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Auto-Owners Insurance Review (2026)

We gave Auto-Owners a rating of 4.5 out of 5 for its auto and home insurance offerings
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Key Takeaways

  • Auto-Owners ranked highly in our industry-wide study of home and auto insurance for its cost, coverage, customer experience and reputation.
  • According to our research, the national average cost of full-coverage car insurance is $203 monthly, and the national average cost of home insurance is $244 monthly.
  • We found that Auto-Owners car insurance costs $180 on average per month for full-coverage car insurance and $216 per month for home insurance.

We at the MarketWatch Guides team researched Auto-Owners costs about $231 to bundle home and auto insurance with the company, according to our MarketWatch Guides team research. This is slightly more expensive than the industry average of $228. But other perks, which we cover in this guide, can make Auto-Owners worth considering.

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Auto-Owners
4.5
  • Average Minimum-Coverage Monthly Premium: $44
  • Average Full-Coverage Monthly Premium: $180
  • MarketWatch Guides Overall Rating: 4.5
  • Customer Satisfaction Rating*: 4.3
  • NAIC Complaint Level**: Low
  • Usage-based / Telematics Insurance: No
  • Average Monthly Premium: $216
  • MarketWatch Guides Overall Rating: 4.5
  • Customer Satisfaction Rating*: 4
  • NAIC Complaint Level**: Low
  • Endorsements for Natural Disasters: Fire, wind, hail (others optional)
  • Standard Coverage: Replacement cost

*Data gathered from our 2025 home and auto surveys of 1,000 insurance customers around the U.S.
**The National Association of Insurance Commissioners is a non-profit U.S. regulatory support organization whose aim is to protect and support consumers.

Our Thoughts on Auto-Owners Insurance

While Auto-Owners isn’t as well-known as some other household names in the insurance industry like Progressive or Allstate, it still has a lot to offer. Auto-Owners is a mutual company, so it’s owned by policyholders, not shareholders. The company focuses on customer service through local agents in 26 U.S. states, and it maintains strong financial ratings through AM Best.

While some people prefer to use local agents for the service experience, other customers may feel disappointed that Auto-Owners doesn’t offer an online quote option. Similarly, the company doesn’t offer a pay-per-mile or telematics program option, unlike some other national providers. That said, we think it’s a good option for basic car insurance, considering its low rates.

In comparing the company to other brands we’ve reviewed, we named Auto-Owners as the Best for Basic Insurance Coverage. We found it offers a bit more than your standard HO-3 home insurance policy at good rates, on average.

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Pros and Cons

Pros

Personalized customer service with local agents

Low complaint levels for home and auto insurance from the NAIC

Mutual company structure helps prioritize service and stability over profits

Cons

Only available in 26 U.S. states

Other companies may offer better discounts for bundling home and auto insurance.


Auto-Owners Auto Insurance Review

Auto-Owners is a stable company with good service ratings. However, it has mixed ratings for customer satisfaction across different regions on the J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Auto Insurance Study. For example, while the company scored below average for customer satisfaction in the North Central region of the country, it scored above average in the Central U.S. Auto-Owners also doesn’t offer some perks drivers might look for, like usage-based insurance and the ability to initiate a claim using a mobile app. For these reasons, we found that the company is best for reliable basic coverage with a few add-ons.

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We rate Auto-Owners 4.5 out of 5 stars and rank it sixth out of 147 providers we reviewed. We found it performed particularly well in industry standing and customer experience categories.

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Flip Card Auto-Owners Auto Insurance
4.5 / out of 5 stars

Rating is based off of MarketWatch Methodology Guidelines

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Coverage In addition to its base coverage, Auto-Owners offers some useful add-ons like diminished value coverage and roadside assistance. 4.6 / 5
Cost and Discounts The company is cheaper than the industry average for many drivers. 4.5 / 5
Industry Standing Auto-Owners has superior financial strength ratings and a solid history. 4.9 / 5
Customer Experience The company offers personalized service through agents and has low complaints. 4.6 / 5
Availability Auto-Owners is only available in about half the states nationwide. 4 / 5

Auto-Owners Car Insurance Cost

Auto-Owners car insurance costs $44 per month for minimum coverage or $180 per month for full coverage. These are both below the national averages of $61 for minimum coverage and $203 for full coverage. Considering Auto-Owners is a reputable company with reliable customer service, we think it’s a good value for basic coverage.

