parts of the vehicle. With such a simple yet effective device you don’t need to be a car mechanic in order to figure out what is wrong with the car and prevent further damage to your favorite steel steed.

Making Quotes Affordable

As for the rates, the company offers a flat monthly rate of $30, which is added to your total mileage. This way you can save up significant sums on both deductible and premium. Conversely, in case you are a high-mileage driver you are not going to save up much, compared to solutions from other companies. By driving less you can save up to $650 on your deductible fund, however, this plan will not be suitable for drivers that accumulate more than 100 miles driven per day.

Designed to overdeliver, the basic Metromile packages have a lot of coverage services. To be more specific, these services include roadside assistance as well as coverage of bodily injury, property damage, uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, coverage of medical payments, and, of course, deductible options that vary in price from $250 to $1,000.

Although Metromile insurance quotes may seem a little bit expensive at first glance, the drivers who drive fewer miles can pay less for their policy, thanks to the low-mileage campaign. To wrap things up, the only major disadvantage of the company is that their services are only available in 7 states. Since we did hear rumors of possible expansion, we can safely call Metromile a promising insurance company that's sure to bring more good features as time goes on. For now, if you're in their area, don't hesitate to take advantage of the excellent service.


Infographics


What Is Auto Insurance?

There are a lot of different types of auto insurance as well as various monthly payment methods that vary from state to state. Although the car insurance policies, as well as their prices, may vary from company to company, they are providing basically the same type of insurance that is called collision and that covers the damage to your automobile in case of car accidents involving other cars and objects on the road. In case your car has been damaged and there are no other cars involved, this type of insurance policy is called comprehensive and does usually cover theft, vandalism, and harm from natural disasters (force majeure situations).

Acting as a mean of protection, the insurance policy safeguards not just you but also people around you. With a property damage liability, you are firmly protected in case your car was damaged or you have damaged someone else’s property and won’t have to pay for it from your own pocket.

In case you are looking for more options on how to protect yourself, your house, family or even your pets you may consider taking a look at pet insurance services as well as identity theft protection services.

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