USAA Home and Car Insurance Review & Ratings (2023)

USAA is short for United Services Automobile Association, and the name tells you a lot about the company. Where other insurance companies accept military employees, USAA only insures people who belong to the United States Military. They are listed in the Forbes 500 at 189 for revenue and 78th for total assets. The company has more than 113 billion dollars in assets and has written insurance policies totaling more than 9.1 billion dollars in 2006.

The United States Automobile Association, or USAA, began in 1922 with the simple goal of offering those who served the country with affordable car insurance. Since then, it has expanded its offerings from auto coverage to various other insurance products, banking services, and money management services.

While USAA offers affordable rates, solid financial strength, and good customer service, it has strict membership requirements. Only active or retired military personnel, their spouses, and their children are eligible to sign up for USAA services.

Of all the insurance USAA offers, it’s most well-known for its car insurance. USAA’s car insurance is some of the cheapest on the market and often provides the lowest rates for various demographics.

USAA also sells highly-rated home insurance, although its rates aren’t quite as low as its car coverage. Find out how to get cheap home insurance quotes.

Read on to learn more about USAA’s car and home insurance options, discounts, and add-ons. Then, compare quotes to find the cheapest rates for your needs.

USAA Car Insurance Pros and Cons

USAA is frequently left off lists of the best car insurance companies in America because of its strict membership requirements. However, it would consistently rank as one of the country’s best car insurance options if not for its eligibility criteria. 

With USAA car insurance, you can look forward to the following pros:

• Affordable rates for nearly every demographic, including young drivers and people with a DUI
• High customer service and satisfaction ratings
• Extensive list of other products, including insurance, banking, and investment management

No company is perfect, and USAA is no different. Although the company rates highly, it struggles in a few areas, including:

• Strict membership requirements
• Usage-based insurance program SafePilot is only available in 37 states
• Customers aren’t always happy about online and mobile app options

Although USAA has a few areas where it struggles, most generally consider it a top-notch company. Read on to explore your options for car insurance with USAA.

What types of car insurance does USAA sell?

As a major insurance company, USAA sells everything you need to meet your state’s minimum insurance requirements and full coverage.

USAA basics include:

• Liability. Liability pays for damage you cause to other drivers and their property in an accident. It doesn’t protect your car, but most states require you to carry a minimum amount.
• Collision. If you want your insurance to pay for repairs to your car regardless of fault, you need collision insurance.
• Comprehensive. There’s a lot more that can damage your car than accidents. Comprehensive insurance protects against fire, weather, theft, vandalism, and animal contact.
• Uninsured/underinsured motorist. While most states require insurance, not all drivers follow the law. This insurance covers you if a driver with inadequate insurance hits you.
• Personal injury protection. Personal injury protection insurance covers medical bills for you and your passengers after an accident. Some states sell medical payments insurance instead.

These are your basic options for car insurance, and they offer a relatively complete package to protect your car. However, USAA offers a few add-ons if you wish to increase the coverage in your policy, including:

• Rental car reimbursement. If your car gets stuck in the shop after a covered incident, this coverage pays for your rental car.
• Rideshare. People who drive for Uber or Lyft need extra protection for their vehicles. This add-on extends insurance to your working hours.
• Roadside assistance. USAA’s roadside assistance coverage will come to the rescue if you get stranded with a flat tire, dead battery, or other emergencies.

It’s not the longest list of optional coverages, but a USAA policy can give you solid protection on the road. As a bonus, USAA is often the cheapest option on the market.

How much does USAA car insurance cost?

USAA has a reputation for excellent customer service, fast claims handling, and affordable rates. Rates are so affordable with USAA that they’re often the cheapest option on the market.

Most insurance companies offer lower rates for specific demographics, while prices are higher for other situations. However, USAA tends to be one of the most affordable options for everyone.

You can explore how much USAA car insurance rates are in various situations below, but keep in mind that the prices you see might be different.

USAA Car Insurance Rates by Coverage

Most states require a minimum amount of car insurance before you can legally drive or register your car. Commonly, states require liability insurance, but some also require uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, personal injury protection, or medical payments coverage.

Minimum insurance is your cheapest option when you need to keep your rates down. However, it doesn’t offer the best coverage for your car. You’ll need full coverage insurance to protect it from just about anything the road can throw at it.

Full coverage includes liability, comprehensive, collision, uninsured/underinsured motorist, and medical payments or personal injury protection insurance. While no state requires it, you’ll probably need full coverage if you have a loan or lease on your car.

USAA often offers the lowest rates for both minimum insurance and full coverage. 

USAA’s rates are usually the cheapest in each state, regardless of other factors. For example, minimum insurance in Florida with USAA is about $33 a month. You’ll pay much more at other companies, with the most expensive option being Progressive at $130 a month.

