Auto-Owners Insurance Review | Bankrate
Bottom line: Auto-Owners offers many drivers and homeowners lower-than-average rates and personalized coverage. The carrier has a slightly lower-than-average J.D. Power auto claims satisfaction score and less-developed digital assets than those offered by other insurers, but Auto-Owners still earns a relatively high Bankrate Score and could be a good fit for your needs.
Perks
Drawbacks
Low overall complaint index from the NAIC
J.D. Power auto claims satisfaction score is slightly below industry-average
Numerous coverage options and discounts available to help build a personalized policy
Digital tools are available, but are not as robust as some competitors
Superior AM Best financial strength rating
Policies only available in 26 states
Auto-Owners may not be as well known as some other national insurers, but the Michigan-based company offers coverage in 26 states and has coverage options for auto, home and life insurance, among other product lines. The insurer offers plenty of endorsements to help you personalize your policies, and based on comparison to the national average cost of home and auto insurance, Auto-Owners has competitive rates. Bankrate’s Auto-Owners Insurance review may prove useful in helping you understand the company’s offerings and features before you opt to request a quote.
Auto-Owners car insurance | Bankrate Score 4.5
Auto-Owners car insurance may be appealing to budget-conscious drivers looking for competitive rates and plenty of discount options. The company received an impressive Bankrate Score of 4.5 out of 5.0 points and is included in our list of best car insurance companies for 2022. The Bankrate Score reflects the carrier’s low overall complaint index with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) and “Superior” financial strength rating from AM Best.
Auto-Owners’ total score was impacted by its slightly-below-average J.D. Power claims satisfaction score, and its digital tools are also not quite as robust as some competitors, which is another aspect accounted for in the Bankrate Score. Additionally, Auto-Owners is only available in 26 states, so it won’t be an option for all drivers. To buy coverage from Auto-Owners, you’ll need to contact one of Auto-Owners’ independent agents in your area.
Auto-Owners offers standard auto insurance coverage types as well as several optional endorsements. To personalize your coverage, you can choose additional protections, such as roadside assistance, additional expense coverage, loan/lease gap or diminished value coverage. You could also consider the company’s Personal Auto Plus package, which rolls several endorsements into one. Auto-Owners also offers an accident forgiveness option, which won’t raise your rate for a first at-fault accident. If you bundle your home and auto policies with Auto-Owners and you experience an incident that damages both your house and car, such as a windstorm or fire, you’ll only pay one deductible.
Auto-Owners car insurance cost
On average, car insurance from Auto-Owners costs an average of $1,305 per year for full coverage and $325 per year for minimum coverage, according to Bankrate’s 2022 study of quoted annual premiums. Compared to the national average cost of car insurance — $1,771 per year for full coverage and $545 per year for minimum coverage — drivers with Auto-Owners tend to pay lower premiums.
Auto-Owners car insurance discounts
On top of already-competitive rates, Auto-Owners offers drivers plenty of ways to save on car insurance. Some standout discounts from Auto-Owners include:
- Green discount: Enrolling in paperless statements and paying your bills online could allow you to save on your auto insurance rate.
- Life multi-policy discount: While multi-policy discounts are relatively common for auto and home, renters or condo insurance bundles, Auto-Owners is relatively unique in that it offers a bundle discount for auto and life insurance policies.
- Paid-in-full discount: If you can afford to pay your auto premium in full, whether you have an annual or six-month car insurance policy, you could save on your premium and avoid billing fees.
- Student discounts: Young drivers can be expensive to insure, but Auto-Owners offers three ways to save: a good student discount, a student away at school discount and a teen driver monitoring discount.
Auto-Owners car services
In addition to standard car insurance, Auto-Owners also offers insurance solutions for ATVs and off-road vehicles, motorcycles, motorhomes and other recreational vehicles. If you are interested in Auto-Owners extended lineup of insurance for various vehicle types, contact an independent agent for a quote.
