Best Car Insurance For Veterans

When it comes to the best car insurance for veterans, former members of the United States military have a lot of options to choose from.

Your own driving history and who might be insured under your policy are both factors that can impact your policy options and costs.

Whether you’re ready to leverage your military experience to find the best, deal or you’re not even sure how to find the best car insurance as a veteran, it’s important to start with two tasks.

First, research what type of car insurance is available and how it meets your needs. Second, shop around to understand how offerings from different companies compare.

The guide below gives you a head start on doing both of those things.

What’s the Cost of Car Insurance for a Veteran?

Car insurance doesn’t ever come with an easy-to-follow price list since rates can depend on a large number of factors.

Veteran’s insurance — just like auto insurance for anyone else in the nation — is priced based on a complex mathematical equation that takes a variety of factors into account.

And the best car insurance for veterans isn’t always the least expensive option — especially when you consider the entire cost of car insurance coverage.

For example, if you pay a very low premium but opt for a high deductible and an accident does occur, the total amount you pay out of pocket that year could be higher than expected.

Some things other than your military history that can influence the amount of your premium—up or down — include:

Your age
Your gender
Your driving history
The value of your vehicle
Your credit history
Who else will be insured to drive your vehicle
How many miles you drive on average

When it comes to veterans’ insurance, your military history doesn’t necessarily trump all these other factors, either.

While some companies offer a veteran discount, the total premium cost is first calculated on all these factors.

If you have military history but you’re a young male driver, for example, your insurance may cost more than an older driver with military history.

In some cases, your military discount may only come into play if you also meet other factors, such as having a clean driving record for a certain amount of time.

While it’s best to shop around and get quotes on veterans’ insurance to get a better idea of costs, we’ve done some work to help equip you with the information you need to find the right plan for you.

To that end, we’ve gathered some data about prices for car insurance for veterans in California:

A male driver with 9 to 15 years driving experience and a clean driving history might expect to pay between $1,300 and $3,500 annually for a standard (full) policy on a Toyota Highlander.
A female driver with 6 to 8 years driving experience and a clear driving history might expect to pay between $1,800 and $6,000 annually for a standard policy on a Honda Accord.

Companies With the Best Car Insurance for Veterans

Where you purchase your veterans’ insurance from is up to you when it comes to vehicle coverage.

Whether or not they offer a discount for being a veteran, insurance policies from the companies below can be a great place to start with your search.

1. Progressive

Progressive doesn’t offer a specific discount for veterans, but you can get up to $130 off your premium for being a good driver.

The Snapshot program tracks your driving habits and customizes rates appropriately.

Veterans who took advantage of VA home loans to become homeowners can also save an additional 5 percent by bundling property and vehicle insurance through Progressive, and safe driver discounts on top of the Snapshot program let you save up to a third of your premium cost if you don’t have any traffic violations or accidents within a three-year period.

The insurance company is also known for transparency in pricing; when you get a quote from them, they also show you quotes for your competitors, making it easy to make an educated choice.

2. QuoteWizard

QuoteWizard is a marketplace rather than an individual insurance company.

It lets you enter some basic information via an easy-to-use online wizard to receive information on the best car insurance for veterans quotes in your case.

By working with more than 40,000 local insurance brokers across the country, QuoteWizard is able to provide some fairly comprehensive listings, making it an ideal place to start if you want to get the lay of the land when it comes to vehicle insurance costs.

You also don’t have to input any personal information to get started, so there aren’t any risks in the process.

3. Esurance

Esurance provides a 5 percent discount on auto policies just for starting the quote process online, which is an easy way for veterans or anyone else to save money on car insurance.

If you’re not familiar with the name, don’t worry — Esurance is an arm of Allstate, so it’s backed by solid financing and is a well-known and well-loved name in personal insurance.

You can score other discounts for multiple drivers and cars, and the company offers DriveSense, an app-based program that helps you save money for being a safe driver.

Enrolling in a defensive driving course can also save you money with Esurance.

4. Liberty Mutual

Liberty Mutual boasts a large average savings promotion for drivers who switch from other insurance companies, and it’s one of the few companies who let you pay by the mile, basing your premium costs primarily on how much you drive.

That’s a great option for veterans with family in other states who might drive more frequently and for longer distances.

Liberty Mutual is also known for having an easy claims process, and its policies are quite comprehensive so you can choose from a variety of coverage options.

5. Allstate

Allstate is one of the leading auto insurance brands in the country, and veterans can find standard and comprehensive coverage for their vehicles along with life and personal property insurance options.

Bundling coverage with Allstate will save you some money, and you can also get discounts for anti-theft devices and being a safe driver.

