Key Takeaways
- Auto-Owners ranked 12th out of the 134 providers we reviewed comparing cost, reputation, coverage, availability and customer satisfaction.
- Based on our rate data, Auto-Owners Insurance costs an average of $1,898 per year for a full-coverage policy, while minimum coverage averages around $507 per year.
- Overall, Auto-Owners insurance has good customer experiences, low rates and a good coverage selection, making them a good option to consider when comparing car insurance quotes.
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Auto-Owners Car Insurance Review
We rate Auto-Owners Insurance 8.8 stars out of 10 for its extensive coverage policies, impressive financial stability and positive customer reviews. While it’s not quite the top car insurance company, Auto-Owners Insurance performs relatively well across the board.
Auto-Owners Insurance Pros and Cons
Below are some more specific pros and cons of Auto-Owners Insurance:
Pros
Strong customer reviews
Various insurance products
Excellent financial health
Local agents
Cons
Limited availability
Below-average claims process
Limited online presence
Auto-Owners Car Insurance Rating
You can see the category scores Auto-Owners earned in our 2024 auto insurance study and a breakdown of those scores in the table below.
| Rating Category | Score (Out of 10) |
|---|---|
| Industry Reputation | 9.1 |
| Availability | 8.3 |
| Coverage | 8.7 |
| Cost and Discounts | 9.3 |
| Customer Experience | 8.3 |
| Overall Rating | 8.8 |
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How Much Is Auto-Owners Car Insurance?
Rates from Auto-Owners Insurance are around 32% cheaper than the national average when considering both full and minimum coverage quotes. However, their rates will vary depending on your chosen coverage and driver profile, so we’ve broken down their averages for the most common groupings below:
| Cost Category | Average Annual Cost | Savings Compared to the National Average |
| Minimum Coverage | $507 | $362 |
| Full Coverage | $1,898 | $783 |
| Young Drivers* | $2,502 | $1,132 |
| Seniors** | $1,257 | $508 |
| Bad Credit | $3,281 | $1,004 |
| DUI | $2,321 | $390 |
| Accident | $1,691 | $751 |
| Speeding Ticket | $1,658 | $509 |
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Auto-Owners Car Insurance Discounts
It’s pretty easy to find discounts from Auto-Owners Insurance, as the company has a wide array of opportunities to save. Below, we’ll go through some of the most common ones. While you likely won’t get all of these car insurance discounts, most drivers should qualify for at least a few.
| Multi-policy discount | Keeps prices low for motorists who bundle their auto coverage with renters, homeowners, RV, motorcycle, life and commercial insurance |
| Multi-car discount | Offers discounts to those who insure multiple cars under the same auto policy |
| Good student discount | Offers cheaper prices for students with at least a B average |
| Student away at school discount | Reduces premiums if your child leaves their car at home while in college |
| Payment history discount | Gives you cheaper rates if you’ve paid your bill on time for the last 36 months |
| Green discount | Saves you money for choosing paperless billing and paying your bills online |
| Paid-in-full discount | Reduces your premium for paying in full and on time |
| Advance quote discount | Gets you lower rates for requesting your quote before your policy begins |
| Safety feature discount | Rewards drivers with air bags, anti-lock brakes and anti-theft devices in their cars |
| Favorable loss history discount | Gets you a lower rate for having a favorable loss history |
| Life multi-policy discount | Saves you more if you have an Auto-Owners life insurance policy |
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Auto-Owners Car Insurance Coverage
Auto-Owners has all common types of car insurance options that can be modified to fit your needs and the company also offers the following add-ons:
- Road trouble service: Provides roadside assistance benefits such as fuel delivery, battery jump-starts, lockout services and flat tire assistance
- Additional expense coverage: Provides rental car reimbursem*nt and trip interruption benefits for lodging and food costs
- At-fault accident forgiveness: Keeps your rates from going up after your first at-fault accident if you’ve had no at-fault claims or major violations in the last three years
- Diminished value coverage: Compensates you for the loss in value that may occur after your vehicle is involved in an accident
- Loan/lease gap coverage: Pays off the difference between your car’s value and the amount you owe on it after an accident
- Personal Automobile Plus package: Offers 10 additional coverages ranging from cell phone replacement and identity theft protection to lock rekeying
If you’re an Auto-Owners Insurance policyholder, you’ll also earn a common loss deductible if your car and home are both damaged at once. Extra benefits include the extension of your auto insurance policy to rental cars, and the waiving of your collision deductible if the accident involves two vehicles covered by Auto-Owners Insurance.
Where Is Auto-Owners Car Insurance Coverage Available?
