Auto Insurance Discounts for Affordable Coverage (2023)

Auto insurance discounts are a great way to save on your car insurance policy. While every insurance company is different in what coverages it offers, there are usually vehicle-related discounts, driver-related discounts, and more at most companies.

Drivers can also maximize their savings by paying attention to the fine print of discounts and which actually reduce costs the most.

To learn all about the best auto insurance discounts, keep reading. We cover the major discounts that the best auto insurance companies offer, as well as important facts you should know about car insurance discounts.

Complete List of the Best Auto Insurance Discounts

Bear in mind that your insurance company may not offer every discount on our list. However, you can expect that at least some of the following discounts we go over will be offered at most auto insurance companies.

Affinity Auto Insurance Discounts

Some companies offer affinity discounts for organizations you belong to, your military service, your employer, and so on. For example, if you belong to AAA, you may be able to get a discount on your car insurance policy. Learn how in our AAA auto insurance review.

Military and veteran discounts are more common than discounts for organizational membership, such as belonging to college alums.

Employer-Based Auto Insurance Discounts

Can you get an auto insurance discount from your job? Yes, and if you drive for work, some employers may negotiate auto insurance rates in bulk for their employees, meaning you may get a cheaper rate.

However, make sure to see if the discount offered through your employer is actually the cheapest option by getting quotes from other car insurance companies.

Military and Veteran Auto Insurance Discounts

A number of auto insurance companies will offer a discount to military members or honorably discharged veterans.

In addition to military and veteran discounts at companies, USAA sells insurance products exclusively to military members and veterans and offers heavily discounted car insurance rates.

Anti-Theft Device Discount

Car insurance companies may offer discounts if your car has certain features that discourage theft or assist authorities in recovering your stolen vehicle.

Some examples of anti-theft recovery systems include:

• Car alarms: If you have an older vehicle, for example, it may not have a car alarm that goes off.
• Disabling devices: A disabling device will be if the car has a feature that prevents the car from being driven without a key.
• GPS systems.:GPS systems can help authorities locate your vehicle if it is stolen.
• Vehicle recovery systems: A stolen vehicle recovery system helps authorities find your car.
• VIN etching: Insurance discounts for VIN etching are where the vehicle identification number is etched onto the glass, making it a deterrent to thieves who would have to replace the windows to resell the car.

You may need to provide proof of installation if the part is not factory installed. The discount should automatically apply to your policy if the part is factory-installed.

Car Safety Feature Discount

Insurance companies will sometimes offer a discount if cars have certain safety features that either work to prevent a crash or protect passengers in a car crash.

Some examples of safety features are as follows:

• Airbags
• Anti-lock brakes
• Daytime running lights
• Electronic stability control

This table shows some of the companies that offer these discounts:

New vehicles are more likely to have a number of safety features that can qualify cars for this discount. In addition, cars that perform well in a crash are also likely to have cheaper rates than cars with poor crash ratings.

Defensive Driver Insurance Discount

To qualify for a defensive driver discount, you must take a defensive driving course that is approved by your auto insurance company. You’ll likely have to successfully complete the course with a passing grade, and your insurer will usually want to see a certificate of completion before it issues your discount.

Early Bird Auto Insurance Discount

An early bird discount applies when you buy a new car insurance policy before your old one expires. How soon you have to purchase the new policy beforehand will depend upon the insurance company.

For example, a car insurance company may require you to purchase a new policy two weeks before your old one ends.

The discount may be small at some companies, but a number of small discounts can add up to significant auto insurance savings. So make sure to take advantage of as many discounts as possible — even the 1% or 3% discounts can add up quickly.

Electronic Funds Transfer Discount

Drivers can earn electric funds transfer (EFT) discounts when they set up automatic withdrawals for policy billing. Some insurance companies may refer to it as an automatic payment discount.

Setting up automatic payments is also great for drivers, as it ensures they don’t end up missing a payment, which can lead to serious issues like insurance cancellation.

Good Driver Discount

A good driver discount is for drivers who have been claim-free and violation-free for a specified period of time. Learn more about claims-free discounts.

Generally, drivers must have a few years of good driving to qualify for a good driver discount at a car insurance company. Car insurance companies may also require a driver to be accident-free at their company for a few years to qualify.

For instance, if you have been accident-free but just switched to a new company, you may not get the discount until you have been with the company for a year or two and haven’t filed a claim.

However, you should get a cheaper rate to start with at your new company if you have a clean driving record, as you are a lower risk to insure.

Good Student Discount

Most auto insurance companies have the following requirements for a good student discount:

• Must have a “B” average or higher or a 3.0 or higher.
• Must be under 25 years of age.
• Must be attending school full time.

The car insurance company will require proof of good grades, such as a report card, in order to issue a good student discount. Check out our guide on auto insurance companies with the best good grades discounts.

Homeowners Auto Insurance Discount

Some insurance companies will offer you a discount if you are a homeowner. This is different from a multi-policy discount, where you get a discount for purchasing homeowners and auto insurance from the same company. All you have to do to qualify is be a homeowner and provide proof of homeownership.

Low-Mileage Discount

A low-mileage discount is offered at some insurance companies for drivers who drive less than the average driver. This mileage amount depends upon the insurance company, but the rule of thumb is less than 10,000 miles per year.

You will have to provide proof of your reduced mileage in order to qualify for this discount at auto insurance companies. Some insurance companies may want periodic pictures of your odometer, for example, to see if your annual mileage qualifies you for the discount.

Multi-Car Discount

Car insurance companies want you to stay with them as a customer, so they often offer a discount if you insure more than one vehicle at the company.

It is also much easier to have all your cars insured at the same company rather than having a separate auto insurance policy at different companies for each car.

