Geico is most famous for their creative advertising and television commercials, and their little gecko mascot has made them one of the most widely-known companies in the nation. Geico stands for Government Employees Insurance Company, and for much of its early history that was their target market. In 1974, under new leadership, Geico began offering insurance to the general public. However, a rate of rapid expansion led to a massive loss of revenue, and the company was forced to reorganize and downsize.

• Service coverage
• Coverage features
• Price range
• Discounts
• Mobile app

Service Coverage

Geico provides auto insurance to residents in all 50 states.

Coverage Features

They offer a great selection of policy types, including all the features we like to see:

• Bodily Injury
• Medical Payments
• Uninsured
• Comprehensive
• Collision
• Property
• Emergency Road Service
• Rental Reimbursement
• Mechanical Breakdown Insurance

In addition to the standard coverage options, they also offer more specific options such as mechanical breakdown coverage and windshield replacement.

Price Range

Geico auto polices cost $78.10.

Discounts

There are almost too many discounts to count, as organization affiliations and a host of other factors are taken into account, but it is safe to say there are at least 15:

• Air bag
• Anti-lock brake system
• Anti-theft
• Daytime running lights
• 5-year accident free good driver
• Seat belt use
• Defensive driving
• Driver's education
• Good student
• Emergency deployment
• Military
• Membership and employee
• Federal employee
• Multi-car
• Multi-policy

Mobile App

Geico's free mobile phone app for iPhones and Android phones is remarkably well-reviewed. In fact, it is among the highest reviewed insurance apps on the market on both platforms. Android customers give it an overall rating of 4.6 out of 5, while iPhone users give the current version of the app a solid 5. Users love the fact that the app gives them full access to their insurance. From filing claims to requesting road assistance, there really isn't much this app doesn't do, and the interface is well designed. Honestly, this is the best insurance app we've seen out of all major insurance companies.

• Poor transparency
• Potential rate hikes

Poor Transparency

It should be pointed out that while Geico has thousands of customer reviews on their own website, the overall rating of these reviews is much higher than on other review sites, which is interesting. It is possible that some negative reviews are censored, though there is no proof of that. What is clear is that the customer reviews on the Geico website lean heavily toward 5-star reviews, and while there are some 1-star reviews, there are very few rants from angry customers. This is not the case on many independent review websites, where Geico receives plenty of criticism.

Potential Rate Hikes

One common criticism is that Geico sometimes hikes insurance premium rates without explanation. Individual rate hikes can be steep and sometimes occur for no clear reason. Policyholders who have called customer service to inquire about rate hikes have in many cases simply been told that their policy was reevaluated. Whatever the case, the reevaluation process needs to be clarified. Customers should have at least some small idea of what to expect.

Anyone who is in the market for affordable insurance would do well to check out Geico. This is especially true of drivers with good credit and a clean driving record, in which case it is possible to find some of the most affordable premiums on the market.

Geico does not offer the most extensive array of coverage options, and in fact is lacking a few of the popular options, such as gap coverage. However, they do have a few good discounts, including some fairly unique ones. Their mobile phone app is the best on the market, user friendly and full of helpful features. Overall, this is a solid insurance company offering competitive rates and convenience.