USAA is a reputable insurance and financial service provider that caters to the needs of military professionals and their families. If you, your spouse, parents, or step-parents are, or have been, an active duty or honorably separated service member, you may qualify for a USAA car insurance policy.

This article is a guide to interpreting your USAA

car insurance quote

and the

types of insurance

they offer to help you decide if their vehicle insurance coverage is a good fit.

If you’re considering checking out some USAA car insurance quotes, keep reading to find out everything you can expect.

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USAA pros and cons

Pros	Cons
Offers some of the lowest average car insurance rates available	They maintain strict military-based membership qualifications and you must be a member to get free car insurance quotes
Above-average customer satisfaction rankings	No in-person service available
Multiple discounts and opportunities to bundle and save available

Who is eligible for a USAA membership?

One of the aspects that makes USAA car insurance unique is the strict eligibility requirements. While these have historically trended toward expansion, you will only qualify for USAA coverage if you fall into one of the following categories:

Current members of the U.S. Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines, Navy, National Guard, and Reserves

Retired veterans and former military members with an honorable discharge

Cadets and midshipmen at U.S. service academies, individuals in advanced ROTC or on ROTC scholarship, and officer candidates (within 24 months of commissioning)

Children and stepchildren of USAA members also qualify

Widows and widowers and former spouses who have not remarried may retain an existing membership

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What is covered by USAA’s basic car insurance?

Bodily Injury and Property Damage Liability

Bodily injury

and

property damage liability

will cover any related medical expenses or legal fees up to your policy’s limit if you are found at fault for an accident.

Collision Coverage

Collision insurance

covers the cost of repairs or replacement of a vehicle up to the policy limit should you collide with another vehicle or object, or end up in a rollover.

Comprehensive Coverage

USAA’s

comprehensive coverage

provides an extra layer of protection to your policy’s limit for any damage or repairs to the vehicle that results from external circumstances including the following:


Theft
Fire
Vandalism
Hail
Hitting an animal
Flooding
Wind

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist

Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage

will cover the potential costs associated with an accident up to your policy’s limit including:

Relevant Medical Bills

Any loss of income associated directly with the accident

The damages after an accident if the at-fault driver does not have existing liability coverage

Personal Injury Protection (PIP)

Personal injury protection

policies are commonly referred to as

no-fault insurance

. A USAA PIP plan will cover any relevant damages and medical expenses up to your policy limit regardless of who is found to be at fault in an accident.

Medical Payments

Medical payments coverage (MedPay)

is designed specifically to cover the medical expenses of you and your passengers should anybody become injured in an accident. The policy will apply no matter who is found at fault and might extend to certain members of your family as well.

MORE:

MedPay vs. PIP: What's the difference?

Optional insurance coverage options

Roadside Assistance

USAA offers its members multiple

roadside assistance

options including the following:

Towing services

Vehicle unlocking services

Battery jump-starts

Flat-tire changes

Gasoline delivery services

Rental Reimbursement

Rental reimbursement coverage

is an optional car insurance add-on that will cover the cost of a rental car up to the rental reimbursement policy limit should a vehicle require repairs after claiming on a valid policy.

Accident Forgiveness

USAA won’t increase your premiums following an accident if you have already been an accident-free member for at least five years.

Classic Car Insurance

USAA’s

classic car insurance

policy is a specialized policy option designed with the needs of collectible and classic car owners in mind.

The classic and collectible car plan offers distinct features like:

Agreed value-coverage

An automatic 6% value increase if the vehicle is deemed a total write-off

Flexible usage mileage plans

Automatic 30-day coverage up to $100,000 on eligible newly-acquired member-owned vehicles

Rideshare Insurance

Rideshare

and app delivery drivers can supplement their company insurance with USAA’s affordable rideshare insurance packages that start as low as just $6 a month. This convenient add-on package is designed to cover the on-the-job gap periods where company insurance policies leave drivers potentially uninsured.

Take note that this rideshare coverage option is currently only available in the following states: AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NV, OH, OK, OR, TN, TX, UT, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY.

