Metromile vs Geico (2026): Metromile No Longer Sells New Policies, So Geico Wins for Nearly Every Shopper
Key Takeaways
- Metromile stopped writing new policies after Lemonade acquired it in July 2022. Anyone shopping “Metromile” in 2026 is actually shopping Lemonade’s pay-per-mile product, which is sold in just three states: Arizona, Oregon, and Washington.
- Geico is available in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., with full coverage running roughly $1,867 to $1,920 a year on average, according to AutoInsurance.com and U.S. News, both below the national average of around $1,924 to $2,564.
- Legacy Metromile pricing (base rate plus $0.02 to $0.07 per mile) could beat Geico for drivers under 7,500 to 10,000 annual miles, but that pricing structure now only applies to Lemonade customers in AZ, OR, and WA.
- Geico holds an A++ financial strength rating from AM Best; Lemonade, Metromile’s parent, has no AM Best rating at all, according to Insurify.
- Geico’s NAIC complaint index lands anywhere from 0.75 to 1.42 depending on the source and year, while Insurify reports Lemonade has a higher-than-average complaint volume for its size.
Typing “Metromile” into a search bar in 2026 leads somewhere unexpected: Lemonade’s website. When you’re comparing Metromile vs Geico this year, the answer for most shoppers is straightforward: Geico is the only one of the two still selling new auto insurance policies nationwide, and for drivers outside Arizona, Oregon, or Washington, it’s the only option between the two at all.
Geico wins on availability, financial strength, and price for the vast majority of drivers. Metromile’s pay-per-mile concept survives only inside Lemonade’s car insurance product, and only in three states.
NerdWallet and Insurify both confirm that Lemonade acquired Metromile in July 2022 and has since retired the Metromile brand, migrating existing customers onto Lemonade policies. AutoInsurance.com notes that Metromile originally sold in eight states (Arizona, California, Illinois, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington) before the acquisition; TrustMyPolicy reports that under Lemonade, the pay-per-mile product now covers just Arizona, Oregon, and Washington, while Lemonade sells traditional flat-rate coverage in Illinois, Ohio, Tennessee, and Texas. U.S. News and AutoInsurance.com both put Geico’s average full coverage rate in the $1,867 to $1,920 per year range, well under the national averages they cite. Insure.com and MoneyGeek separately confirm Geico as one of the cheapest large national carriers, though reviewers disagree on Geico’s complaint volume: AutoInsurance.org reports a 1.42 NAIC index (worse than average), while Insurify and MoneyGeek report 0.75 and 0.79 (better than average) in more recent pulls.
Metromile and Geico at a glance
| Factor | Metromile (now Lemonade) | Geico | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Availability | 3 states for pay-per-mile (AZ, OR, WA); 4 more for flat-rate Lemonade policies | All 50 states plus D.C. | Geico |
| Pricing model | Base rate (about $29 to $30/mo) plus $0.02 to $0.07 per mile | Flat monthly premium regardless of mileage | Depends on mileage |
| Avg. annual full coverage cost | About $782/year historically for low-mileage Metromile drivers | $1,867 to $1,920/year | Metromile-style pricing, for low-mileage drivers only |
| AM Best financial strength | Not rated (Lemonade) | A++ (Superior) | Geico |
| New policies being written | Only in AZ/OR/WA, under the Lemonade brand | Yes, nationwide | Geico |
| Discounts | Limited; app-based savings only | Military (up to 15%), federal employee Eagle Discount (up to 12%), good student, defensive driving, multi-policy, and more | Geico |
Sample rates only; actual quotes vary by state, vehicle, driving record, and other factors.
Is Metromile still around in 2026?
Metromile no longer exists as an independent insurance company. Lemonade completed its acquisition of Metromile in July 2022, according to Business Wire’s official acquisition announcement, and has since folded Metromile’s technology and customer base into its own car insurance product. NerdWallet’s review confirms Metromile no longer sells policies under its own name; anyone requesting a Metromile quote today is directed to Lemonade. Existing Metromile policyholders can still manage coverage and file claims, but they’re doing so as Lemonade customers.
Where can you actually buy pay-per-mile coverage from the Metromile team?
According to TrustMyPolicy’s rundown of pay-per-mile providers, Metromile’s pay-per-mile coverage is only available in three states as of 2026: Arizona, Oregon, and Washington. Lemonade also sells traditional flat-rate car insurance (not pay-per-mile) in Illinois, Ohio, Tennessee, and Texas, with California, Colorado, and Indiana appearing in some listings as the footprint expands.
Is Geico or Metromile cheaper?
It depends entirely on how much you drive, and increasingly on where you live. AutoInsurance.com’s historical data put Metromile’s average annual rate at $782, less than half the national average of $1,924 it cites, largely because Metromile only ever attracted low-mileage drivers who benefited from the base-rate-plus-per-mile structure. SaveMaxAuto describes that structure as a base rate of roughly $20 to $40 a month plus $0.02 to $0.07 per mile, meaning a driver who logs under 8,000 miles a year is almost always going to see a lower bill than a flat-rate policy would produce.
