USAA and Amica are two highly rated insurers when it comes to quality service. They both get high marks for overall customer and claims satisfaction, and they both stand on strong financial ground. Amica tends to have fewer customer complaints, but it'll cost you; it generally charges much more for coverage than USAA.
Service and price aside, an even bigger decision point for most people is this: Are you an active-duty service member, veteran, or employed by one of the government's security organizations? If not, are you married to or the child of someone who is? If the answer is no, you're not eligible to buy coverage from USAA anyway.
How we evaluate products
FinanceBuzz researches a number of factors in each auto insurance provider to create our reviews. These factors include cost and discounts, complaints and customer satisfaction, coverage, and ease of use. We also gather information from sources such as Insurify, J.D. Power, AM Best, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), and the Better Business Bureau to ensure we provide the most useful information to our readers.
USAA pros and cons
- Very low rates
- Also offers full-service banking
- Better discounts for active-duty servicemembers
- No in-person insurance offices
- Only open to people connected to the military
- Higher-than-average number of complaints lodged with NAIC
Learn more in our USAA review
Amica pros and cons
- Higher claims satisfaction
- Highly-rated online services
- Offers a broader range of discounts
- No military discount
- Expensive rates for coverage
- Telematics app only available in about half of U.S. states
Learn more in our Amica review
Which company is better?
USAA | Amica | |
AM Best | A++ | A+ |
J.D. Power claims satisfaction | 5th highest | 2nd highest |
BBB | A+ | A+ |
NAIC complaints (private passenger) | 1.31 | 0.57 |
On the whole, I'd say both USAA and Amica are comparable in terms of ratings. Sometimes one insurer is better in one area, whereas they flop sides when you consider other factors.
Case in point: Both insurers get good marks from AM Best, which grades each insurer for its financial stability. That's important if you need to file a claim after a major disaster, for example, when its coffers might be stretched thin. USAA gets a slightly higher rating in this regard.
But when it comes to claims satisfaction ratings (as measured by J.D. Power), it's Amica who pulls ahead — but not by much. Both insurers get better-than-average scores in this area too. And it's worth noting that when looking at overall customer satisfaction — not just for claims — both insurers get top ratings in every region of the country where J.D. Power ranked them.
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) also maintains a database of official customer complaints. It scales them to the size of the company, since you'd expect a larger insurer to get more complaints. A rating of 1 marks an average complaint volume you'd expect for a company of that size. USAA, with its score of 1.31, shows that it has slightly more complaints than similarly sized insurers, whereas Amica, with its 0.57 rating, gets fewer.
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Which company is cheaper?
In general, USAA offers much cheaper rates than Amica — sometimes significantly so, at least judging by average liability premiums published by the rate-comparison website Insurify, using data from quotes.
Personally, I wouldn't expect this to hold true in every case, since so many different factors go into setting your car insurance rates. It's possible there are scenarios where Amica offers lower car insurance rates than USAA.
Here's a breakdown of USAA's average rates across driver type:
Driver type | USAA liability-only monthly premium | USAA full-coverage monthly premium |
Clean driving record | $46 | $96 |
Speeding ticket on driving record | $55 | $116 |
At-fault accident on driving record | $58 | $122 |
DUI on driving record | $74 | $156 |
Teen driver | $79 | $168 |
Senior driver (60s) | $35 | $74 |
Senior driver (70s) | $36 | $75 |
Data sourced from Insurify |
And here are Amica's for comparison:
Driver type | Amica liability-only monthly premium | Amica full-coverage monthly premium |
Clean driving record | $146 | $269 |
Speeding ticket on driving record | $216 | $399 |
At-fault accident on driving record | $227 | $419 |
DUI on driving record | $211 | $389 |
Teen driver | $204 | $377 |
Senior driver (60s) | $107 | $197 |
Senior driver (70s) | $107 | $198 |
Data sourced from Insurify |
Clean driving record
All else being equal, rates don't get much lower than for drivers with clean driving records. USAA charges an average premium of $46 per month for good drivers versus $146 for Amica, according to Insurify. USAA also offers a higher potential discount for using its telematics app — up to 30% off based on your driving habits versus 20% for Amica.
Average rate:
Speeding ticket on driving record
According to Insurify's data, not only is USAA cheaper to begin with, but it penalizes you less for getting a speeding ticket. Drivers with a speeding ticket with USAA are charged $55 per month for liability coverage, as compared to $216 per month with Amica.
At-fault accident on driving record
Actually causing an accident shows insurance companies that you really are more of a risk to insure, and once again, Amica boosts your rates more in this case. Drivers with an at-fault accident would be charged an average of $227 per month for liability coverage, according to Insurify, as compared to just $58 per month with USAA.
