AAA Auto Insurance Review

The American Automobile Association, or AAA, is one of the most popular roadside assistance services in the U.S. Although it isn’t the cheapest option out there, AAA auto insurance comes with a lot of benefits and offers a wide range of insurance plans to its members.

This review will discuss the highlights, pros and cons of AAA insurance to help you decide if it’s right for you.

Best for Perks

AAA is one of the best auto insurance companies for its perks. It offers discounts on daily expenses like shopping and dining, rental car benefits, identity theft protection and more. Members can also get discounts by bundling their auto and homeowner’s insurance policies through AAA.

These benefits are exclusive to AAA members and can make the cost of an insurance policy worth it. If you’re willing to pay a little more for great perks and discounts, AAA might be the right insurer for you.

AAA Auto Insurance Pros and Cons

Pros explained

Like the best auto insurance companies, AAA offers many benefits to its members. This insurer offers a variety of coverage options, comes with tons of benefits and allows policyholders to bundle their monthly costs.

Wide variety of insurance for vehicle available

AAA offers most common types of auto insurance:

• Collision coverage
• Comprehensive coverage
• Gap insurance
• Rental reimbursement coverage
• Uninsured motorist protection
• Liability coverage

AAA also offers a few specialized types of insurance:

• Rideshare insurance: Coverage for rideshare professionals working for companies like Uber and Lyft. It covers you and your passengers during your working hours
• Better car replacement: Coverage that pays for a newer vehicle if yours is totaled in an accident
• Original equipment manufacturer (OEM) exterior repair coverage: An insurance policy that pays for OEM parts when a car is damaged. This type of policy is ideal for sports car owners

Members get discounts

AAA auto insurance is only available to AAA members. Membership starts at $59.99 per year and comes with tons of perks such as roadside assistance, discounts at stores and restaurants, and DMV services. The premium membership, at $119 per year, includes up to 200 miles of free towing anywhere in the country.

On top of that, AAA offers many discounts to its members. Auto insurance discounts are available to:

• Students
• Military members
• Homeowners
• People who pay their premium in full
• Families with more than one insured vehicle
• People with safe driving habits
• People who own travel trailers

AAA members also qualify for non-insurance discounts with major retailers like National Rental Car, CARFAX and some grocery stores and restaurants. Ask your AAA agent about the discounts available in your area to find out more.

Options for bundles available

AAA allows members to bundle their auto insurance and home insurance. Bundling can help you cut costs and makes it easier to keep track of your finances by combining monthly payments. According to AAA’s website, members can save up to 27.3% by bundling multiple auto policies and up to 15.7% by bundling their home and auto insurance.

The AAA app is a helpful tool for keeping track of bundled policies. You can make a payment in the app and even budget for other bills such as mortgage loans.

Cons explained

Unfortunately, AAA auto insurance receives poor customer reviews and is only available to members. Its policies also vary among different states.

Negative reviews

AAA insurance has a high rate of customer complaints, and some regional branches are rated 1-2 out of 5 stars by the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Most complaints refer to poor customer service and response time.

AAA’s service varies by location, so check reviews for your area. Still, a pattern of similar negative reviews is a sign that AAA’s customer service might not be as helpful as you’d like.

You have to be a member

If you want to buy a car insurance policy with AAA, you have to be a AAA member or be prepared to sign up. It costs at least an additional $60 per year to become a member – on top of the above-average cost of AAA insurance.

Depending on your situation, membership could be a positive or a negative. For example, if you already have a roadside assistance program, it might not be worth it to buy a AAA membership just to access the insurance.

Policies vary from state to state

AAA auto insurance is made up of several smaller companies that operate regionally. That means its policy options, customer service and rates will vary depending on where you live.

Auto Club of SoCal, Automobile Club Group and CSAA Insurance Group are all companies that offer AAA Auto Insurance. Each of these companies has slightly different policies and rates.

AAA Car Insurance Plans and Offerings

Like other auto insurance companies, AAA offers a wide range of plans. Here’s a brief overview of your options if you’re a AAA member.

AAA Onboard®

AAA Onboard® is the standard auto insurance plan most new members start with. Onboard® is a telematics program that uses a mobile app to monitor driving habits such as speed, distance, and braking, then adjusts rates for safe drivers.

Policyholders can check their driver’s score on the app and see how their rates are improving. This plan is a good option for a cautious driver who wants to lower their costs as a result of safe driving habits.

