GEICO vs. Patriot: Which Company is the Best Fit for You?

Quick Facts

• Based on national averages for car insurance, GEICO offers slightly more affordable rates than Patriot
• GEICO may help you save more money -- they offer more discounts than Patriot Insurance
• Patriot has cheaper premiums for policyholders who are looking to purchase insurance with a spouse

GEICO or Patriot: Which Company has the Cheapest Car Insurance?

Are you considering a new insurance policy? After all, you've seen ads from all sorts of companies offering large savings. But exactly how much can you save by switching?

You might have narrowed your search down to GEICO or Patriot as your top options, but between the two, which one will save you the most?

As you can see, Patriot is around $6 more a month than GEICO when looking at the national average rates for insurance.

That being said, GEICO may not be the cheapest or best option for each driver out there. Auto insurance carriers vary their rates depending on things like how good your credit score is, where you live, how clean your driving record is, how old you are, and a variety of other factors, so premiums will differ quite a bit from person to person.

So, if you want to find out which of GEICO or Patriot is really the best for you, keep reading to see average prices for each carrier broken down by many different rate factors.

GEICO vs. Patriot: Average Car Insurance Rates by State

GEICO and Patriot only compete against each other in three states, with GEICO offering less expensive rates to the average driver in all of them. Maine has the most noticable difference, where GEICO premiums are $86 more affordable than insurance prices at Patriot.

There's a lot more that goes into your car insurance payment than just where you call home. Keep reading to learn more.

Which is the Best Company For Young Drivers?

Young drivers -- especially teens -- generally pay a lot for auto insurance compared to older drivers. Typically, that's because teen drivers are statistically much more likely to get into an accident that results in an insurance claim, making them much riskier to insure.

But still, even with seemingly sky-high rates, teen drivers can still find ways to save money. For example, 18-year-old drivers pay an average of almost 15% less per month by choosing GEICO over Patriot. It's worth noting that GEICO offers insurance in 50 different states compared to Patriot's three, which can skew the average premiums a bit, but the difference here is still considerable.

But both companies will offer you dramatically lower prices by the time you turn 25. Patriot offers the steepest decrease, with 25-year-olds paying less than half what 18-year-old drivers are charged. That being said, GEICO still has the lowest premiums at $163 per month.

Which is the Best Company for Retired Drivers?

Drivers around retirement age normally enjoy some of the cheapest car insurance prices out there. After all, they've likely been driving for quite some time, which usually decreases their chances of collisions and other infractions that can raise rates.

When looking at GEICO and Patriot specifically, which company is best for retired drivers? Patriot gets the edge, with premiums for drivers 65 and older nearly 15% less expensive than the national average for GEICO.

Which is the Best Company for Married Drivers?

You may not be aware, but insurance prices tend to be cheaper for married couples than they are for single drivers. That's because policies for married policyholders normally cover several vehicles, which many carriers will give you a discount for.

When it comes to relationship status, GEICO is the winner for those who are single, with rates about 7% a month more affordable than Patriot, on average.

GEICO or Patriot: Average Rates by Gender

Men are statistically more likely than women to get into collisions and get speeding tickets, which means they'll typically end up paying more for auto insurance than women.

Typically, men see premiums around $10 per month higher with GEICO, but with Patriot, the difference is closer to $18 a month.

When it comes to the lowest rates for each gender, GEICO offers the most affordable average prices for both men and women. On average, male drivers save about $11 per month and women save about $1 with GEICO compared to the average Patriot policyholder.

GEICO vs. Patriot: Compare State Minimum vs. Full Coverage Rates

*State minimum value indicates liability-only policies at each state's minimum bodily injury and property damage (BI/PD) limits

**Full coverage indicates state minimum BI/PD limits with collision and comprehensive coverages added to policy.

For most people, car insurance isn't the easiest topic to understand. There are a bunch of different coverages that account for a range of different things. Some protect you and your car, while others only provide coverage for other people's property and health if you cause a collision.