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USAA auto insurance discounts

USAA has developed a reputation for offering stellar

car insurance discounts

to help you save more on their already affordable insurance quotes. When you compare quotes, discounts can make all the difference.

Here are some of the notable discounts offered by USAA:

Discounts
Safe driver discounts
Defensive driving course completion discounts
Driver training discounts
Good student discounts
New vehicle discounts
Multiple vehicle discounts
Low annual mileage discounts
Potential to save while the vehicle is being stored for deployments
Family discounts
Length of Membership discounts
Military installation saving potential

It is also important to keep in mind that USAA offers a diverse range of financial services to its members. This means that if you choose to subscribe to other USAA services in addition to your USAA car insurance, you might be able to cash in on opportunities to bundle and save.

MORE:

What is a responsible payer discount?

How much does USAA insurance cost?

USAA’s average price scores are below the national average, making them a great bet for

affordable car insurance coverage

for military families. The average USAA car insurance policy will only cost the average customer a modest $885 a year.

Do keep in mind, USAA takes a lot of factors into account when they calculate their car insurance quotes, some of which could significantly affect the price of your quote. These include, but are not necessarily limited to the following:

The driver’s age

The driver’s history

Membership loyalty

The

make and model of the vehicle

to be insured

The primary location of the vehicle

The amount of time you spend driving

For instance, if you are a married 60-year-old male, you could expect to pay only about $767.08 for their annual policy, while if you are a single 25-year-old female, you would probably be paying something more in the range of $1,037.67 for the same annual policy.

In a similar vein, if you have a good credit score, your average annual rate will be something like $869.53, while a weaker score will land you an average annual rate closer to $1,653.19.

It goes without saying that getting an accurate USAA car insurance quote is going to become increasingly difficult the more factors that there are to continue, and this why using intelligent online tools like

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USAA vs. other insurance companies

Now that you have an idea of the services that USAA provides, you might be wondering if their car insurance is the right choice for you. Generally speaking, USAA car insurance sets the gold standard in terms of combining affordability and quality of product and tends to stack up favorably in relation to all major providers. Here is a quick snapshot of how USAA vehicle insurance compares to two major competitors: GEICO and State Farm.

USAA vs. GEICO

Despite the fact that

GEICO

is a well-ranking car insurance provider across the board, USAA still beats out this industry leader in terms of rates and service.

USAA’s average annual policy rate of $885 is considerably lower than the $1,168 average annual policy prices offered up by GEICO. GEICO is a tough competitor in terms of aspects like ease of claim filing, but USAA even narrowly wins in this category.

Notably, USAA continues to consistently offer lower rates than GEICO regardless of the presence of any combination of mitigating factors like driving history and annual mileage rates.

Considering that GEICO car insurance is generally considered to be one of the best all-around options available in terms of both quality and affordability, these are impressive scores.

USAA vs. State Farm

Lining up against another major provider,

State Farm

, it becomes increasingly clear that USAA is in a league of its own in relation to any other company offering similar services.

At this point, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to hear that USAA insurance easily beats out State Farm in almost every category.

State Farm generally ranks well in terms of making its claims process easy and accessible, but USAA still easily wins out in this department. In addition, State Farm customers are much less likely to recommend State Farm insurance to others, while USAA boasts more impressive recommendation rates than any other major provider out there.

Once again, in terms of pricing, State Farms' very reasonable $1,234.00 average annual policy rate doesn’t hold a candle to USAA’s impressive $885.00 annual policy average.

Likewise, USAA easily wins out in terms of pricing, regardless of almost all other factors involved like gender and driving history. State Farm might offer you a slightly more affordable policy if you have had

DUI

in the past, but the $2 average annual cost difference is so slight that it is also hardly worth mentioning.

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USAA auto insurance reviews

Customers tend to give their USAA car insurance policy impressive ratings across the board.

