The Best Auto Insurance in Virginia

USAA has some of the cheapest rates and highest customer satisfaction scores in Virginia. It’s an excellent option for the 1.4 million military personnel, veterans, and military families in the state.

Cheap Rates in Virginia

USAA is well known nationally for offering some of the cheapest auto insurance rates. In Virginia, a full coverage policy from USAA costs only $1,058 annually ($88 monthly) on average. A minimum policy from USAA costs $408 annually ($34 monthly) on average.

Along with USAA, Erie also offers some of the cheapest rates in the state. It’s a great option for drivers on a budget who may not qualify for USAA.

Storage Discounts

If you’re going to be overseas and want to leave your vehicle in Virginia, USAA offers several ways to save on your car insurance. Military members and families can take advantage of three major discount opportunities when they’re out of the state or country:

Excellent Third-Party Ratings

USAA ranks consistently among the highest in the country for customer service, financial strength, and creditworthiness. Third-party organizations assess insurers’ customer reviews, performance, ability to pay claims, credit risk, and more. Here are a few of USAA’s third-party scores with the largest rating systems:

• Standard & Poor’s (S&P): S&P gave USAA a rating of AA+, which is the second-highest possible rating in its system. A strong S&P rating indicates that USAA will meet its financial obligations and repay its debts.
• AM Best rating: AM Best gave USAA its highest score: an A++ (Superior) rating. AM Best scores insurance providers based on their financial security and ability to fulfill financial obligations, like filing claims.
• J.D. Power U.S. Auto Insurance Study: USAA receives the highest score in the mid-Atlantic region (which includes Virginia) on J.D. Power’s Customer Satisfaction Study. While USAA technically doesn’t qualify to rank, due its eligibility limits, it outpaced the average by a whopping 89 points, and the next-highest ranked provider, Erie, by 30 points.

The table below compares how USAA scores with these third party organizations with our other best providers. Along with USAA, Erie also has earned notably strong third-party ratings consistently, indicating its customers are very satisfied with the service it provides.

State Farm is one of the oldest and largest car insurance companies in Virginia. State Farm writes more premiums, more than 23 million, than any other auto insurance company in the Old Dominion state. With a defensive driver course, usage-based insurance, a safety program for young drivers, and other discounts for safe driving, State Farm allows you to improve your driving habits and save money on car insurance at the same time.

Safety Driver Program

If you’re a safe driver or want to improve your driving, consider signing up for State Farm’s Drive Safe & Save program. You get a 10 percent discount for signing up and can earn up to a 30 percent discount at each renewal, depending on your habits behind the wheel.

To get a good score, make sure you’re not accelerating or speeding, slamming your brakes, turning too sharply, or using your phone while driving. Additionally, the app occasionally requires you to enter your odometer reading. Fewer miles also leads to a higher discount. State Farm recommends driving fewer than 7,500 for personal usage to receive a low-mileage discount.

Here’s how it works:

1. Download the app in the App Store or Google Play store or text “SAVE” to 42407.
2. Follow the instructions in the app.
3. Install your Bluetooth beacon to complete your sign-up and start the program.

Other Saving Opportunities

Along with the Drive Safe & Save program, State Farm offers many discount opportunities in Virginia.

• Accident-free discount: Get a discount once you’ve been a State Farm customer for three years with no accidents.
• Defensive driving course discount: Complete a defensive driving course at one of State Farm’s Virginia-approved safety courses and you might be eligible for this discount (for drivers age 55 and older).
• Vehicle safety discount: You can earn a discount by equipping your car with modern safety features, such as forward collision warnings, electronic stability controls, a new braking system and more.
• Good driver discount: As a new State Farm customer, you can earn a discount if you don’t have any at-fault accidents or moving violations in your first three years.
• Steer Clear driver program: If you’re under the age of 25, you can sign up for the Steer Clear driver program. Completing the program will earn you a 15 percent discount. Here’s what you need to sign up:
  • A driver’s license
  • An accident and violation-free record for three years
  • Steer Clear certification of completion
• Multiple vehicle discount: If you insure more than one vehicle with State Farm, you might qualify for a multivehicle discount.
• Bundling discount: You can bundle auto with homeowners, renters, condo, or life insurance to earn a discount.
• Student away at school discount: Get a discount if you have a driver (or drivers) on your policy who is under age 25, lives at school more than 100 miles from home, and only drives the vehicle at home during holidays.

