Allstate vs. USAA: Which Is the Best? (2024)

USAA is one of the best car insurance companies thanks to its high customer satisfaction ratings, multiple discounts, and affordable insurance rates. But it’s only available for military members, veterans, and their families.

Jessica Martel
Written byJessica Martel
Jessica Martel
Jessica Martel

Jessica is a freelance writer, professional researcher, and mother of two rambunctious little boys. She specializes in personal finance, women and money, and financial literacy. Jessica is fascinated by the psychology of money and what drives people to make important financial decisions. She holds a Masters of Science degree in Cognitive Research Psychology.

Courtney Mikulski
Courtney MikulskiSenior Editor, Auto
  • 3+ years producing insurance and personal finance content

  • Main architect of the Insurify Quality Score

Courtney’s deep personal finance knowledge extends beyond insurance to credit cards, consumer lending, and banking. She thrives on creating actionable content.

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Konstantin Halachev
Data reviewed byKonstantin Halachev
Headshot of Konstantin Halachev, VP of Engineering at Insurify
Konstantin HalachevVice President of Engineering
  • 7+ years experience in data analysis

  • Ph.D. in Computational Biology

Konstantin has led data teams across multiple industries, including insurance, travel, and biology. He’s led Insurify’s engineering team for more than three years.

Updated April 22, 2024

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Allstate and USAA are similar-sized nationwide insurers that offer great coverage options and solid customer service ratings. While USAA offers competitive insurance rates, membership is limited to current and former military members and their families. Allstate’s insurance rates are more expensive than USAA’s, but you don’t need a membership to get insurance.

When searching for an auto insurance company, it’s a good idea to compare multiple companies’ rates, customer service, discounts, and coverage to find the insurer that fits your specific needs.

Quick Facts
  • The average cost of liability insurance is $62 per month with Allstate and $46 with USAA.

  • Although Allstate’s rates are higher than USAA’s, Allstate has more advertised discounts.

  • Allstate and USAA are available in all 50 states.

Allstate vs. USAA: The verdict

USAA has a slight edge over Allstate when it comes to customer satisfaction ratings and affordable car insurance. But USAA restricts membership to active military members, veterans, and their families, so not everyone’s eligible for USAA car insurance coverage. Meanwhile, Allstate has relatively affordable average premiums compared to other car insurance companies, advertises more discounts, and doesn’t restrict driver eligibility.

If you qualify for USAA membership, it’s one of the best and cheapest car insurance companies, but Allstate is still a solid choice for drivers because of its rates, decent customer service, and large footprint.

FactorAllstateUSAA
IQ Score4.24.5
Customer satisfaction score3.54.2
Average quote: liability only$62$46
Number of discounts1410
Number of states where it operates5050
Disclaimer: Table data sourced from real-time quotes from Insurify's 50-plus partner insurance providers. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer's unique driver profile.
  • Our editorial team spent 350 hours developing the Insurify Quality (IQ) Score and scoring insurance companies. The IQ Score objectively analyzes and calculates a score for insurers using more than 15 crucial criteria. Criteria are weighted by importance to the consumer — factors such as customer reviews and affordability influence the score more than availability and third-party ratings.

    We rate each company on a 1 to 5 scale based on five categories: financial ratings, customer satisfaction, affordability, customer support and transparency, and availability. We update ratings once a year or as more recent information becomes available.

    • Third-party financial ratings: We use data from AM Best, S&P, Moody's, and more to compare insurance companies’ credit and ability to pay out future claims.
    • Customer satisfaction: To calculate this score, Insurify analyzed more than 20,000 customer reviews across 155 car insurance companies. We also considered third-party ratings from J.D. Power, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, and Trustpilot.
    • Affordability: Our data scientists analyzed more than 90 million real-time auto insurance rates from our partners across the United States, as well as available discounts, to calculate an affordability score.
    • Customer support and transparency: This measures coverage options, ease of claims filing, and the insurer's transparency surrounding discounts, coverages, and claims process.
    • Availability and reach: Insurify identified the number of states in which insurers offer coverage and company size by market share to score availability and reach.

