AAA (Auto Club Enterprises) auto insurance

Overview

"AAA insurance" is not one company. AAA is a federation of regional motor clubs, and each club arranges its own insurance; see AAA car insurance: how the clubs and their insurers work. This profile covers the largest group, Auto Club Enterprises (ACE), led by the Automobile Club of Southern California. The Auto Club Enterprises Insurance Group ranked #9 among U.S. private passenger auto insurers by 2025 direct premiums written, with $7.05 billion and a 1.90% market share, according to NAIC market share data. Two other AAA insurance groups in the top 20 are profiled separately: CSAA Insurance Group and The Auto Club Group.

ACE describes itself as the largest federation of AAA clubs, with about 18 million members. Its lead insurer, the Interinsurance Exchange of the Automobile Club, is a reciprocal insurance exchange domiciled in California and based at 3333 Fairview Road in Costa Mesa. In Texas, AAA auto policies are written by Auto Club County Mutual Insurance Company, a county mutual insurance company; other group insurers include Auto Club Casualty Company, Auto Club Family Insurance Company, Auto Club Indemnity Company and Motor Club Insurance Company.

ACE lists 20 states where its insurers offer coverage: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia. In California the club serves 13 southern counties, from San Luis Obispo, Kern and Inyo south to San Diego and Imperial. You generally must buy a separate AAA membership to get and renew a policy. Sales and service run through AAA branches — 81 in Southern California alone, with more than 850 sales agents — plus call centers and the web.

History

Ten Los Angeles-area businessmen and professionals founded the Automobile Club of Southern California in 1900. The club put up road signs for motorists (1906), published maps from 1909, issued license plates as an agent of the state from 1908 and launched emergency roadside service in 1924. Its affiliated Inter-Insurance Exchange began insuring Auto Club members in 1912; California records show it authorized on October 1, 1912. The club started its Approved Auto Repair program in 1970 and added homeowners insurance in the 1980s.

Over time the club moved its leadership from its historic Los Angeles headquarters to administrative offices in Costa Mesa and acquired motor clubs in Texas, New Mexico and Hawaii; further affiliations created Auto Club Enterprises. On March 31, 2024, the exchange closed its purchase of Wawanesa General Insurance Company, the U.S. subsidiary of Canada's Wawanesa Mutual, a direct-to-consumer insurer in California. That company was renamed W Insurance on August 18, 2026.

Auto insurance coverage

AAA auto policies from ACE include liability, collision, comprehensive, uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage for both injuries and vehicle damage, and medical payments or personal injury protection depending on the state. Rental reimbursement is available as an added coverage. Membership itself brings roadside assistance — towing, battery and lockout help — which is separate from the insurance policy.

Discounts and programs

ACE's published California discounts give a sense of its pricing:

• Auto + home: up to 15.7% off auto (and up to 20% off home); auto + condo up to 11.2%; auto + renters up to 3.7%; auto + home + life up to 19.4%
• Multi-vehicle: up to 27.3% on select coverages
• Good driver: up to 20% on all coverages
• Verified mileage: up to 19.1%, depending on annual mileage, for supplying odometer readings when requested
• Student away at school (100+ miles, without a car): up to 46.7% on select coverages; good student up to 14.3%; driver training up to 4.7%
• Loyalty (one year with the exchange) up to 5.6%; select professions and alumni associations up to 7.4%; qualifying car clubs up to 5%

Anti-theft device discounts are also offered. ACE's auto insurance pages do not advertise a telematics app program; the verified-mileage discount is the main mileage-based saving. Discounts and amounts differ in other states.

Claims

Claims can be reported 24/7 online, through the AAA Auto Club app or at 1-800-67-CLAIM (800-672-5246). ACE steers repairs to AAA Member Preferred collision shops nationwide, a form of direct repair program, and members can also use AAA Approved Auto Repair facilities (800-713-0003) for mechanical work. Roadside assistance is available around the clock at 800-400-4222. After the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires, the Auto Club added in-person claims help at its Pasadena and Santa Monica branches and at disaster recovery centers, and extended payment due dates for the hardest-hit members.

Ratings and reputation

Financial strength. AM Best's profile of the group's lead exchange shows the A+ (Superior) rating affirmed again effective April 29, 2026. Earlier, on April 25, 2024, AM Best affirmed the A+ (Superior) financial strength rating of the Auto Club Enterprises Insurance Group but lowered its long-term issuer credit rating to "aa-" from "aa," citing weaker earnings in 2022 and 2023 from rising claim frequency and costs and Midwest weather losses, while rating its balance sheet "strongest." That was the most recent published AM Best action found; ACE continues to advertise its A+ rating.

California. On May 1, 2026, the Auto Club of Southern California said it had filed rates under the California Department of Insurance's Sustainable Insurance Strategy and that it "never stopped writing new business" in the state. Greg Backley was the Auto Club's president and CEO at the time of the January 2025 wildfires.

Customer satisfaction. ACE scores near the top of J.D. Power's studies. In the 2026 U.S. Auto Insurance Study, the Automobile Club of Southern CA (AAA) ranked highest in Texas (673), second in California (677) — one point behind Wawanesa, which ACE owns — and fourth in the Central region (647). It had ranked first in California in 2024 and 2025. In the J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study it scored 726, fifth of 20 and well above the 700 average.

Who it suits

AAA through Auto Club Enterprises suits drivers who already value AAA membership and want one organization for roadside help, travel services and insurance, with in-person branches for service. Its satisfaction scores are among the best of any large insurer in California and Texas. The catches are geography and membership: it is only for members of ACE clubs, and drivers elsewhere, including Northern California, are served by other AAA clubs and insurers.

• Strengths: Top J.D. Power ranking in Texas and second in California in 2026; fifth of 20 for claims in 2025; branch network and bundled roadside service; large multi-policy and multi-vehicle discounts.
• Weaknesses: Requires a separate AAA membership; limited to ACE club territories; no advertised telematics program; AM Best issuer credit rating cut to "aa-" in April 2024 after two weak years.

How to contact AAA (Auto Club Enterprises)