Great Mobile Experience

The State Farm app’s sleek design, intuitive dashboard, and simple setting system make it easy to make changes to your policy and find important information directly from your phone. Here’s what you can do with the app:

• Contact roadside assistance
• File claims and track their progression
• Find repair shops
• Get in contact with your agent
• Pay your bills
• Review your policy details
• Search for frequently asked questions (FAQs)
• Set reminders for payments, claims, and renewal dates
• View investment products

The State Farm app has one of the highest mobile app ratings among any provider with 4.7 out of five stars on the Google Play Store and 4.8 stars on the Apple Store. Customers who prefer managing their policies via app may have a better experience with State Farm or Liberty Mutual as their provider, rather than Erie or Allstate.

Allstate is the fourth-largest provider and the best provider for homeowners who want to bundle with car insurance. If you’re a part of Virginia’s 66 percent of residents who are homeowners,⁶ you can save up to 25 percent on your car insurance just by bundling your home and auto with Allstate. On top of big savings for homeowners, Allstate offers a long list of discounts, solid additional coverage, and multiple roadside assistance plans.

Sizable Home Bundling Discount

Allstate offers one of the largest home and auto bundling discounts in the industry (25 percent). If you aren’t a homeowner, you might be able to qualify for another bundling discount. Here are all the ways you can bundle with Allstate.

• Auto and renters insurance
• Home and auto insurance
• Renters and motorcycle insurance

Bundling also allows you to access multiple Allstate policies from the same online portal, which can save you time when you review your plan’s details, make payments, update coverage and more.

Many Local Agents

Like State Farm, Allstate sells insurance policies through its network of local agents. These agents provide expert advice, helping customers select policies that fit their needs and budgets. Allstate’s local agents work closely with clients to ensure policyholders have the right protection in place, and they’re also available for support when claims arise or coverage updates are needed. By contrast, companies like Liberty Mutual have adopted a more online-centric model that allows customers to purchase and manage their policies directly through digital platforms, offering convenience and self-service options.

Allstate has agents in nearly 80 Virginia cities, from Abingdon to Yorktown, including the following:

• Alexandria
• Arlington
• Chesapeake
• Hampton
• Lynchburg
• Newport News
• Norfolk
• Richmond
• Roanoke
• Virginia Beach

Excellent Roadside Assistance Membership

Allstate offers pay-per-service roadside assistance and annual memberships to its existing customers as well as those who don’t have Allstate insurance. Here are three ways to access Allstate’s 24/7 roadside assistance service:

Some of Allstate’s roadside services include:

• 24-hour assistance: If you need help with towing, flat tires, jump-starts or other roadside emergencies, you can get 24/7 assistance.
• Hazard reimbursement: Damage your wheel due to a road hazard? Allstate will reimburse you for the repair or replacement.
• Member discounts: Roadside members get discounts for their oil changes, travel costs, and more.
• Trip interruption: Allstate will reimburse you for meals, transportation and lodging if your car becomes undrivable and you’re at least 100 miles away from home on a trip.
• Motorcycle and RV coverage: Roadside assistance services cover your Allstate-insured motorcycle and RV.

Liberty Mutual’s biggest selling point for Virginians is its wide range of additional coverage and specialized insurance options. If you want to benefit from a customizable and flexible plan that can protect several aspects of your life, like your work or travel needs, Liberty Mutual is worth a look.

Best for Add-Ons

Liberty Mutual stands out for offering a wide range of additional coverage options and add-ons. It’s also the only provider on our list with special perks for teachers.

Teachers’ Insurance

Teachers can take advantage of Liberty Mutual’s teachers’ insurance add-on, one of the only teachers’ insurance add-ons among large providers. If you’re one of the 100,000-plus teachers in Virginia, here’s what you can get with Liberty Mutual’s teacher’s insurance:⁷

• Deductible-free vandalism coverage: Repairs for vandalism while your vehicle is on school property or at school events are deductible-free with this coverage.
• Deductible-free collision: You don’t need to pay for a deductible if you get into a collision while driving to school or a school-related event.
• Teacher discounts: Ask a representative about exclusive teacher discounts you might be eligible for.
• Personal property coverage: Liberty Mutual will cover the losses of up to $2,500 if your materials or school property are stolen or damaged.