Multi-Policy Auto Insurance Discount

If the company you choose sells more than just car insurance, it likely also offers a multi-policy discount. You can save on one or both policies if you purchase more than one type of insurance.

Generally, you can bundle whatever you want with your auto insurance to earn the discount. For example, you could purchase home and auto insurance or business and auto insurance.

Read our guide to find the best insurance companies for bundling home and auto insurance near you.

New Car Discount

Some insurance companies offer discounts for new cars. Generally, insurance companies require the car to be no more than three or two years old to qualify for this discount. Find out how to get an auto insurance quote before buying a car so you don’t end up overpaying for car insurance.

Online Quote Auto Insurance Discount

Some auto insurance companies offer discounts if you get a quote from them and then sign up for an auto insurance policy. For example, if you get auto insurance quotes online and purchase a policy right away, you may get a small discount.

Paperless Auto Insurance Discount

A number of auto insurance companies will offer a small discount if you go paperless. This means your billing, policy details, and other important information will be sent to your mobile account or email rather than through the mail. It is cheaper for the company, and you get your information instantly instead of having to wait for it to come in the standard mail system.

Even though the discount may be as small as 1%, every little bit counts when it comes to reducing your auto insurance rates.

Pay-In-Full Auto Insurance Discount

Most insurance companies offer the option to pre-pay the annual sum of your policy rates instead of paying for coverage on a monthly basis. Most insurance companies will offer a small discount if you pay in full, making it slightly cheaper than paying monthly.

Take a look below at the average car insurance discount at companies for making your policy payment in full:

If you can afford to do so, paying in full can be a great way to save on your car insurance policy.

Student-Away Auto Insurance Discount

A few companies offer a distant student auto insurance discount, sometimes called a student-away discount.

For example, if a family has a child who is away at school without a family car, they can get a student-away discount. Some insurance companies will require the school to be at least 100 miles away, as there is less of a chance the child will be coming back every weekend to use the car.

Usage-Based Auto Insurance Program Discounts

Usage-based insurance programs at companies track drivers’ data to see how well they drive and then offer a discount after the tracking period. Some companies will track data using a device that plugs into your car’s port, while others will have you download an app.

Usage-based discount programs typically track the following:

• Any phone usage while driving
• How much you drive
• The time of day you drive
• Your braking and acceleration

Even if you do poorly, most of these usage-based programs offer a discount just for signing up. However, it’s important to know that some insurance companies will increase your rates if you drive poorly during the program, so always make sure to read the fine print.

A number of insurance companies offer usage-based insurance programs, such as GEICO and State Farm. You can read our GEICO DriveEasy Review and our State Farm Drive Safe & Save Review to learn more about these programs.

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What to Know About Auto Insurance Discounts

Just because a car insurance company offers a number of discounts doesn’t mean it has the best savings. We want to go over a few things you should know about auto insurance discounts, so you can see how much a discount will actually save you and if it’s as good as promised.

Some Discounts Might Be Capped

One thing to pay attention to is the car insurance companies’ wording of discounts. For instance, find out if the discounts are capped or if a discount is only up to a certain amount.

If discounts are capped, this means you can’t qualify for every discount to get massive savings on your auto insurance policy. Instead, the car insurance company will cap out how much of a percentage you can save from their discounts.

So even if you qualify for every discount at the company, you won’t receive the full percentage that you might initially expect.

As for “up to” discounts, you will see this wording on some discounts, especially those for safe driving usage-based programs. For example, companies will say that drivers can save up to 30% for safe driving, but the average amount that most drivers will save is more like 15%.

So if discounts seem too good to be true, make sure to read the fine print. A company that boasts of big discounts or has multiple discounts may not be the cheapest company for you. This is why we advise getting quotes and comparing rates, as this is the best indicator of which companies are actually the cheapest.

Some States May Require Discounts

Some states require insurance companies to offer state-mandated discounts if drivers qualify. So if your state does this, ensure you receive the discount if you recently qualified for it.

Some Discounts Aren’t Automatic

Discounts aren’t always automatically applied. While some, like multi-car discounts, will be automatically applied, others aren’t. Examples would include defensive driving discounts and good student discounts, where proof is required to qualify.

Essentially, if you need to participate in something or provide proof, the discount won’t automatically apply to your car insurance policy.

Some Discounts Will Vary By State

You will often see a big list of auto insurance discounts listed on a car insurance company’s website, but not all of these discounts may be available in every state. So, read the fine print to see if the discount you want is available where you live.

Some Discounts Don’t Apply To The Whole Bill

Some discounts may seem like they offer great savings at first, but this doesn’t mean that they do. Some discounts only apply to a certain coverage on your policy.

For example, while 15% for safe driving may seem like a lot, this may only apply to your comprehensive and collision insurance, not your whole policy bill.

Best Auto Insurance Companies for Discounts

So, which auto insurance companies offer the most discounts for drivers? Take a look at the table below to see the discounts different auto insurance companies offer to drivers:

Some insurance companies have a much higher number of discounts than other companies, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that they are better. Discounts are just one factor that goes into your final car insurance rate. You should also consider a company’s reputation and coverage options when shopping for insurance.

The Final Word on the Best Auto Insurance Discounts

Auto insurance discounts are a great way to save on your car insurance policy, but it’s important always to read the fine print. For example, some discounts you may need to apply for, like good student or defensive driving discounts. Others may not save you as much money as you initially thought if they are capped or only apply to a certain coverage.

If you want to get the cheapest auto insurance possible, the best thing you can do is shop around and get multiple quotes. You can use our free quote comparison tool to get started. It will help you find the best rates from auto insurance companies in your area.

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