Is CSAA Good for Auto Insurance?
Last Updated on April 27, 2023
CSAA Insurance Group is a member of the AAA family of insurance companies.
CSAA is the largest and best-known member of the AAA family. The company offers car insurance, homeowners insurance, and other personal insurance products to AAA members in 23 states and the District of Columbia.
Is CSAA good for auto insurance? Should you buy car insurance through CSAA? Find out everything you need to know about this company today in our review.
Key Takeaways:
- CSAA Insurance Group is a member of the AAA family of insurance companies.
- CSAA offers car insurance, homeowners insurance, and other personal insurance products to AAA members in 23 states and the District of Columbia.
- CSAA offers roadside assistance as an automatic service to its AAA members.
- CSAA offers standard car insurance coverage, such as liability, collision, and comprehensive coverage, as well as unique coverages like gap insurance and custom equipment coverage.
- CSAA offers discounts to its customers, including those for safe driving, bundling policies, and being an AAA member.
About CSAA
CSAA Insurance Group is a property and casualty insurance company headquartered in Walnut Creek, California.
Founded in 1914, CSAA has provided car insurance to policyholders across the United States for over 100 years. Today, the company sells car insurance in about half of the country, offering automobile insurance, homeowners insurance, and other personal insurance products to AAA members in 23 states and the District of Columbia.
If you buy car insurance through AAA, then you may be buying CSAA car insurance.
Depending on your state, your AAA car insurance may come from CSAA Insurance Group, Automobile Club Group, or Auto Club of SoCal, among other AAA members.
CSAA Insurance Group traces its history back to 1900 when a group of drivers came together in San Francisco to launch the Automobile Club of California. The club’s first goal was to open Golden Gate Park to cars. Two years later, the American Automobile Association (AAA) was formed in Chicago.
In 1907, the California State Automobile Association (CSAA) was incorporated as a subsidiary of the Automobile Club of California. The purpose of the organization was to create “good roads and just legislation” for drivers in California. Over time, that organization grew to offer a range of insurance products.
Today, CSAA employs more than 3,500 employees across the country. In addition to its headquarters in Walnut Creek, the company maintains other offices in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Jersey, and Oklahoma. The company achieved $4 billion in direct written premiums in 2018.
| CSAA Insurance | |
|---|---|
| Company Address | 3055 Oak Road Walnut Creek, CA 94597 |
| Phone Number | 1-925-279-2300 |
| Website URL | https://csaa-insurance.aaa.com |
CSAA Insurance Products & Services
CSAA offers a range of products and services to members, including all of the following:
Auto Insurance: CSAA was founded over a century ago to provide car insurance to members, and the company continues to provide car insurance to this day.
Home Insurance: CSAA offers a standard selection of home insurance products, including homeowners insurance, condo insurance, investment property insurance, and other coverages. You can also buy coverage for natural disasters, theft, vandalism, and more.
Roadside Assistance: AAA is well-known for its roadside assistance. As an AAA member, you automatically get emergency roadside assistance.
How Does CSAA Car Insurance Work?
CSAA offers similar car insurance to any other car insurance company. You can buy full coverage car insurance (which includes liability, collision, and comprehensive coverage). Or, you can buy minimum liability coverage (which includes liability coverage and meets your state’s minimum insurance requirements).
CSAA offers all of the following types of car insurance:
Liability Coverage: CSAA offers bodily injury liability coverage and property damage liability coverage. These coverages are required in most states, and they protect other people from your actions while driving. If you want minimum liability coverage that lets you legally drive on the road, then you need liability coverage.
Collision Coverage: Collision coverage covers the cost of repairing your own vehicle after a collision, regardless of fault. If you collided with another vehicle and caused $5,000 of damage to your own vehicle, then you can make a claim through your collision coverage.
Comprehensive Coverage: Comprehensive coverage covers the cost of repairing your own vehicle after collisions with animals, hail damage, theft, vandalism, or any type of environmental damage.
Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage: Millions of drivers across America drive illegally without car insurance. You can buy uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage through USAA.
Medical Payments Coverage: Similar to health insurance, medical payments coverage covers the cost of medical bills, ambulance fees, and similar expenses after an accident.
