AAA Auto & Home Insurance Review: Strong Service and Decent Rates for AAA Members
AAA Auto & Home Insurance Review: Strong Service and Decent Rates for AAA Members
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AAA, primarily known for its Auto Club memberships, also offers insurance to its members in most areas of the U.S. We found, overall, that rates for auto and homeowners insurance fell on the inexpensive side, and that the offers are especially appealing for people who are already AAA Auto Club members. But because there are several companies that sell insurance under the AAA brand, the exact rates, coverages and services available vary significantly by location.
AAA insurance: Our thoughts
There are dozens of AAA Auto Clubs throughout the United States, and many of them offer several types of insurance, including auto, homeowners and life, among others.
AAA Auto Clubs are independently run organizations with varying degrees of connection with one another, and so are their insurance arms. This means that the discounts, benefits and coverage options can vary significantly by location, and the only way to be sure of what's available in your area is to contact your local office.
In some places, "Triple A" simply acts as a broker, where the company collects your information and refers you to another insurer, like Progressive or State Farm, to actually sell you insurance. When AAA acts as a broker, you still receive discounts for being a AAA member. This process is especially common for homeowners insurance. However, AAA sells auto insurance directly in most places, and we found their policies to be better than average in terms of cost and benefits, with well-regarded customer service and a smooth claims process.
AAA homeowners insurance, for customers who can get it, offers affordable rates but a relatively small variety of coverage options. AAA homeowners insurance is not available in as many locations as their auto insurance policies, and in some places it is only available if you bundle it with auto coverage. Bundling these policies can lead to some significant savings on both, so it's worth getting a quote if you're already considering AAA for your car insurance.
AAA insurance policies almost always require customers to be AAA Auto Club members to purchase coverage. But in exchange, AAA insurance typically offers a discount to your policy that covers or exceeds the cost of an Auto Club membership. In this sense, you can think of AAA Auto Club membership benefits as being part of your AAA insurance policy, as many of the benefits an AAA Auto Club membership provides are sometimes provided by an automobile insurance policy. For example, AAA Auto Club members receive roadside assistance, which other insurance companies offer for an additional fee.
Auto insurance bottom line: AAA auto insurance, in places where it's available, tends to be on the affordable side with good benefits. Drivers who already have or are interested in an AAA Auto Club Membership may be able to find a good rate with solid discounts from AAA insurance carriers. But people already getting similar perks from another source may find a better deal elsewhere.
Homeowners insurance bottom line: AAA homeowners insurance is not as widely available nor as fully featured as AAA car insurance. Rates tend to be very competitive, but it falls short when it comes to features and benefits. Most AAA Clubs that offer homeowners insurance provide a discount on both car and homeowners insurance if you purchase them together.
AAA Auto Insurance
AAA auto insurance coverages and benefits
There are numerous AAA auto clubs throughout the U.S., and many of them sell and provide insurance through different companies.
For example, drivers in Northern California, Arizona and parts of Pennsylvania, among others, can buy insurance from the California State Auto Association (CSAA) Insurance Group. But AAA members in Southern California, Texas and northern New England are covered by the Auto Club Enterprise Group.
This means that the exact coverages, benefits and discounts offered will vary based on your location. However, all AAA insurance agencies offer the most common coverages, which include:
- Bodily injury and property damage liability: Liability coverage pays for the medical care and property damage of the other party when you are at fault in an accident.
- Collision: Collision coverage pays for damage to your car in an accident.
- Comprehensive: Comprehensive coverage pays for noncollision damages to your car, as well as damages from a collision with an animal.
- Uninsured/underinsured motorist: Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage compensates you for medical and car repair costs when the other driver is at fault and does not have adequate car insurance.
- Medical payments/personal injury protection: Medical payments and personal injury protection (PIP) coverage cover the cost of medical care for people in your car in an accident, regardless of who is at fault.
AAA has a mobile app that provides some insurance-related features, like a digital proof of insurance in case you're in an accident or pulled over. In some locations, you can get an insurance quote and pay your bill through the app as well.
There are also several noteworthy auto insurance coverages and benefits limited to particular areas. Keep in mind that these are sometimes included in a standard policy or added on for an additional fee:
- Gap insurance: Should your car be totaled, gap insurance covers the difference in cost between your car's replacement cost and the amount you owe on your lease or loan.
- Rental car reimbursement coverage: Rental reimbursement coverage pays for a rental car while your vehicle is being repaired after an accident. Some providers also allow you to use rideshare credit instead of a rental car.
- Rental car coverage: Rental car coverage covers you if you damage a car you've rented.
- Nonowners insurance: Nonowners insurance provides liability coverage for people who don't own cars, if they do ever drive.
- Pet coverage: Pet coverage pays for the costs of your pet's medical care if it is injured in a car accident.
- Accident forgiveness: Accident forgiveness keeps an accident from bumping up your insurance premium if you're an otherwise safe driver.
AAA auto club membership: Required but useful
AAA agencies usually require you to be an auto club member in order to buy insurance. In a sense, the benefits and features of a AAA auto club membership are included in your car insurance. The marquee feature of a AAA membership is roadside assistance, which includes jump-starts, towing, emergency fuel delivery and minor roadside repairs.
AAA members also receive extra compensation when they are in an accident more than 100 miles from home, covering the costs of a rental car, hotel room or other accommodation until they can continue on their trip.
AAA negotiates discounts on behalf of its members at thousands of businesses nationwide, including hotels, rental car companies and airlines. This can be one of the biggest perks of AAA membership for people who travel often. If you purchase your trip through AAA, you'll be covered by AAA's travel accident insurance, which covers you for loss of life or limb in case of an accident.
