USAA started out as car insurance, but over the years they have grown into so much more. Today you can get your homeowners insurance, car insurance, renters insurance, and personal property insurance through them. And if that’s not enough, you can bank, invest and get financial advice all at the same time.
Alongside the vast amount of services, USAA offers some of the best customer service in the business. Of course, we understand that not everyone has the same experience, still, it’s good to know that all companies have complaints, and while USAA is no different, they continue to stand out as the best in regards to taking care of their clients. Even so, USAA auto insurance reviews range anywhere from excellent to, “I’d never get insured through USAA,” but why?
Chief complaints about car insurance are typically in regards to prices being too high. That being said, while USAA is a military friendly service, it doesn’t mean they will be the cheapest.
So, why use USAA if they aren’t your cheapest option?
- USAA is on top of the charts for customer service
- They offer more discounts than most insurance companies
- They understand your military life and deployments/PCSing is a better experience
- They don’t try to sell you insurance, instead, they try to give you as many discounts as possible
- You never have to ask for a discount, they’ll find them for you
- You get more than insurance, and if you bank through them, your discounts are even greater
Not in all, but in many cases, USAA could save you a lot of money on car insurance while also giving you excellent service. Below are some comparison numbers, but remember, USAA is huge on bundling. The more you bundle the more you will save. I saved a few dollars by adding personal property insurance alongside all the other services I get with USAA.
Nerd Wallet’s Cost Analysis of the National Average Auto Insurance Cost
- USAA- $870
- Geico- $1177
- State Farm- $1366
- Progressive- $1726
- Allstate- $1812
Value Penguin Cost Analysis of the National Average Auto Insurance Cost
- USAA- $635
- Geico- $731
- State Farm- $1207
- Allstate- $1341
With all this being said, keep in mind, cost isn’t everything and cheaper isn’t always better. Depending on your budget, yes it might be a good idea to go with a cheaper option at that moment. But, you also get what you pay for. You can have cheaper car insurance by paying a higher deductible, but it would be wise to have enough money set aside in case you need to pay out that $1,000 deductible tomorrow, which you selected to save on your monthly premium today.
Since price isn’t the only thing to consider when looking into car insurance, make sure you check all the reviews about customer service, products, response times, policy transparency and difficulty in filing claims.
Top Reasons People Love USAA
Car insurance is competitively cheap
Everyone is so knowledgeable about their job
You almost always reach a representative in under 5 minutes
You’ll never get the runaround
USAA is great about paying out on policies
Top Reasons People Hate USAA
Car insurance is too expensive
Claims center doesn’t know what they’re doing
It takes too long to get through to a representative
You will get the runaround with your claim
Getting USAA to pay out is near impossible
As you may have noticed, our love-hate lists are complete opposites of one another. The reasoning behind this is that USAA is, depending on who you talk to, either amazing or terrible. There are people who rave about USAA’s customer service and then the next person you talk to will say that their representative was clueless. One person might say they saved so much money on car insurance it was ridiculous, and the next will say they saved 15% by switching to Geico.
Now, we can’t explain why some representatives know what’s going on and others don’t (maybe they’re new), but insurance costs do vary based on age, gender, driving record and even credit score. Some companies will charge more for a bad driving record than others, while credit score could be the reason your premium is so hiked with a different provider. We’re not saying USAA is the cheapest, but depending on what your life looks like USAA could be the cheapest or most expensive option.
If for some reason your rate is high and you can’t figure out why; talk with your representative and ask what’s making your payments higher than others. Ask to see what record they’re looking at and then do some comparison shopping based on the feedback. This might seem like a lot of work, but if you have something negative, such as a DUI you’re going to pay a lot more, and some insurance companies will charge more than others on this fault alone.
Just a short recap, bundling is where you’re really going to save money. You have the option of bundling home insurance, renters insurance, car insurance, personal property insurance, and if you have a savings/checking account you will save even more. Unlike other car insurance companies, USAA also offers a banking option. And since USAA can see that you’re making money, it makes you a better investment for them, which might lead to some further discounting opportunities other insurers just can’t offer.
Photo Credit: Clandestine Media Group