Best Car Insurance for the Coast Guard

Even if you have a sense of duty to serve with the Coast Guard, you shouldn’t feel this connection to your insurance company. Unlike other services you might use, you’re not locked into a contract with your insurer. We created a user profile for US Coast Guard personnel and surveyed some top insurance companies. Let’s see which car insurance company is the cheapest.

Being in the Coast Guard can save you approximately $25 per 6-month policy — the greatest discount available based solely on occupation. Although a discount is always nice to have, it’s important to focus on the big picture. While Nationwide's Coast Guard car insurance discount is smaller than that of other companies, its overall premium is the least expensive. While discounts are nice, they may not justify the overall premium.

Deployment can create some unique circumstances for your car insurance coverage. While it may make sense to cancel your car insurance if you’re living away from your vehicle and no one is using it, this can actually have some unanticipated consequences. Let’s break down your options for your auto insurance and vehicle.

Most states have two requirements for your vehicle: that it is registered with your DMV and insured for liability insurance (at a minimum). Although it may make financial sense to cancel your insurance, you risk having your registration suspended, which could result in a fine. We have some solutions for this.

If you’re going to be deployed for a long period of time and want to cancel your car insurance, you either need to cancel your registration or, if your state allows, “pause” it. Pausing insurance involves filling out an Affidavit of Non-Use or a Planned Non-Operation (PNO) to your state’s department of motor vehicles (if allowed under state law). If you agree to an Affidavit of Non-Use, you’re basically agreeing that the vehicle won’t be driven on public roadways and its insurance has been canceled. A PNO means you will not be using your vehicle during the next renewal year. For more information on this, contact your state's DMV.

If you don’t want to totally void your insurance coverage, another option is storage coverage. Let’s explore.

If your insurance company allows it, you could change your insurance coverage to "storage." With this option, all your insurance coverage is dropped minus your comprehensive coverage. Your comprehensive coverage protects your vehicle against theft, vandalism, and weather-related events — damages that can happen if a vehicle is parked in a driveway.

You’ll want to be cautious of any registration-related deadlines. If your registration is up for renewal soon, you should wait until it passes to insure your vehicle under a storage coverage. However, if your state actively monitors registration (looking at you, Texas), you might not be able to do this. In which case, refer back to the non-use clause or the PNO.

Many car insurance companies offer special accommodations for those in the Coast Guard and their family members. Some have programs built entirely around past and present service members, and others reward your Coast Guard service with a discounted rate. Here are some big companies you should consider.

No matter what your job is, you’re probably paying more for auto insurance than you’d prefer. So, here are some additional ways to save on auto insurance - excluding and including military occupation status.

• Double check for multi-policy: keeping all your insurance policies under one insurance company can help reduce the number of companies you have to deal with while providing a favorable multi-policy discount. Consider this if you have a renters/homeowners/life policy.

• Get life insurance: Some auto insurers offer life insurance either directly or through a subsidiary. These insurers typically support multi-policy.

• Shop around: The very best way to make sure you're getting the cheapest rate is to double check for discounts and to shop around every six months. Use The Zebra to shop hundreds of policies at once to find the best rate and coverage for you.