DUI on driving record
A DUI is one of the most serious offenses that can show up on a driving record, and insurers take note. Many will refuse to even cover those drivers. Insurify's data shows that USAA may not raise your rates much, even in this case, while Amica's — as expected — climb higher. USAA charges an average of $74 per month for a driver with a DUI while it will cost $211 with Amica.
Teen driver
Paying sky-high rates for coverage often seems like a rite of passage for new teen drivers who lack experience and (sometimes) good judgment. USAA typically charges $79 per month to insure teenagers, according to Insurify, while Amica charges $204 per month if you have a policy with them.
Senior driver
Growing older brings more than just senior discounts. Your car insurance rates may be lower, too, since you benefit from all that wisdom gained by making safer choices and probably driving less, at least statistically speaking. USAA typically charges seniors $35 per month, compared to $107 for Amica, according to Insurify.
Discounts
Amica offers a broader range of discounts, which may or may not be enough to bring the price back down to comparable levels to USAA, depending on your situation.
Even though USAA doesn't offer as many ways to save money on car insurance, it offers some uniquely juicy discounts, particularly for active-duty servicemembers. If you're storing your car while you're deployed, for example, USAA will knock off up to 60% from your premiums. That's not something you find with other insurers. If you live on base, you could also qualify for another 15% discount on comprehensive coverage.
If I had known about USAA when my husband was back in the Army, I'd have said we should switch. We didn't live on base, but I did leave his car to sit while he was deployed to Iraq — and that discount could have saved us a lot of cash at a time when we didn't have much to begin with.
Discount | Does USAA have it? | Does Amica have it? |
Loyalty | Yes | Yes |
Multi-policy/bundling | Yes | Yes |
Multiple vehicle | Yes | Yes |
Airbag | No | Yes |
Anti-lock brakes | No | No |
Anti-theft | Yes | Yes |
Safe driver | Yes | Yes |
Good student | Yes | Yes |
Away-from-home student | No | Yes |
New car | Yes | No |
Pay in full | No | Yes |
Automatic payments | No | Yes |
GAP insurance | No | Yes |
Senior | No | No |
Military | No | No |
Defensive driving course | Yes | Yes |
USAA SafePilot vs. StreetSmart by Amica
Both USAA and Amica offer telematics apps available in most U.S. states and offer a 10% discount just for signing up. The apps will score your driving, and when your policy comes up for renewal, the companies will apply a discount to your rate if you have safe driving habits.
USAA offers the potential to save the most when your policy comes up for renewal — up to 30% off — while Amica's discount maxes out at 20%. Even if you're a horrendous driver, neither company will use that information to raise your rates, fortunately. And while Amica's max discount is a bit less, it does offer the potential to earn "rewards" for good driving, which you can redeem for gift cards. Given that it doesn't provide any further details on the earning or redemption rates, though, I personally wouldn't count on this being a huge amount.
Coverage
You won't find many differences between USAA and Amica in terms of what coverages they offer.
If you're an auto hobbyist with a classic car, though, USAA is probably a better choice. It offers coverage specifically for collector and project vehicles rather than your daily driver. On the other hand, Amica may be a better fit if you want better glass coverage. You can opt to pay extra for "full glass coverage," which waives your deductible if your entire windshield needs to be replaced.
Aside from those minor differences, both companies offer the same types of standard coverages.
- Liability (bodily injury and property damage)
- Vehicle damage (comprehensive and collision)
- Injuries (Personal Injury Protection [PIP] or Medical Payments [MedPay])
- Uninsured motorist and underinsured motorist
- Optional coverages (Rental car reimbursement, roadside assistance, ridesharing)
FAQs
How do I contact USAA?
You can contact USAA by phone (1-800-531-8722) or by mail (USAA, 9800 Fredericksburg Rd., San Antonio, TX 78288).
How do I contact Amica?
You can reach out to Amica by phone (1-800-242-6422), by mail (Amica Scan Center, PO Box 6700, Providence, RI 02940-6700), on its mobile app, by visiting a local office, or through the live chat or contact form options on its website.
Who is USAA's biggest competitor?
Looking at the big picture, Allstate and Farmers are USAA's biggest competitors when it comes to market share.
Bottom line
If you're looking for the best service possible when it comes to managing your policy — and then handling your claim, should you need to make one — then it's hard to go wrong with either option. If you're eligible for USAA, that's likely the better choice for most people.
But if not, and if Amica's high prices don't appeal to you, you still have tons of other coverage options available through the best car insurance companies. Most experts recommend getting at least three quotes before you make any insurance decisions.
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