Auto-Owners

The 17th largest auto insurer in the country, with 35,000 independent agencies, Auto-Owners has put down longstanding roots in the insurance world.

Overview

Auto-Owners is a Michigan based company, and has grown since their founding in 1916. They have grown to the 17th largest auto insurer in the country and have 35,000 independent agents across the United States. The company now has six companies under their belt which sell a variety of product lines starting with auto, home, and life insurance. Their expansion has been slow but they currently operate in 26 states and command just below 1% of the market share.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Winner of the U.S. Independent Insurance Agent Satisfaction Award from J.D. Power in 2019
• Low complaint rate for a company of its size
• Fosters long term relationships with clients through network of independent insurance agents

Cons

• Only available in 26 states.
• No online quotes they operate solely through independent agents.
• Only available in select cities with select agents.

Auto-Owners Insurance Coverage

Auto-Owners is an independent company that has several add-ons and options, giving this smaller company an edge against national brands, and making them into the viable entity they are today. They do have the usual coverage in keeping with state laws for minimum coverage and basic packages, but they also have some exciting extras.

• Gap coverage pays the difference from actual cash value and the remainder of loan or lease.
• Diminished value coverage similar to gap insurance, but for damaged rather than totaled and in short compensates policy holders for the reduced value of the vehicle.
• Additional expenses insurance covers cost of food and lodging as well as a rental vehicle in the event of a breakdown away from home.
• The Personal Automobile Plus package is a benefit package that includes coverage for lost or stolen keys, cellphone insurance, and identity theft coverage among other perks.
• Common loss deductible when policy holders bundle home insurance Auto-Owners will reduce the auto deductible by the amount of the property deductible. If the home deductible is higher, the company will waive the deductible altogether.
• Collision coverage advantage consists of two parts. First, if a member is in a collision with another customer of the company the deductibles will be waived. Second, if the collision involves an animal Auto-Owners will either pay from collision or comprehensive coverage, whichever pays more.
• Rental car insurance covers rental vehicle as if they were the policy holder's vehicle. It will pay usual coverage as well as any fees accrued from the rental company.

Coverage may vary from state to state it is best to check with a local agent to see which options are available.

Standard Insurance Coverage

• Liability
• Roadside Assistance
• Collision
• Comprehensive

Car Insurance Rates

Auto-Owners measures well in the market with lower rates on average. The sample presented was a 21-year-old single male, average annual rate was listed as $1,127. The average annual rate for Auto-Owners is $1,636.44 with the lowest rate in Ohio at $85.79/month and the most expensive at $215.61 in Michigan. The average monthly rate was just higher than the national average. These figures may not factor in discounts so are listed as stand-alone numbers and individual policies may vary within those ranges.

Car Insurance Discounts

• Multipolicy Discount applies discount for having more than one policy with Auto-Owners.
• Life Insurance Multipolicy Premium Discount applies discount for life insurance as well as auto. This is a bundle discount.
• On-Time Discount applied for 36 months of on-time payments.
• Up Front Discount applies for paying premium in full, upfront.
• Paperless and Online Payments Discount
• Multicar Discount more than one vehicle on policy will garner a discount.
• Passive Restraint Discount for safety features like anti-lock brakes and air bags.
• Safe Driving Discount for maintaining a good record with minimal or not at-fault claims.
• Student Discounts for maintaining a B average or higher, leaving the car at home while attending school more than 100 miles away, and monitoring a teen driver with GPS.
• TrueRide downloadable app from Auto-Owners tracks driving behavior and provides feedback on behaviors. Discounts available for safe driving in correlation with app driving score. This discount is available for customers in Ohio.

Auto-Owners Insurance Vs. Competitors

Auto-Owner operates in 26 states and has fewer complaints than average for an insurance provider of their size. They are a mutual insurance company and have a wide array of product lines available. Their numbers are slightly above average in price but are generally low compared to other insurers. They offer much the same services as their competitors and factor well in most areas. The primary downside to Auto-Owners is that they still rely heavily on independent agents which makes them a little antiquated compared to some of their competitors. There is a certain charm in dealing directly with an agent but in the increasingly computer driven industry this may leave them in a less favorable light than those competitors that have embraced technology and made innovations in the websites and app functions. Auto-Owners does have an app and utilize it for bill pay, policy details, check the status of claims, and as a convenient location to keep a current insurance card but they could utilize it further and provide quotes and renew or update policies. Below we will compare Auto-Owners to three of their competitors. It is always important when looking for insurance to research and comparison shop on your own. Below is our take on how Auto-Owner stacks up directly.

Auto-Owner Insurance Vs Progressive: None of these companies are going to be able to compete on price because again it's kind of a toss-up. Progressive is more expensive in some categories then Auto-Owner is on others. Where these companies widely diverge is in discounts. Progressive has more with one glaring exception. Progressive doesn't seem to have a mature driver discount and that may be a fitting analogy for where Auto-Owner is in general. Their business model is archaic, and while they do have an app, and seem to acknowledge that the world is going digital, they’re still hanging onto a business model that doesn't work the way it used to with coffee and donuts in the waiting room. Today consumers need everything to happen on the go.