Auto-Owners Insurance Review August 2022 – NerdWallet

Auto-Owners Insurance Company serves a lot more than just owners of automobiles. The company offers over a dozen types of insurance through independent agents in 26 states. People who need several insurance policies may benefit from the convenience and discounts of bundling them with Auto-Owners, which has many coverage options.

Auto-Owners is among NerdWallet’s Best Car Insurance Companies.

Auto-Owners insurance coverage

When you’re shopping for car insurance, it’s important to understand what car insurance coverage you want and what you’re required to buy. Most states require car insurance in order to drive a vehicle. Although minimum coverage requirements vary from state to state, they generally include liability insurance and uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage.

If you want extra protection, you may be interested in full coverage insurance. Full coverage isn’t a specific policy type; it’s a combination of coverage types, like liability, collision and comprehensive insurance.

Check out the most common types of car insurance coverage below to see how they work:

Coverage type

What it pays for

Required?

Bodily injury and property damage liability

Costs for injuries, deaths or property damage from an accident you caused.

Typically required.

Uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage

Medical and property damage costs after an accident with a driver who has insufficient insurance or none at all.

Often required.

Collision coverage

Repair expenses from traffic-related accidents, regardless of who’s at fault.

A car loan or lease may require it.

Comprehensive coverage

Repair costs from events outside of your control, including weather events, hitting an animal while driving, theft and vandalism.

A car loan or lease may require it.

Auto-Owners offers all the usual coverages, including liability, other state-required coverage types, roadside assistance and comprehensive and collision. The company also offers several add-on coverages and options:

• Gap coverage can come in handy if you have a loan or lease balance and your car is totaled or stolen. Comprehensive and collision coverages pay out only up to the value of your car, which might be less than you owe on a loan or lease. Gap insurance pays the difference.

• Diminished value coverage is similar to gap insurance, but for less extreme situations. If your car is damaged (rather than stolen or totaled), this add-on will compensate you for the reduced value of your car.

• Additional expenses insurance goes further than traditional rental car coverage. In addition to paying for a rental car if your car is in the shop for a covered claim, this optional coverage also pays for food, lodging and other incidentals if you’re stranded.

• The Personal Automobile Plus package has more than 10 perks and coverages, including identity theft coverage, cell phone insurance and coverage for replacing lost or stolen keys.

Auto-Owners also includes a few benefits in its auto policies that other major insurers don’t.

Common loss deductible. This benefit applies if you have your home insurance through Auto-Owners in addition to an auto policy with comprehensive coverage. If you need to make a claim to both policies for the same event — such as a bad storm or a tree falling on both your house and car — the company will reduce your auto deductible by the amount of your property deductible. If your homeowners deductible is higher, the company will waive your auto deductible.

Collision coverage advantage from Auto-Owners has two parts. First, if you’re in a collision with another customer of the company, your collision deductible will be waived. Second, if you’re in a collision with an animal, Auto-Owners will either pay from your collision or comprehensive coverage — whichever pays you more. With most insurers, animal collisions strictly fall under comprehensive coverage.

Rental car insurance. When you rent a car, your Auto-Owners policy covers as much as it does for your personal car, as well as any fees from the rental company associated with an accident. Many auto policies have lower coverage limits when you rent a car and don’t pay those fees.

See what you could save on car insurance

Easily compare personalized rates to see how much switching car insurance could save you.

ZIP Code

GET MY RATES

Get started on Insure.com

Auto insurance discounts

• Multipolicy discount.

• Life insurance multipolicy discount.

• Discount for a 36-month history of on-time payments.

• Discount for paying your premium in full, upfront.

• Paperless and online payments discount.

• Multicar discount.

• Discount for safety features like anti-lock brakes and air bags.

• Discount for having few or favorable (not at-fault) claims.

• Discount for new customers who get a quote at least one day before starting a policy.

• Student discounts for good grades, leaving the car at home while attending school more than 100 miles away and monitoring a teen driver with GPS.

Pricing based on tracked driving habits

TrueRide from Auto-Owners is a usage-based discount with an app to match, available to Auto-Owners customers in Ohio.

You get a discount for signing up, then the app tracks your driving behavior and provides feedback on behaviors such as how many miles you drive and when and phone use while driving. You get a driving score with each trip and, if you drive safely, an additional discount when you renew your policy.

Auto insurance buying guide

Before you compare car insurance companies, you’ll need to collect some basic information. This includes the driving history of everyone who will be on the policy, as well as facts about your car, such as safety features and annual mileage driven. You’ll also want to determine which types of coverage you need. For example, do you want only the bare minimum insurance that your state requires, or do you need more extensive coverage, such as gap insurance or rideshare coverage? Check that each company you’re considering has the options you want.

When comparing rates among insurers, make sure each is offering the same coverage limits and deductibles. You may not want to make your decision based on price alone. Look at how many consumer complaints each company has, as a high number of complaints could be a red flag about the quality of service you’ll receive.

Depending on which company you choose, you may be able to buy insurance online, over the phone or through an agent. For more guidance, see how to get car insurance.

Auto-Owners homeowners insurance

Auto-Owners offers all the standard homeowners coverage, plus add-ons you can choose. To learn more, read our Auto-Owners home insurance review.

Auto-Owners life insurance

You can get term, universal and whole life insurance policies from Auto-Owners Insurance.

For most families, term life insurance is the best mix of price and protection. From Auto-Owners, term life insurance comes in 10-, 20- or 30-year terms and can be extended to age 95.

Consult a financial advisor if you’re considering permanent life insurance.

See what you could save on car insurance

Easily compare personalized rates to see how much switching car insurance could save you.

ZIP Code

GET MY RATES

Get started on Insure.com

Complaints and customer satisfaction

Auto-Owners had far fewer than the expected number of complaints about auto insurance to state regulators relative to its size, according to three years’ worth of data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. It had fewer than the expected number of complaints for life insurance.

Auto-Owners’ customer satisfaction ratings are mixed.

2021 J.D. Power study

Auto-Owners ranking

Auto insurance shopping

No. 4 out of 12 companies.

Auto insurance claims satisfaction

No. 9 out of 18 companies.

More about Auto-owners insurance

Website: Auto-Owners has a user-friendly website with information on policy options and discounts. Policyowners can log in to view policy information, select paperless billing, make payments and more.

Mobile app: Android or Apple users can download the Auto-Owners app and track claims, pay bills and view documents and insurance ID cards.

Auto-Owners at a glance

Complaints and customer satisfaction

• Has far fewer than the expected number of complaints to state regulators relative to its size for auto insurance, according to the NAIC.

• Was rated above average for consumer satisfaction with auto shopping, but below average in auto insurance claims satisfaction in 2021 J.D. Power studies.

Discounts

• Has six out of six of the most common car insurance discounts.

• Offers more discounts than most, although some insurers offer even more ways to save.

Ease of use

• Has an app that lets customers track claims, pay bills and manage policies.

• Allows customers to view their policies and pay online.

• Lets customers find an agent to get a quote, but doesn’t offer an easy way to get a quote online.

Other insurance from Auto-Owners

Other types of insurance from Auto-Owners include:

• Condo insurance.

• Motorcycle insurance.

• Motor home and RV insurance.

• Business insurance.

• Renters insurance.

• Boat insurance.

• Farm insurance.

• ATV and off-road vehicle insurance.

• Flood insurance.

• Commercial auto insurance.

• Umbrella insurance.

• Mobile home insurance.

Auto-Owners can also provide pet insurance through a partnership with Figo.