Everyone wants to find affordable auto insurance that doesn’t require you to sacrifice coverage to fit your budget. As a state employee, you have a few additional options available than other people. These are in addition to discount opportunities that are available to all.
Our experts conducted extensive research to share the following information with you and find the best car insurance companies. We used the data from our research to create our guide and quote box. You can get started with local auto insurance quotes by just entering your zip code. Best of all, the quotes are free.
Auto Insurance for State Employees
Auto insurance companies do not typically offer a specific discount for state employees. However, many companies will still give state employees lower rates based on their occupation and perceived risk level.
Essentially, car insurance companies assume that government workers are less risky. Since risk is the main factor influencing your insurance premium, being considered low risk means you are likely to get lower rates.
GEICO Insurance for State Employees
If you look at the various discounts offered by auto insurance providers, you will notice that GEICO offers a discount for federal employees. Unfortunately, this discount does not explicitly apply to state employees.
However, GEICO also offers discounts for membership in certain organizations. The combination of these discounts and the ones GEICO offers for federal government employees increases the chance that you may be more likely to get a discount from GEICO as a social worker, postal employee or other kind of civil servant.
Affinity Discounts
You may also be eligible for an affinity discount as a state employee. An affinity discount refers to the lower rates or discounts extended by an auto insurance company to a specific group of people. Examples would be law enforcement and firefighters.
Your state government may work with one or more auto insurers in your area to get discounts for employees. You can ask other people that work with you if they know of any of these discounts. You can also directly ask insurers if they have affinity discounts for state employees or your specific occupation as a state employee.
An example is the affinity discount enjoyed by members of the Washington Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB). The PEBB worked with Liberty Mutual to get a discount for its members. This means that members of the PEBB in Washington are eligible for discounts of as much as 12%.
Liberty Mutual is one insurer that works with many different partner organizations to offer extra discounts. As such, it is worth checking if your state public employee benefits board has a similar deal in place. They may also have a similar discount in place with another insurer.
Lower Rates Based on Occupation
Auto insurance companies look at your occupation as one of many factors that determine your risk. They then use this risk to decide on the appropriate rate.
This typically works out well for state employees and civil servants, as most people working for the government are perceived by insurance companies as responsible and less risky.
This also means that even if a company does not explicitly offer a discount for state employees, it is worth mentioning your occupation and comparing quotes. You are likely to find rates that are at or below average, thanks to your job.
As always, comparing rates from various providers will help you find the best deal. You may find that some local insurance companies offer lower rates than others due to your job.
Other Ways to Save on Car Insurance As a State Employee
As a state employee, you can also take advantage of the other methods that anyone can use to save money on car insurance during enrollment.
One of the most common is to bundle your policies. This refers to when you have home or renter’s insurance from the same company as your auto insurance. It can also apply to your life insurance policy. Most insurance providers will offer a discount for this.
You are also likely to get discounts for having multiple cars on the same policy or multiple drivers with the same address share a policy. Just remember that anyone you add to a policy must have the same registration address as the policyholder. This eligibility requirement typically makes it easiest for family members to share a policy.
The absolute best way to save money on car insurance, regardless of occupation, is to shop around. Every single time that your policy is up for renewal, dedicate at least a few minutes to comparing quotes from various providers. The auto insurance quotes that they offer you may have changed in the last six months or year. This is likely if something related to your risk changed. For example, maybe an old accident aged off of your record, or perhaps you now drive significantly fewer miles than you did before.
If you do not drive very far, you may want to consider a pay-per-mile auto insurance policy. If your job lets you work from home or your commute is short, this is worth consideration.
You may also want to try one of the telematics-based car insurance discounts now offered by various auto insurance providers. These will track your driving habits, such as miles driven, speed, acceleration and braking. Some also track seat belt use. If you are a safe driver and/or have low mileage, these programs can frequently lead to discounts. The caveat is that if you know you drive aggressively, you should probably avoid these programs.
If you want to minimize your monthly auto insurance premiums, you may also consider a higher deductible. The higher the deductible you choose, the lower your premium will be. Before choosing a higher deductible though, make sure that you can afford to pay it if necessary. If you are a safe driver and rarely get into accidents, the trade-off of a higher deductible for a lower premium may be worth it.If you are on a very tight budget and need the cheapest car insurance possible, you may also want to consider saving money by dropping to your state’s minimum coverage requirements if you currently have full coverage. This will be a risk as it will not include comprehensive coverage or collision insurance. That means that you would likely have to pay for damage to your vehicle yourself if you are in an accident and are at fault. Most states require liability insurance at a minimum. Some also require personal injury protection (PIP) or underinsured or uninsured motorist coverage. Always check your state’s requirements before reducing coverage.
Our Recommendations for Auto Insurance
As part of our research, we found the best auto insurance providers and can confidently recommend USAA, GEICO and State Farm. All these companies offer a range of discounts that state employees may be eligible for. They also have a solid industry reputation and offer competitive pricing.
Remember that you should always compare auto insurance quotes to find the best rates to fit your budget and coverage needs. The easiest way to compare quotes is with a comparison tool like our quote box, which will give you a free quote from multiple major insurance providers near you.
USAA: 9.6 out of 10
USAA is our choice for the Best Military Provider award, as it is open to current military members, veterans and their families. USAA’s 9.6 overall rating includes a 9.3 for customer experience, a 10.0 for cost, a 9.3 for industry reputation and a 9.5 for coverage.
USAA offers discounts for length of membership, low annual mileage, and bundling policies among other discounts.
GEICO: 9.1 out of 10
GEICO earned the award for Best Overall after our research. The company’s overall 9.1/10 rating reflects a 9.0 for customer experience, a 9.4 for cost, an 8.5 for coverage and a 9.8 for industry reputation.
GEICO extends a federal employee discount, as well as membership and employee discounts. Other discounts are for defensive driving, good students and car safety systems.
State Farm: 9.1 out of 10
State Farm stands out by offering the best student discounts, which state employees who are still in college may qualify for. Alternatively, state employees with children in high school or college may qualify for those. State Farm’s 9.1 overall rating includes a 9.0 each for both cost and coverage, an 8.8 for customer experience and a 9.9 for industry reputation.
State Farm offers discounts for multi-car and mult-policy drivers, accident-free drivers, drivers with safe vehicles and more.
FAQ: Auto Insurance for State Employees
Is GEICO only for government employees?
No, GEICO is not only for government employees.
Does Progressive offer discounts for government employees?
No, Progressive does not offer discounts for government employees. However, government employees may be eligible for other discounts, including getting a quote online, having continuous insurance coverage, being a homeowner, or having multiple policies or cars.
Does State Farm offer discounts for government employees?
No, State Farm does not offer discounts for government employees. But government employees may be eligible for other discounts. Some examples include having multiple cars or lines of insurance, good driving records, completed defensive driving courses, and being accident-free.
Does GEICO offer employee discounts?
Yes, GEICO extends discounts to its employees. GEICO also offers discounts for federal employees. These are in addition to various other available discounts, such as for a driver’s education course.
Methodology
The Detroit Bureau collects data from every major car insurance provider to formulate rankings of the best insurers. Our in-depth rating system takes into account market share, coverage, auto insurance rate estimates generated by Quadrant Information Services, customer satisfaction and ratings from industry experts. Each insurer is given a weighted score in four categories, as well as an overall score out of 10.0.
We recommend auto insurance companies based on these rankings, but we also encourage you to perform your own research and compare quotes to find the best coverage.
