AAA auto insurance review 2026: 3.8 out of 5 stars

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Does AAA offer accident forgiveness?

Yes. AAA offers accident forgiveness, but the exact details depend on your plan. For instance:

• Essential, Advantage, and Ultimate plan members get small-claim forgiveness where your premium won’t increase if your claim is under $750.

• Advantage and Ultimate members can earn another layer of accident forgiveness after five years without an incident.

• Ultimate members can receive an additional layer of accident forgiveness coverage that begins right away.

Learn more: Is accident forgiveness insurance worth it?

Does AAA auto insurance include emergency roadside assistance?

Yes. Emergency roadside assistance is AAA’s signature perk. Benefits often depend on your AAA membership level (Classic vs. Plus, for example), with towing distance limits ranging from shorter local tows to longer-distance towing on higher tiers. Some plans also include help coordinating things like transportation or lodging after a breakdown.

Learn more: Do I need emergency roadside assistance coverage?

How much does AAA auto insurance cost?

On average, AAA of Southern California costs $224 per month for full coverage, which is one of the highest premiums in our comparison.

Basic coverage is the minimum your state requires, and it typically only includes liability coverage. Full coverage usually adds comprehensive insurance and collision insurance, which can help pay for damage to your own car after things like accidents, theft, vandalism, and certain weather events, which is why Yahoo Finance generally recommends it when your budget allows.

Learn more: Minimum car insurance requirements in all 50 U.S. states

Average auto insurance costs for full coverage

For average costs, we looked at how much AAA Automobile Club of Southern California costs, which is one regional chapter of AAA. It tied with Root for the most expensive full coverage in our comparison, at $224 a month. That’s well above the $190 average.

Average auto insurance costs for basic coverage

AAA of Southern California has the second-highest average cost for basic coverage among the insurers we compared.

Learn more: Car insurance rates are climbing. Here are 4 reasons why and 11 ways to save.

AAA car insurance discounts

AAA offers a long list of discounts, which matters because its sticker price can be high. Here are some of the more common savings opportunities:

• AAA membership discount: Your rate may drop based on how long you’ve been a AAA member.

• Paperless discount: You could save by going digital for policy documents and billing.

• Advance purchase discount: Drivers may get a discount for buying your policy ahead of the start date.

• Pay-in-full discount: You could save when you pay your premium upfront instead of monthly.

• Automatic payment (EFT) discount: This small discount is for setting up recurring payments.

• AAA Safety inspection discount: You could get a discount if your car has passed an approved inspection.

• AAADrive discount: This savings is tied to a usage-based program that tracks driving behavior.

• Defensive driver discount: You could save after completing an approved safe-driving course.

• Multiple-product discount: Drivers could earn an additional discount when you bundle auto with home, renters, or other qualifying policies.

• Multiple-car savings: You could unlock lower pricing when you insure more than one car.

• Good student discount: These savings are for students who meet grade requirements.

• Student away discount: You could get a discount if you have a student on your policy who lives at least 100 miles away without a vehicle.

• Prior insurance tenure: This savings could be applied to your policy for switching with continuous prior coverage.

• Vehicle safety discount: This discount is for qualifying safety features.

• Anti-theft discount: Drivers could get this savings for having vehicles with theft-prevention or recovery devices.

• New car savings: This discount is for insuring a newer vehicle.

• Driver training discount: You unlock this savings for completing an approved training course.

Learn more: Car insurance discounts: 17 ways to save

How to file a claim with AAA

AAA claims can typically be started online, by phone, or through the app (depending on your region and policy). Here’s the general flow:

1. Know what coverage you have: Before you file, it helps to understand what your policy covers and what your deductible is.

2. Gather the basics: Have your policy number, driver info, photos, and a short description of what happened.

3. Report the claim: File online or call AAA to open the claim and get a claim number.

4. Work with your adjuster: Your adjuster may request photos, police reports, or repair estimates. Respond quickly to keep things moving.

5. Receive payment: Once coverage is confirmed and the estimate is finalized, AAA issues payment based on your policy terms.

Learn more: How to file a car insurance claim

How long do I have to submit claims to AAA?

