Does Having Airbags in Your Vehicle Give You Insurance Discounts?

Last Updated on December 22, 2025

Airbags are one of the most important safety features in a modern vehicle. They can reduce serious injuries in a crash—which can mean fewer (and smaller) injury claims. Because of that, some insurers offer an airbag or passive restraint discount.

That said, airbags have been standard on most vehicles for decades, so the “airbag discount” often isn’t huge—and it may apply only to certain parts of your policy. Here’s how it works, how much you can realistically save, and what other safety features can lower your premium.

Key Takeaways

• Some insurers offer an airbag discount as part of a “passive restraint” discount, but it often applies only to injury-related coverages like PIP or MedPay—not your entire policy.
• Because airbags are standard on most modern vehicles, the airbag discount may be modest or already baked into pricing.
• Other safety features (ABS, anti-theft devices, ESC, and some driver-assist tech) may qualify for additional discounts depending on your insurer and state.
• To make sure you’re credited, confirm your VIN and vehicle details are correct and ask your insurer exactly which coverages and percentages the discount affects.

Do airbags lower your car insurance premium?

Sometimes. Many insurers treat airbags as part of a broader passive restraint discount (airbags + seat belts and related safety systems). When it’s available, it usually reduces the cost of injury-related coverages—not the entire policy.

In plain English: airbags can help lower the cost of coverage that pays for injuries, but they generally don’t make you less likely to crash in the first place.

How much of a discount can you get for airbags?

Airbag discounts vary by insurer, state, and vehicle. Two common realities to know:

• The discount is often limited to medical-related coverages (not liability, collision, or comprehensive).
• The percentage may sound big, but the dollar savings may be modest because it applies to only one portion of your premium.

For example, some insurers advertise airbag/passive restraint savings in the “up to ~20%–40%” range on eligible injury coverages. The best way to find your real number is to ask your carrier exactly what discount applies to your policy and which coverages it affects. If you’re shopping around, compare each company’s discount menu (start here: best auto insurance discounts).

If you’re insured with GEICO (or getting quotes), their discount list is a good example of how insurers frame this as a “restraint device” discount rather than just “airbags.” Learn more here: GEICO discounts.

Why do insurers offer discounts for airbags?

Airbags can reduce the severity of injuries in many crashes. If injuries are less severe, insurers may pay less for medical claims—so they have an incentive to reward vehicles that reduce injury risk.

That’s why airbag discounts, when offered, usually apply to:

• Personal injury protection (PIP) (common in no-fault states)
• Medical payments coverage (MedPay) (available in many states)

Airbags generally don’t reduce your premiums for liability, collision, or comprehensive because they don’t prevent crashes or theft—they help reduce injuries after a crash happens.

When you might not get an airbag discount

Even if your car has airbags, you may not see a separate line-item discount on your bill. Common reasons include:

• Your insurer doesn’t offer it in your state (or your policy doesn’t include the coverages the discount applies to).
• Your vehicle already “bakes in” the safety feature because most modern cars have airbags, so the pricing model may already assume them.
• Your policy has no PIP/MedPay to discount (or the premium for those coverages is small).
• Your airbags aren’t factory-installed or aren’t functioning (aftermarket modifications, missing airbags after a prior deployment, or salvage/rebuild issues can create coverage problems).

Also, airbags are designed to protect adults in most seating positions when used with seat belts. For kids, the safest setup is usually the back seat with the right child seat. If you’re a parent, it’s worth knowing what your insurer does if a child seat is involved in a crash: Will car insurance replace a child’s car seat?

What other safety features can earn insurance discounts?

Airbags aren’t the only feature that can reduce your premium. Depending on your insurer and state, you may also see discounts for:

• Anti-lock brakes (ABS) – Can help you maintain steering control in hard braking, and some insurers offer a small discount.
• Anti-theft devices – Usually discounts the comprehensive portion of your policy (because it reduces theft risk).
• Driver-assist technology – Features like automatic emergency braking, lane departure warnings, and blind-spot monitoring may qualify for “vehicle safety” savings with some carriers (availability varies, and discounts can be small).
• Electronic stability control (ESC) – Helps prevent loss of control/skids; some insurers offer a discount or factor it into pricing.

If you’re not sure what your vehicle qualifies for, ask your insurer to confirm the safety features they’re rating (based on your VIN). You can also use this guide to understand how insurers price safety equipment overall: safety features auto insurance discount.

How to make sure you’re getting the airbag discount

If your insurer offers an airbag/passive restraint discount, here’s how to make sure you’re actually receiving it:

1. Confirm your VIN is correct on the policy—insurers use it to pull factory safety equipment.
2. Ask which coverages the discount applies to (often PIP or MedPay) and what the percentage is.
3. Review your declarations page and billing breakdown for any “passive restraint,” “restraint device,” or “vehicle safety” discount.
4. Fix missing/incorrect vehicle info (trim, safety package, garaging ZIP, or usage details can change pricing).

FAQs on Airbags and Insurance Discounts

Bottom line

Airbags can qualify you for a discount—usually as part of a “passive restraint” discount that reduces injury-related coverages like PIP or MedPay. But because airbags are standard on most vehicles, the discount may be smaller than people expect. The best move is to verify your vehicle info is correct, ask what safety discounts apply to your policy, and compare insurers if you’re not seeing meaningful savings.