The two most common policies that drivers look at fall into two categories -- liability coverage (which provides bodily injury and property damage coverage for other drivers and passengers if you cause an accident) and full coverage (which includes collision and comprehensive coverages that protect your own car, in addition to what you get with liability coverage).

When it comes to state minimum liability limits, Patriot has the edge, while GEICO offers the cheapest average premiums for full coverage policies with similar coverage limits. Policyholders looking for basic state minimum coverage can save around $20 with Patriot Insurance, while full coverage comes out to be around $35 less expensive with GEICO.

Is GEICO or Patriot Better for Drivers with Spotty Records?

It's no secret -- drivers with good records end up getting the best deals on their insurance. But that's not to say you can't save money if you don't have the best driving record, either.

You'll probably end up paying more with speeding tickets and at-fault accidents on your record, but which of these two companies offers the lowest prices to drivers with less-than-ideal driving records?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Speeding Tickets?

Drivers who use GEICO for their car insurance can generally expect their monthly bill to go up about 23% after getting a speeding ticket. Patriot policyholders can expect a less drastic increase of around 21%.

Even so, Patriot is usually the cheaper option for drivers both with a ticket and with a clean record, offering rates that are $31 and $43 less expensive, respectively, compared to GEICO.

Which Company is Best for Drivers After an Accident?

After an accident, drivers who have their auto insurance through GEICO can expect to see about an $85 -- or around 43% -- rise in their insurance premiums. Drivers who use Patriot for their car insurance will see a monthly bill about $19 (or 18%) more expensive after reporting a collision to their auto insurance carrier.

At the end of the day, Patriot offers the most affordable prices for drivers with an at-fault collision on their records, with average rates coming in at $103 compared to GEICO's $200.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with a DUI?

On average, a DUI offense is going to cost you much more than a single accident or speeding ticket when it comes to your car insurance bill. Patriot drivers usually see a 82% increase in their auto insurance prices after a DUI charge, while GEICO will generally raise premiums by around 58%.

GEICO has the overall cheapest rates for drivers with a DUI on their records at $275 a month, but it's worth noting that GEICO's average rates come from 50 states compared to just three for Patriot, so the data may be skewed slightly.

How does Credit Score Impact GEICO and Patriot Rates?

In many cases, your credit score can be used as one of the variables to determine your monthly insurance prices. This isn't true for everyone (Massachusetts, for example, has banned the use of credit score as a car insurance factor) but it does affect quite a few policyholders out there.

Car insurance carriers argue that someone with good credit is more likely to pay their bills on time, which makes them less risky to insure. Because of that, drivers with good credit will often be rewarded with more affordable rates.

So, which company offers the lowest premiums for policyholders with poor, average, or good credit?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Good Credit?

If you have a solid credit score, GEICO will usually reward you the most. For drivers with "excellent" credit scores, GEICO comes in nearly 18.13 cheaper. Drivers with "good" credit scores normally save about 4% with GEICO compared to average prices from Patriot.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Bad Credit?

Patriot typically offers lower rates than GEICO when it comes to drivers with less-than-stellar credit. Drivers with "fair" credit pay around 5% a month less with Patriot compared to GEICO, and those with "poor" scores typically save an average of about 2% monthly.

Is GEICO or Patriot Better for Drivers who Work from Home or Have Short Commutes?

How much you drive can have a big impact on your monthly premiums. Generally, the more milage you drive, the more you can expect to pay for auto insurance.

As you can see in the table above, annual mileage doesn't have much of an impact on how much Patriot charges. However, there's a small difference in monthly rates for GEICO, with policyholders who drive 6,000 miles every year paying around $8 less each month compared to those who drive 12,000 miles yearly. Still, for drivers in both categories, GEICO is the less expensive carrier.

GEICO or Patriot: Compare Rates for Urban, Suburban, and Rural Drivers

Where your home is can play a considerable role in how much you pay for insurance. Typically, if you live in an urban area with more cars on the road, you'll pay a little more for car insurance, while the opposite is true for people in rural areas.