USAA Car Insurance Rates by Age

Age is a crucial factor in your car insurance rates, with young drivers seeing some of the highest prices for any demographic.

Car insurance companies are often wary of young drivers as they’re more likely to file a claim, engage in reckless behaviors, and cause accidents. However, once you establish a driving history, your rates will drop if you keep your record clean.

Although its rates are lower than the national average for every age group, young drivers can particularly save with USAA. For example, the average 17-year-old male can save about $190 a month by choosing USAA insurance.

USAA Car Insurance Rates by Credit Score

Another important factor in your car insurance rates is your credit score. Unless you live in Hawaii, California, or Massachusetts, car insurance companies can check your credit score before offering you a quote.

Insurance companies consider low credit scores risky for two reasons. First, companies consider people with higher scores more likely to pay their bills on time. Second, people with lower scores are statistically more likely to file claims.

Drivers with low credit scores typically pay 60% more for car insurance than people with higher scores, although some companies are less forgiving than others. Car insurance for people with bad credit can be tricky, but you can check how your credit score might affect your USAA rates below.

The national average insurance rate for low credit drivers is about $230 a month. USAA is significantly cheaper, with an average rate of $155. Only Geico and Nationwide offer lower average rates for people with low credit scores.

Although you’ll see higher rates when your credit score is low, you won’t be stuck with high rates forever. If you increase your credit score, your rates will drop.

USAA Car Insurance Rates After a Traffic Incident

Crafting car insurance rates is about predicting risk — the more likely you are to file a claim, the more an insurance company will charge you for coverage. Your driving record is one of the most predictive ways to determine your chance of filing future claims.

People with serious or repeat incidents on their record pay much more for insurance because they’re statistically more likely to be involved in future traffic violations. 

Incidents like a DUI or an at-fault accident impact your rates the most, but even minor tickets can increase your insurance bill.

USAA is generally one of the cheapest options when you have something on your record, but you can check how much you might pay below.

As you can see, USAA offers affordable rates after most violations. However, even USAA won’t insure every driver — if you have multiple DUIs or other severe infractions, you might have to look for high-risk insurance instead.

While rates are higher with incidents on your driving record, you won’t be stuck with high prices forever. Your rates will eventually lower if you avoid additional infractions. It takes about three years for at-fault accidents and speeding tickets to fall off your record, while DUIs take about seven.

What car insurance discounts does USAA offer?

Car insurance companies offer discounts to help you save money, and USAA has an excellent selection.

Availability varies by state, but you might qualify for the following:

• Safe driver. You can earn a significant discount if you avoid traffic incidents for five years.
• Policy bundling. USAA offers much more than car insurance — you’ll earn a discount if you buy multiple policies.
• Defensive driver. USAA rewards drivers for taking a defensive driving class with a discount.
• Good student. Full-time students under 25 can save money on their insurance by maintaining a 3.0 GPA.
• New vehicle. You’ll earn a small discount if you sign your brand new vehicle up for insurance.
• Driver education. If you take a general driver’s education class, you’ll save on your policy.
• Multi-vehicle. Households with more than one vehicle can save money by adding them to the same policy.
• Low-mileage. USAA charges less for insurance if you drive fewer than 12,000 miles annually.
• Loyalty. You can save money simply by maintaining your USAA policy.
• Vehicle in storage. Made with active duty military members in mind, USAA lowers your rates significantly when you leave your car in storage. You’ll earn a bigger discount if you store your vehicle on a military base.
• Family. You’ll earn a discount if you split off a USAA family policy and start your own.
• Pay in full. If you skip the monthly payments and pay for your entire policy at once, you’ll save a small amount.

When you apply for a USAA car insurance policy, a representative will comb through your details and ensure you get every eligible discount. If these discounts aren’t enough to lower your bill to where you want it, you can also try USAA’s usage-based insurance program SafePilot.

What is USAA’s SafePilot?

Today, most insurance companies offer usage-based insurance programs. For example, USAA’s SafePilot program tracks your driving habits to lower your rates. The safer you drive, the more you’ll save.

Everyone gets 10% off their insurance for signing up. You can save up to 20% more if you maintain safe driving habits.

SafePilot tracks the following behaviors:

• Touching your phone
• Making hands-free phone calls
• Harsh braking
• Speeding
• What time you drive
• Swerving
• Mileage

While you can save money with SafePilot, it’s not the best telematics program on the market. Most other usage-based programs don’t penalize you for making hands-free phone calls. Additionally, many users complain that the app struggles to differentiate between when you’re the driver or a passenger.

SafePilot is only available in 37 states, so you’ll need to check if you live in an eligible area.