Car Insurance Rates by State

When looking at varying state rates, Maine is the cheapest state for full and minimum coverage with Auto-Owners. On the other hand, Colorado is the most expensive state for minimum coverage and South Dakota is the most expensive for full coverage when insuring your car using this provider.

StateAverage Minimum-Coverage PremiumAverage Full-Coverage Premium
Alabama$53$196
AlaskaN/AN/A
Arizona$57$211
ArkansasN/AN/A
CaliforniaN/AN/A
Colorado$71$220
ConnecticutN/AN/A
DelawareN/AN/A
District of ColumbiaN/AN/A
FloridaN/AN/A
Data updated as of Nov. 2025

Car Insurance Rates for High-Risk Drivers

We found that Auto-Owners often offers lower minimum-coverage rates for high-risk drivers than the national average. This is true for people with accidents, DUIs, speeding tickets and texting while driving tickets. However, full coverage from Auto-Owners is sometimes more expensive than other companies for high-risk drivers.

Risk Auto-Owners Average Premium National Average
Accident $68 $98
DUI $103 $114
Speeding ticket $62 $82
Texting while driving ticket $47 $81
Poor credit $118 $116
Risk Auto-Owners Average Premium National Average
Accident $241 $281
DUI $333 $301
Speeding ticket $223 $247
Texting while driving ticket $178 $244
Poor credit $355 $302

Auto Insurance Cost by Age

Auto-Owners is generally more affordable than the national average for drivers of different ages, based on our data analysis.

Age (Years) Auto-Owners Average Premium National Average Premium
16 $158 $242
17 $146 $209
18 $131 $185
19 $113 $145
21 $88 $105
25 $61 $75
45 $43 $63
55 $42 $60
65 $45 $63
75 $59 $74
Age (Years) Auto-Owners Average Premium National Average Premium
16 $449 $487
17 $426 $457
18 $401 $429
19 $361 $389
21 $297 $312
25 $221 $235
45 $164 $198
55 $154 $184
65 $158 $187
75 $186 $212

Auto-Owners Car Insurance Discounts

Auto-Owners offers about a dozen discounts, which is in line with the average amount you can find from other companies. Our data shows its discounts can make a sizable difference in lowering the cost of full-coverage policies.

Discount Auto-Owners Discounted Average
Home insurance multi-policy $39
Life insurance multi-policy $43
Paid in full $39
Renters insurance multi-policy $42
Discount Auto-Owners Discounted Average
Home insurance multi-policy $149
Life insurance multi-policy $162
Paid in full $148
Renters insurance multi-policy $160

A few other discounts available from Auto-Owners include:

  • Advance quote
  • Favorable loss history
  • Good student
  • Green discount
  • Multi-car
  • Payment history
  • Safety features
  • Student away at school
  • Teen driver monitoring

Auto-Owners Car Insurance Coverage

Auto-Owners offers the same minimum- and full-coverage car insurance options as other companies we’ve reviewed. However, you’ll find differences in price, claims service, customer experience and coverage amount options.

Auto-Owners Add-On Options

Auto-Owners offers a few add-ons beyond standard insurance coverage:

  • Additional expenses (rental car and trip interruption)
  • Diminished value
  • Loan or lease gap
  • Rental auto gap
  • Roadside assistance

Auto-Owners Home Insurance Review

Auto-Owners stands out for offering plenty of home insurance coverage options like code violation protection and guaranteed replacement cost coverage. While Auto-Owners has an A+ rating with AM Best, which signals “superior” financial security, it scored below average for customer satisfaction in the J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Home Insurance Study.

We rated Auto-Owners 4.5 out of 5 stars for its home insurance offerings, which is above our industry average of 4.2 out of 5 based on 37 companies. Auto-Owners fared best in the coverage category in our home insurance review.

