Auto-Owners Car Insurance Review [2024]

What You Should Know About auto-owners insurance group

To give you a complete picture of Auto-Owners’ operations, we’ve collected all of the relevant reviews and ratings of Auto-Owners. We cover everything from customer reviews to financial ratings, so you can decide whether Auto-Owners is right for you based on others’ reviews and ratings.

Customer Reviews and Complaints

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) gave Auto-Owners’ an A+, and the company only had 149 customer complaints closed on the BBB’s site within the last three years, with 65 closed in the last year. This score isn’t bad at all, and an A+ rating is great as the BBB looks at customer complaints, business transparency, and more when formulating its ratings.

In addition, Auto-Owners’ complaint ratio from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) fell below one, meaning the company gets fewer complaints than the industry average.

On J.D. Power, however, Auto-Owners didn’t do as well. Auto-Owners received the following scores from J.D. Power’s latest customer satisfaction ratings study:

• Florida Region: 822 out of 1,000 (region average is 832)
• North Central Region: 834 out of 1,000 (region average is 838)
• Southeast Region: 871 out of 1,000 (region average is 849)

Auto-Owners consistently scored just under the regional average in the areas reviewed, but it did get the second-highest score in the Southeast region of the U.S. As for Auto-Owners’ rating from the J.D. Power claim satisfaction study, Auto-Owners received a score of 865, below the industry average of 873.

All in all, Auto-Owners scored average or below average on J.D. Power’s studies, but it still wasn’t the worst company on the lists and scored very well in the Southwest region. So there aren’t any major red flags about Auto-Owners, even if its customer satisfaction is slightly below the industry average.

A.M. Best and Loss Ratio

A.M. Best gave Auto-Owners a rating of A++ (superior), which is a fantastic financial rating. It means Auto-Owners can meet its ongoing financial obligations, such as paying out claims. So if you sign up with Auto-Owners, there isn’t a risk of the company suddenly going bankrupt.

As for Auto-Owners’ loss ratio rating, it also scored well. Auto-Owners has an average loss ratio, which means it isn’t paying out more in claims than it makes or not paying out anything in claims compared to its revenue.

Mobile App Ratings

A good mobile app is essential for companies to have these days, as it is often easier to check accounts on a phone while on the go rather than signing into an account on a laptop or desktop. On Auto-Owners’ mobile app, customers can do all of the following:

• Pay your policy bills and set up automatic payments.
• Request roadside assistance.
• View or download ID cards and policy documents.
• Submit a claim for glass repair or replacement.
• Check your status on a car insurance claim.

Auto-Owners’ mobile app received the following ratings from customers on the Apple Store and Google Play:

• Apple Store: 3.1 stars out of five from 106 reviews
• Google Play: 3.3 stars out of five from 331 reviews

Auto-Owners’ mobile app has just average ratings, and only a small amount of customers have rated it. As a result, the app has a bit of work before it can compete with other big-name companies like Geico.

Auto-Owners’ Pros and Cons

There are plenty of pros and cons to Auto-Owners that customers should be aware of before they purchase an auto insurance policy with the company. Below, we’ve listed all the pros and cons customers should know to make an informed decision.

Pros of Auto-Owners

Auto-Owners has quite a few pros, the main one being its rates. The main pros of Auto-Owners that customers should pay attention to are as follows:

• Auto-Owners offers multiple coverage options and discounts to its policyholders.
• Auto-Owners has good customer review ratings and a low complaint ratio.
• Auto-Owners has a good financial rating from A.M. Best.
• Auto-Owners’ average car insurance rates are below the national average.

While Auto-Owners carries many appealing pros for potential customers to consider, the company isn’t without its faults. So, you should check out the list of cons in the next section before purchasing a car insurance policy with Auto-Owners.

Cons of Auto-Owners

The biggest drawback to Auto-Owners is that it scored below average on J.D. Power for customer claim satisfaction and doesn’t offer quick online quotes. The main cons of Auto-Owners are as follows:

• Auto-Owners is not available in every state, so there is limited availability.
• Auto-Owners’ claim satisfaction score is lower than average on J.D. Power.
• Auto-Owners’ mobile app ratings are just average.
• Auto-Owners only works through independent insurance agents, so you can’t get a quote online.