USAA Home Insurance Pros and Cons

USAA is usually considered one of the best car insurance companies, but how does it fare for homeowners insurance? If you buy your homeowners insurance through USAA, you can expect the following pros:

• Rates are lower than the national average
• Customer complaints for home insurance are generally low
• USAA includes many free coverage options in standard policies

However, USAA’s coverage isn’t perfect. Look out for the following cons when shopping with USAA:

• Fewer coverage options compared to competitors
• Few discounts
• USAA doesn’t write flood insurance and windstorm coverage options

Although there are a few drawbacks to USAA insurance, it’s still worth checking out. Learn more about USAA home insurance below.

What types of home insurance does USAA sell?

No state requires a homeowners insurance policy, but you might need it if you don’t own your house outright. However, having home insurance is always a good idea. For military members and their families, USAA offers affordable home insurance rates.

USAA offers the following options for homeowners insurance:

• Dwelling coverage. Dwelling coverage protects your home’s physical structure from weather, fire, and vandalism. It also covers attached structures like decks or porches.
• Detached structure. If you have structures that aren’t attached to your home, you’ll need this insurance to protect them from damage.
• Personal liability. If a visitor gets injured on your property and you’re found legally responsible, personal liability helps pay for any lawsuits against you.
• Personal property. There’s more to your home than the walls and roof. Personal property coverage replaces personal items like furniture, appliances, and clothing.
• Loss of use. If damages make your home unlivable, USAA will pay for living expenses like hotel rooms and dining at restaurants.
• Replacement cost. This add-on ignores depreciation on items in your home and pays full price to replace them. USAA includes this add-on in every standard homeowners policy.
• Identity theft. USAA covers up to $5,000 for restoration expenses if someone steals your identity. Identity theft coverage is unavailable in North Carolina.
• Military uniforms. If your uniform gets destroyed or stolen in a covered event, USAA will replace it without charging a deductible.

Besides these basic coverage options, USAA also offers earthquake insurance and home-sharing coverage. Earthquake coverage is a good option for people who live in risky zones, while home-sharing insurance protects you if you use your home for short-term rentals.

How much does USAA home insurance cost?

While USAA is often the cheapest option for car insurance, other home insurance companies might offer lower prices. USAA is usually more affordable than the national average, but only barely.

As you can see, Allstate and State Farm typically offer lower prices than USAA. However, you might find that USAA has the most affordable rates for your unique needs — the best way to find out is to compare quotes.

What discounts does USAA offer for home insurance?

Compared to other major home insurance companies, USAA doesn’t have a long list of home insurance discounts. However, it offers a few ways to save:

• Policy bundling. You can earn up to 10% off your monthly bill if you also have USAA car insurance.
• Home security. USAA provides credits to help make ADT security systems more affordable.
• Smart home. Earn a discount by installing certain smart-home features.
• Claims-free. If you go five years without making a claim, USAA will reward you with a 10% discount.

It might not be the longest list of add-ons, but USAA’s partnership with ADT provides a valuable opportunity to install security in your home.

Is USAA a good company?

Generally speaking, USAA is an excellent insurance company. Most customers plan to renew their policies with USAA, and overall satisfaction rates are high.

Although looking at USAA car insurance and USAA home insurance reviews from customers is an excellent way to learn about the company, you should start with third-party ratings. By looking at third-party ratings, you can learn about a company’s financial strength, customer satisfaction, and ability to resolve complaints.

To start, A.M. Best rates companies by their financial strength, an essential aspect of insurance. The higher the A.M. Best rating, the more likely a company can pay future claims. A.M. Best gives USAA an A++, the highest rating available.

Another important rating to look at comes from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, which creates ratings based on a company’s complaints compared to its size. 

The national average is 1.0 — anything higher means the company gets more complaints than usual. USAA sits at 1.95, meaning it nearly doubles the national rate.

While USAA gets more complaints, it does remarkably well in the J.D. Power study of overall customer satisfaction. USAA doesn’t technically get a rating due to its membership restrictions, but J.D. Power reports it as one of the best insurance companies on the market.

Does USAA sell other insurance types?

USAA offers various insurance products to help you insure everything important in your life.

With USAA, you can purchase the following policies:

• Motorcycle/ATV/UTV
• Boat
• Classic car
• Mobile home/renters/condo/motorhome
• Landlord
• Valuable personal property/collectibles
• Personal or business umbrella
• Life/annuity
• Health/Medicare
• Farm/ranch
• Small business
• Commercial auto
• Dental/vision
• Pet
• Travel
• Aviation
• Bicycle

USAA also provides banking services, investment management, and retirement planning advice. If you qualify, USAA offers an excellent selection of money management services that can help you at any stage in life.

Get USAA Quotes Today

USAA is an excellent choice for active or retired military members and their families, especially car insurance. While its home insurance isn’t as affordable, it offers valuable coverage. With its affordability and overall customer satisfaction, USAA is a good choice regardless of your circumstances.

You should still research your options even if you’re eligible for USAA membership. Comparing quotes with as many companies as possible is the best way to find affordable insurance prices.