Allstate has a unique program that actually pays you to drive safely.

It works via a reimbursement of some of your premium: for every six months that you go accident-free on the road, Allstate sends you a check. And with a large network of local agents, Allstate is a great choice for those who prefer to meet with their insurance broker face-to-face.

6. Travelers

Travelers is another large company with plenty of options, and you’ll also be able to access discounts if you bundle multiple types of coverage.

A 24/7 claims reporting tool helps you stay communicated anytime an accident occurs, and the brand’s strong financial rating means they’ll be around to handle your needs for a long time.

Travelers also offers loan gap coverage, keeping you from a financial hole if you do get into an accident, and you can save additional money by going green with a hybrid vehicle thanks to the company’s discounts on hybrid and electric vehicle coverage.

7. USAA

USAA is only available to active or retired military members and their families.

It offers a potential discount for veterans or their immediate family members, though you’ll need a clean driving record for up to five years or a vehicle that is less than three years old to claim it.

You might be able to get a steeper discount if you currently house your vehicle in a garage that’s located on a military base.

By stacking the veteran discount with other offers by USAA, such as having multiple policies with the company or being married, you might be able to save even more.

USAA has a long history of serving military personnel and their family members and is known for providing excellent customer service. (For more information, read our “Best Car Insurance for Veterans and Military Personnel“).

8. State Farm

State Farm is both one of the largest insurance providers in the nation and an online bank, which means that you can streamline your financial processes by working with them for a variety of needs.

You’ll also be able to save by bundling life, homeowners, and car insurance policies with the company, which also offers discounts for good driving.

State Farm has a wide selection of brokers across the nation, often with several in each town or city, so you can also choose the office you want to work with.

An easy-to-use app lets you manage your insurance and claims processes from your phone, and as State Farm is known for high customer satisfaction ratings, which means you’re likely to get answers quickly and accurately when you need them.

9. MetLife

MetLife’s claim to fame in the insurance industry is its sheer staying power.

The company has been around for more than a century, so you know its finances are probably in order and you can count on it to be there when you need it.

When it comes to range of coverage options and discounts, MetLif’s offerings are fairly standard within the industry, so people looking for the best car insurance for veterans may want to consider this one primarily if they already have other financial products with the company.

In some cases, MetLife may offer the best bang for your buck, though, so including it in your comparison shopping can be a good idea.

10. Kelly Klee

Kelly Klee is a private insurance broker that works with companies that specialize in affluent markets.

Instead of perusing options and making decisions on your own, when you get a quote from Kelly Klee, you work with a coverage advisor who gathers information and puts together custom recommendations on what type of auto (and other) insurance products you might need.

Kelly Klee is a good option if you’re looking for ranges of coverage that aren’t typically offered by other companies or if you’re confused about all the options and want some expert advice.

It’s also a good place to start if you’re a busy professional who doesn’t have time to engage in comprehensive comparative shopping.

How to Reduce the Cost of Your Car Insurance

Vehicle insurance is obviously never going to be free, but you can reduce the costs of coverage as a veteran.

First, always be sure to ask about discounts for military members or veterans — even if you don’t see the option when you get a quote or look online, call customer service or your broker to find out if the company offers this discount. Auto insurance coverage is complex, and it can be easy to miss a detail like this.

If a military discount isn’t an option, don’t despair.

Some of the best car insurance for veterans doesn’t actually include that type of discount.

Aside from making use of discounts by bundling insurance types with one provider, covering multiple people or cars on one policy, and proving that you’re a safe driver, you can reduce the cost of your car insurance in a few other ways:

Increasing your deductible. The deductible is how much you pay out of pocket before your insurance kicks in to cover damages. Deductibles start as low as around $250 to $500 with some companies and can go as high as a few thousand dollars. The lower the deductible, the higher your premium.
Reducing optional coverage on older cars. Most states mandate liability coverage, but not comp and collision (the coverage that pays you for damages to your own vehicle if you’re in an accident). So, if you have an older car and you’re not worried about its devaluing in an accident, you can save a lot of money by only carrying liability on that vehicle. Liability-only coverage might be the best car insurance for veterans who are driving older model cars that aren’t worth a lot of money.
Adding safety functions to your vehicle. Many insurance companies provide additional discounts if your vehicle itself is safe; adding options like backup cameras or alarm systems can drop your premiums by a few percentage points or more.

If you’re ready to start looking for the best car insurance for veterans, you’ll need to have some information handy as you seek quotes.

In many cases, you won’t need to provide full personal details for an initial quote, though some insurance companies will eventually want to run a credit check.