Best Car Insurance Companies Of January 2024 in USA
Our analysis finds that Erie, Nationwide, Travelers and USAA are the best car companies overall, with 5 stars (out of 5) in our ratings. USAA auto insurance is available only to military members, veterans and their immediate family members.
The best car insurance companies for you will depend on your driving record, state and other individual factors. Shopping around to compare car insurance quotes will reveal the companies that can give you the best price for your situation.
Best Overall: Nationwide Insurance
Nationwide has the overall lowest rates in our analysis, with great rates across a variety of driving records and driver ages. (USAA is cheaper but membership is limited to car owners with a military connection.)
Nationwide offers affordable car insurance rates for good drivers as well as those with infractions on their records, such as an accident or speeding ticket. Its rates for drivers with poor credit are also relatively reasonable. Due to its competitive pricing—no matter your driver profile—Nationwide is a solid insurer to consider if you’re comparison shopping.
Best for Collision Repairs: Erie Insurance
Erie received the highest grade from collision repair professionals among the companies we analyzed, with an A-. Collision repair shops get an inside look at which insurers try to cut corners and which ones have the smoothest claims processes.
Great for Drivers With a Speeding Ticket: Travelers Insurance
Travelers offers low-cost car insurance for drivers with a speeding ticket. If you’ve gotten a speeding ticket, expect it to affect your rates for three to five years (depending on your insurance company and state).
Erie and Nationwide also have low rates for drivers with speeding tickets, so keep them in mind if you’re looking for better car insurance quotes. And USAA has low rates for military members and veterans who have a speeding ticket on their records.
Best for Military Members: USAA Insurance
With its consistently good rates and variety of coverage options, USAA remains the best car insurance option for military members year after year. While the level of complaints about USAA auto insurance has been rising over the past couple of years, its current complaint level is just below the average for the industry.
Best for Drivers With a DUI: Progressive Insurance
You can’t avoid higher rates after a DUI, but Progressive offers the most competitive pricing for drivers in this situation, based on nationwide averages among the companies we analyzed.
Car insurance companies will usually pull your motor vehicle report when you get a new quote or your policy is coming up for renewal. This is their chance to adjust rates based on your recent driving record, and a DUI conviction will be a costly insurance problem.
Best for New Cars: Auto-Owners Insurance
Auto-Owners offers new car owners great coverage options. Gap insurance is helpful if you owe more on a car loan than your vehicle is worth. If your car is totaled, gap insurance pays the difference between what car insurance pays out (the actual value of the vehicle) and what you still owe, minus your deductible.
Auto-Owners also offers “purchase price guarantee” and “total loss to a new automobile” coverage. If you’re the original owner of your vehicle, purchase price guarantee coverage pays you the original purchase price if your car is totaled within the first two years. Total loss to a new automobile coverage gets your car replaced with a new one of equal value or pays out your original purchase price if the total loss takes place within 90 days of the purchase date.
Great for Drivers With Poor Credit: Geico Insurance
Geico offers cheaper rates to drivers with poor credit than most competitors we analyzed. Getting quotes is especially worthwhile if you have poor credit because many auto insurance companies charge much higher rates based solely on poor credit.
Geico’s auto insurance prices are competitive for other driver types as well, such as good drivers, those with a ticket or accident on their records, parents adding a teen to their policies and senior drivers.
Best for Family Discounts: Westfield Insurance
Westfield not only has competitive auto insurance rates but it also has a good variety of discounts so family members can save on car insurance:
Westfield’s family discount can be applied to a policy for a driver who is 18 or younger if you’ve been a customer of Westfield for at least three years and have multiple policies with Westfield, such as auto and home insurance.
Westfield’s next generation discount is for children (ages of 22 and 29) of Westfield policyholders who are buying their first car insurance policy with Westfield.
Westfield also has a discount for those who may not be a blood relative but are treated as such with its companion car insurance discount. It’s available to someone who resides in the household of a Westfield policyholder and buys their own auto policy with Westfield.