Auto-Owners home insurance | Bankrate Score 4.3
Auto-Owners home insurance may provide you a robust policy at a lower-than-average rate. The carrier received a 4.3 out of 5.0 Bankrate Score for its home insurance offerings. The Bankrate Score reflects the insurer’s higher-than-average J.D. Power home insurance satisfaction score and low NAIC complaint index. However, the home insurance options on Auto-Owners’ mobile app scored lower than many competitors. For homeowners looking for a more digital insurance experience, Auto-Owners may not be the best fit.
While it didn’t officially make our list of the best home insurance companies, Auto-Owners may be worth a look for homeowners who want lower-than-average rates and plenty of coverage types to personalize their coverage. On top of standard coverage types like dwelling, other structures and liability coverage, you may also have the option to add extras like identity theft coverage, home cyber protection, guaranteed home replacement, sewer backup coverage and equipment breakdown. Auto-Owners also offers a Homeowners Plus endorsement which adds several add-ons, such as coverage for damage to your property caused by household appliances, with one endorsement.
Auto-Owners home insurance cost
On average, home insurance from Auto-Owners costs $995 per year for a policy with $250,000 in dwelling coverage. Compared to the national average cost of home insurance, which is $1,383 annually for the same coverage amount, Auto-Owners’ policyholders pay an average of 28% less. In fact, across several dwelling coverage limits, Auto-Owners’ average rates are lower than the national average.
Dwelling coverage limit
Auto-Owners average annual premium
National average annual premium
$150,000
$786
$980
$250,000
$995
$1,383
$350,000
$1,279
$1,887
$450,000
$1,547
$2,351
$750,000
$2,075
$3,414
Auto-Owners home insurance discounts
Just like with its auto insurance, Auto-Owners offers several ways to save on home insurance. If you’re looking to lower your rate, check if you’re eligible for these home discounts from Auto-Owners:
- Advance quote discount: If you get a quote for home insurance prior to the day you need coverage, you might save a bit on your premium.
- Automatic backup generator discount: A backup generator can be tremendously helpful in the event of power failures and could also net you a discount on your Auto-Owners home insurance rate.
- Mortgage-free discount: If you’ve paid off your mortgage and own your home in full, you could save money with Auto-Owners on your home insurance policy.
- Water shut-off system discount: Insuring a home that has an automatic water shut-off system could get you a lower premium, since this type of system could lower the risk of severe damage to your home.
Auto-Owners home services
If you rent your home or own a condo, Auto-Owners has insurance solutions for you. Additionally, the carrier can help facilitate the purchase of a National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) flood insurance policy, which provides coverage for damages caused by flooding. Auto-Owners also has rental home, mobile home and farm insurance options.
Auto-Owners life insurance
Auto-Owners life insurance could potentially be a good fit for policyholders who need coverage and already have their home and/or auto insured with the company. Auto-Owners offers a life multi-policy discount for both home and auto, which could net you some additional savings. While quotes from different life insurance companies don’t vary as much as auto or home insurance for similar policy types, shopping around could still help you find additional policy types or perks best fit your financial planning needs.
Auto-Owners offers several types of life insurance, including term life, whole life and universal life insurance policies, which means that there are multiple options for finding the right policy type for your needs.
Auto-Owners life insurance endorsements
Auto-Owners does not list specific life insurance endorsements on its website. However, the carrier does note that endorsements are available for each policy type. The best way to know which life insurance options can be added to your policy is to talk with an independent Auto-Owners agent.
Auto-Owners life services
In addition to term, whole and universal life, Auto-Owners also offers disability income policies and annuities. Although these are not strictly life insurance policies, they are often included within a company’s life insurance or financial services offerings.
Other Auto-Owners perks worth considering
In addition to auto, home and life insurance, Auto-Owners offers several other insurance solutions. If you like to keep all your insurance needs with one carrier, Auto-Owners might have additional coverage types of interest to you. Besides the products already listed, Auto-Owners offers the following types of insurance:
- Rental dwelling
- Umbrella
- Property & valuables
- Pet
- Boat
- Trailer
- Business
Keep in mind that coverage options may vary by state, so talking with an agent or representative of the company can help you determine what’s available in your area.