AAA insurance discounts
Another advantage of choosing AAA for your car insurance is the wide range of discounts that you can qualify for. These include everything from multi-policy discounts for getting other types of insurance to incentives for customer loyalty and safe driving.
Insurance bundle discounts at AAA
| Bundle | Max auto discount | Max other discount |
|---|---|---|
| Auto and home | 15.7% | 20% off home |
| Auto and condo | 11.2% | 20% off condo |
| Auto and renters | 3.7% | 10% off renters |
| Auto, home and life | 19.4% | 20% off home |
As the discounts show, there are strong incentives to consolidate your insurance at AAA, and despite the car-centric name, the organization is also a reputable provider of these other types of insurance. For instance, we found that AAA's life insurance offers competitive coverage in its own right.
Even if you aren't interested in anything other than auto insurance from AAA, there are still many other discounts to consider:
- Multi-vehicle discount: Save up to 27.3% when insuring two or more vehicles.
- Select professionals/alumni associations: Save up to 7.4% for qualifying professions.
- Loyalty discount: Save up to 5.6% with at least one year of continuous coverage.
- Good driver discount: Save up to 20% on all coverages for safe habits.
- Verified mileage discount: Save up to 19.1% (depending on vehicle’s annual mileage) for supplying current odometer readings when requested.
- Student away discount: Save up to 46.7% on select coverage when your driver-age student is away at school 100-plus miles from home without a vehicle.
- Driver training discount: Save up to 4.7% on select coverage upon completion of an approved course.
- Car club discount: Save up to 5% if you belong to a qualifying car club.
Does AAA offer affordable auto insurance rates?
The cost of car insurance with AAA varies depending on which state you're in. Because AAA is actually a federation of automobile clubs from various states, the coverage that gets advertised as "AAA car insurance" is provided through a number of state-specific insurers.
Each of these state insurers has its own underwriting process and local market conditions that will impact your quote for auto insurance. For illustrative purposes, we chose to gather quotes from California. Keep in mind that if you live elsewhere, your rates will likely be somewhat different.
Monthly car insurance premiums in California
| Insurer | Full coverage | With accident |
|---|---|---|
| AAA | $158 | $250 |
| GEICO | $145 | $236 |
| Progressive | $159 | $328 |
| State Farm | $197 | $377 |
In California, AAA's auto insurance rates were close to the statewide average, costing just under $160 per month, or under $1,900 per year, for a full coverage auto insurance policy. Out of the three other insurance companies we also looked at, only GEICO returned lower rates.
It's also worth noting that AAA was one of the more generous insurers when it came to accidents. Both the graph and table above indicate that compared to AAA, Progressive and State Farm raised their rates far more for a driver who had at least one recent accident on record. This may be an advantage if you're worried about a recent incident impacting your auto insurance premium.
AAA Homeowners Insurance
AAA homeowners insurance coverages
AAA homeowners insurance is not as widely available nor as fully featured as its automobile insurance policies. As with AAA's auto insurance policies, there are a number of insurers that sell insurance under the AAA brand. But in general, homeowners can expect to find the standard coverages associated with home insurance. This includes coverage for your home's structure and roof, your personal property, and liability coverage in case someone is injured inside your home.
Some AAA house insurance providers also offer extended coverages for an additional fee. More frequently available options include additional protection for valuables, such as jewelry and furs, umbrella insurance, coverage for living expenses if your home is uninhabitable, and insurance for natural disasters, such as earthquakes.
AAA homeowners discounts
The discounts available on homeowners insurance from AAA differ significantly across the country, but there were a few common ways to save. Providers usually offer a discount on your homeowners insurance premium if you are a AAA member or purchase AAA auto insurance. But keep in mind that you're often required to have AAA auto insurance to purchase AAA home insurance.
Some homeowners, including those in Southern California, Texas and northern New England may find more substantial discounts on their homeowners policies, including:
- Claim-Free: Discount of up to 13% for not making a claim for three or more years
- Protective Devices: Discount of up to 15% for smoke detectors or a burglar alarm
- Retirement: 10% discount if you are retired and 55 years old or older
- Age of Home: Discount of up to 40% depending on the age of your home (newer homes get bigger discounts)
- Home Renovations: Up to 23% discount for recent renovations, such as new pipes
- Hail-Resistant Roof: Savings of up to 35% for a roof that is resistant to hail damage
AAA homeowners insurance quote comparison
To understand what homeowners can expect to pay for homeowners insurance from AAA, we collected a range of sample quotes from AAA and three of its competitors. We found that AAA offered excellent rates for all of our sample homes in the Austin, Texas, area. Homeowners with inexpensive homes stand to save the most, as AAA's rates were 40% cheaper than average and were often the lowest rate we found overall. As coverage amounts increase, the gap narrowed, but AAA was in the top two for all of the quotes we gathered.
We also did not factor in any discounts when collecting rates, so you may be able to reduce premiums even more, depending on what discounts are available in your area.
AAA Insurance Customer Service Reviews and Ratings
AAA's service is consistently well-rated by its customers. It received a positive complaint rating of 0.55 from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, meaning that the company received fewer complaints than the average company of its size. In reviews, consumers particularly note a stress-free claims process and the speedy roadside assistance service. However, some consumers expressed concern over increasing premiums, as well as difficulty in the process of canceling their insurance policies.
AAA has highly reviewed financial stability, suggesting that consumers can depend on the company to pay out claims. AAA insurance agencies received ratings ranging from A+ (Superior) to A- (Excellent) from A.M. Best. These ratings indicate a high degree of financial stability. Insurance shoppers should not worry about AAA's ability to meet the financial demands of claims.
Editorial Note: The content of this article is based on the author’s opinions and recommendations alone. It has not been previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any of our network partners.