These are the main cons of Auto-Owners that may be a deterrent to customers. If you want a good mobile app or a company with excellent claims satisfaction ratings, Auto-Owners will likely not be your first choice for a car insurance company.

auto-owners insurance group Insurance Coverage Options

A reputable car insurance company should offer coverages beyond the state-required basics, so customers can create custom plans that meet their needs. For example, Auto-Owners offers the following auto insurance coverage options to customers:

• Bodily injury liability insurance: If you cause a car accident that injures other people, bodily injury liability car insurance pays their medical bills up to the policy limit.
• Property damage liability insurance: If you cause an accident that damages others’ property, property damage liability insurance will pay for their repair bills up to the policy limit.
• Collision insurance: If you crash into another vehicle or a stationary object like a fence, collision insurance will pay for your car’s repairs up to the policy limit.
• Comprehensive insurance: If you crash into an animal or your car gets damaged by weather or vandalism, comprehensive insurance will pay for your car’s repairs up to the policy limit.
• Diminished value insurance: If your car reduces in value after an accident, even with repairs, diminished value insurance will pay you for the reduced value.
• Gap insurance: If your car gets totaled, gap insurance will help you pay the difference between the remaining balance on your car’s lease and your car’s depreciated value.
• Medical payments (MedPay) insurance: MedPay will pay your medical bills up to the policy limit if you or your passengers get injured in a car accident.
• Personal injury protection (PIP) insurance: If you or your passengers get injured in a car accident, PIP will pay for your medical bills, lost wages, and more up to the policy limit.
• Rental car reimbursement insurance: If you’re without a car for a while after an accident, rental car reimbursement will help pay for a rental car. If you get stranded from home, it will also help pay for food and lodging.
• Roadside assistance insurance: Roadside assistance will help with jump-starts, tows, and more if your car breaks down.
• Underinsured motorist insurance: If you get hit by another driver whose insurance is not adequate enough to cover all of your bills, underinsured motorist insurance will help pay your accident bills up to the policy limit.
• Uninsured motorist insurance: If you get hit by another driver who doesn’t have car insurance, uninsured motorist insurance will help pay for your repair bills up to the policy limit.

So what coverages are missing from Auto-Owners? Auto-Owners doesn’t have classic car insurance, rideshare insurance, and modified car insurance. If you need these car insurance coverages, you will have to purchase car insurance elsewhere.

However, besides these missing optional coverages, Auto-Owners has a great list of auto insurance options for customers. In addition, drivers can choose from multiple types of optional insurance beyond just the state-required insurance coverages to build a policy that fits their needs and budgets.

Other Types of Insurance at Auto-Owners

While “auto” is in the company’s name, Auto-Owners sells multiple types of insurance beyond just auto insurance. It also sells all of the following types of insurance to customers:

• ATV and off-road vehicle insurance
• Boat insurance
• Business insurance
• Condo insurance
• Farm insurance
• Flood insurance
• Homeowners insurance
• Life insurance
• Mobile home insurance
• Motorcycle insurance
• Motor home and RV insurance
• Pet insurance
• Property and valuables insurance
• Renters insurance
• Rental dwelling insurance
• Trailer insurance
• Umbrella insurance

With so many coverage options, you can keep multiple types of insurance policies all in one place, making it easy to keep track of your policies. Auto-Owners also offers a bundling discount if you purchase more than one type of insurance from the company. For example, you could purchase home and auto insurance to earn a discount — you could also qualify by purchasing renters insurance and auto insurance.

auto-owners insurance group Insurance Rates Breakdown

So how much does car insurance cost at Auto-Owners? Auto-Owners’ car insurance rates tend to be on the cheaper side, with its average rates falling well below the national average rates. Take a look at the table below to see how much Auto-Owners’ minimum liability and full coverage insurance rates compare to the national average rates.

Auto-Owners’ auto insurance rates are also below the average for young drivers with clean records. For example, a 16-year-old male with a clean record will pay an average of $447 a month for car insurance. While this may seem high, the national average is $618 a month for car insurance for teen drivers. Since teen drivers usually have some of the highest rates due to their driving inexperience, Auto-Owners might be a good choice for young drivers purchasing their own auto insurance policy. Auto-Owners’ rates are also good for all other age groups of drivers, as shown in the table below.

Of course, your driving record will also greatly impact how much you pay at Auto-Owners, not just your age. DUIs, at-fault accidents, and traffic tickets will raise your auto insurance rates, no matter what company you choose.

Even if drivers have a DUI, Auto-Owners’ car insurance rates are below average for high-risk car insurance, which is fantastic as DUIs usually raise rates the most at car insurance companies. For a 45-year-old male driver with a DUI, for example, Auto-Owners charges an average of $129 a month, which is about $80 cheaper than the national average — this amounts to almost a thousand dollars saved each year.

Auto-Owners’ average rates are economical for all ages of drivers and all kinds of driving records, making it a cheap option for most drivers. Of course, remember that these auto insurance rates from Auto-Owners are averages. You will need to get a car insurance quote from an Auto-Owners’ independent agent to find out exactly how much you will pay for an Auto-Owners car insurance policy.

auto-owners insurance group Discounts Available

Auto insurance discounts are a great way to save on your car insurance policy. Auto-Owners offers the following car insurance discounts for Auto-Owners’ customers.