Geico doesn’t price by mileage at all. U.S. News puts Geico’s average annual rate at $1,920, while AutoInsurance.com calculates $1,867 a year ($156 a month) for full coverage and $558 a year ($46 a month) for minimum coverage. Insure.com separately reports an average monthly premium of $179, about 7% below the national average it tracked. For high-mileage drivers, or anyone outside Metromile’s three remaining pay-per-mile states, Geico’s flat rate is the only realistic option and one of the cheaper ones on the market.
| Annual mileage | Likely cheaper option | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2,500 miles | Pay-per-mile (Lemonade/Metromile-style), if available in your state | Base rate plus a small per-mile charge stays well under a flat premium |
| 2,500 to 7,500 miles | Pay-per-mile, still likely cheaper | Per-mile charges remain modest at this volume |
| 7,500 to 10,000 miles | Close call, get quotes from both | Per-mile charges start eating into the base-rate advantage |
| Over 10,000 to 13,476 miles (the national average, per Federal Highway Administration data) | Geico | Flat pricing beats accumulating per-mile charges |
Sample rates only; actual quotes vary by state, vehicle, driving record, and other factors.
Metromile insurance review: how does the pay-per-mile pricing actually work?
A Metromile insurance review in 2026 is really a review of Lemonade’s pay-per-mile insurance product, since that’s what the legacy brand became. There are two types of charges that apply to Metromile insurance rates. The first is a flat base rate set by a driver’s profile: location, vehicle, marital status, and driving record, according to AutoInsurance.com. The second is a per-mile charge, tracked either through a plug-in OBD-II device called the Pulse or through app-based tracking under Lemonade. SaveMaxAuto notes that the device also collects driving data Lemonade uses to speed up claims processing, and that there’s no evidence it drains a vehicle’s battery, addressing a common concern among shoppers considering pay-permile insurance for the first time.
How does Geico’s coverage and claims process compare?
Geico runs on a traditional model: a fixed monthly premium based on estimated annual mileage, driving history, vehicle, and location that doesn’t change based on how much you actually drive that month. SaveMaxAuto notes Geico has decades of claims infrastructure, a 24/7 claims line, physical offices in some states, and a widely used mobile app. J.D. Power’s satisfaction data is mixed: AutoInsurance.org cites a 2023 claims satisfaction score of 871 out of 1,000 against an industry average of 878, while Insurify describes Geico as ranking “around or below average” in more recent studies. That puts Geico roughly in line with the industry rather than a standout on claims satisfaction, even though it’s a standout on price.
What discounts does each company offer?
This is one area where the two insurers don’t compare, with Geico offering one of the largest discount menus in the industry. WalletHub lists a military discount of up to 15% for active duty, retired, National Guard, and Reserve members; an emergency deployment discount of up to 25%; and the Eagle Discount, worth up to 12%, for current and retired federal employees at GS-7 level or above, according to FinanceBuzz. Geico also offers good student discounts (up to 15% for students maintaining a B average), defensive driving course discounts, and multi-policy bundling. Metromile’s legacy discount structure was thin by comparison, built mostly around the app experience itself: street sweeping alerts, a vehicle locator, and a check engine light decoder, which TrustMyPolicy describes as genuinely useful for city drivers but which don’t translate into premium reductions the way Geico’s affinity discounts do.
Which one should you choose?
If you live in Arizona, Oregon, or Washington and drive under 7,500 miles a year, get a quote from Lemonade’s pay-per-mile product before assuming Geico is cheaper. Retirees, remote workers, and secondary-vehicle owners in those three states are exactly the profile pay-per-mile pricing was built for.
All other types of drivers should default to Geico. That includes every driver outside those three states, every high-mileage driver regardless of location, and anyone who values a financially strong insurer: Geico’s A++ AM Best rating means Geico has one of the highest financial strength ratings a carrier can hold, while Lemonade carries no AM Best rating at all, according to Insurify. Families with multiple vehicles, drivers who qualify for military or federal employee discounts, and anyone who wants a nationwide claims network should also lean toward Geico.
Frequently asked questions
Is Metromile still a real insurance company?
No, not as an independent brand. Lemonade acquired Metromile in July 2022 and has since retired the name. Existing policyholders were transitioned to Lemonade, and new policies are sold under the Lemonade brand.
Is Metromile owned by Geico?
No. Metromile is owned by Lemonade, a separate insurance company that acquired it in 2022. Geico is a Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary and has no ownership connection to Metromile or Lemonade.
Why was Metromile so cheap?
Because it charged by the mile instead of a flat monthly rate. AutoInsurance.com’s data put Metromile’s historical average annual rate at $782, less than half the national average, largely because the pricing model only attracted drivers who logged relatively few miles a year.
Is Geico cheaper than Metromile?
For high-mileage drivers, generally yes. For low-mileage drivers in Arizona, Oregon, or Washington who can still access Lemonade’s pay-per-mile pricing, the per-mile model often comes out cheaper. Outside those three states, Geico is the only option of the two.
The bottom line
Metromile vs Geico isn’t really a head-to-head anymore. Metromile stopped existing as an independent insurer in 2022, and its pay-per-mile pricing now lives on only inside Lemonade, only in three states. Geico is the nationwide, financially stronger, more heavily discounted option, and it’s the only realistic choice for the large majority of drivers researching this comparison in 2026. Low-mileage drivers in Arizona, Oregon, or Washington are the exception worth checking. Whichever direction you lean, compare quotes from at least three carriers before you buy. Rates for the same driver can vary by hundreds of dollars a year between companies, and the only way to know your actual cost is to get quotes side by side.
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