If you're on a Galaxy Fold, consider unfolding your phone or viewing it in full screen to best optimize your experience.
Car insurance is required in nearly all states and gives drivers peace of mind in the event of an accident. For those who can afford it, full coverage car insurance is usually the best option because it provides comprehensive liability coverage with protections for the policyholder's own vehicle. Here's a closer look at some of the best cheap full coverage car insurance providers.
Geico consistently offers inexpensive car insurance rates in nearly every state. Nationally, its average annual full coverage car insurance premium for drivers with clean records is just $2,314. It also offers a long list of discounts and is surprisingly transparent about how much each one will save qualifying policyholders.
While Geico doesn't have as many optional endorsements as some of its competitors, it does offer some unique protections, like mechanical breakdown coverage. This helps policyholders pay for mechanical issues that typically aren't covered under car insurance.
State Farm offers a wide range of coverages for its auto policies, including rental insurance, rideshare insurance, and emergency roadside service. It has 19,000 agents across the country and offers other discounts in addition to bundling. State Farm is the largest property and casualty insurance company in the U.S., with over $70 billion in premiums written. It also takes the top spot for auto insurance. State Farm is ranked No. 1 in overall customer satisfaction, according to J.D. Power's 2022 U.S. Auto Insurance Study for the Southwest. It ranked in the top five for 8 out of the 10 remaining regions and ranked second for four of the regions.
State Farm has an AM Best rating of A++ (Superior), which shows its ability to pay claims, debts, and other financial obligations. It is one of the few life insurance companies to receive AM Best's highest ranking. State Farm's NAIC complaint index, which shows how many complaints it has received relative to its market share, is 1.18, the lowest on this list.
Farmers states on its website that you can save an average of $741 on auto and home policies and savings up to 20% if you bundle your home and auto with it. You can save up to 45% on your Farmers Auto insurance when you purchase multiple policies (like Home, Umbrella, Life, Business, Boat, Motorcycle, Motorhome and Recreational Vehicle) with Farmers. Auto perks include new car replacement, accident forgiveness, a safe driver discount and more. Home perks include guaranteed replacement cost, claim forgiveness, declining discounts, and claim-free discounts.
Farmers is the ninth-largest property and casualty insurance company in the U.S. with over $25 billion in premiums written and the seventh-largest auto insurance company. Farmers is ranked second in overall customer satisfaction, according to J.D. Power's 2022 U.S. Property Claims Satisfaction Study. The company received a score of 884 out of 1,000. The industry average is 871.
American Family has a longer list of car insurance discounts than many of its competitors. American Family offers safety discounts, young drivers and family discounts, and policy discounts. There are typical options, like multi-policy and claim-free discounts. But qualifying drivers can also save for some less conventional reasons.
Drivers under age 25 who choose to volunteer in their spare time might qualify for a special discount, as do those who switch to American Family from a competitor. There's also a generous KnowYourDrive option that rewards drivers willing to enroll in a monitoring program. Here are other policy discounts that American Family offers: Pay How You Drive, a discount if you come from a competitor, low mileage, early bird for getting a quote at least seven days before a policy goes into effect, a loyalty discount, and more.
Amica Mutual ranks highest in overall customer satisfaction with a score of 903 out of 1,000. The industry average is 873. Amica has been rated No. 1 in customer satisfaction in the New England region by J.D. Power for 10 consecutive years. Amica is the oldest mutual insurer of automobiles in the country and is available in the 48 contiguous states.
Amica offers a wide variety of coverages and discounts. It states on its website that drivers can save up to 25% when they insure more than one car with Amica and up to 20% when you combine auto and home coverage. Its discounts are not available in all states.
USAA is always the runaway favorite for military members and their families. It's known for offering affordable rates and excellent customer service. In most customer satisfaction surveys, it bests every other company featured. It's only available to military members, veterans, and their family members, though. Those who don't fall into one of these groups will have to explore other options for their auto insurance.
Not only does it offer the lowest rates, USAA would be ranked No. 1 in virtually all areas of the U.S. in J.D. Power's customer service rankings. Because it doesn't meet its award criteria, J.D. Power gives USAA a score but does not include it in the rankings. Most USAA members report high satisfaction with the financial service provider, with the majority of people with USAA membership purchasing multiple products.
"Full coverage car insurance" is a general term that describes car insurance that provides liability coverage as well as other types of car insurance protections for the policyholder and their vehicle. It's not like state minimum coverage, which has a very specific set of criteria.
Full coverage auto insurance includes everything that state minimum coverage has, plus a variety of extras. But it's up to each person to decide which protections they feel they need. However, full coverage insurance typically includes at least the following:
All insurers offer these options. Most also have their own slate of optional protections that drivers can add to customize their policy if they'd like.
The average cost of full coverage car insurance is about $3,017 per year for drivers with clean records, but it rises to $3,370 per year for those with a single accident on their record. Costs also rise for drivers who receive speeding tickets as well as those who live in areas with frequent car thefts. Even poor credit can raise a driver's auto insurance rates because insurers use credit scores as a measure of a policyholder's responsibility.
But the above figures are only averages. Every driver's situation is unique and each insurer weighs a prospective customer's application a little differently. That's why the same driver can get different rates from different companies. The only way to know which offers the best deal is to compare several quotes side by side.
Full coverage car insurance provides better protection than minimum coverage in the event of an accident. With minimum coverage, the policyholder must pay to repair or replace their own vehicle following an at-fault accident. But with full coverage car insurance, the repairs are covered, regardless of who caused the accident.
It does cost more than state minimum coverage, but the extra coverage reduces the risk of the policyholder having to pay for damages out of their own pocket once their deductible is met.
Full coverage car insurance is a solid choice for any driver who can afford to purchase it. It's especially important for drivers who still have a lease or loan on their vehicles. In fact, many lenders require drivers to purchase collision and comprehensive coverage to protect their investment.
Full coverage car insurance is more expensive than state minimum coverage, but there are steps drivers can take to keep costs down. These include:
Offer | Best For | Next Steps |
---|---|---|
![]()
Geico
|
Great For: Best for affordability | |
![]()
State Farm
|
Great For: Best for customer satisfaction and financial stability | |
![]()
Farmers
|
Great For: Best for bundling multiple policies and insurance policy perks | |
![]()
American Family Auto
|
Great For: Best for discounts | |
![]()
Amica Mutual
|
Great For: Best for claims satisfaction | |
![]()
USAA
|
Great For: Best for military members and their families |
Full coverage car insurance ensures that the policyholder's vehicle is covered, even if they cause an accident. It's a smart buy for those who can afford it because it reduces the driver's risk of paying for costly damages on their own.
There's no standard definition of full coverage car insurance, so what is covered varies depending on what protections the policyholder purchases. But insurers typically don't cover problems that arise from normal wear and tear on the vehicle.
It's a good idea for drivers to maintain full coverage insurance on their vehicle if they can afford to do so. But if money is tight, dropping it might be necessary. It could also make sense to drop coverage if a driver moves to an area where having a car no longer makes sense for them.
Our Insurance Expert
We're firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.
The Ascent is a Motley Fool service that rates and reviews essential products for your everyday money matters.
Copyright © 2018 - 2023 The Ascent. All rights reserved.