• Advance quote discount: This discount is for customers who request a premium quote before the policy’s effective date.
• Favorable loss discount: Auto-Owners will give a discount to those with a favorable loss history.
• Good student discount: You must have a B average or higher to qualify for this discount.
• Green discount: You must get paperless billing and pay premiums online to get the green discount from Auto-Owners.
• Life multi-policy discount: You can save on your policies if you get life insurance and auto insurance from Auto-Owners.
• Multi-policy discount: You can earn a discount if you buy more than one type of insurance from Auto-Owners.
• Multi-car discount: You must insure more than one vehicle at Auto-Owners to qualify for the multi-car discount.
• Paid-in-full discount: You can get a discount if you pay on time and in full.
• Payment history discount: You can get a discount if you have paid on time for the last 36 months.
• Safety features discount: You can get a discount if your car has safety features like anti-theft devices or anti-locking brakes.
• Student away discount: To qualify for this discount, the student must attend school 100 miles away without a car.
• Teen driver monitoring discount: You can get a discount if you have a GPS installed in the car.

Auto-Owners offers several great car insurance discounts. Taking advantage of the many discounts Auto-Owners offers will help you reduce your car insurance costs even more.

How auto-owners insurance group Ranks Among Providers

While Auto-Owners’ average rates showed that it’s cheaper than the national average car insurance rates, this doesn’t necessarily mean that Auto-Owners is cheaper than other car insurance companies on the market.

Some companies, such as State Farm or Geico, may be cheaper than Auto-Owners for your coverage needs. You can read our Geico car insurance review and State Farm insurance review for more information about these companies. However, the only way to know for sure what company has the cheapest rate for you is to get multiple auto insurance quotes.

In fact, even if you sign up with the cheapest car insurance company, we recommend getting new quotes anytime you have a major change to your driving record, such as a new address or a traffic ticket. A car insurance company that may be the cheapest for you now may not be the cheapest in a year or two.

How can I contact Auto-Owners?

Being able to reach a car insurance company easily is important. The last thing you want is an unresponsive car insurance company with only one way to contact the company.

Auto-Owners offers several ways to reach the company for assistance with claims, billing, and general inquiries. If you wish to contact Auto-Owners directly by phone, below are the phone numbers and faxes for different services.

• Billing phone number: 1-800-288-8740
• Claims phone number: 1-888-252-4626
• General phone number: 1-800-346-0346
• General fax number: 1-517-323-8796
• Roadside assistance phone number: 1-888-869-2642

You can also reach out to Auto-Owners through the email contact form on its website. You may also choose to use a physical mailing address. Auto-Owners’ main addresses are as follows:

• Billing address: P.O. Box 740312, Cincinnati, Ohio 45274-0312
• Corporate address: 6101 Anacapri Blvd., Lansing, Michigan 48917

You can also talk to your Auto-Owners’ independent agent for assistance with rates, coverages, and claims. Overall, Auto-Owners’ contact information is easy to find, and there are multiple ways to contact the company.

How to File a Claim at Auto-Owners

Even the best drivers may have to file a car insurance claim eventually. At Auto-Owners, you can file online, call your independent agent, or call Auto-Owners at 1-888-252-4626 for after-hour emergency claims. To file a car insurance claim at Auto-Owners, you will need to collect as much of the following information as possible:

• Other involved drivers’ names, addresses, insurance information, and license plate numbers.
• Any witnesses’ names and addresses.
• Photos and videos of all cars involved in the car accident.
• Police report if police responded to the scene.

Auto-Owners will want to know how, why, and when the accident happened, so all the information you collect will give the company a clear picture of who was at fault and the damages. You can also check the status of your claim online to see its progression, so you won’t have to sit around wondering when your claim will be approved, and you’ll get money for repairs.

How to Cancel Auto-Owners’ Car Insurance

If you decide Auto-Owners car insurance is no longer right for you, it is easy to cancel. You can contact Auto-Owners over the phone or call your agent. You will need to verify that it’s you by providing details such as your car insurance policy number and name. You’ll also need to inform Auto-Owners of your desired cancellation date.

You must have an overlap between when your Auto-Owners’ insurance policy ends and when your new car insurance policy starts. Even if you drive a day or two without insurance, this is illegal and will raise your auto insurance rates. So make sure your new car insurance policy starts a day before your Auto-Owners’ car insurance policy ends.

Also, remember that if you cancel your car insurance policy before the end of your car insurance policy period, Auto-Owners may charge a small cancellation fee. However, if you prepaid for car insurance coverage, you should also receive a refund for any unused premiums. For example, if you prepay for six months of coverage and cancel in the second month, you should get back four months of car insurance premiums.