AAA (CSAA Insurance Group) auto insurance

Overview

CSAA Insurance Group is one of the three large insurance groups behind AAA-branded car insurance. It ranked #13 among U.S. private passenger auto insurers by 2025 direct premiums written according to NAIC market share data, with $5.07 billion in auto premiums and a 1.37% national share. Headquartered in Walnut Creek, California, it reports more than $8 billion in revenue and more than 3,500 employees, and its policies are issued by CSAA Insurance Exchange.

CSAA sells only to AAA members, through insurance agents in AAA club branch offices, by phone and online. It is not publicly traded and, in its own words, does not answer to stockholders. The company's current president and CEO is Mike Zukerman.

Which AAA regions CSAA serves

AAA is a federation of independent regional clubs, and each club chooses who underwrites its members' insurance. That is why a AAA policy in Sacramento, Los Angeles and Detroit can come from three different companies (see AAA car insurance: how the clubs and their insurers work). CSAA describes its footprint as AAA members in 23 states and D.C.:

• Whole states: Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Montana, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming and Washington, D.C. Its clubs-and-counties page also lists Alaska.
• Part of the state: Northern and Central California, and selected counties of Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.

Two of the clubs it underwrites for are AAA Mountain West Group, which serves members in Alaska, Arizona, Northern California, Montana, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming, and AAA Club Alliance, whose territory includes all or part of Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma and D.C. AAA Club Alliance's agency also sells policies from other insurers, so not every AAA policy sold there is a CSAA policy.

Members of other clubs are insured elsewhere. Southern California AAA members, and Texas members, are served by Auto Club Enterprises, the Automobile Club of Southern California's insurance group. Michigan, Florida and much of the Upper Midwest are served by The Auto Club Group.

History

CSAA traces its insurance business to 1914 and grew out of the California State Automobile Association, the Northern California AAA club. CSAA says it has been rated A or better by AM Best for more than 90 years. Over time it expanded from Northern California to underwrite for other AAA clubs, and it now has offices in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Jersey, Oklahoma and Delaware.

The last few years were difficult. AM Best reported significant underwriting losses in 2023 from higher auto claim frequency and severity, weather and inflation, along with reserve strengthening that reduced capital. CSAA raised rates, tightened risk selection and, in February 2025, issued $500 million of surplus notes to rebuild capital.

Auto insurance coverage

CSAA's AAA auto policies include liability, collision, comprehensive, uninsured/underinsured motorist and medical payments or personal injury protection where required. Optional coverages listed by AAA Mountain West Group include rental car coverage at a set daily amount and New Car Added Protection, which pays to replace a new car without deducting for depreciation (similar to new car replacement). Coverage details vary by club and state.

The main extra is the AAA membership itself, which is required to buy. Membership brings AAA's emergency roadside service, repair discounts and, at some clubs, DMV services; it is separate from insurance-based roadside assistance coverage. AAA members also get a 10% discount on Safelite glass repair, according to AAA Mountain West Group.

Discounts and programs

Discounts vary by club and state. AAA Mountain West Group lists:

• Good driver: up to 20% for drivers with clean records and at least 36 months of driving experience.
• Multi-car: up to 15.7%.
• Home and auto bundle: up to 12.7%.
• Good student: up to 7% for unmarried drivers 16 to 25 with a B average.
• AAA membership: up to 5% for an active membership.

AAA Club Alliance also cites membership loyalty and persistency discounts. CSAA does not publish a single national discount list, so quotes should be compared club by club.

Claims

CSAA's claims line, 800-922-8228, is also its Northern California customer service number and is staffed 24 hours a day. Members outside Northern California can find a state-specific service number on CSAA's contact page. CSAA runs a Direct Repair Network of approved body shops, and policyholders can manage payments, documents and ID cards through MyPolicy.

In the J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study, CSAA scored 720, sixth of 20 insurers and above the study average of 700.

Ratings and reputation

CSAA announced on July 23, 2026, that AM Best had reaffirmed its A (Excellent) financial strength rating with a stable outlook. In July 2025 AM Best had moved the outlook to stable from negative, citing improved balance sheet metrics after the 2023 losses.

Customer satisfaction is above average. In the J.D. Power 2026 U.S. Auto Insurance Study, CSAA ranked highest in the Southwest (653, its third straight year), third in the Mid-Atlantic (685) and seventh of 16 in California (643, above the regional average of 633).

Who it suits

CSAA suits AAA members in its territory who value the membership bundle and want strong claims service from a company that is not run for shareholders. It is not an option if you live outside CSAA's clubs or do not want to pay for a AAA membership, and because discounts and coverages are set club by club, a quote in one state may not resemble a quote in another.

• Strengths: Above-average J.D. Power claims score (720) and a first-place Southwest ranking in 2026; AAA roadside and membership benefits alongside the policy; financially rated A (Excellent) with a stable outlook.
• Weaknesses: Requires a paid AAA membership; available only to members of the clubs it underwrites for, in 23 states and D.C., often covering only part of a state; underwriting losses in 2023 led to large rate increases and a period on negative outlook.

How to contact AAA (CSAA Insurance Group)