Cheap Military Car Insurance (2024)
- Expertise: Auto insurance, home insurance and renters insurance
- Education: Sonoma State University (BA in English)
Aaron Besson has worked at LendingTree for more than seven years and has been a staff writer for the last five years. He specializes in producing research-backed content about auto, home and renters insurance. Aaron enjoys the deep dig into insurance data to get the right answers to hard questions. His work has been cited by CBS, iHeart Radio, the Sacramento Bee and Yahoo.
Members of the U.S. Armed Forces find the best and cheapest car insurance rates from USAA. Other companies offer active military and veterans affordable car insurance, too, like Geico and Farmers. Many insurers also have military discounts that can save you money on coverage.
Cheapest car insurance companies for military members and veterans
USAA stands head and shoulders above its competitors when it comes to car insurance companies that cater to military personnel. Geico and Farmers offer good deals for military members as well.
Best and cheapest car insurance companies for military
| Company | Average annual rate | J.D. Power rating | NAIC Complaint Index |
|---|---|---|---|
| USAA | $1,203 | 871 | 0.5% |
| Geico | $1,937 | 830 | 1% |
| Farmers | $3,091 | 810 | 0.06% |
USAA
USAA is often considered “the best of the best” among car insurance companies. It offers excellent rates, usually better than those from insurance companies available to all, as well as a great customer service track record.
USAA charges $1,203 a year, on average, for full-coverage car insurance. This is 61% cheaper than the national average rate of $1,972.
J.D. Power is a data analytics and consumer intelligence company that releases an annual auto insurance study. This study’s findings are based on policy information, price and offerings, billing and claims. In its 2023 study, J.D. Power gave USAA a rating of 900 out of 1,000. The average rating in the study is 813. While J.D. Power rates USAA, it does not include USAA in its annual ranking. If it did, USAA would be at the top for many consecutive years.
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) is a nonprofit organization that sets standards for the insurance industry. Its complaint index is based on the number of complaints an insurer receives relative to the company’s premiums written. USAA has a complaint index of 0.5%, which is good with regard to the complaint index average of 1%.
Along with low rates and great service, USAA offers discounts specific to active military personnel. It offers a 15% discount on comprehensive coverage for vehicles garaged at a military installation. It also offers a discount of up to 60% if you’re deployed or storing your vehicle for another reason while your policy is active.
Geico
Geico charges an average annual rate of $1,937 for full-coverage car insurance. While this is just under the national average, the company offers a 15% car insurance discount to military members, which may make it even cheaper. Both currently serving and veteran members of the military can get this discount, as can reservists and National Guard members.
You can also get a 25% car insurance discount if you’re a veteran officer and a member of any of these associations:
- Association of the U.S. Army
- Fleet Reservist Association
- National Infantry Association
Another great discount Geico offers is 25% off for service members deployed to an imminent danger pay zone. To qualify for this discount, you must be part of a regiment deployed to an imminent danger pay zone and store your car under a Geico storage protection plan.
Geico offers many benefits especially for military personnel, too. These include:
- Worldwide car insurance coverage
- Military Pay Plan
- Support line dedicated to military members
Farmers
Farmers offers a 5% Affinity discount to current, veteran and honorably discharged members of the military. While its average rate is high compared to the other companies reviewed, its NAIC complaint index rating is low.
State car insurance discounts for military members
Louisiana and Montana state laws provide car insurance discounts to military members as well, no matter where you buy your policy.
Louisiana requires car insurance companies to give a 25% discount for auto liability insurance to active military personnel based in the state. In Montana, members of the National Guard who take a defensive driving course receive a discount on their car insurance.
What you need to get a military car insurance discount
While you usually don’t need to verify your military status if you’re just requesting a quote, you will need to present military credentials to get a military discount from a car insurance company.
You should be able to show one of these credentials when needed:
- Military ID
- Official discharge or separation papers
- A Veterans Administration ID or healthcare card
Depending on your insurer, it may also accept a veteran’s designation sticker on your driver’s license.
Other car insurance discount options
Car insurance companies usually offer many discounts to stay competitive. To save as much money as possible, take advantage of as many as you can. Common discounts offered include:
- Bundling: If you buy a life, renters or home insurance policy alongside your auto insurance, you might get a discount on both.
- Multivehicle: If you have more than one car you want to insure on a policy, many insurers offer a discount.
- Accident-free: If you have no accidents on your recent record, usually for a three- to five-year period of time, you may get a reduced rate.
- Automatic payment: Setting up an automatic payment process for your premium can earn you a discount, too.
These are just a handful of the types of discounts you could receive. When shopping for car insurance, ask about discounts. You may qualify for some you didn’t know about before.
Methodology
LendingTree obtains rates from insurance company filings reported to Quadrant Information Services. Rates shown in this article are based on an analysis of car insurance quotes for sample drivers. Your rates may vary.
Unless stated otherwise, we used thousands of car insurance quotes from across the U.S. for a 30-year-old man with good credit and no tickets, accidents or DUIs driving a 2015 Honda Civic EX.
For full-coverage policies, the following coverage limits were used:
- Bodily injury liability: $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident
- Property damage liability: $25,000
- Uninsured motorist: $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident, where required by law
- Personal injury protection: Minimum limits, where required by law
- Collision: $500 deductible
- Comprehensive: $500 deductible