Robust Discounts

From students and new drivers to military members and homeowners, Liberty Mutual offers various drivers a wide range of discounts. Here are a few ways to save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual:

• Homeowner discount: Homeowners may qualify for a bundling discount.
• Claims-free discount: If you’ve never had to file a claim, you could be eligible for this discount.
• Early quote discount: You may qualify for a discount if you request a quote from Liberty Mutual before your current policy expires.
• Military discount: Active military members, veterans and retired military should ask their local agents about getting a discount.
• Good student: Have a B average or higher? You could earn a discount for excelling in school.
• Multiple vehicle discount: Simplify your insurance needs by insuring your vehicles with Liberty Mutual and earn a discount at the same time.
• RightTrack discount: Sign up for Liberty Mutual’s safety tracking program RightTrack and you can earn up to 30 percent off on your car insurance.
• Violation-free discount: If you have a violation-free driving history when you sign up with Liberty Mutual, you’ll earn a discount.

Erie offers auto insurance in 12 states, including Virginia. The company is known nationally for its lower than average rates and stellar customer service. It’s our cheapest provider in Virginia for teen drivers and their families, the cheapest overall after USAA, and a good option for drivers in Virginia with a speeding ticket on their driving records.

Affordable Rates for Teen Drivers

Because of their inexperience, teen drivers (and families with teens) can expect some of the highest auto insurance rates. In Virginia, the average cost of insuring a teen driver is $4,501 annually, or $375 monthly. Often, it’s cheaper to add a teen to an existing household policy than purchase a new policy. While Erie technically doesn’t offer a student discount, at $2,280 annually and $190 a month, its rates for households with teens are some of the lowest, and well below the statewide average.

Erie’s rates are over $5,000 cheaper than Allstate, which has some of the highest rates for teens in Virginia.

Teen Driver Rates by Age

The younger your teen, the more expensive their insurance is likely to be. Generally, you can expect a teen driver’s rates to decrease with time, with 16-year-old drivers being the most expensive to insure and 19-year-olds being the least expensive.

Purchasing a full coverage policy for a 16-year-old driver typically costs around $4,709. Adding a 16-year-old-driver to an existing policy will likely increase your yearly rate by about $1,085.

Affordable Rates for Drivers with a Speeding Ticket or At-Fault Accident

Erie’s rates tend to be competitive for drivers with an at-fault accident on their record.

Fortunately, in Virginia there was a 15 percent decrease in speeding convictions in 2022 from 2021. Still, any driver who does have a recent speeding ticket may see their premiums go up. The good news is that Erie offers some of the cheapest rates for drivers with a speeding ticket.

Different Types of Coverage

Like Liberty Mutual, Erie also offers a range of additional coverages:

• Rate Lock: With auto insurance costs rising, many are worried about being able to afford coverage. Erie Rate Lock guarantees your premium won’t rise unless you add or remove drivers from the policy or move. It’s limited to three years in Virginia.
• Auto Glass Repair: This type of coverage waives the deductible for glass repair. Customers can also add Full Window Glass coverage — this waives the cost of replacement as well as repairs.
• Roadside and Rentals Bundle: Most Erie policies come with a roadside and rentals bundle, which helps cover the cost of roadside assistance if your car breaks down, and rental car reimbursement if your car is in the shop after a covered incident.
• Personal Item Coverage: Physical damage coverage with Erie also covers the loss of personal belongings in a covered incident, including clothes and luggage, up to $350.
• Pet Coverage: Erie covers up to $1,000 of your pets’ medical bills if they are injured in an accident while in your vehicle. It offers up to $500 per pet, with a $1,000 limit.
• Locksmith Services: As part of its comprehensive coverage, Erie pays up to $75 for a locksmith if you’re locked out of your car.
• Erie Auto Plus: Customers can opt into Erie’s Auto Plus, which adds extra coverage to your policy, including a diminishing deductible; a $10,000 death benefit; extra days of transportation coverage; waived deductible in certain situations; and increased limits for certain types of coverage.