How to Find the Best Auto Insurance for Veterans

Military members and their families serve the country through years of sacrifice, and they deserve recognition for that service. From discounts to special perks, many companies recognize the sacrifice of service members and veterans by offering savings opportunities.

These savings opportunities extend to car insurance. The most well-known company for veteran car insurance is USAA, but there are other options as well. There are several companies that can give you great car insurance rates and special, military-only perks.

If you are a veteran and you need car insurance, you should shop around for the best auto insurance companies for veterans. If you’re ready to begin, enter your ZIP code into our free tool today.

Best Auto Insurance Companies for Veterans

While there are several options for veterans’ insurance, one of the best options is USAA. USAA has offered affordable insurance to active military, veterans, and their families since 1922. You can’t avoid talking about USAA when you look for veterans’ insurance.

However, there are other options for affordable insurance if you don’t want to be a customer of USAA. And for residents of Louisiana, auto insurance companies are required by law to offer active military and veterans 25% off their bill.

USAA Insurance for Veterans

USAA is famous for its treatment of active military and veterans — this company exclusively serves active military, veterans, and their families. Specifically, USAA serves:

• Active members of the Air Force, Coast Guard, Marines, Army, Navy, National Guard, and Reserves
• U.S. service academies, students with an ROTC scholarship, and officer candidates
• Retired or honorably discharged service members
• Close families, including spouses, children, widows and widowers, and un-remarried ex-spouses

Active military members can receive a 15% discount if their vehicle is parked on base. You can also receive up to 60% off your bill if you don’t drive for more than 30 days at a time, which is perfect for people on deployment.

USAA offers similar coverage options to other big insurance companies:

• Liability
• Comprehensive
• Collision
• Underinsured/uninsured motorist
• Personal injury protection
• Rental car insurance
• Extended benefits coverage
• Roadside assistance
• Towing coverage
• Accident forgiveness
• Rideshare coverage

You can also buy RV, motorcycle, and boat insurance, as well as homeowners/renters, health, pet, and life insurance. In fact, USAA has insurance options for just about any need you might have.

While there are other options for insurance for veterans, USAA is the best place to start looking. USAA auto insurance is often skipped in top 10 lists of auto insurance companies because only military members are eligible. However, USAA car insurance for veterans would consistently rank high if it was included on lists.

USAA receives top marks for customer service and fewer complaints than the national average for companies of its size. Overall, USAA is an excellent option for customer service.

Geico Insurance for Veterans

If you are active military or a veteran, you can receive up to a 15% discount on your insurance from Geico. This applies to every military branch, as well as National Guard members, the Reserves, and members of organizations like the Navy Federal Credit Union.

You can also receive a 25% discount for emergency deployment. There are some limitations, such as:

• You must store your car in whatever way your approved protection plan requires
• You must be deployed to an “imminent danger” area, as defined by the Department of Defense

As one of the biggest insurance companies in the country, Geico offers many options for coverage. You can purchase:

• Liability
• Comprehensive
• Collision
• Uninsured/underinsured motorist
• Rental car insurance
• Roadside assistance
• Mechanical breakdown insurance
• Rideshare coverage

Geico also offers many other types of insurance, including ATV, boat, RV, and motorcycle insurance. You can also get special insurance if you plan to travel to Mexico, classic car coverage, and commercial policies.

If you’re interested in bundling, you can also buy life, homeowners/renters, personal liability, and identity theft coverage.

Unlike USAA, everyone is eligible to apply for Geico insurance. Geico has a fantastic customer satisfaction rating. It has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and an A++ rating for financial stability with A.M. Best. It was also given the top spot in the 2020 Insurance Shopping Study by J.D. Power.

Geico is an excellent insurance company for everyone looking for insurance, not just veterans. It receives fewer customers complaints than expected for a company of its size. Geico also has a long list of discounts, so you might find better insurance rates here.

Armed Forces Insurance for Veterans

Though less famous than USAA, Armed Forces Insurance (AFI) is another insurance company that offers coverage for active military and veterans. You are eligible for AFI insurance if you are:

• Active, retired, or honorably discharged from any branch of the military (including the National Guard and the Reserves)
• Service academy students, including people in ROTC
• Active and retired civilians employed by the Department of Defense
• Active, retired, or former officers of PHS or the NOAA
• Spouses, ex-spouses, widows or widowers, and children

AFI has been around almost 50 years longer than USAA, in fact. Since 1887, AFI has been providing American military members with affordable insurance. As an added bonus, AFI covers civilians who work with the military and not just the enlisted.

