Coronavirus Car Insurance Rebates for the Road Less Traveled

The coronavirus pandemic has torpedoed the economy, our health care system and our everyday lives, but here’s some good news: There’s a good chance you’ll pay less for your car insurance.

With fewer drivers on the road, and therefore fewer claims, U.S. auto insurers are lowering insurance rates, through credits against future premiums or refunds of money already paid. American Family Insurance (opens in new tab), which writes policies mainly in the Midwest, was the first insurer to act, offering one-time $50 refunds for each insured vehicle. Since then, all of the major auto insurers have offered some form of relief. And more discounts could be coming if millions of Americans continue to work from home and avoid non-essential travel. A study by the Consumer Federation of America (opens in new tab), an advocacy group, and the Center for Economic Justice (opens in new tab), an insurance, credit and utilities advocacy group, concluded that the relief offered so far is insufficient given the likely drop in insurance claims.

Insurers have adopted different approaches to premium relief. For example, Allstate (opens in new tab) and Liberty Mutual (opens in new tab) granted 15% refunds on premiums for April and May, while Geico (opens in new tab) announced a 15% refund, but only as customers’ policies come up for renewal between April 8 and October 7, 2020. State Farm (opens in new tab), the largest U.S. auto insurer, said customers can expect to receive a credit of about 25% on premiums paid from March 20 through May 31. USAA (opens in new tab) will provide a 20% credit on two months of premiums while Progressive and Farmers announced a 20% and 25% refund, respectively, for the month of April.

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If your mileage has decreased significantly and your insurer hasn’t offered any refunds or credits, contact your provider and ask for a rate that reflects your lower risk, says Doug Heller, insurance consultant for the Consumer Federation of America (opens in new tab). If you’re unable to get results, don’t cancel your policy until you’ve found one to replace it. In most states, if you go without coverage, insurance companies will charge you more once you return to the market, he says.