How do you get a USAA car insurance quote?

USAA is a Fortune 500 financial services company; USAA offers investment, banking, insurance, and other financial services and products to military officers and their family members.

The company was formed in 1922 after by a meeting between 25 military officers at the Gunter Hotel in San Antonio, Texas. Nearly 90 years later, the company is still based out of San Antonio.

When USAA was formed, it was called the United States Army Automobile Association. Two years later, it was renamed the United Services Automobile Association, though it still holds true to its original commitment to providing affordable auto insurance and related products to service members.

Compare more insurance rates by entering your zip code above and comparing free quotes!

Is USAA car insurance just for military members?

The USAA was founded for active-duty military officers, but its eligibility requirements have changed over the years. You still have to be in the military or related to someone who is or has been in order to purchase most of their insurance products.

If you or your parent or spouse are not a service member or veteran, you won’t qualify for a USAA membership. Don’t worry, though. There are plenty of other car insurance companies out there.

Free Car Insurance Comparison

Enter your ZIP code below to view companies that have cheap car insurance rates.

 Secured with SHA-256 Encryption

How to Get a USAA Car Insurance Quote

If you aren’t sure whether you meet the eligibility requirements for USAA membership, you can quickly find out on their site. You’ll need your date of birth, contact information, social security number, and you or your relative’s military information.

If you or a relative doesn’t have any ties to the military, you won’t be able to purchase auto insurance from USAA. 

Step #1 – Explore the USAA Site

Once you know you can qualify for a USAA car insurance policy, take some time to explore their site and read about their coverage.

There are a lot of benefits to a USAA auto insurance policy like rental reimbursement, accident forgiveness, and global coverage no matter where you’re stationed.

For military members whose posts change, USAA is a good provider to consider because they understand the unique needs and challenges a servicemember can face with auto insurance.

Step #2 – Sign Up or Log In

Register for a USAA account or, if you’re already a member, log in.

For Pre-existing Members

If you’re already a USAA member, your quotes process will be a bit easier since your information is already in the system and will be automatically imported.

Free Car Insurance Comparison

Enter your ZIP code below to view companies that have cheap car insurance rates.

 Secured with SHA-256 Encryption

Step #3 – Learn about USAA’s Offerings

Before you start the quote process, USAA will walk you through their offerings, advantages, and provide some helpful tips on buying a new car insurance policy.

If you’re a returning customer, you’ll be greeted with a welcome screen that reveals your current policy’s benefits and coverages.

The tips that USAA provide are designed to keep you informed and feel more confident in the insurance buying process. Even if you’ve successfully gotten a policy before, it can be difficult to understand exactly what car insurance limits you need as well as which discounts to keep an eye out for.

We found USAA’s quote system to be extremely helpful and intuitive, so if you have questions about car insurance and need some extra help along the way, this guide combined with their site is a winning combo.

Step #4 – Enter/Update Personal Information

For preexisting USAA members, you can review the majority of your information and update as you need. If you’re requesting an auto insurance quote from USAA for the first time, just follow along the prompts on the screen and enter the appropriate information into each box.

If you need to add an additional driver, like a spouse, you can easily do that by clicking “Add Driver”.

You’ll need to provide the same personal details for each driver you add to your quote, so make sure that you have all of the necessary info on-hand before you get started.

Step #5 – Answer Questions, Save Money

You’ll be asked some questions about each driver you list. Some of them might seem unrelated to car insurance, like “Do you own a house?”, but these factors can actually influence your car insurance rates and score you some sweet discounts.

Free Car Insurance Comparison

Enter your ZIP code below to view companies that have cheap car insurance rates.

 Secured with SHA-256 Encryption

Step #6 – Get Help if You Need It

On the side of the screen, you’ll see a phone number and business hours for the USAA Contact Center. If you have any questions about policies or need some additional help with the quote request process, a live representative can help you out.

If it’s a weekend, no worries. This guide will continue through all the steps and give you all the information you need to get a quote today.

Step #7 – Add Vehicle Details

You can enter your car’s year, make and model manually or enter your VIN. If your info is already in the system but you’ve gotten a new vehicle, simply update the information with your new car’s specs.

After you’ve entered your car’s details, you can add another vehicle or proceed to the next step.

Step #7 – Review Your Car Usage and its Features

USAA will ask you questions about your car’s safety features, which might help you qualify for discounts. You’ll have to specify how you use your vehicle as well as approximate how many miles you drive each year.

Free Car Insurance Comparison

Enter your ZIP code below to view companies that have cheap car insurance rates.

 Secured with SHA-256 Encryption

Step #9 – Review Your Coverage Needs

USAA’s quote system has an optional walkthrough that will help you identify the best limits and coverages for your policy.

Each step will ask you a question and provide a simple explanation.

We recommend using this walkthrough in order to assess your coverage needs and personalize your quote as much as possible. An important part of buying car insurance is comparison shopping, and you want to make sure the rates you’re comparing are as accurate as possible.

When you add additional coverages and explore all your options, you gain a better understanding of each company’s services and capabilities.

You can always reduce your auto insurance policy if you decide to add additional coverage, but it’s a good idea to go into the shopping process looking for exactly what you need, not avoiding coverage options to salvage a few dollars.

Step #8 – Check Out Discounts

USAA will give you a rundown of their discounts such as Safe Driver, Defensive Driving, and the Good Student discount. Keep an eye out for these offerings from other companies you shop with to make sure you save as much as you can.

Any discounts you qualify for will automatically be deducted from your quote.

Step #10 – Get Your Quote

You’ll be presented with a personalized quote and a breakdown of each coverage included. You can review the limits of your custom rate, and check out similar coverage that matches your other limits.

Take note of these rates and keep them somewhere you easily return to later. Before you buy, it’s important to get several other quotes online and compare to find the best deal.

Read More: How do you get a Liberty Mutual car insurance quote online?

Free Car Insurance Comparison

Enter your ZIP code below to view companies that have cheap car insurance rates.

 Secured with SHA-256 Encryption

Why You Should Compare Car Insurance Before You Buy

USAA is cheaper than other auto insurance providers because the company is the largest insurer of the military community, and that volume allows USAA to offer more competitive rates.

In short, USAA is a strong choice for many active-duty servicemen and servicewomen, retired military members and their families, with one of the few drawbacks being the company’s online experience.

Car insurance is an investment in your vehicle and your safety. To make sure you’re really covered, you have to peruse the market and see what’s out there.

A good car insurance company will strike a balance between cost and coverage.  Don’t settle for the bare minimum, which sometimes isn’t even the minimum requirement.

In its 2021 U.S. Property Claims Satisfaction Study, J.D. Power gave USAA a rating of 905 out of 1,000.

Enter your zip code on our site to get matched with multiple car insurance providers near you, so you can compare rates and find the right policy today.

Free Car Insurance Comparison

Enter your ZIP code below to view companies that have cheap car insurance rates.

 Secured with SHA-256 Encryption