The Best Auto Insurance in Maryland in 2024

Allstate is one of the oldest, most financially reputable, and most popular providers (the fourth-largest) in the country.² It has one of the highest home bundling discounts among any provider (up to 25 percent), which can be a huge benefit if you’re one of Maryland’s nearly 70 percent residents who are homeowners.⁴ Additionally, Allstate has the second-highest J.D. Power claims satisfaction score among providers on our list and plenty of unique coverage options for your ancillary needs.

Excellent Savings for Homeowners

If you’re a homeowner, you can benefit from the highest home bundling discount on our list (up to 25 percent). Allstate also offers bundling discounts for:

• Home and auto insurance
• Renters and auto insurance
• Renters and motorcycle insurance
• Life and auto insurance

Here are a few other ways you can save with Allstate:

• New-car discount: If you’re the first owner of a new vehicle and your car is either the current-year model or the last-year model, you could qualify for this discount.
• Smart student discount: If you’re a full-time student (or parent of a student), you could earn savings by fulfilling the following requisites:
  • Maintains a B-average or a GPA of 2.7 or above
  • Stores your vehicle 100 miles away from where you attend school
  • Completes the teenSMART driver education program
• Safe driver discount: You need to complete a defensive driving course and be accident-free for six months to earn this discount.
• Vehicle equipment discount: You can earn this discount by integrating an anti-theft device or other safety features (like adaptive headlights or anti-lock brakes) to your vehicle.
• FullPay discount: You can save on your premium if you pay your policy in full or have made all your payments on time for the past year.

Great Coverage Add-ons

In addition to offering all the coverage you need to meet Maryland’s minimum state requirements, Allstate coverage add-ons allow you to extend your limits and benefits. Here’s the full list of optional coverage you can integrate into your plan:

• Mexico coverage: Visiting Mexico soon? Allstate works with insurance companies in Mexico to help cover medical bills and car repairs if you’re involved in a car accident during your stay.
• Roadside assistance: You can add 24/7 roadside assistance to your plan for tows, jump starts, flat tires, lockouts, and other emergencies. Allstate roadside memberships start at just over $6 per month or $73 per year.
• Uninsured motorists coverage/underinsured motorists coverage: If you get into an accident with someone who doesn’t have enough insurance (and they’re at fault), you won’t pay out of pocket. Maryland has the 16th-highest rate of uninsured drivers in the country (14 percent), so we definitely recommend integrating this add-on if you can afford it.⁴
• Rental reimbursement: If your car is being repaired under a covered insurance claim, rental reimbursement will help you pay for a rental or public transport.
• Windshield and glass: Your Allstate policy comes with Auto Glass Claim Express, which gives you access to over 7,200 vetted repair shops to repair your windshield and car glass.
• Personal umbrella policy (PUP): An umbrella policy provides you with additional coverage beyond your bodily injury, personal injury protection (PIP), or property damage liability limits.

Plans for Low-Mileage Drivers

In 2022 (the most recent available data), the average driver in Maryland drove about 12,900 miles per year. If you can drive less than 10,000 miles per year, however, there’s a good chance you can pay less for auto insurance with Allstate’s Milewise program.

Milewise is a pay-per-mile program that charges you based on how many miles you drive per month. Maryland is one of 17 states in which Allstate offers Milewise. Here’s an example of what your rate could look like with Milewise:

If you drive 25 miles a day on average, you’re looking at a rate of about $90 a month (or $1,080 a year) according to Allstate’s example. This is much lower than both the average cost in Maryland ($1,198) and for Allstate’s average for full coverage car insurance in Maryland ($2,555).

That being said, your daily flat rate and per-mile rate will vary based on your location, driving history, and personal background, so be sure to speak with an agent to get a more accurate estimation. For example, someone with good credit and a clean driving record will have better luck finding cheap car insurance than someone with bad credit and a bad record. Your ZIP code may also play a factor, as cities in the state have higher rates than suburban or rural Maryland.

Compare car insurance quotes from different providers to find out the cheapest car insurance company for you.

USAA is our top pick for active military members, veterans, and their families in Maryland. It has the lowest rates among any large provider for minimum coverage, and excellent services unique to military members (we’ll take a closer look at those services below). If you’re one of the 360,000 veterans, 100,000 active-duty service members, or their dependents in Maryland, you can sign up for USAA’s exclusive membership today.⁷

Coverage Designed for Military Members

If you’re deployed overseas or in a different state, you can keep your vehicle in Maryland and save with a USAA storage discount. Here are the three main saving opportunities USAA offers for deployed military members.

