GEICO vs. AAA Auto Insurance [2024]: Which is Better?

We went through online auto insurance quotes with both AAA auto insurance and GEICO and found that AAA was cheaper in our area. We also found that AAA provided more add-on coverage options, including new car and glass protection.

But GEICO had more available discounts, so you might find it to be the cheaper option for you depending on which discounts you qualify for. And even if GEICO’s not the cheaper option, it could be worth paying a bit more for GEICO’s better overall customer satisfaction ratings.

Let’s dig into our AAA auto insurance vs. GEICO review to see which one makes more sense for you.

Key takeaways

• Our AAA car insurance quote ($1,744 for 12 months) was about $70 cheaper compared to GEICO ($1,811.38 estimated for 12 months).
• GEICO has 16 available discounts compared to 10 from AAA.
• AAA provides more add-on options than GEICO, including an automobile death benefit, full safety glass, new car added protection, and original manufacturer (OEM) parts.
• GEICO had higher ratings than AAA in nine out of 11 regions for customer satisfaction, according to J.D. Power.
• Both companies operate in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
• GEICO appears more financially stable than AAA, according to AM Best.

GEICO vs. AAA example quote

Our verdict

AAA is the cheaper option according to the quotes we received, but the prices were fairly close. Based on the information we provided, you could save about $70 by choosing AAA over GEICO. However, these quotes vary by location and available discounts, so you might see different results.

We tried to keep everything between the two quotes as similar as possible to make it a fair comparison. This included adding all of the same information, such as gender, age, types of vehicles, marital status, and potential speeding tickets and driving history.

Keep in mind that both quotes are estimates based on the information provided and discounts are automatically applied during the process. We noticed that GEICO asked more questions than AAA, including about education, government or military affiliation, annual vehicle mileage, employment status, and more.

The GEICO quote still ended up being more expensive than AAA, but it seems like you might have a few more opportunities for discounts with GEICO.

It’s also important to note that the GEICO quote was for six months, while the AAA quote was for 12 months. We simply multiplied the GEICO price by two to account for the difference in months, but we know that’s just an estimation. You’d have to renew your GEICO policy after six months and the price could go up or down.

Read our full GEICO review

Read our full AAA review

GEICO car insurance

GEICO was founded in 1936 and is currently one of the largest insurance providers in the U.S., competing with the likes of State Farm, Allstate, Progressive, Liberty Mutual, and more. GEICO is a Berkshire Hathaway company that’s known for its GEICO Gecko advertising.

GEICO is one of the most popular and well-known car insurance companies in the U.S., and it generally has average or above-average customer satisfaction ratings. You can typically find many available discounts with GEICO and purchase all of the main types of car insurance coverage, including liability, comprehensive, and collision.

Read our full GEICO auto insurance review

AAA auto insurance

AAA was founded as an automobile association in 1902 when nine independent motor clubs joined together. This practice continues today, as AAA is composed of dozens of different independent organizations across the country that serve over 61 million members.

You probably know AAA for its roadside assistance program, but it also provides auto, home, life, business, and pet insurance, as well as home security systems in addition to many different types of everyday discounts.

As a car insurance provider, AAA generally has average customer satisfaction ratings. It’s not as large or well-known as GEICO, but you can still get different types of discounts and all of the main types of car insurance coverage (such as comprehensive and collision). AAA also tends to provide a lot of add-on policies, such as glass protection and new car coverage.

Read our AAA auto insurance review

Rates and discounts

We ended up getting a better rate with AAA car insurance ($1,744 for 12 months) compared to GEICO ($1,811.38 estimated for 12 months) after filling out online quotes with both companies. That was after making the comparisons as fair as possible by including the same coverage limits and other relevant information.

But AAA wasn’t necessarily that much cheaper than GEICO, and we know that car insurance rates and discounts vary by location and the information you provide. So we recommend getting quotes from both companies if they’re available in your area. That way, you can be sure you’re getting the most affordable rates from the two providers.

We did notice while going through the two online quotes that GEICO asked more questions than AAA. More questions can often mean you have more opportunities for discounts. And that’s exactly what we found when checking the car insurance discounts on both websites. GEICO has more available car insurance discounts than AAA.

Both GEICO and AAA have bundling discounts and a few student-related discounts. But GEICO also has discounts for different affiliations, vehicle equipment, having a clean driving record, and more.

