Military car insurance offers the same coverages you’ll find with traditional auto insurance. But it also has options suited to military members and their eligible family members, like providing worldwide coverage if you take your vehicle with you when you deploy.

How Do You Get Military Auto Insurance?

Buying a car insurance policy as a member of the military works the same way as buying a regular policy. You can speak to an agent or visit an insurer’s website to provide information about you (including military service), your driving record and the vehicle you want protected.

From there, the provider will likely offer you a quote with the option to buy your policy online or call one of its licensed insurance agents to finalize details.

Who Qualifies for Military Car Insurance?

Each insurance company has its own criteria for who qualifies for military car insurance and discounts. Below are examples of eligibility guidelines:

• You’re enlisted in the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard or National Guard.
• You’re an active or retired Department of Defense employee.
• You’re a student in one of the service academies or you’re an officer candidate within two years of commissioning.
• You’re an honorably discharged or retired veteran.
• You’re a qualifying family member, such as a spouse, a child (biological, adopted or step), a widow, a widower or a former spouse who hasn’t remarried.

Some providers, like Armed Forces insurance, also offer coverage for retired, former or active commissioned officers of the U.S. Public Health Service or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Factors That Affect Military Car Insurance Rates

When determining your military car insurance rates, providers will examine many of the same criteria that they would to decide your cost for regular insurance. These include:

• Your driving history
• Where your car will be parked overnight
• The type of vehicle you own
• Coverage options
• Your credit score (depending on the state)
• Driving behaviors such as annual mileage and whether you use your car for business purposes

We named USAA and Geico the best car insurance companies for service members because they both give policyholders more than a typical military discount, instead offering specialized savings and coverage options. USAA and Geico also offer auto insurance in select countries and U.S. territories, so if you take your vehicle with you when you’re deployed, you’ll have the financial protection you need.

USAA: Best for Military Members

USAA has the country’s cheapest auto insurance rates on average, and its coverage is exclusively for active or retired military members and their spouses and children. The company consistently receives high scores for customer satisfaction, beating most competitors in J.D. Power studies and our 2022 consumer survey. Additionally, USAA members can earn up to 15% off their comprehensive coverage by garaging their cars on military installations when they deploy.

Geico: Best for Budget-Conscious Drivers

Geico offers qualifying active-duty and former service members a discount of up to 15% off their car insurance policies. Policyholders can also qualify for additional discounts for emergency deployment and membership in military organizations. Geico also offers tools through its Military Deployment Center that can assist you and your family when you’re preparing for deployment.

Several large insurance companies (and some regional ones) offer discounts for active or retired military members. As we mentioned above, Geico offers members of the armed forces a discount of up to 15%, and USAA has a deployment discount. With all companies, discounts may vary by state.

The table below lists a few other car insurance providers that have military discounts:

You could also be eligible for savings if you belong to military professional organizations. The groups Geico offers a discount for include:

• Armed Forces Benefit Association
• Association of the United States Army
• Fleet Reserve Association
• Navy Federal Credit Union
• Navy League of the United States 
• U.S. Naval Institute

In addition, all car insurance companies in Louisiana are required to give active-duty service members 25% off liability, uninsured motorist, and medical payments coverage if they live in the state or are deployed elsewhere and have a spouse or dependents who do.

Other Car Insurance Discounts

You might also qualify for other discounts that lower your insurance costs. Some of the most popular ones include:

Multi-Policy

One of the easiest ways to save on your car insurance is bundling it with other insurance policies with the same provider. Depending on the company, you can bundle your car insurance with your homeowners, renters, boat and life policies. USAA offers discounts of up to 10% when you bundle your auto coverage with a home or renters policy.

Along with getting you a discount, bundling makes it easier to manage all of your insurance policies. This means less paperwork and one bill.

Multi-Car

If you own multiple vehicles, it makes sense to bundle your car insurance with one carrier. You might see significant savings compared to having separate policies with different providers.