Coverage purchased from AFI protects you, your spouse, your children, and any other family members that live in your house. It also covers drivers that occasionally borrow your car. The types of coverage you can purchase from AFI include:

• Liability
• Collision
• Comprehensive
• Roadside assistance
• Uninsured/underinsured motorist
• Personal injury protection
• Rental car insurance

AFI strives to meet all of its customers’ insurance needs. It also offers homeowners and renters insurance at affordable rates. You can also buy insurance for other vehicles, like motorcycles.

Depending on your needs, you can also purchase flood, fire, and pet insurance, as well as various valuable items policies.

Aside from affordable prices, AFI has excellent ratings. It has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau, and a 3.9-star rating with Consumer Advocate. AFI is unfortunately too small to have ratings from some of the bigger organizations, like J.D. Power.

Discounts for Veterans Insurance

The top three companies for veterans’ insurance offer more than just discounts for military service. There are multiple options for you to take advantage of with each of these companies.

First, AFI claims to have a list of discounts you might be eligible for based mostly on your driving record. AFI doesn’t specifically list which discounts are available, but you can learn more by talking with an agent.

USAA offers a lot more than a discount for your military service. Additional discounts include:

• Safe driver
• Good student
• Driver training
• Safety devices
• SafePilot (for using the USAA app)
• Loyalty
• Defensive driving course
• Low mileage
• New vehicle
• Bundling

If you are or are considering becoming a USAA member, you should talk to an agent. An agent can go through your unique situation and get you every discount you’re eligible for.

Like USAA, Geico has a long list of discounts. Aside from a military discount, other savings opportunities include:

• Federal employee
• Driver education
• Defensive driving course
• Accident-free
• Good student
• Multi-car
• Daytime running lights
• Anti-theft device
• New vehicle
• Airbags
• Anti-lock brakes
• Bundling

Getting a quote for Geico insurance is relatively easy to do online. All you need to do to get an idea of what your quotes might look like is answer some questions online. Then, Geico will email you a quote.

Is there other auto insurance for veterans?

While USAA, Geico, and Armed Forces Insurance are the three leading insurance companies that specifically work with military members, there are a few other options. Some insurance companies offer a small discount for military members.

Aside from the three companies already mentioned, Progressive, Farmers, Nationwide, Allstate, and Liberty Mutual offer a discount for active military and veterans.

Progressive insurance offers up to 15% off your monthly rates, though you’ll need to speak to an agent to see how much of a discount you’re eligible for.

Liberty Mutual offers a discount of up to 10%, though this is just the average reported discount.

Farmers Insurance is considered a military-friendly company. While there is no specific information about the amount of the discount online, Farmers does offer a military discount.

Nationwide is another company that doesn’t have much information posted about its military discount, but a discount is available. The amount you’ll save varies based on your location, so you should speak to an agent if you’re interested.

Allstate definitely offers a discount for active military, but it’s not clear if a discount for veterans exists. If you’re interested in Allstate insurance, you should speak with an agent.

How much is auto insurance for veterans?

The cost of your insurance depends on many factors. These factors include:

• Age
• Gender
• Location
• Vehicle age, make, and model
• How much you drive in a year
• Driving record
• Credit score
• Driving incidents, such as tickets or DUIs
• Marital status

However, you can get an idea of what insurance might cost for you by looking at national average rates.

While AFI is reported to have competitve rates, you’ll need to speak with an agent to see what your unique quote will look like.

You should always keep in mind that even with a discount, you might be able to find cheaper insurance elsewhere. You should also consider companies that have cheaper rates on average, regardless of whether a military discount is offered.

For residents of Louisiana, keep in mind that you get an automatic 25% discount on any auto insurance policy you have, regardless of the company. Louisiana is the only state that does this, and it only covers liability, but it is an excellent way for the state to say thank you.

If your current insurance is too expensive or the rates you’re seeing are too high, there are steps you can take to lower the price. You can try lowering the amount of coverage you have, reducing the number of miles you drive, checking for additional discounts, and, of course, shopping around for new quotes.

Find the Best Auto Insurance for Veterans

While you certainly didn’t sign up to serve your country for a discount, you should find a good deal on your insurance. You have a lot of options to save money with some of the best insurance companies in the country.

When you’re ready to find the best auto insurance for veterans, it’s vital that you shop around for quotes. To get started, enter your ZIP code in our free tool today.