What Makes CSAA Auto Insurance Unique?
You have plenty of options for car insurance. What makes CSAA unique? Here are some of the advantages of CSAA car insurance:
Available to AAA Members: If you’re an AAA member, you can buy CSAA car insurance. AAA provides members with a range of perks, including discounted rates on car insurance.
Gap Insurance: Gap insurance pays the difference between the value of your car and the balance of your loan or lease if your car is totaled or stolen. Without gap coverage, you could owe significantly more to your lender than your car is worth.
New Car Replacement: CSAA’s new car replacement coverage pays for a vehicle one to two years newer if your own car is totaled.
Rideshare Insurance: Rideshare insurance covers you during the period between rides – unlike Uber or Lyft’s car insurance. Many Uber or Lyft drivers buy rideshare coverage for added protection.
Custom Equipment Coverage: CSAA lets you add custom equipment coverage to your insurance policy, including coverage for stereos, cameras, rims, or other modifications you may have added to your vehicle.
OEM Exterior Repair Coverage: For a few extra dollars per month, you can add OEM exterior repair coverage to your policy, which means CSAA pays for original equipment manufacturer parts for covered body repairs.
AAAdrive: AAA members can download the AAAdrive app for larger discounts on insurance. AAAdrive analyzes your driving habits, then customizes premiums based on that data. The app looks at your speed, the time of day you drive, your fatigue, and your mobile phone distractions, among other things. If data shows you’re a safe driver, you’ll pay less for car insurance.
CSAA Car Insurance Discounts
CSAA offers similar car insurance discounts to competing companies. If you have multiple policies or if you have good grades in school, then you can receive a discount on your CSAA car insurance.
AAA Membership: AAA membership is required to buy CSAA car insurance in most states. However, you could still receive a discount on CSAA car insurance simply for being a AAA member.
Automatic Bill Payment: Many CSAA customers sign up for automatic bill payments. CSAA charges you automatically every month for premiums, and you receive a small discount.
Car & Home Safety Discount Features: If your car or home has safety features (like passenger airbags or a security system), then you receive a discount across your policies.
Claim-free Driver: You may be a claim-free driver if you have 3 to 7 years of claim-free driving experience. Specific qualifications vary depending on your state.
Good Student Discount: CSAA gives full-time students under 25 a discount on car insurance if they maintain a strong grade point average (GPA). In most states, you must have a GPA of B+ or better to qualify for the good-student discount.
Multi-Policy Discount: CSAA offers car insurance, home insurance, and other insurance products. If you have multiple policies with CSAA, or if you have insured multiple vehicles with the company, then you save money across all vehicles.
Other Discounts: CSAA offers a range of other discounts, including new young driver discounts, student away from home discounts, paid-in-full discounts, and anti-theft device discounts, among others.
CSAA Reviews & Ratings: What Do Customers Have to Say?
CSAA has a long and proven reputation for providing car insurance to members across the United States. The company has strong ratings for claims satisfaction and customer service on most review websites.
On the Better Business Bureau (BBB), the CSAA has an average rating of A+ with 277 total complaints in the last three years.
The CSAA has average to good ratings on most independent review websites, including a rating of 79 from Insurify and a rating of 4.11 out of 5 from Clearsurance.
CSAA is not large enough to appear on J.D. Power’s nationwide rankings. J.D. Power analyzes the top 20 largest insurance companies in the country based on claims satisfaction.
However, CSAA is large enough to appear on certain subregional rankings. CSAA performs well on these rankings, frequently scoring near the top of the charts. In 2021, J.D. Power ranked CSAA Insurance as the 15th-best auto insurance company in California, scoring 862 out of 1,000.
Frequently Asked Questions
Final Word on CSAA Auto Insurance
CSAA is a popular and well-known insurance company available to drivers in 23 states and the District of Columbia.
Founded in 1914, CSAA has insured vehicles for over 100 years. Today, the company continues to provide effective car insurance products and services to customers across the country.
To request a quote from CSAA or the equivalent AAA insurer in your state, visit AAA.com.
