Best Car Insurance for Veterans and Military Families
USAA, Geico and State Farm are the best car insurance companies for military members and their families.
Find Cheap Auto Insurance for Military Families
Best military car insurance
ValuePenguin studied top national companies based on car insurance discounts offered to military members and veterans. Comparisons also included car insurance coverage options for current and former service members and rates for drivers currently in the military.
What is the best military car insurance company?
USAA has the best cheap insurance for military members. Rates cost an average of $88 per month. USAA offers both cheap rates and great service tailored to the military lifestyle.
Geico has the best car insurance for veterans. Its cheap rates averaging $96 per month are reduced to $82 per month after the military discount of up to 15%.
Cheapest car insurance for military
Find Cheap Auto Insurance for Military Families
Rates
Discounts
Company | Monthly cost | |
|---|---|---|
| USAA | $88 | |
| Geico | $96 | |
| State Farm | $98 | |
| Allstate | $218 |
USAA is only available to current and former military members and their families.
Car insurance quotes are for 30-year-old male drivers in the military across five states: Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia.
Average annual car insurance cost by state for military personnel
State | USAA | Geico | State Farm | Allstate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia | $1,148 | $1,257 | $1,259 | $2,039 |
| Ohio | $897 | $990 | $1,093 | $2,241 |
| Pennsylvania | $851 | $1,221 | $1,371 | $2,857 |
| Texas | $1,367 | $1,439 | $1,193 | $3,434 |
| Virginia | $1,002 | $862 | $973 | $2,502 |
| Average | $1,053 | $1,154 | $1,178 | $2,615 |
USAA is 30% cheaper than the average cost of insurance from top companies. However, there are states where Geico and State Farm offer the cheapest rates.
USAA: best discounts and cheap rates for military members
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Annual rate$1,053The quotes are for a full coverage policy and include the following states: Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia. See our methodology.
What are some other ways I can save during deployment?
In addition to the discounts mentioned above, there are some other methods you could consider to save money while deployed.
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Suspend your policy: If you're the only one who drives your car and you're going to be deployed, you may choose to suspend your policy for the duration of your deployment. While less convenient than retaining a discounted policy from USAA, you would avoid paying monthly premiums on a car that isn't being driven.
This should be safe to do as long as your car will be parked in a secure area where it is unlikely to receive any damage typically covered under a comprehensive insurance policy. However, if you are concerned about these risks, ask your insurance agent if you can change to a comprehensive-only policy while the car isn't being driven. That way, if your car is stolen or damaged by a storm, you will still have coverage.
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Take yourself off the policy: If you aren't the only one who drives your car and you're going to be deployed, consider taking your name off the auto insurance policy.
Generally, the more drivers who are insured by a policy, the higher that policy's premiums will be. By removing yourself from the policy, your spouse or other family members will receive lower rates until you return and add yourself back to the policy.
This method will especially benefit you if you have a poor driving history and are driving up your insurance rates more than your policy's other drivers. However, keep in mind that if you do decide to drive the car while your name is excluded from the policy, and you get into an accident, your insurance company may deny coverage.
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Annual rate$1,154The quotes are for a full coverage policy and include the following states: Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia. See our methodology.
USAA vs. Geico auto insurance for military members
Both USAA and Geico are great companies for former or current members of the military and their dependents.
USAA has a slight advantage — especially if you are serving active duty. It has cheap rates, good discounts and great customer satisfaction.
Geico has much lower customer satisfaction. In the J.D. Power ratings, Geico scored four out of five for claims handling and and three out of five for customer satisfaction.
If you or a family member is an active or former military member, get quotes from both USAA and Geico. While USAA tends to be cheaper, there are some states where Geico's discount makes it the cheapest option. And Geico's online quote form is a lot quicker to complete,
State Farm: cheap rates and discounts for military
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Annual rate$1,178The quotes are for a full coverage policy and include the following states: Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia. See our methodology.
Recap of the best car insurance for military members and their families
- Best rates and customer service: USAA
- Best for veterans and those not deployed: Geico
- Competitive rates: State Farm
Frequently asked questions
What's the best car insurance for veterans?
Is USAA for the military only?
USAA insurance is available to current or former members of the military. It's also available to spouses and children of those who have had USAA insurance in the past. So if your dad was in the Army and had USAA insurance, you can have it, too. But if he never had USAA, you aren't eligible.
How do I qualify for Geico's military discount?
Geico's military discount of up to 15% is available if you are on active duty, a veteran, or a member of the National Guard or Reserves. You may also qualify for a bigger discount if you're being deployed to an active combat zone. Call Geico at 1-800-MILITARY to sign up.
Who has the best deals for deployed drivers?
USAA tends to offer the best rates for those who are likely to be deployed. When you're deployed, USAA will give you a discount of up to 60% if you put your car in storage. Geico offers a 25% discount to drivers who are deployed, so it's also a good option.
Methodology
To compare car insurance for military members, we collected sample quotes from four insurers (USAA, Geico, State Farm and Allstate).
Average rates are for a full coverage policy for a 30-year-old man who is currently serving in the military. Quotes included thousands of ZIP codes from Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia.
Insurance quote data is from Quadrant Information Services. The quotes used were publicly sourced from insurer filings and should only be used for comparison purposes. The actual cost of insurance for military members and their families may differ from the estimates provided.
About the Author
Analyst
Stephanie Guinan is an Analyst for ValuePenguin/LendingTree. She specializes in simplifying complex insurance topics for consumers.
She’s also worked as an award-winning data journalist and content marketing writer. Stephanie’s work has been cited by Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Rolling Stone and more.
Expertise
- Health insurance and Medicare
- Home and auto insurance
- Crunching numbers
Referenced by
- Wall Street Journal
- New York Times
- Rolling Stone
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.