Good Student

High school and college-aged students can receive a discount for earning good grades. Generally, this means carrying a B average or above or scoring in the top 20 percentile nationally for home-schooled students. You’ll need to give your insurance company a copy of the grades to be eligible for the discount.

Safe Driver

Some insurance companies offer discounts to drivers who don’t have moving violations or accidents for a certain amount of time. It’s also becoming more common for insurance providers to offer discounts through telematics programs. This is where a mobile app or a device in your car monitors driving behaviors such as how many miles you drive and whether you brake suddenly or speed.

For example, State Farm offers up to 30% off for using its Drive Safe & Save™ program.

New Car

Since many new vehicles have top-of-the-line safety features like rear cameras and pedestrian detection, you could qualify for a discount. Providers typically offer discounts for vehicles that are the current or previous model year. You can check with your insurance company to see its qualifications.

When deployed, a service member must decide what to do with their vehicle. You could leave yours parked on your home military base or take it with you.

Another choice to make is how to handle car insurance. You can cancel or suspend it, but doing so would leave you responsible for any damage that happens while you’re away from home. And if you have a loan or lease for your vehicle, failing to maintain auto insurance coverage generally violates the terms of your financing agreement.

Before deploying, contact your auto insurance company to let them know of your situation to see if it can offer discounts or other options.

Storage Discounts

Notify your insurance company ahead of time and you may be able to alter your coverage. Some providers offer significant discounts when you store your vehicle while you’re deployed. This may apply to both having your car parked on a military base and having it stored elsewhere while you’re gone.

Removing Yourself From the Policy

If you’re not the only one who drives the vehicle, you could have yourself removed from the policy while you’re away. However, that’s only an option in certain scenarios:

• The vehicle’s registration has both parties’ names on it.
• The car is paid off and doesn’t have a loan or lease in your name only.
• The other person is already on the auto policy.

Below are some of the standard types of coverage included in an auto insurance policy:

Liability Insurance

Liability insurance covers the property damage done to other cars and injuries to other drivers and their passengers from an accident you caused. However, it doesn’t offer financial protection for your vehicle, and it doesn’t cover medical bills for you or your passengers after the crash.

Collision Insurance

Collision insurance covers the costs to repair or replace your vehicle after it’s been in an accident with another vehicle. Unlike liability insurance, with collision coverage, it doesn’t matter who’s at fault for the accident.

Comprehensive Insurance

A car accident is only one way your vehicle could be damaged. Comprehensive coverage fills the gaps by covering repairs or replacement costs for your vehicle that result from non-collision causes including fire damage, theft, vandalism or falling objects like hail or tree limbs.

Protective Injury Protection (PIP)

PIP insurance helps cover medical expenses for you and your passengers if you suffer injuries from an accident. As with collision coverage, it doesn’t matter who’s at fault. PIP can also cover funeral expenses, as well as lost wages if you have to miss work due to injuries and follow-up care.

Medical Payments Coverage (MedPay)

MedPay coverage is another type of supplemental health insurance you may be able to add to your car insurance policy. It helps cover your and your passengers’ injuries and funeral expenses after an accident, regardless of who’s at fault. You can also use it to cover your health insurance deductibles and copays when you receive medical care related to the accident.

Underinsured/Uninsured Motorist Coverage

About one in eight drivers drove without car insurance in 2019, according to the Insurance Information Institute. If you’re involved in an accident with an uninsured motorist, you’ll need financial protection. This is where underinsured/uninsured motorist coverage comes in handy.

It can also help pay your repair and medical expenses if you’re involved in an accident with an at-fault driver who has insurance but has liability limits too low to cover your costs.

Military car insurance helps service members and their families receive coverage that meets their needs. Like traditional car insurance, it has standard policies that can financially protect you and your loved ones in the event of a car accident.

Some providers also give discounts on your insurance premium for being a former or active military member. And depending on the company, you could have access to discounts for emergency deployment or group memberships.

Below are some frequently asked questions about military car insurance: