With so many choices out there on car insurance companies, how do you narrow down the ones you want to get quotes from to compare coverage and premiums? While you may want to get quotes from several different automobile insurance companies, you also want to know a little about each company before signing up for a new policy because which car insurance company you go with can have an impact that extends beyond the numbers of the annual premium. Other considerations include the coverage offered and customer service. Let’s take a look at USAA versus Geico auto insurance companies.
What Is USAA?
The United Services Automobile Association (USAA) started in 1922 when 25 Army officers decided to insure each other’s vehicles. USAA is restricted to military personnel and their family for insurance coverage. To be eligible for USAA, you must fall into one of the following categories:
- Active-duty military personnel
- Retired veteran
- Officer or cadet candidate
- Have a spouse or parent with a USAA home or auto insurance policy
According to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, USAA is the fifth-largest provider of car insurance in the United States.
What Automobile Insurance Coverage Is Available Through USAA?
USAA offers the six standard car insurance coverages: liability, uninsured/underinsured, comprehensive, collision, medical payments, and personal injury protection. Additional coverage options include:
- Roadside assistance
- Rental car reimbursement coverage
- Rideshare insurance
- Usage-based insurance (available in four states)
- Accident forgiveness
- Glass coverage
- Guaranteed asset protection
- Car replacement assistance
Usage-based insurance uses a mobile app to monitor your braking, speed, acceleration, cornering, distance, swerving, location, phone use, and more to offer discounts of up to 30%. USAA uses SafePilot, available in Arizona, Ohio, Texas, and Virginia. Using SafePilot will not raise your rates but can lower them.
What Discounts Are Offered Through USAA Automobile Insurance?
When comparing automobile insurance companies, you may want to look at the number and type of discounts offered. Keep in mind that the number of discounts available doesn’t necessarily equate to lower insurance premiums; it just means that there’s the opportunity to reduce the quoted premium by utilizing those discounts. USAA offers the following discounts:
- Multi-vehicle
- Multi-policy
- Good driver
- Good student
- New vehicle
- Defensive driving course
- Driver’s education course
- Family
- Length of membership
- Military installation
- Vehicle storage
Car insurance premiums are determined by a variety of factors, such as your age, driving history, accident history, credit score, location, and type of vehicle. Discounts are applied on top of your quoted insurance premium, lowering your overall insurance payment.
What Is Geico?
In 1936, Geico began as the Government Employees Insurance Company and initially only offered insurance coverage to government employees. While Geico still provides discounts for federal employees, they also offer insurance coverage to drivers across the United States, regardless of government-job affiliation. Anyone can apply for automobile insurance through Geico.
What Automobile Insurance Coverage Is Available Through Geico?
Geico also offers the six standard insurance coverage options, plus the following:
- Roadside assistance
- Rental car reimbursement coverage
- Rideshare insurance
- Usage-based insurance (available in 19 states)
- Accident forgiveness
- Mechanical breakdown insurance
Geico’s usage-based insurance uses DriveEasy, a mobile app, to track hard braking, distracted driving, road type, distance driven, smoothness, cornering, time of day, and weather. Discounts vary with Geico DriveEasy, and you may notice that your insurance premiums increase due to your usage-based insurance coverage as Geico uses information gleaned to determine whether or not you’re a risky driver.
What Discounts Are Offered Through Geico Automobile Insurance?
As with USAA, it’s essential to consider your overall insurance premium after any applied discounts rather than just looking at the number of discounts provided. When considering discounts as a component for your car insurance needs, look for discounts that apply directly to your circumstances, such as good student or multi-vehicle discounts. Discounts offered by Geico include:
- Multi-vehicle
- Multi-policy
- Good driver
- Good student
- Defensive driving course
- Driver’s education course
- Air bags
- Daytime running lights
- Anti-lock brakes
- Anti-theft system
- Passive restraint
- Seat belt use
- Membership and employee
- Federal employee
- Military discount
- Military deployment
One significant discount difference between Geico and USAA is the military discount. Geico offers a military discount, while USAA doesn’t offer this as a separate discount because you must be a military member or spouse to qualify for insurance coverage through USAA. USAA does provide an additional 15% discount for storing your vehicle in a garage on base. Geico offers a 15% discount to active military members and veterans and a 25% discount for military deployment into a dangerous pay zone.
USAA vs. Geico Auto Insurance Customer Service
Customer service is another area you’ll want to consider when looking at potential automobile insurance companies. This can play a crucial role in how your questions and claims are handled, and you want to feel confident in your decision. Some insurance companies have phone support available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, while others rely on an automated bot to tackle live chat questions. Still other insurance companies rely on phone support during limited business hours. The type of service you want is another component of your automobile insurance policy.
According to the J.D. Power Auto Claims Satisfaction Study in 2021, USAA was unofficially ranked with 909 points out of 1,000. Geico received 881 points out of 1,000. The top-scoring officially ranked insurance company was The Hartford at 905 out of 1,000, so you can see that USAA did very well in its rankings. Geico fell almost dead center, with the lowest ranking awarded to Kemper at 758.
Final Thoughts
If you’re eligible for USAA and Geico insurance coverage, it’s wise to get quotes on both to compare coverage, discounts, and annual premiums. Both USAA and Geico are excellent options for car insurance coverage, but you may also want to get quotes from other companies as well. Having more options for car insurance coverage will allow you to make the best-informed decision possible. Insurance premiums will be directly affected by accidents, speeding tickets, or DUIs, which may also impact your overall costs with USAA vs. Geico auto insurance policies. Take your time and get free quotes from top providers today.
At FIXD, our mission is to make car ownership as simple, easy, and affordable as possible. Our research team utilizes the latest automotive data and insights to create tools and resources that help drivers get peace of mind and save money over the life of their car.