Allstate

Allstate is one of the largest insurance companies, holding nearly 11% of the private passenger auto insurance market share, and it earned an above-average J.D. Power claims satisfaction rating.[1] [2]

Compare personalized, real-time quotes
IQ Score
The Insurify Quality (IQ) Score uses more than 15 criteria to objectively rate insurance companies on a one-to-five scale. The Insurify editorial team researches insurer data to determine the final scores.
4.2
JD Power
J.D. Power data measures overall customer satisfaction and claims satisfaction based on a 1,000-point scale.
833
Liability Only
Liability-only insurance, sometimes called minimum-coverage insurance, pays for bodily injury and property damage to others in an accident the policyholder causes. It does not pay for the insured’s own damages.
$62/mo
Full Coverage
Full-coverage car insurance generally includes liability, collision, and comprehensive coverage, and may include other optional coverages such as uninsured motorist coverage. Collision covers a policyholder’s repair or replacement costs in case of an accident. Comprehensive covers damages caused by non-accident events. The average quote displayed here reflects policies with the following coverage limits: $50,000 bodily injury liability per person; $100,000 bodily injury liability per accident; $50,00 property damage liability per accident; $1,000 collision deductible; and a $1,000 comprehensive deductible.
$138/mo

Founded by Sears department store executives in 1931, Allstate offers auto, home, motorcycle, ATV, renters, condo, and term life insurance. Operating in all 50 states, the company has superior ratings from A.M. Best for financial strength and credit. However, Allstate has many negative reviews on consumer websites, and a slightly higher-than-average complaint rating in the National Association of Insurance Commissioners Consumer Complaint Index. Allstate offers many discounts, including for good students, multiple policies, bundling auto and home insurance, new vehicles, safe driving, and good payment history.

Pros
  • Well-established with superior ratings from A.M. Best

  • Pay-per-mile option available

Cons
  • Low customer satisfaction

  • Rates are merely average compared to other insurers

Read our Allstate review
James - April 22, 2024
Verified

Good

Very good but expensive.

John - April 21, 2024
Verified

Allstate is great, but we are looking to save more money. We are two seniors with two vehicles, one of which has comprehensive and collision coverage.

Allstate is great, but we are looking to save more money. We are two seniors with two vehicles, one of which has comprehensive and collision coverage.

Marcia - April 21, 2024
Verified

Less Expensive Options, Same Coverage

It's too much money.

USAA

USAA takes fifth position on the list of the largest auto insurance companies, with nearly 6% of the overall market share, and it consistently scores the highest ratings in J.D. Power’s auto insurance satisfaction studies.[1] [2]

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IQ Score
The Insurify Quality (IQ) Score uses more than 15 criteria to objectively rate insurance companies on a one-to-five scale. The Insurify editorial team researches insurer data to determine the final scores.
4.3
JD Power
J.D. Power data measures overall customer satisfaction and claims satisfaction based on a 1,000-point scale.
880
Liability Only
Liability-only insurance, sometimes called minimum-coverage insurance, pays for bodily injury and property damage to others in an accident the policyholder causes. It does not pay for the insured’s own damages.
$46/mo
Full Coverage
Full-coverage car insurance generally includes liability, collision, and comprehensive coverage, and may include other optional coverages such as uninsured motorist coverage. Collision covers a policyholder’s repair or replacement costs in case of an accident. Comprehensive covers damages caused by non-accident events. The average quote displayed here reflects policies with the following coverage limits: $50,000 bodily injury liability per person; $100,000 bodily injury liability per accident; $50,00 property damage liability per accident; $1,000 collision deductible; and a $1,000 comprehensive deductible.
$100/mo

In business for more than 100 years, USAA exclusively serves members of the military and their immediate families. The company offers multiple types of insurance products, as well as banking, investing, and retirement services. Auto insurance customers have access to a number of discounts, including for bundling, insuring multiple vehicles, living on a military base, and more. A.M. Best gives USAA an A++ rating for financial strength, and the company had the highest or second-highest rating of all insurers in every region in J.D. Power’s Overall Customer Satisfaction Index. Customer reviews are mixed for service and claims processing.

Pros
  • Low premiums

  • SafePilot program rewards good driving with up to 30% discount

Cons
  • Only available to active-duty military, veterans, military spouses, or children of service members or veterans

  • No 24/7 customer phone support

Read our USAA review
Bill - April 22, 2024
Verified

Reluctant Switcher

Excellent, very positive! I only switched to consolidate our farm property insurance together with auto policies.

Marvin - April 21, 2024
Verified

Excellent

So far, so good.

Robert - April 19, 2024
Verified

USAA is the finest. Period.

I've been a member for over 50 years, and have always been pleased with the service. It's a first-class organization.