You’ll be able to get a car insurance policy from Auto-Owners Insurance if you live in one of the following states:
| Alabama | Iowa | Ohio |
| Arizona | Kansas | Pennsylvania |
| Arkansas | Kentucky | South Carolina |
| Colorado | Michigan | South Dakota |
| Florida | Minnesota | Tennessee |
| Georgia | Missouri | Utah |
| Idaho | Nebraska | Virginia |
| Illinois | North Carolina | Wisconsin |
| Indiana | North Dakota |
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Auto-Owners Car Insurance Reviews and Reputation
There’s a strong focus on personal connections with Auto-Owners Insurance, and drivers seem to largely appreciate the effort. While the car insurance provider has stellar financial health, reviews show some customers wish the company had a stronger online presence.
Drivers who had positive experiences with Auto-Owners Insurance mention helpful representatives and a prompt claims process. On the other hand, some customers speak of disrespectful independent agents and claims adjusters who refuse to entirely cover car damages.
Drivers often take issue with the Auto-Owners Insurance claims process because the company requires people to call their agents instead of filing online. This can make the process take much longer than it might with other insurers, and many policyholders face issues.
Our team reached out to Auto-Owners Insurance for a comment on its customer reviews, claims process and pricing, but did not receive a response.
Drivers who want to view their auto policy information while they’re on the go can download the Auto-Owners mobile app. It receives decent reviews online, with a 3-star rating out of 5 on the App Store and 3.4 stars on Google Play.
Policyholders who download the Auto-Owners mobile app can pay their bills, submit roadside assistance requests and view their insurance ID cards. They can also check the status of claims, though it’s not possible to file claims through the company’s app.
In the J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Insurance Shopping Study℠, drivers rated Auto-Owners Insurance above average for the mid-size insurers category for overall customer satisfaction, with 679 out of a possible 1,000 points. Additionally, the provider scored above average in the J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study℠ with a score of 888 out of 1,000.
Auto-Owners Insurance receives relatively strong reviews. The provider earns 3.9 stars out of 5 on Google. Auto-Owners Insurance receives a much less impressive rating of 1.4 stars out of 5 from customers on the Better Business Bureau (BBB), though it does hold an A+ rating and accreditation from the organization.
We reached out to Auto-Owners for comment on its low BBB customer rating but haven’t yet received a response.
Auto-Owners Insurance: Additional Policy Options
You’ll also be able to choose from the following types of coverage:
- Homeowners insurance
- Renters insurance
- Motorcycle coverage
- Boat insurance
- Umbrella coverage
- Life insurance
- Commercial coverage
Auto-Owners Home Insurance
In addition to car insurance, Auto-Owners also offers a range of home insurance products that policyholders can purchase. These include:
| Dwelling coverage | This provides coverage for your home and any attached structures, like an attached garage or deck. |
| Other structures | This covers other structures on your property that are not attached to your home, such as a detached garage, barn or shed. |
| Personal liability | This covers incidents that occur anywhere in the world and protects against lawsuits for which you may be liable. |
| Personal property | This coverage provides protection for your personal possessions. |
| Medical payments | This protects others who are injured at your home. |
| Additional living expenses | This pays for expenses if you are unable to stay in your home after a covered loss. |
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Auto-Owners Home Insurance Coverage Options
Along with standard home insurance coverage, Auto-Owners also has optional coverages that policyholders can purchase, such as:
- Guaranteed home replacement cost: This covers the full replacement of your home in the event that your coverage limit is too low.
- Water backup of sewers or drains: This helps cover damage caused by backed-up sewers or drains.
- Specialty personal property coverage: This offers coverage for your personal items, including loss or misplacement, staining or defacing.
- Ordinance or law coverage: This type of coverage helps pay to get your home up to code before any construction or repairs take place.
- Homeowners Plus: This coverage builds on your existing policy by combining several coverages into one package, including damage to your property caused by household appliance leaks and increased coverage limits for power failures.
- Equipment breakdown: This covers electrical and mechanical failures of equipment at your home.
- Identify theft expense coverage: This provides up to $15,000 for expenses when you try to restore your financial identity.
- Home cyber protection: This covers the cost for you to hire professional help to recover stolen or corrupted data, restore your device’s functionality and seek legal counsel to review and develop a response for personal data compromise. It also covers financial losses if fraud or extortion payments occur.
- Inland flood coverage: This covers your home, its contents, debris removal, additional living expenses and the cost to move covered property to safety after a flood.
Auto-Owners Life Insurance
Life insurance is a type of policy that offers financial protection for those who may depend on you. Auto-Owners provides five different life insurance policy options, including:
- Term life: This provides a level death benefit for a 10-, 20- or 30-year period. It can help cover family living expenses, children’s education needs, mortgages and business loans.
- Universal life: This type of policy has the advantage of building cash value, which means that it can be withdrawn in the form of a policy surrender or a policy loan.
- Whole life: This provides death benefit coverage up to age 110 and access to guaranteed cash values.
- Annuities: This type of life insurance policy allows you to grow and protect your money to provide a steady stream of income in the future. Payment frequency can vary and they can be structured to make payments for a fixed period of time or dollar amount.
- Disability income: This provides a way for you to earn income while you are disabled from sickness, injury or other disorders.
Auto-Owners Insurance Review: The Bottom Line
If you live in a state where Auto-Owners Insurance offers coverage, it can be worth getting a quote from the company. The insurer’s rates tend to trend below the national average for costs and there are several car insurance options available for you to choose from.
Auto-Owners Insurance Alternatives
Many drivers will find that Auto-Owners Insurance meets their needs well, but it’s always worth it to compare car insurance from multiple providers. That way, you might find stronger coverage at a more affordable rate. For their great records of customer service and savings opportunities, we recommend State Farm and Geico.
State Farm: Best Customer Experience
AM Best financial strength rating: A++
BBB rating: C-
More drivers turn to State Farm than any other car insurance provider, and it’s easy to figure out why. The company offers consistently cheap rates, and teen drivers often find steep discounts. State Farm also has an outstanding financial record and is known for its friendly and accessible agents.
Keep reading our State Farm insurance review to learn more about its low BBB rating and other factors.
Erie Insurance: Best for Basic Insurance Coverage
AM Best financial strength rating: A+
BBB rating: A+
Erie offers some of the most compelling auto insurance plans around due to its superb coverage and generally reasonable prices. The company faces no issues taking care of damages, as its financial strength is solid. If Erie operates in your state, the company is definitely worth taking a look into.
Keep reading: Erie Insurance Review
Auto-Owners Insurance: FAQ
Below are frequently asked questions about Auto-Owners Insurance:
Compared with other regional providers, we found Auto-Owners to be affordable for most drivers on average. Good drivers tend to pay an average of $158 per month or $1,898 per year for a full-coverage policy with the provider. This is far below the national average of $2,681 per year.
According to our research, Auto-Owners is owned by Auto-Owners Insurance Group.
Our research shows that Auto-Owners received an A++ financial strength rating from AM Best, a nationally recognized independent insurance rating authority that provides scoring to companies based on their credit and trustworthiness.
Auto-Owners Insurance offers liability, comprehensive and collision insurance, along with personal injury protection, medical payments insurance and uninsured motorist coverage. Additional coverage types and bundling options include homeowners and renters insurance.
Yes, Auto-Owners Insurance is available in Florida. The company typically offers affordable rates for car insurance to drivers in the Sunshine State.
Auto-Owners Insurance is headquartered in Lansing, Mich., though the company has local agents and offices across the United States.
No, Auto-Owners Insurance is not the same as AAA. Auto-Owners is a separate company that sells auto, home and life insurance. AAA stands for the American Automobile Association, and is a large enterprise that sells services and products across multiple industries. AAA has several insurance groups, such as the Auto Club Property-Casualty Insurance Company.
How We Rated Auto-Owners Insurance
Because consumers rely on us to provide objective and accurate information, we created a comprehensive rating system to formulate our rankings of the best car insurance companies. We collected data on dozens of auto insurance providers to grade the companies on a wide range of ranking factors. The end result was an overall rating for each provider, with the insurers that scored the most points topping the list.
Here are the factors our ratings take into account:
- Coverage (30% of total score): Companies that offer a variety of choices for insurance coverage are more likely to meet consumer needs.
- Cost and Discounts (25% of total score): Auto insurance rate estimates generated by Quadrant Information Services and discount opportunities are both taken into consideration.
- Industry Standing (20% of total score): Our research team considers market share, ratings from industry experts and years in business when giving this score.
- Customer Experience (15% of total score): This score is based on volume of complaints reported by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) and customer satisfaction ratings reported by J.D. Power. We also consider the responsiveness, friendliness and helpfulness of each insurance company’s customer service team based on our own shopper analysis.
- Availability (10% of total score): Auto insurance companies with greater state availability and few eligibility requirements score highest in this category.
Our credentials:
- 800 hours researched
- 130+ companies reviewed
- 8,500+ consumers surveyed
*Data accurate at time of publication.
If you have feedback or questions about this article, please email the MarketWatch Guides team at [email protected].
