Your Guide to Military Discounts for Car Insurance

Many auto insurance companies offer military discounts or special rates for active-duty members, veterans, and their families. Drivers can save up to 15% with select providers, such as GEICO, Liberty Mutual, and USAA. Here’s how you can qualify.

The best car insurance companies for military discounts

Some car insurance providers offer military discounts, while others offer special rates for military members and families. Here are some of the best car insurance companies for members of the US military, along with their military discount options and potential savings amounts.

The best military-led insurance providers for discounts

While there are several providers currently offering a military discount, some insurance companies take it one step further and offer insurance strictly for people affiliated with the military. Let’s take a closer look.

Best for military families: USAA

• BBB rating: NR
• AM Best rating: A++ (Superior)
• Jerry rating: 4.4

While USAA car insurance doesn’t specifically offer any military discounts, but this insurance provider was created to serve exclusively active and retired military personnel and their families. They offer some of the cheapest average annual premiums of all the companies listed here.

The only disadvantage of choosing USAA is that if you or a family member haven’t served in the military, you won’t qualify for coverage.

Best for multiple types of insurance: Armed Forces Insurance (AFI)

• BBB rating: A+
• AM Best rating: B+ (Good)

Like USAA, Armed Forces Insurance (AFI) does not offer a specific discount to military members. However, this provider does offer several types of insurance—including car, homeowners, and renters insurance—to active-duty members, veterans, and their families.

State-specific military discounts

In two states, military discounts are much easier to come by because they’re legally required. These states are:

• Louisiana: All auto insurance companies in the state are required by law to give a 25% discount on any auto liability policy to active military personnel who are based in Louisiana.
• Montana: If you’re a member of the Montana National Guard, insurance providers are required to give you a car insurance discount if you take a defensive driving course. This discount must last for at least three years, but the discount percentage is up to the insurance provider to decide.

If you live in either of these states, ask your provider about your military discount options. In other states, discounts will be dependent on your provider—so pick an insurance company offering a military discount if you’re searching for that type of savings.

How to get a military discount

Different insurers will require different documentation to determine your eligibility for a military discount, so you’ll need to talk to your local insurer to learn more about what you’ll need to qualify. Most insurance companies require you to provide the following:

• Your government-issued photo ID
• Proof of armed forces status, such as active-duty military orders, a leaving and earning statement, a DD-214 discharge statement, academy academy-appointed letter, etc.

If you’re the immediate family member of someone in the armed forces, these documents might still work to determine your eligibility. However, you might also need your family member’s government-issued photo ID to qualify for a discount.

Who qualifies for a military discount?

Eligibility for military discounts is different depending on which insurer you choose—and some discounts won’t be available in all states. Generally, though, the following people will qualify for military discounts with most insurance companies:

• Active duty service members of the US Armed Forces: Members of the US Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and National Guard are eligible for military discounts with most companies—sometimes with a letter of deployment.
• Veterans and honorably discharged members: Some insurers offer discounts to veterans, though rules and eligibility requirements vary.
• Family members: Several insurance companies offer discounts (or military rates, in the case of USAA) to the immediate family of military policyholders, including partners, surviving spouses, and children.

Who might not qualify: Depending on the provider you choose, you may not qualify for a military discount if you were dishonorably discharged. Certain insurance companies also exclude military family members when the primary policyholder is not an active duty service member, veteran, or honorably discharged member from military discount opportunities.

How much can you save with a military discount?

Depending on which insurance provider you choose and the state you live in, you can save up to 25% on your insurance premiums with military discounts. However, it’s more common for drivers to save between 10% and 15%.

You can also save more by choosing a provider that specifically caters to members of the US military and military families, like USAA or AFI. That’s why it’s important to get multiple quotes and compare rates from at least three different insurance providers. This is a quick and easy process when you use an independent broker service like Jerry to find the best military auto insurance policy for you.

Other types of car insurance discounts

Often, insurance companies will allow you to combine other insurance discounts with your military car insurance discounts¹. Some options for this include:

• Bundling your home and auto insurance: While bundling auto and homeowners insurance is the most common choice, insurers will usually allow you to bundle any insurance services together for a discount, with the only exception being life insurance policies (which cannot legally be bundled).
• Keeping a clean driving record: Drivers with a clean record are usually offered significantly better rates on their insurance. Keeping your record free of speeding tickets, at-fault accidents, and other infractions will earn you better rates. In some instances, you may qualify for a safe driver discount.
• Paid in full: Many insurance providers offer a discounted rate to policyholders who pay for their full policy upfront. If you can afford to pay for your car insurance annually instead of monthly, you could qualify for these savings.

To ensure that you’re getting all of the auto insurance discounts available to you, use Jerry’s discount hunting tool to find additional opportunities for savings.

Sources

1. https://themilitarywallet.com/save-money-military-car-insurance/ ↩︎

MEET OUR EXPERTS

Liz Jenson

Liz Jenson is an insurance writer who specializes in general automotive and insurance topics. Liz’s mission is to produce informative and useful content to help car owners make smart choices when buying cars and car insurance. Since joining Jerry in 2021, Liz has written nearly 4,000 long- and short-form articles on topics including state-specific insurance recommendations, common car insurance questions, and deep dives into vehicle model details. Before they came to Jerry, Liz was a full-time student at Indiana University, Bloomington working on a double major in English and French.

Kianna Walpole

Kianna Walpole is an insurance writer and editor with a comprehensive background in consumer behavior and online publishing. With experience in car insurance, maintenance, and repair, she is dedicated to building informative content that helps customers reduce costs while achieving the best service. Prior to joining the Jerry editorial team, Kianna worked as a junior editor in the content marketing industry, using consumer data and key insights to create and edit content for an array of large-scale clients in the real estate, cybersecurity, and healthcare industries.