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Allstate Drivewise vs. USAA SafePilot

Allstate and USAA offer discounts for safe drivers through their telematics programs. Telematics allows insurance companies to collect information about your driving behaviors and habits.

With Allstate, safe drivers can save up to 40% through the Drivewise program. Exact savings depend on your driving behavior and location, but the app measures your driving behaviors and rewards you for safe driving. The Drivewise app also offers crash detection, and if it detects a collision, Allstate will send you a notification through the mobile app asking if you need help.

The USAA SafePilot program offers savings of up to 30% on your insurance premiums for being a safe driver. Just by enrolling in the program, you can save up to 10%. The SafePilot app monitors your driving and gives feedback on how you can improve. The app will automatically track your trips, and when it’s time to renew your insurance, USAA will let you know if you’ve earned a discount.

How Does Usage-Based Insurance Work?

How Does Usage-Based Insurance Work?

Allstate vs. USAA: Which is the cheapest?

USAA has cheaper car insurance rates across the board, according to Insurify data. When determining your insurance premiums, auto insurance companies consider various factors, including your age, gender, ZIP code, driving history, how much you drive, and the type of car you drive.[3]

Here’s how Allstate’s and USAA’s rates compare.

USAA: Cheapest for drivers with a clean driving record

Maintaining a clean driving record can help keep your car insurance premiums low. If you have a history of at-fault accidents or other serious traffic violations, you can expect to pay higher auto insurance rates. USAA offers lower car insurance premiums for drivers with clean records.

Driver TypeAllstateUSAA
Clean driving record$62$46
Disclaimer: Table data sourced from real-time quotes from Insurify's 50-plus partner insurance providers. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer's unique driver profile.

USAA: Cheapest for drivers with a speeding ticket

Driving too fast and getting speeding tickets can cause your insurance premiums to increase. Allstate charges higher rates than USAA for drivers with speeding tickets.

Driver TypeAllstateUSAA
Drivers with a speeding ticket$71$53
Disclaimer: Table data sourced from real-time quotes from Insurify's 50-plus partner insurance providers. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer's unique driver profile.

USAA: Cheapest for teen drivers

Teen drivers pay some of the most expensive insurance premiums because they have a fatal crash rate nearly three times as high as drivers 20 years and older.[4]

If you have a teen driver in your house, USAA can be the cheaper option for insuring their car, as it has relatively affordable rates for teens.

Driver TypeAllstateUSAA
18-year-old$108$71
Disclaimer: Table data sourced from real-time quotes from Insurify's 50-plus partner insurance providers. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer's unique driver profile.

USAA: Cheapest for drivers with bad credit

In many states, insurance companies can use your credit history to help determine your insurance rates. Insurance companies believe that drivers with poor credit are more likely to file an insurance claim, so drivers with good credit pay cheaper premiums.[5]

USAA offers the cheapest auto insurance for drivers with bad credit.

Driver TypeAllstateUSAA
Drivers with bad credit$67$58
Disclaimer: Table data sourced from real-time quotes from Insurify's 50-plus partner insurance providers. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer's unique driver profile.

USAA: Cheapest for senior drivers

Around age 70, drivers often see insurers increase premium rates due in part to higher death rates among seniors in crashes. USAA offers lower auto insurance premiums for senior drivers.[6]

Driver TypeAllstateUSAA
Senior drivers$49$36
Disclaimer: Table data sourced from real-time quotes from Insurify's 50-plus partner insurance providers. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer's unique driver profile.

Compare coverages: Allstate vs. USAA

One difference between Allstate and USAA is that USAA insurance is available only to current and former military members, their spouses, and their children. Allstate doesn’t require customers to become members to access insurance.

Both companies offer various auto insurance coverage options, including liability, comprehensive, collision, and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. However, while Allstate offers add-ons like gap insurance, USAA doesn’t.

The following table highlights some of the optional insurance coverages available from each auto insurer.

CoverageAllstateUSAA
Gap insuranceYesNo
Rideshare insuranceYesYes, in some states
Roadside assistanceYesYes
Rental car reimbursementYesYes
Disclaimer: Table data sourced from real-time quotes from Insurify's 50-plus partner insurance providers. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer's unique driver profile.

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Compare discounts: Allstate vs. USAA

While both auto insurance companies offer plenty of discounts, Allstate has a few more options than USAA. Insurance rates are lower with USAA compared to Allstate, so Allstate’s list of car insurance discounts may help you reduce your rates.

The table below outlines the different discounts available at each of the auto insurance companies.

DiscountAllstateUSAA
Clean driving recordNoYes
Defensive driving courseNoYes
Multi-policyYesYes
Multi-carNoYes
Low mileageNoYes
Telematics (safe driving app)YesYes
Anti-theft deviceYesYes
New carYesYes
Military/affiliationNoYes
Good studentYesYes (not in all states)
LoyaltyNoYes
Auto payYesNo
Student away at schoolYesNo
HomeownerYesYes
Alternative fuelNoNo

Allstate vs. USAA FAQs

When comparing Allstate versus USAA car insurance, you may find this additional information helpful.

  • Is Allstate insurance or USAA better?

    The best car insurance company for you depends on your individual needs and budget. If you’re looking for the cheapest insurance rates, USAA generally has lower rates than Allstate. But to take advantage of USAA’s rates, you need to be a current or former military member or the family member of one.

  • What are the main differences between Allstate and USAA insurance?

    The main difference between Allstate and USAA insurance is that USAA is available only to current and former military and their family members. Allstate is available to everyone who qualifies. USAA auto insurance rates also tend to be lower compared to Allstate insurance rates.

  • Who’s eligible for a USAA policy?

    Only USAA members are eligible for a USAA auto insurance policy. Membership is open only to current and retired military members and their spouses. Some USAA members’ children might also be eligible to join. When you apply for a USAA membership, you must provide your military service details along with other personal information.

  • What additional services do Allstate and USAA offer?

    In addition to auto insurance, Allstate offers various insurance products, including life insurance, property, business, identity protection, phone protection, pet, travel insurance, and more. In addition to insurance, USAA offers banking and retirement solutions, including checking accounts, credit cards, and individual retirement accounts (IRAs).

Methodology

Insurify data scientists analyzed more than 90 million quotes served to car insurance applicants in Insurify’s proprietary database to calculate the premium averages displayed on this page. These premiums are real quotes that come directly from Insurify’s 50+ partner insurance companies in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Quote averages represent the median price for a quote across the given coverage level, driver subset, and geographic area.

Unless otherwise specified, quoted rates reflect the average cost for drivers between 20 and 70 years old with a clean driving record and average or better credit (a credit score of 600 or higher).

Liability-only premium averages correspond to policies with the following coverage limits:

  • Bodily injury limits between state-minimum rates and $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident
  • Property damage limits between $10,000 and $50,000
  • No additional coverage
Full-coverage premium averages correspond to the same bodily injury and property damage limits in addition to:
  • Comprehensive coverage with a $1,000 deductible
  • Collision coverage with a $1,000 deductible

Quotes for Allstate, Farmers, GEICO, State Farm, and USAA are estimates based on Quadrant Information Services’ database of auto insurance rates.

Sources

  1. NAIC. "Property and Casualty Insurance Industry 2022 Top 25 Groups and Companies by Countrywide Premium."
  2. J.D. Power. "2023 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study."
  3. III. "What determines the price of an auto insurance policy?."
  4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Teen Drivers and Passengers: Get the Facts."
  5. III. "Background on: Credit Scoring."
  6. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Older Adult Drivers."
Jessica Martel
Jessica Martel

Jessica is a freelance writer, professional researcher, and mother of two rambunctious little boys. She specializes in personal finance, women and money, and financial literacy. Jessica is fascinated by the psychology of money and what drives people to make important financial decisions. She holds a Masters of Science degree in Cognitive Research Psychology.

Courtney Mikulski
Edited byCourtney MikulskiSenior Editor, Auto
Courtney Mikulski
Courtney MikulskiSenior Editor, Auto
  • 3+ years producing insurance and personal finance content

  • Main architect of the Insurify Quality Score

Courtney’s deep personal finance knowledge extends beyond insurance to credit cards, consumer lending, and banking. She thrives on creating actionable content.

Featured in

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Konstantin Halachev
Data reviewed byKonstantin HalachevVice President of Engineering
Headshot of Konstantin Halachev, VP of Engineering at Insurify
Konstantin HalachevVice President of Engineering
  • 7+ years experience in data analysis

  • Ph.D. in Computational Biology

Konstantin has led data teams across multiple industries, including insurance, travel, and biology. He’s led Insurify’s engineering team for more than three years.

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