You can also extend your USAA policy with you on deployment if you plan on driving overseas. USAA can cover you in the following overseas regions/countries:

• Azores
• Belgium
• Cuba
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Guam
• Italy
• Netherlands
• Portugal
• Puerto Rico
• South Korea
• Spain
• U.S. Virgin Islands
• United Kingdom

Excellent Third-Party Ratings

Third-party rating systems are some of the only reliable methods to evaluate the creditworthiness, financial stability, and customer service quality of insurance providers. USAA is consistently one of the highest-ranked, reviewed, and rated auto insurance companies.

• AM Best rating: AM Best, which rates the financial strength and creditworthiness of insurance companies, gives USAA an A++ (Superior) rating.⁸ An A++ rating is the highest score AM Best gives to insurance providers.
• Standard and Poor’s: Standard & Poor’s (S&P) assigns letter grades to companies based on their degree of investment risk. S&P gives USAA a rating of AA+, the second-highest rating it provides.¹⁰ This is a good indication that USAA will repay its debts with little risk of default.

Rideshare Insurance

Not all insurance providers offer rideshare insurance, but you’ll need the additional coverage if you’re driving for a rideshare company like Uber or Lyft. Rideshare companies provide you some protection through Transportation Network Company (TNC) insurance, but there are situations when you might not be insured (like when you’re waiting for a rideshare request). Rideshare insurance provides you with the added layer of protection you need in that gap in coverage.

Liberty Mutual is the sixth-largest writer of property and casualty insurance, offering customers a long list of discounts, customizable plans, and unique add-ons, like teacher and Mexico insurance. Additionally, it offers excellent commercial and fleet auto insurance for business owners in Maryland.

Several Add-Ons

Liberty Mutual has 12 optional coverages that you could add to your plan. Although you don’t need additional coverage to drive legally in Maryland aside from the state’s car insurance requirements, we recommend getting full coverage car insurance with the highest limits you can afford and as many add-ons as you need. Here’s the full list; it includes above and beyond the state minimum:

Teachers’ Auto Insurance

Liberty Mutual is one of the only providers to offer customized car insurance for teachers. If you’re one of the more than 63,000 teachers in Maryland,¹¹ you can get savings and protection that include:

• Vandalism loss coverage: If someone vandalizes your car on school property or during school events, you won’t have to pay a deductible for repairs.
• Personal property coverage: You get up to $2,500 in coverage per occurrence for materials or school-owned property that is stolen or damaged.
• Collision coverage: If you’re driving to school or a school-related event and you get into a collision, you won’t have to pay a deductible.
• Teacher discounts: Teachers get exclusive discounts with Liberty Mutual. Speak to your local agent to see what savings are available to you.

Best for Fleets

If you’re one of the 570,000 small business owners in Maryland, you probably need commercial auto insurance for your business and/or fleet.¹² According to TRIP, a national transportation research nonprofit, Maryland’s highway system is among the worst in the U.S.¹³ Liberty Mutual’s fleet and commercial auto insurance program can help with some of the problems you might have with highway traffic, finding skilled drivers, rising repair costs, and more.

Here’s what the plan includes:

• Expert guidance in developing a fleet safety program and finding qualified drivers
• A telematics integration to identify poor or unsafe driving habits
• Help to find fleet tracking systems that provide the best routes with real-time traffic and weather updates
• Advanced analytics to review legal bills
• Digital appraisals and access to Liberty Mutual repair shops to get you back on the road as soon as possible

After local insurers like Erie Insurance, State Farm has some of the highest-rated customer satisfaction as of J.D. Power’s 2024 U.S. Auto Insurance Study. It received a score of 652 out of 1,000 in the Mid-Atlantic region, which includes Maryland, beating other companies on this list like Allstate, GEICO, and Liberty Mutual. Additionally, State Farm was above-average on J.D. Power’s 2023 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction study, with a rate of 891, above the average of 878. Allstate, GEICO, and Liberty Mutual have lower scores, making State Farm the best choice in terms of customer service.

Excellent Discount Opportunities

State Farm has one of the most extensive lists of discounts in the industry, with sizable saving opportunities for safe drivers, teen drivers, and more.