According to the

2018 J.D. Power Associates U.S. Auto Insurance Satisfaction Study

, USAA customers report their experience to be better than most other providers in the following categories:

Claim Servicing

Estimation Process

Rental Experience and Settlement

Meanwhile, USAA customer ranks their insurance policy as among the best in terms of:

First Notice of Loss (FNOL)

Overall Satisfaction

Repair Process

The

2018 U.S Auto Insurance Shopping Study

reports that USAA comes in amongst the best in all of the following categories:

Call Center Representative

Insurer Website

Overall Satisfaction

Policy Offerings

Pricing

Get a USAA car insurance quote

Getting a quick USAA car insurance quote can be tricky if you are not already a member.

They only offer car insurance quotes online to existing members, which means that you will probably have to call them up and speak to an agent the old-fashioned way if you aren’t already a USAA member and are wondering what you could expect your annual policy to cost.

MORE:

Is USAA SafePilot worth it?

USAA’s services and features

USAA offers a variety of great benefits for their members. Their multiple car loan and car buying assistance, incentives, and tools are a definite perk, giving you the potential to save thousands on the purchase or loan of your next vehicle.

Car buying services and benefits

If you are in the market for a new vehicle, USAA provides a range of services to help drivers land the perfect vehicle.

You can take advantage of potential price discounts, special offers, and waived fees that may be provided through certified dealerships.

They provide dealership comparison tools to help you find the best offer on the vehicle you want to be driving.

They offer price comparison tools that will let you see how much you will save on the purchase of a new vehicle as a USAA member.

They provide bonus cash offers that could save you up to $1,000 when you choose to purchase certain types of

, or

vehicles.

Car loan benefits

USAA offers a full range of great benefits for you if you are an existing member and would like to take out a

car loan

The loan flexibility could help you to reduce your payments for up to 84 months.

You can take advantage of a waived application fee.

The affordable rates offered by USAA’s Car Buying Service could help you to save on your car loan as well.

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How to file a claim with USAA

USAA offers its members three ways to

file a claim

Use the mobile app

Call and speak to an agent

Regardless of how you decide to file your claim, the sooner you contact your provider the more likely you are to enjoy an effective claims process from start to finish. Keep in mind that USAA does not offer face-to-face customer support so the only way to speak directly to an agent is over the phone.

Once you begin the claims process, you will receive a claim number that you will need to keep handy throughout the course of the investigation process.

In order to ensure the claim filing process goes as smoothly as possible, be prepared to provide the following information. Keep in mind, using the mobile app will make it easier to upload any relevant data quickly and efficiently.

The location, date, and time of the accident

The names, addresses, phone numbers, and insurance policy numbers of anybody else involved

A summary of the weather conditions

Photo evidence of the accident scene and damage

Any relevant copies of the police and/or accident reports

Once the claim is filed, it's a good idea to review your policy so you have an idea of what to expect with regard to your particular coverage. Once your claim is approved, you can proceed with the repairs and secure a replacement vehicle (if it is part of your coverage plan).

MORE:

What to do after a car accident

Payment methods

USAA offers a relatively limited range of payment options compared to other major providers. If you are considering quotes from USAA, be sure that one of the following payment methods is readily available to you:

Automatic online or online payment methods

Mail payments

Mobile app payments

USAA’s car insurance cancellation policy

USAA makes

canceling a policy

easier than most major providers. You don’t necessarily have to call up a representative to cancel since they offer online cancelation request options. Just make sure you have a clear idea of what you want your effective policy cancellation date to be before you proceed with the request.

Background of USAA Insurance

Back in 1922, a group of army officials based in

San Antonio, Texas

decided to come together and create their own organization to keep their vehicles insured. One thing led to the next, and soon this modest group had expanded to include available membership packages for interested Navy, Marine, Air Force, and Army officers alike. And the USAA Insurance Group was born.

In addition to its cooperative roots, the USAA has always been a leader in providing its members with convenient and high-quality services. It started providing automatic renewal services for its deployed members in 1941 and has expanded its reach into general banking services since the 1980s.

The Takeaway: is USAA right for me?

To make a long story short, USAA is a superior option for car insurance, both in terms of pricing and quality. Unfortunately, since access is limited to those who are associated with the American military, it is impossible to get a membership if you don’t have valid affiliations.

This is where tools like

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When you work with Jerry, you can relax and watch the savings roll in, so why not start today?

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