When comparing these two companies side-by-side, GEICO usually comes out as the cheaper option for drivers in rural and suburban areas, while Patriot wins in urban areas.

For policyholders in urban ZIP codes, Patriot Insurance's average prices are about $18 less than GEICO. People who live in suburban areas pay around $13 less with GEICO compared to Patriot. Those in rural areas can expect to save about $24 with GEICO compared to Patriot.

GEICO vs. Patriot Discounts

You want to save as much money as you can, right? The best way to do that is by utilizing as many auto insurance discounts as possible.

But with what seems like a million different discounts out there, it can be challenging to nail down the carrier that has the most discounts for your unique driver profile and to find all the discounts you're eligible for.

Luckily, we did the hard work for you and broke down all of the different discounts offered by both GEICO and Patriot so that you can see which company can save you the most money each month.

GEICO knocks Patriot out of the park when it comes to the sheer number of discounts available, offering 17 more discounts than Patriot.

A couple of those are overlapping for things like full coverage discounts, discounts for being a good driver, and paid in full discounts. GEICO also offers discounts for ABS, anti-theft, commercial drivers license, and more.

On the other hand, Patriot has a few proprietary discounts of their own for things like advance quote discounts, life policy discounts, and renewal discounts.

Final Thoughts: Is GEICO or Patriot Best for You?

So, you've seen how different factors can affect your insurance rates. We've broken down the different discounts each company offers, too. That's all well and good, but at the end of the day, which insurance carrier is the best carrier for you and your specific needs?

GEICO might be best for you if....

• You will be the only person on the auto insurance policy.
• You have above-average credit.
• You want to save money while purchasing insurance for a teenager.

Patriot might be best for you if...

• You have a clean record.
• Your credit is below-average.
• Your home is in a busy urban area.

Hopefully, this guide helps you get a better idea of the difference between GEICO and Patriot and that it aids in making a more informed decision about your car insurance.

At the end of the day, the best way to make sure you're getting the best deal on your auto insurance policy is to compare quotes from several carriers, not just GEICO and Patriot. Luckily, Compare.com does all the hard work for you. Simply enter your ZIP codes below and get multiple free quotes from some of the best insurance companies in your area, all in just a few minutes.

GEICO vs. Patriot FAQs

Is GEICO or Patriot cheaper?

GEICO is the more affordable of the two carriers when looking at national average premiums, with policies averaging $185 per month with GEICO and $191 for Patriot. However, that doesn't mean GEICO will be the lowest company for every driver, since there are lots of different variables that come into play when it comes to your car insurance bill.

Who is better, GEICO or Patriot?

Sadly, the answer truly is "it depends.". No one carrier is "better" for everyone -- it all boils down to your unique auto insurance profile. For example, Patriot is less expensive for drivers who have already retired, while GEICO offers cheaper prices for single drivers.

Why do GEICO and Patriot offer me different rates?

Car insurance companies use several different factors when determining the rates they charge. Things like age, gender, your driving record, where you park your vehicle, and sometimes even things like your credit score can all be used. Both GEICO and Patriot calculate premiums using different variables, so it's likely they'll offer different prices. The best way to determine which company is the most affordable for you is by comparing personalized quotes from several different carriers.

How do I know if GEICO or Patriot is right for me?

The only way to find the insurance carrier that's right for you is by getting quotes from multiple companies and finding the one best suited for your individual budget. Luckily, Compare.com makes it easy for you to do just that. Just enter your information once and you'll get quotes from dozens of your local top auto insurance carriers for free. That way, you can guarantee you're getting the best premium. And maybe you'll find that the best company for you isn't GEICO or Patriot at all, but another you hadn't even thought of!

Methodology

All of the data referenced in this article has been gathered in collaboration with Quadrant Information Services. We analyzed more than 2.5 million rows of carrier-reported data to calculate the average rates referenced above. All rates are based on an insurance profile of a single-vehicle policy for a driver that owns a 2016 Honda Accord. For more information on how we calculate rates, please reference our data methodology.