NerdWallet's take on AAA auto insurance
AAA auto insurance comes from separate, regional insurance companies that operate under similar names and logos. AAA club membership works the same way, and you may need to become a member of your regional club to get auto insurance. While AAA membership requires you to pay a fee, the discount on your auto insurance might be worth it.
Best for: Drivers who want a lot of bonus perks and benefits with their car insurance.
Not ideal for: Drivers who aren’t interested in an AAA membership.
Each AAA club may offer different coverages and discounts from state to state. Rather than looking at the strengths and weaknesses of a single option, NerdWallet looked at the three largest AAA auto insurance companies by market share in the U.S. This helped us determine how they compare to other top car insurance companies for 2026.
AAA Auto insurer | NerdWallet rating | States available* |
|---|---|---|
Auto Club of SoCal | AL, AR, CA, HI, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, ME, MS, MO, NH, NM, OH, PA, TX, VA, VT, WV. | |
Auto Club Group | FL, GA, IL, IA, IN, MI, MN, NC, NE, SC, TN, WI. | |
CSAA Insurance Group | AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, ID, IN, KS, KY, MD, MT, NV, NJ, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, SD, UT, VA, WV, WY. | |
* Insurers may not cover all counties in each state. | ||
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AAA auto insurance discounts
Most customers with AAA auto insurance receive a discount just for being a AAA member. Depending on your state, you may be able to save even more by:
Maintaining an AAA membership for multiple years.
Being an alum of certain schools or having a certain occupation.
Having certain factory-installed safety equipment in your vehicle.
Owning a car with approved theft prevention devices.
Insuring a new car.
Having continuous auto insurance coverage.
Earning good grades if you’re a student.
Having a student on your policy who keeps their car at home while they’re away at school.
Adding a new young driver to an existing policy.
Completing a driver training course.
Driving a vehicle that passes a AAA Safety Inspection.
Insuring more than one vehicle with AAA.
Buying multiple insurance products from AAA.
Paying your premium in full.
Viewing bills and documents electronically.
Setting up automatic payments.
Purchasing your policy a few days before its effective date.
Enrolling in the AAADrive program.
Like most insurers, AAA’s insurance companies offer lots of discounts, but they differ by state and company. Check with your local AAA club to see which are available to you.
If you’re looking for the cheapest auto insurance rates possible, you may want to buy the minimum car insurance needed to drive in your state. Read our cheap car insurance article to see average minimum car insurance rates by company and state.
AAA car insurance coverage
AAA’s full coverage car insurance includes the standard types of coverage offered by most insurers:
- Liability insurance
Liability car insurance pays for others’ injuries or property damage you cause in a car accident, up to your auto policy limits. There are two types:
Bodily injury liability covers others’ medical expenses after an accident where you are at fault.
Property damage liability covers the repair costs to other vehicles, fences, mailboxes or buildings from an accident.
Is it required? Yes. Every state, except for Virginia and remote parts of Alaska, requires drivers to have a minimum amount of liability car insurance in order to drive legally.
- Personal injury protection
Also known as "no-fault insurance," PIP covers your own injuries and medical expenses after a crash, regardless of who's at fault, up to your policy limits. Depending on your state, PIP could also help pay for:
Lost wages if you're unable to work due to your injuries from a car accident.
Services you can't perform because of an accident, such as house cleaning or child care.
Funeral costs if an injury from an accident leads to death.
A small death benefit as a cash payout.
Is it required? Personal injury protection is required in the following states: Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Oregon and Utah.
- Medical payments coverage
Medical payments coverage, or MedPay, helps pay for your medical expenses or funeral costs after a car accident, no matter who's at fault, up to your policy limits. It also pays for medical bills if you or one of your family members is hit by a car while on foot, riding a bike or traveling as a passenger in someone else’s car.
Is it required? MedPay is required in Maine and New Hampshire, and can be purchased as an optional add-on in most other states. In a few states, MedPay can't be purchased because personal injury protection is required.
- Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage
Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage pays out if you're in an accident where the at-fault driver has no liability car insurance, or not enough to cover your injuries or property damage. It can also be used to pay for your passengers’ and household family members’ injuries.
Is it required? Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage is required in Washington, D.C., and the following states: Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
- Collision insurance
Collision insurance reimburses you to fix or replace your car if you crash into another car or object. It can also pay for hit-and-runs, rollovers and damage caused by uninsured or underinsured drivers.
Collision insurance becomes less useful the older your car is. That's because it reimburses you for repairs only up to the actual cash value of your car, minus your deductible.
Is it required? Collision insurance isn't mandatory in any state, but most lenders require it if you finance or lease your car. And when you buy collision insurance, you'll likely have to also get comprehensive insurance, which pays for damage to your car from non-traffic-related causes.
- Comprehensive insurance
Comprehensive insurance reimburses you to fix or replace your car after non-traffic-related causes, such as:
Weather events, like hail, floods or tornadoes.
Falling objects, such as tree limbs.
Fire or explosions.
Hitting an animal.
Car theft and broken windows.
Earthquakes.
Vandalism or civil disobedience, such as a riot.
Comprehensive insurance becomes less useful the older your car is. That's because it reimburses you for repairs only up to the actual cash value of your car, minus your deductible.
Is it required? Comprehensive insurance isn't mandatory in any state, but most lenders require it if you finance or lease your car. And when you buy comprehensive insurance, you'll likely have to also get collision insurance, which pays for damage to your car from traffic-related causes.
Optional coverage
AAA also offers some types of additional coverage, such as:
Exterior repair coverage, which pays for original equipment manufacturer parts instead of aftermarket parts for covered external body repairs.
Gap insurance, which pays the difference between your car’s current value and the balance of your loan or lease if the car is totaled or stolen.
Rideshare insurance, which covers you when you’re on the clock for a rideshare company. Insurance from rideshare companies typically only covers the period between accepting a ride and dropping off the customer. Adding this to your policy will extend your policy’s coverage to the time when you’re waiting for a ride.
Total loss replacement coverage, which pays to replace your car with a new model if it’s declared a total loss after an accident.
When shopping for car insurance, it's important to understand what coverage you want and what you’re required to buy. Most states require a minimum amount of car insurance to drive a vehicle, but if you can afford it, we recommend getting full coverage insurance.
AAADrive program
AAADrive is an app that looks at factors like your speed and mobile phone distraction to determine whether or not you’re a safe driver. The app then generates a usage-based insurance score, which will affect your rate when your policy renews.
Is AAA a good insurance company?
NerdWallet looked at consumer complaint data and survey scores for some AAA auto insurance companies to see how customers feel about them.
Complaints: Auto Club Group, Auto Club of SoCal and CSAA all received close to the expected number of complaints to state regulators relative to their sizes, according to three years’ worth of data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
Shopping: According to J.D. Power’s 2025 Auto Insurance Shopping Study, two AAA clubs — ACG and CSAA — both scored above average. This study measures how shoppers feel about an insurer’s buying process.
Claims satisfaction: In J.D. Power’s 2025 Auto Insurance Claims Satisfaction Study, Auto Club of SoCal and CSAA both scored above the study average, while Auto Club Group scored just below average. This survey measures how customers feel about an insurer's claims process.
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More information about AAA auto insurance
Customer service: Call 877-288-4546 for a quote or 877-736-7813 for support.
Website: When you go to AAA’s website, you'll enter your ZIP code and be redirected to your local auto club. You can learn more about membership and insurance products, find contact information or get a quote online.
While it’s helpful to only see what’s available in your area, this means what you get from your local club may not match what you’re expecting from AAA.
Mobile app: The AAA Mobile app is restricted to membership needs like trip planning or summoning roadside assistance. However, the Auto Club App lets you manage your car insurance policy and AAA membership in one place, as long as you belong to a regional club that is supported by the app.