Multi-vehicle plan

A multi-vehicle policy with AAA lets you bundle your insurance coverage for multiple vehicles. According to AAA’s website, bundling your vehicles can save up to 27.3% on your premium. Cars, trucks, motorcycles and recreational vehicles all qualify for AAA’s multi-vehicle insurance.

Auto and home multi-policy

AAA also offers homeowner’s insurance. You can bundle your auto and home insurance policies to save money on both. This policy can also help you keep track of your finances as bundling means one less monthly payment to worry about.

However, many insurance companies offer home and auto bundles. You might find a more affordable multi-policy with another insurer.

AAA Car Insurance Coverage Pricing

If you’re looking for the best cheap car insurance, AAA is likely not the company for you. This insurer has some of the most expensive auto insurance policies on the market.

Typically, the annual cost of car insurance is around $1,700 for drivers with clean driving records and good credit scores. AAA’s average cost is much higher. According to our quotes for adult, young adult and senior drivers, an AAA customer might pay as much as $2,500 per year for their policy.

The quote listed above is just an example. Every policyholder’s rates are unique to their situation — driving history, number of vehicles, location and other factors determine the total premium.

You’ll get the best value out of your AAA insurance if you take advantage of every available discount and perk. For example, if you have multiple vehicles, bundle your home insurance policy with AAA and use the Onboard program to track your safe driving habits, you could save around 12%-15% off your original policy.

You can get a more detailed AAA insurance quote on the company's website to see if it fits your budget.

AAA Financial Stability

AAA has an A rating with AM Best. That means this company is financially strong and continues to grow every year. It incorporates several businesses, such as AAA Travel, that contribute to its financial strength.

What does that mean for your auto insurance policy? A company’s financial strength doesn’t necessarily affect the price of its products, but it does mean the company is stable. Because of its financial strength, AAA is very unlikely to default on insurance claims.

That financial strength makes AAA a candidate for the best commercial auto insurance companies.

AAA Auto Insurance Accessibility

AAA auto insurance is accessible nationwide and is relatively easy to sign up for, though it does have that AAA membership requirement.

Availability

AAA auto insurance is available through its various branches in all 50 states. Depending on where you live, you might buy your policy through Auto Club of SoCal, CSAA Insurance Group or Automobile Club Group.

The best way to find out more about your state’s insurance provider is to talk to one of the auto insurance agents at your local AAA branch.

Contact Information

AAA’s contact information varies by state. Visit the company's website or call 1-800-222-4357 to get connected with your local branch.

If you move to a different state and want to keep your policy, you might have to connect to a different insurance agent.

User experience

User experiences vary for each AAA service.

AAA offers fast online quotes. Unfortunately, contacting the company to file a claim seems a little more difficult. Customer complaints on review sites like the BBB report difficulty filing a claim with AAA after an auto accident.

When it comes to AAA roadside assistance, customer reviews are mixed. Yelp, TrustPilot, the BBB and other sites rank AAA’s roadside assistance under two stars. Some customers report an easy experience being connected to AAA's auto repair department, while others have had long wait times.

AAA customer service receives many negative reviews. However, your user experience ultimately comes down to your regional AAA branch.

AAA Auto Insurance Services Customer Satisfaction

To understand AAA’s customer satisfaction, you can look into the ratings for each auto insurance branch in various states.

In a 2022 study, JD Power ranked several AAA companies in terms of customer satisfaction. Out of 11 companies, Auto Club of SoCal was ranked fourth, Auto Club Group was ranked eighth and CSAA Insurance Group was eleventh. The NAIC has reported an average number of customer complaints for both Auto Club of SoCal and CSAA in 2022.

The differences in those rankings reflect slight variations in each company’s policy offerings, discounts and local customer service. In terms of the claims filing process, mobile app, and roadside assistance, AAA as an umbrella company receives mixed customer reviews.

The bottom line is that AAA is not the worst company for customer satisfaction, but it also isn’t the best. If great reviews and a consistently good user experience are important to you, look elsewhere.

How we evaluated AAA Auto Insurance

To evaluate AAA auto insurance, we looked into a few crucial features and compared them to other insurance providers. Those include:

• Variety of policies
• Perks and discounts offered
• Number of customer complaints on various review sites
• Ratings from non-biased organizations and review sites
• Customer service
• Accessibility
• Summary of Money's AAA auto insurance review

Is AAA the right auto insurance company for you?

Our AAA insurance review shows that this auto insurer isn’t the best for its prices or customer service. However, it offers more perks and discounts than other auto insurance companies. AAA could be a good choice if you want to take advantage of those benefits and bundle your insurance policies.

If you’re interested in switching to AAA, check out our guide on how to switch car insurance.

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