Our thoughts on Auto Club of Southern California

Part of the AAA-branded group of insurance companies, Auto Club of Southern California earned the top spot among J.D. Power’s top car insurance companies for 2024 in the California region for overall customer satisfaction. It ranked 15th overall in our best car insurance companies of 2024 ranking and rated well for customer satisfaction.

Since it’s a AAA company, you must be a AAA member to buy car insurance with Auto Club of Southern California, an additional cost to consider when comparing rates. That cost, however, does come with benefits like roadside assistance and travel discounts. If you travel a lot, this may be the insurer for you.

Where is Auto Club of Southern California car insurance available?

Map
Table
AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DC DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY
Available
Not available
State
Alabama
Arkansas
California
Hawaii
Illinois
Indiana
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Mississippi
Missouri
New Hampshire
New Mexico
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Texas
Vermont
Virginia
West Virginia

*Some state rates will vary based on the addition of a hurricane deductible and may be much higher when included.

What does Auto Club of Southern California auto insurance cover?

Auto Club of Southern California offers a full range of car insurance policies to meet most drivers' needs. This includes everything from full coverage car insurance to rideshare endorsements and coverage for your classic car.

All primary car insurance coverage options are available:

Additional coverage options:

  • Accidental death benefits
  • Rental reimbursement
  • Extra equipment coverage
  • New car protection
  • Roadside assistance (through AAA)
  • Gap insurance
  • Pet injury coverage

How does the Auto Club of Southern California rank?

Auto Club of Southern California landed in 15th place on our 2024 car insurance company rankings. That puts it at the bottom of the list, although it scored well in some areas. Higher-than-average rates and a higher National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) score contributed to the lower overall score of 3.3 out of 5 stars.

CompanyAM BestJ.D. Power auto claims satisfactionNAIC*Average annual premium(Out of 5)Overall score
Auto Club of Southern CaliforniaA-8892.212.13.30
American FamilyA8821.14.224.01
CSAAA8740.751.003.50
ProgressiveA+8700.653.154.14

*The lower a company’s score, the fewer the number of complaints filed with the NAIC. A score higher than 1.0 means it had a higher-than-average number of complaints.

How much is Auto Club of Southern California auto insurance?

Auto Club of Southern California rates are above average, although lower than its AAA-branded competitor, CSAA. Rates are well above major car insurance companies, with the average annual rate for full coverage with 100/300/100 in liability coverage with $500 deductibles.

CompanyAverage annual rateAverage monthly rate
Auto Club of Southern California$2,301$192
CSAA$2,600$217
Geico$1,763$147
State Farm$1,984$165

Auto Club of Southern California car insurance costs by state

Auto Club of Southern California car insurance policies aren’t available in all states. We gathered a selection of the states in which coverage is available.

Rates with Auto Club of Southern California are cheapest in Illinois, and most expensive in Louisiana.

StateState minimum Liability-onlyFull coverage 100/300/100 with $500 deductibles
California$623$974$2,466
Louisiana$797$1,752$3,743
Missouri$663$1,752$2,346
Texas$564$825$1,983
Illinois$461$450$979

Auto Club of California car insurance costs for teens

As with most companies, teens pay the most for car insurance with Auto Club. At an average of $7,151 a year, teen rates are lower than at competitor CSAA, but both AAA companies are higher than major insurers Geico and State Farm.

Here’s a look at average annual rates for teens as compared to other age groups and different companies for a full coverage policy.

CompanyTeenage drivers aged 16-19Young adults aged 20-2440-year-old adult
Auto Club of Southern California$7,151$3,940$2,301
CSAA$9,399$4,059$2,600
Geico$5,049$2,647$1,763
State Farm$5,368$3,179$1,984

Auto Club of Southern California car insurance costs for adults

From the age of 25 and on, there is little to no difference in the rates for male and female drivers. Rates steadily decline over the years, and are cheapest at age 55, when a male driver will see rates of $2,214 a year on average and a female $2,207 a year.

At age 45, the rates have no difference at all between the genders, averaging $2,292 a year for both.

Here’s a look at the average annual rates by age for Auto Club of Southern California, based on a full coverage policy.

AgeAverage yearly premiums, maleAverage yearly premiums, female
25$2,900$2,830
30$2,410$2,411
35$2,342$2,343
40$2,301$2,300
45$2,292$2,292
50$2,251$2,245
55$2,214$2,207

Auto Club of Southern California car insurance costs for seniors

Auto Club’s rates stay low well into the senior years. While most companies show an uptick in rates around age 65, Auto Club’s rates at 65 are lower than at 55, averaging $2,056 for male drivers and $2,050 for females.

Rates start to climb again around age 70, but are still below what a 40-year-old driver would pay.

Take a look at the average annual rates by age and gender for senior drivers below.

AgeAverage yearly premiums, maleAverage yearly premiums, female
60$2,081$2,081
65$2,056$2,050
70$2,221$2,204
75$2,511$2,483

Auto Club of Southern California car insurance costs by driver profile

Several factors affect your car insurance rates, including your driving record and, in most states, your credit history. Rates at Auto Club increase for tickets, accidents, and poor credit, but poor credit causes the biggest increase.

Take a look at how credit, speeding tickets and accidents affect annual rates with Auto Club of Southern California.

Clean recordAt-fault accidentSpeeding ticket Poor credit rating
$2,301$3,703$3,351$4,967

Auto Club of Southern California auto insurance discounts

Auto Club of Southern California offers a long list of discounts, covering all of the most common discount options. Discounts can make a big difference, especially considering Auto Club’s rates start on the higher side. Car insurance discounts from Auto Club of Southern California include:

  • Accident forgiveness
  • Automatic payments
  • Auto repair, parts and services
  • Distant student 
  • Driver training/defensive driving
  • Good driver
  • Good student
  • Insurance loyalty 
  • Multi-policy
  • Multi-vehicle
  • Safety devices
  • Teen safety 
  • Usage-based/telematics

What do people ask about the Auto Club of Southern California?

What’s the difference between Auto Club of Southern California and CSAA?

Both are AAA-branded companies, but they operate as separate insurance companies with different rates and underwriting standards.

What benefits does AAA membership offer?

AAA members can purchase AAA-branded insurance policies, but the membership comes with more benefits. AAA members received comprehensive roadside assistance as well as discounts in a wide variety of locations, including hotels and other travel-related needs.

Is AAA roadside assistance better?

Unlike roadside assistance on most car insurance policies, AAA roadside assistance follows the driver rather than the car. That means you can use your benefits no matter what car you are driving. It also offers more comprehensive and detailed assistance that includes dead battery services, locksmith services and fuel delivery. However, these benefits do come at a higher cost.

Is Auto Club of Southern California a good auto insurance company?

Auto Club of Southern California ranks well with J.D. Power, fifth overall in the J.D. Power overall home insurance study, which is a good sign. It has a solid financial stability rating from AM Best, indicating it has the ability to meet financial obligations, so you can feel confident your claim will be paid. It does have a higher than expected complaint volume for an insurer of its size with the NAIC; however, overall it gives a positive impression.