Other AAA insurance reviews
How we review auto insurance companies
Our editorial team considers these factors when reviewing auto insurance companies:
- Financial strength
We use AM Best ratings to confirm an insurer’s long-term financial stability and ability to pay claims. NerdWallet does not recommend companies with a rating lower than a B.
- Complaints
These ratings are based on complaints to state regulators relative to a company’s size, according to three years’ worth of data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. The best auto insurance companies have fewer than the expected number of complaints.
- Ease of use
This category looks at how easily consumers can interact with an insurer through its mobile app and website. This includes how much coverage information is offered online, whether a user can start and track a claim online and get a quote and mobile app scores based on the Apple and Google Play store ratings.
- Discounts
We look at the kind of discounts a company offers and the total number of discounts available.
Read our full auto insurance methodology.
We nerd out on car insurance
Our goal is to give you what you need to make smart decisions about your car insurance.
Here’s why you can trust NerdWallet:
We do our homework. We regularly evaluate and review many of the insurance companies we write about. And all of our content is fact-checked before publication. This means the star ratings you see on our reviews are accurate and up-to-date.
We analyze the data. We update our average car insurance rates every month. To do that, we analyze more than 500 million rates from across the country. These rates are provided by Quadrant Information Services.
We are unbiased. NerdWallet’s content is never influenced by our business partners and advertisers. Learn more about how we write in our editorial guidelines.
Frequently asked questions
How does AAA offer car insurance?
How does AAA offer car insurance?
Unlike other insurers, AAA operates as a network of different regional companies or clubs that use similar names and logos. You may need to pay for an AAA membership to get car insurance, but the discounted insurance rate and other perks can make it a good option for some people.
Does AAA auto insurance cover rental cars?
Does AAA auto insurance cover rental cars?
If you’re curious about renting a vehicle, then yes, AAA can help you get a rental car through Hertz. In fact, AAA Members can save up to 20% off the base rate for Hertz vehicle rentals.
If you’re asking about rental car reimbursement, which compensates you for a rental while your car is in the shop as part of a covered claim, then the answer is no. AAA does not offer rental car reimbursement as optional insurance coverage. However, some clubs in AAA’s network may have different options, so check with a local agent to learn more.
Article sources
NerdWallet writers are subject matter authorities who use primary, trustworthy sources to inform their work, including peer-reviewed studies, government websites, academic research and interviews with industry experts. All content is fact-checked for accuracy, timeliness and relevance. You can learn more about NerdWallet's high standards for journalism by reading our editorial guidelines.
- 1.J.D. Power. 2025 U.S. Insurance Shopping Study. Accessed Dec 23, 2025.
- 2.J.D. Power. 2025 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study. Accessed Dec 23, 2025.
Methodology
Insurer complaints methodology
NerdWallet examined complaints received by state insurance regulators and reported to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners in 2022-2024. To assess how insurers compare to one another, the NAIC calculates a complaint index each year for each subsidiary, measuring its share of total complaints relative to its size, or share of total premiums in the industry. To evaluate a company’s complaint history, NerdWallet calculated a similar index for each insurer, weighted by market shares of each subsidiary, over the three-year period. NerdWallet conducts its data analysis and reaches conclusions independently and without the endorsement of the NAIC. Ratios are determined separately for auto, home (including renters and condo) and life insurance.
Auto insurance ratings methodology
NerdWallet’s auto insurance ratings reward companies for customer-first features and practices. Ratings are based on weighted averages of scores in several categories, including financial strength, consumer complaints and discounts. Our “ease of use” category looks at factors such as website transparency and how easy it is to file a claim. Using our editorial discretion, we also consider customer satisfaction surveys. These ratings are a guide, but we encourage you to shop around and compare several insurance quotes to find the best rate for you. NerdWallet does not receive compensation for any reviews. Read our editorial guidelines and full ratings methodology for auto insurance.