AAA doesn’t advertise a deadline for filing car insurance claims. The safest move is to file as soon as you can, while the details and documentation are easy to gather.

How fast does AAA pay auto insurance claims?

AAA doesn’t state how quickly it pays out auto insurance claims. Generally, more complex claims could take longer.

AAA’s mobile app

AAA’s app can help you manage your policy and get help on the road. Depending on your region, you may be able to request roadside assistance, access digital ID cards, and view policy details.

AAA mobile app ratings

• App Store: 4.8 out of 5 stars

• Google Play Store: 4.6 out of 5 stars

AAA auto insurance FAQs

Is AAA cheaper than GEICO?

GEICO is generally cheaper than AAA when you look at average prices. However, that doesn’t mean GEICO is cheaper for everyone across the board. The best way to know which is the better deal for you is to grab quotes from both.

Is AAA the same as Progressive?

No. AAA and Progressive are two totally different companies. You can purchase car insurance through both, but coverage availability and details vary.

Is AAA insurance good or bad?

It can be good for the right driver. AAA car insurance can be a good fit if you value bundled benefits and in-person support, but it’s not ideal if price is your only priority.

Tim Manni edited this article.

Methodology

Auto insurance ratings

We researched the coverage details and prices for 20 auto insurance plans. We then weighted categories, and each auto insurer was scored relative to the others to find the best auto insurance companies. Here are the factors we incorporated.

Coverage types: 20% of score. We examined all the coverage options available, and assessed whether each insurer offered the following: new car replacement (5%), GAP insurance (5%), accident forgiveness (5%), and diminishing deductible (5%).

Average cost: 40% of score. The average cost was generated by Savvy Insurance Solutions in-house machine learning models based on over 3 million data points, and includes more than 20 of the largest insurance companies in Savvy's nationwide data set. These estimates are for policies with full coverage for the average policyholder who owns one car. Average policyholder here is defined as a 48-year-old driver, driving a 13-year-old car, in an average-income ZIP code with full coverage.

Customer satisfaction: 20% of score. We factored in information from two major sources: 1) National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) complaints (10%), in which we took the total number of complaints each company had over a three-year period (2022-2024) and 2) CRASH scores (10%) from the Crash Network which share how well each company ensures quality repairs and customer service.

Discounts: 10% of score. We gave points for each type of discount that each auto insurer offers.

App ratings: 10% of score. We included the average ratings for each company's apps across both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. All app ratings were accurate at the time of publication.

Auto insurance pricing data

Unless stated otherwise, the estimates above are provided by Savvy Insurance Solutions (“Savvy”). Savvy operates a marketplace for home and auto insurance, plus an agency licensed in all 50 states. Estimates are generated using Savvy’s in-house machine learning models based on over 3 million data points, and include more than 15 of the largest insurance companies in Savvy’s nationwide data set. This includes data from more than 2 million insurance accounts connected through Trellis Connect, an in-house technology allowing consumers to “link” their insurance accounts before searching for insurance, and tens of thousands of policies bound by Savvy’s own agents. It takes into account a myriad of factors to create predictions, such as:

• Policyholder age

• Number of vehicles

• ZIP code

• Vehicle age

• Insurer

• …and more

Savvy creates estimates by running models against multiple inputs to the parameters of interest. For instance, the “teen driver” estimates were created by adjusting the policyholder age input into the pricing model while keeping all other variables steady from the baseline for “full coverage.” The models enable hyper-personalized estimates that take into account a plethora of user attribute permutations (e.g., teen drivers in specific states, teen drivers with new vehicles, teen drivers in specific states with new vehicles) to provide individuals with a unique and tailored experience. The charts above are a subset of the kinds of personalization Savvy can do.

Definitions

The following are definitions used by Savvy when providing its rate estimates for various types of coverage.

Full coverage car insurance. A policy with comprehensive, collision, and liability coverage.

Average policyholder. A 48-year-old driver who owns a 13-year-old vehicle and lives in an average-income ZIP code.

Senior driver. A 70-year-old policyholder with full coverage car insurance.

Good driver. Drivers across all coverage types, vehicle types, and locations who have no tickets, accidents or DUIs.