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Costco Auto Insurance Review
Costco insurance is worth it for Costco members who wish to save on their auto insurance. Here are the pros and cons of whether Costco car insurance is right for you.
- Low prices
- Roadside assistance and towing is included
- Drivers with recent accidents who may be worried about insurance policy cancellation
- Gap insurance available, which not all auto insurers offer
- Requires a Costco membership, which costs $60 or $120
- No dedicated insurance agent for assistance
- Premiums not eligible for Costco’s annual 2% member reward
Costco is known for selling quality products at great prices. The warehouse club offers exclusive deals on items like food, home goods, seasonal products, vacations and autos. Members have been turning to Costco to buy auto insurance for the last 20 years. Costco has insured more than 400,000 members through a partnership with Ameriprise Insurance.
When compared to other insurers, Ameriprise offers already-low rates. Costco members purchasing Ameriprise vehicle insurance through the Costco insurance program will benefit from a member-exclusive discount on their policy and free roadside assistance. Read our Costco car insurance reviews to decide if its auto insurance is right for you.
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Cost of Costco car insurance
Costco claims, “members who saved reported an average of $590 in savings the first year they switched their auto insurance.” We collected sample quotes to compare how Costco car insurance rates for members compared to Ameriprise using a 25-year-old male, 25-year-old female and a 35-year-old married couple, all with a good driving record.
Annual cost of Costco car insurance
| Insurer profile | Cost of Ameriprise Insurance | Cost of Costco car insurance |
|---|---|---|
| 25-year-old male | $1,478 | $1,404 |
| 25-year-old female | $1,283 | $1,215 |
| 35-year-old married couple with 2 household vehicles | $782 | $690 |
Buying Costco insurance can save members about 5 to 10 percent on car insurance, compared to buying it directly from Ameriprise. In addition to the savings, members also get free roadside assistance and towing, which covers up to $75 per occurrence for vehicles on the auto policy.
Costco car insurance coverages
Besides free roadside assistance and towing, members are also guaranteed the option to renew their auto insurance policy. Most insurers have don’t have to renew your policy when the term ends if you have too many driving infractions or accidents. This extra Costco member benefit guarantees you’ll always have the option to renew your auto insurance policy no matter how many auto accidents or traffic violations you were involved in.
Policies start with basic liability coverage that insures you according to the state minimum requirements against bodily injury and property damage. Here are other Costco insurance coverages available through Ameriprise:
- Bodily injury insurance pays for damages if you injure someone in an auto accident.
- Collision and comprehensive coverage covers damages to your vehicle from non-vehicle accidents and events like vandalism or natural disasters.
- Gap insurance covers the full amount you owe on the loan of your new vehicle
- Medical payments covers medical bills for your or your passengers regardless of who is at fault in an accident.
- Personal injury protection covers damages if you or a pedestrian are injured in an accident.
- Property damage insurance pays for the cost of repairs to damaged property if you’re at fault.
- Rental car reimbursement coverage pays for a rental car while your vehicle is being repaired after an accident.
- Uninsured motorist coverage covers your damages if the at-fault driver wasn’t insured.
How to get Costco car insurance discounts
Simply being a Costco warehouse member gets you a savings of 5 to 10 percent off Ameriprise’s rates, although Costco claims the savings are higher — as much as $590 when switching from another car insurer. When shopping for car insurance, compare several insurance carriers to find the best price.
Take advantage of other Costco insurance discounts offered from Ameriprise such as:
- Accident forgiveness: Safe drivers can deduct one accident from their driving history so their car insurance rates don’t increase.
- Bundling discount: You can bundle your Ameriprise auto, home and life insurance together to save on all of them.
- Defensive driver discount: Drivers who complete a defensive-driver course save money.
- Garaging discount: Park your car in a garage for extra savings.
- Good driver discount (California only) and Premier Safety: This discount allows drivers to save by being accident-free for four or more years.
- Student away discount: This discount keeps your student driver on your policy for a discounted cost so they’re covered when driving during a weekend visit.
- Student discount: This discount offers savings for drivers with a four-year college education and full-time students under 25 years old with good grades.
- Tenure discount: This gives loyal drivers a better discount the longer they keep continuous coverage with Ameriprise.
- Vehicle safety feature discount: You can get a discount for vehicles equipped with safety and anti-theft features, such as alarm systems and airbags.
FAQs – Auto Insurance
Yes. To qualify for Costco’s exclusive auto insurance rates through Ameriprise, you’ll need to be a Costco member.Yes. To qualify for Costco’s exclusive auto insurance rates through Ameriprise, you’ll need to be a Costco member.
Costco does not offer coverage in all states. Car insurance is not available in Tennessee and Massachusetts. According to Costco, discounts, service and savings vary by state.
Costco auto insurance is underwritten by Ameriprise Insurance. For any questions or to file a claim, contact Ameriprise with the phone number provided when you sign up.
The Better Business Bureau’s Costco car insurance reviews are mixed, although Ameriprise does attempt to resolve customer issues. Because the insurer responds to customer complaints, the BBB awards Ameriprise with an A+.
Keep Reading
Methodology
The SimpleScore makes it easy to compare products and services featured here on The Simple Dollar in a transparent, open and honest way. We rate these products and services using five factors and average them to calculate a single SimpleScore. For auto insurance, we compare:
- Discounts
- Coverage options
- Support
- Customer satisfaction
- Accessibility
You can read more about each factor and the details of each score in our auto insurance methodology. Use our ratings and editorial recommendations as you shop for the best auto insurance that fits your coverage needs.
Car insurance rates: We used insurance rates from Quadrant Information Services. This includes analyzing thousands of rates from all 50 states that were publicly sourced from 2019 insurer filings. Rates are based on a 30-year-old male or female that had a clean driving record. Full Coverage premiums assumed a $500 collision and comprehensive deductible, and we looked at those who had both good and poor credit. These rates should be used to inform your car insurance shopping process, but your own quote may differ.
Why do some brands have different SimpleScores on different pages?
To ensure the SimpleScore is as helpful and accurate as possible, we developed unique criteria for every category we compare at The Simple Dollar. Since most brands offer a variety of financial solutions, their products and services will score differently depending on what we’re scoring on a given page.
However, it’s also possible for the same product from the same brand to have multiple SimpleScores. For instance, if we compare State Farm’s home insurance according to our criteria for the best home insurance, it scores a 3.8 out of 5. But when we compare State Farm according to the criteria for the best auto insurance, it scores higher, since the features the company offers can vary by the type of insurance.
Discounts
We looked at the number of discounts each company offers — more discounts mean a higher score.
Coverage Options
We awarded higher scores to the companies that have the most coverage options.
Support
We awarded higher scores to lenders with the most channels for customer support.
Customer Satisfaction
We leveraged the J.D. Power 2019 Auto Insurance Satisfaction Study℠ to see how customers rated their experience with each company. (If a company wasn’t included in J.D. Power’s study, we skipped this aspect and averaged the four remaining aspect scores.)
Accessibility
We looked at the level of accessibility of each company –– the more resources they have the higher their score.