• Drive Safe & Save: Drive Safe & Save is a tracking program that records your driving habits, scores you on how safely (or unsafely) you’re driving, and calculates either a premium deduction or an increase. You get a discount just for signing up, and you can earn up to 30 percent off based on your performance.
• Good driver discount: New to State Farm? You can receive a discount if you don’t have any at-fault accidents or moving violations within your first three years as a customer.
• Steer Clear driver program: Steer Clear is a safety program for drivers under the age of 25. Here’s what you need to be eligible for the 15 percent discount:
  • A valid driver’s license
  • No at-fault accidents or moving violations in the past three years
  • A certification of program completion from Steer Clear
• Defensive driving course discount: State Farm has a network of safety courses in Maryland. Complete an approved course, and you can earn a discount on your premium.
• Vehicle safety discount: You can qualify for this discount by equipping your vehicle with modern safety features such as electronic stability controls, forward collision warnings, and adaptive headlights.
• Multiple vehicle discount: Insure more than one vehicle with State Farm, and you could qualify for this discount.
• Bundling discount: If you get homeowners, renters, condo, or life insurance, you could earn a bundling discount.

Seamless Mobile Experience

State Farm has a sleek, intuitive, and comprehensive mobile app that has everything you need to manage and review your plan. It’s one of our favorite apps for user experience because of how easy it is to navigate the menu, file claims, upload photos, and more. The app has a 4.7 out of five-star rating for Android and 4.8 rating on iOS, which are some of the highest mobile app ratings for a top provider.

Through the app, you can:

• Pay your bills.
• Enable personalized reminders and notifications for payments, claims, and other insurance needs.
• Get roadside assistance for flat tires, dead batteries, towing, and more.
• File and track the status of your claims.
• View your policy and coverage details.
• Search for repair shops.
• View details of investment products.
• Search for answers to frequently asked questions.
• Contact your agent.

Local Agents

Unlike GEICO, which only has local agents in the D.C. and Baltimore areas of Maryland, State Farm has local agents throughout the state, in cities including:

• Aberdeen
• Annapolis
• Arnold
• Baltimore
• Bel Air
• Beltsville
• Berlin
• Bethesda
• Bowie
• Burtonsville
• California
• Cambridge
• Catonsville
• Clarksville
• Clinton
• College Park
• Columbia
• Crofton
• Cumberland
• Damascus
• Dunkirk
• Easton
• Edgewater
• Eldersburg
• Elkton
• Ellicott City
• Essex
• Fallston
• Forestville
• Frederick
• Fort Washington
• Gaithersburg
• Germantown
• Glen Burnie
• Greenbelt
• Hagerstown
• Hampstead
• Hunt Valley
• Havre De Grace
• Hyattsville
• Kensington
• Lanham
• Largo
• Laurel
• Lexington Park
• Lutherville
• Millersville
• Olney
• Owings Mills
• Parkville
• Pasadena
• Perry Hall
• Phoenix
• Pikesville
• Potomac
• Prince Frederick
• Randallstown
• Reisterstown
• Rockville
• Salisbury
• Severna Park
• Silver Spring
• Sykesville
• Timonium
• Towson
• Upper Marlboro
• Waldorf
• Westminster
• Wheaton
• Windsor Mill

It’s easy to find an agent near you on State Farm’s website. Just type in your zip code to find a local agent.

GEICO offers the lowest average rates in Maryland for full coverage, minimum coverage, aside from USAA (which is only available to the military) and people with DUIs. On average, full coverage car insurance in Maryland costs only $1,294 from GEICO, 40 percent less than the statewide average of $1,811. That’ll save you hundreds versus the other companies on this list! If you want cheap car insurance in Maryland, GEICO may be your best bet.

Bundling Options

Auto insurance isn’t the only type of insurance that GEICO offers. You can bundle your home and auto, or renters and auto, insurance to get a discount from GEICO. Or, you can combine car insurance with motorcycle, condo, or mobile home insurance. While GEICO doesn’t tell you the amount of the discount, it’s worth getting multiple policies under the same provider to save money.

Military Discount

Although GEICO did not offer the lowest average prices compared to USAA when it came to minimum coverage, it managed to beat USSA when it came to full coverage as well as DUI insurance. Additionally, GEICO offers a military discount, up to 15 percent off certain coverages for active-duty members or veterans, plus a discount of up to 25 percent for people involved in emergency deployment to imminent danger zones.

Roadside Assistance

GEICO charges as little as $14 a year per car for roadside assistance, which includes:

• Towing within 20 miles
• Jump starts
• Tire changes (requires a spare)
• Lockout services up to $100
• Winching
• Fuel delivery (does not include cost of gas)

It’s easy to request roadside assistance through GEICO’s mobile app, and it can apply not only to standard vehicles like cars and trucks, but also RVs and motorcycles.