You might be able to save more on your car insurance premiums with GEICO if you qualify for some of its specific discounts that aren’t available with AAA.

Coverage and availability

Coverage

Going through online quotes for GEICO and AAA, we were able to see they provided these types of coverage:

Both companies provide similar types of car insurance coverage options. This includes typical types of coverage, such as liability, comprehensive, and collision. The only areas where there were differences between GEICO and AAA were with the add-on policies.

For example, AAA provided options for glass, OEM parts, and new car protections. But you could purchase mechanical breakdown insurance and upgraded accident forgiveness with GEICO.

You could get a form of roadside assistance coverage with both companies, which often includes changing a flat tire or towing services. But AAA recommended getting a AAA membership instead of a car insurance add-on because it comes with more services. AAA memberships typically include towing and locksmith services, fuel delivery, and partial reimbursement for locksmith fees.

From our experience, GEICO and AAA were pretty evenly matched with their available policies, but AAA had more add-on options. Keep in mind that certain policies or coverage might only be available in certain areas. For example, the GEICO quote did not include uninsured motorist property damage coverage because it wasn’t available with collision coverage in our state.

Availability

AAA is available in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. GEICO is also available in all 50 states and Washington, D.C, so there shouldn’t be any issue getting car insurance from either provider no matter where you live in the U.S.

One difference we ran into with AAA is that it’s separated into dozens of different clubs, and each AAA club has its own website. So your AAA experience could be different depending on where you live.

Each AAA club is an independent organization and covers a specific area, which could be several states, certain regions within states, or even certain cities within states.

This is different from GEICO, where you’ll likely get the same experience no matter where you live because GEICO isn’t separated into dozens of different organizations.

Financial strength and ratings

AM Best Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings measure a company’s ability to meet long-term financial obligations.

GEICO had the highest rating possible of “aaa,” while AAA had a high rating of “a+”. This shows that AM Best considers GEICO to be more financially stable than AAA, though both companies are considered to be financially stable.

The J.D. Power 2022 U.S. Auto Insurance Study measured the overall customer satisfaction of car insurance companies within 11 U.S. geographic regions. GEICO ranked higher than AAA in 9 of the 11 regions, showing that customers are generally more satisfied with GEICO.

We also used the CSAA Insurance Group when looking at BBB ratings for AAA. Both GEICO and CSAA Insurance Group received A+ BBB ratings and similarly low customer review ratings. Customer reviews weren’t always about car insurance because both companies provide a variety of products.

But GEICO had more bad customer reviews than CSAA Insurance Group. This is likely because AAA has different BBB pages for its different organizations. AAA has its reviews spread out between different club pages, while the majority of GEICO reviews are found on one page.

Which company should you choose?

If you’re worried about price, then AAA auto insurance had cheaper car insurance than GEICO when we went through online quotes with both companies. This doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to be cheaper for you, as it depends on your location and other factors. But having fairly compared both providers, AAA was the cheaper option in our area.

AAA also has a decent number of discounts available, including discounts for members of the AAA roadside assistance program. So AAA auto insurance could be a good fit if you already use a AAA membership for roadside assistance and discounts on purchases.

AAA also provides more add-on coverage than GEICO, including new car, OEM parts, and glass protection. But if you’re interested in discounts, then GEICO has more overall discounts, which could save you money if they’re available to you.

For example, we had no military or government affiliation to put into our online quote, but you might. And that could qualify you for that discount, which we didn’t see on the AAA quote.

GEICO also has better overall customer satisfaction ratings than AAA, according to J.D. Power. It’s important to pay attention to customer satisfaction ratings and reviews with car insurance companies because they’re often connected to the claims process.

You don’t want to have to use your auto insurance policy, but if you do have to use it, you want the assurance that it’s going to pay out the money you need. And judging by the customer satisfaction ratings, GEICO is the preferred option for actual customers.

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GEICO vs. AAA: bottom line

GEICO has more available discounts than AAA and could be the cheaper option if you qualify for any of the discounts. This includes multiple vehicle equipment discounts and also a defensive driving discount.

But AAA was the cheaper option in our area when we chose similar types of coverage using online quotes from both companies. AAA is slightly confusing because there are dozens of different affiliated organizations nationwide, so your actual AAA experience could vary depending on where you live.

Overall, it makes sense to compare rates between all available insurance providers to find the cheapest coverage. Check out our best car insurance page to see what’s available in your area.

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