Auto-Owners social responsibility
Auto-Owners has a dedicated give-back program called A-O Gives Back. The program was launched in 2018 and allows Auto-Owners employees from different regions access to pre-approved charity events with Auto-Owners corporate sponsors. Nonprofit organizations can request support from Auto-Owners by emailing GivingBack@aoins.com.
Not sure if Auto-Owners is right for you? Consider these alternatives
Shopping for insurance usually means getting quotes from a few different home and car insurance companies. This allows you to compare rates, coverage offerings, discount options and third-party agency ratings for things like financial strength or customer satisfaction. If you’re interested in Auto-Owners, these companies may also be worth including in your quote comparison:
- AAA: AAA may be better known for its roadside assistance packages and membership perks, but the company also offers solid home and auto insurance options and a long list of discounts.
- Erie: Erie is a bit smaller than Auto-Owners, as it sells coverage in just 12 states. However, if you prefer working with a local independent agent, Erie may offer the personalized customer experience you’re looking for.
- Travelers: If Auto-Owners’ array of discounts is appealing to you, Travelers could be a great option. The company offers coverage nationally and has a long list of savings opportunities for both auto and home policies.
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Bankrate utilizes Quadrant Information Services to analyze 2022 rates for all ZIP codes and carriers in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Quoted rates are based on 40-year-old male and female homeowners with a clean claim history, good credit and the following coverage limits:
Auto
- $100,000 bodily injury liability per person
- $300,000 bodily injury liability per accident
- $50,000 property damage liability per accident
- $100,000 uninsured motorist bodily injury per person
- $300,000 uninsured motorist bodily injury per accident
- $500 collision deductible
- $500 comprehensive deductible
To determine minimum coverage limits, Bankrate used minimum coverage that meets each state’s requirements. Our sample drivers own a 2020 Toyota Camry, commute five days a week and drive 12,000 miles annually.
Age: Rates were calculated by evaluating our base profile with the ages 18-60 (base: 40 years) applied. Depending on age, drivers may be a renter or homeowner. Age is not a contributing rating factor in Hawaii and Massachusetts.
Incidents: Rates were calculated by evaluating our base profile with the following incidents applied: clean record (base), single speeding ticket and a single DUI conviction.
Homeowners
- Coverage A, Dwelling: $150,000, $250,000, $350,000, $450,000, $750,000
- Coverage B, Other Structures: $15,000, $25,000, $35,000, $45,000, $75,000
- Coverage C, Personal Property: $75,000, $125,000, $175,000, $225,000, $375,000
- Coverage D, Loss of Use: $30,000, $50,000, $70,000, $90,000, $150,000
- Coverage E, Liability: $300,000, $500,000
- Coverage F, Medical Payments: $1,000
The homeowners also have a $1,000 deductible and a separate wind and hail deductible (if required).
These are sample rates and should be used for comparative purposes only. Your quotes will differ.
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Bankrate Scores primarily reflect a weighted rank of industry-standard ratings for financial strength and customer experience in addition to analysis of quoted annual premiums from Quadrant Information Services, spanning all 50 states and Washington, D.C. We know it is important for drivers and homeowners to be confident their financial protection covers the likeliest risks, is priced competitively and is provided by a financially-sound company with a history of positive customer support.
To determine how well the best car and home insurance companies satisfy these priorities, third-party agency ratings from J.D. Power, AM Best, S&P, NAIC, and Moody’s had the most impact on the companies’ Bankrate Scores. As price is a common consideration for drivers and homeowners, we analyzed quoted premiums based on 40-year-old male and female drivers with a 2019 Toyota Camry, as well as 40-year-old male and female homeowners with $250,000 in dwelling coverage. This profile, assessed across more than 35,000 ZIP codes in the U.S., provided a basis on which drivers and homeowners may compare each provider.
While coverage options, insurer availability, affordability and customer experience are often the top priorities, Bankrate also analyzed each insurer’s online and mobile resources for policy management and claims handling. Insurance is rapidly evolving to keep pace with our digital world, so these aspects also carried weight in determining Bankrate Scores.
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