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Flip Card Auto-Owners Home Insurance
4.5 / out of 5 stars

Rating is based off of MarketWatch Methodology Guidelines

Cost Auto-Owners is a bit cheaper than the national average overall. 4.3 / 5
Customer Experience The company has an above-average claims service reputation. 4.4 / 5
Industry Standing While Auto-Owners has strong financial ratings from AM Best, it has slightly lower ratings for customer satisfaction from J.D. Power. 4.3 / 5
Coverage The company’s basic plan goes beyond standard HO-3 home insurance coverage. 5 / 5

Auto-Owners Homeowners Insurance Cost

Home insurance from Auto-Owners costs $2,596 per year on average, which is about 11% cheaper than the national average of $2,927. However, the exact rate you pay for home insurance depends on many factors, such as your dwelling value, deductible amount, location, credit score and claims history.

Cost by State

Auto-Owners home insurance costs vary significantly by your location since different areas have different risk levels for hazards, as well as varying rebuilding costs.

StateAverage Premium
Alabama$374
AlaskaN/A
Arizona$272
Arkansas$680
California$123
Colorado$167
ConnecticutN/A
DelawareN/A
District of ColumbiaN/A
FloridaN/A
Data updated as of Nov. 2025

The dwelling coverage portion of your insurance policy covers the structure of your house, and insurance costs will vary depending on its overall size. Since larger homes typically have larger structures, they require higher policy limits and insurance premiums to ensure proper coverage and vice versa with smaller homes.

Dwelling Average Premium
$250,000 $2,106
$350,000 $2,596
$450,000 $3,053
$750,000 $4,289
$1,000,000 $5,447

Having a history of filing claims can also impact your insurance rates. Different types of claims seem to impact Auto-Owners premiums at about the same rate, based on our cost data analysis. We also found Auto-Owners offers better rates for homeowners with claims histories compared to the national average.

Claim Type Average Premium National Average
Wind and hail $2,744 $2,884
Fire and lightning $2,750 $3,144
Water damage and freezing $2,747 $3,106

Credit score can have a big impact on your home insurance rates, with higher credit scores typically resulting in lower premiums. However, we found that Auto-Owners offers better prices for homeowners with lower credit scores than other companies.

Credit Type Average Premium National Average
Poor (300 to 579) $4,404 $4,638
Good (670 to 739) $2,596 $2,927
Excellent (800 to 850) $1,449 $2,329

Home Insurance Discounts

Auto-Owners offers about a dozen discounts for home insurance. However, it’s missing some options like military, senior or new home discounts. Here’s a quick list of what Auto-Owners offers:

  • Advance quote
  • Automatic backup generator
  • Favorable loss history
  • Good payment history
  • Green policy discount
  • Hurricane/wind mitigation
  • Mortgage free
  • Multi-policy including auto or life
  • Paid-in-full
  • Protective devices
  • Water shut-off system

Auto-Owners Home Insurance Coverage Options

Home insurance companies typically offer the same basic coverage, including dwelling, other structures, personal property, loss of use, personal liability and medical payments coverage. However, insurers may offer different coverage limit amounts, rates, and optional endorsements. Since Auto-Owners only sells policies through independent agents, you’ll have to find a representative in your area who can walk you through your home insurance coverage options.

Here is a list of add-ons you can purchase from Auto-Owners:

  • Ordinance/law coverage for code violations
  • Equipment breakdown
  • Guaranteed home replacement cost
  • Home cyber protection
  • Homeowners Plus (damage from leaks, food spoilage, power failures and more)
  • Identity theft expense
  • Inland flood coverage
  • Ordinance/law coverage for code violations
  • Special personal property coverage
  • Water backup of sewers or drains

What Customers Think of Auto-Owners Insurance

Customer reviews are somewhat mixed for Auto-Owners. Below are some trends we noticed across positive and negative reviews on Google.

What Customers Like

  • Quick service: Customers report being able to reach agents and adjusters for fast service.
  • Courteous agents: Many customers have said they received quality customer service from Auto-Owners agents who were helpful throughout the process.
  • Low rates: Auto-Owners’ customers often mention receiving low rates for insurance through the company.
  • Great claims service: Customers point out how the claims adjusters do a good job following up, helping them get the full value of their coverage.
  • Good roadside assistance: Some customers mention the towing service through Auto-Owners is reliable.

What Customers Don’t Like*

  • Slow claims service: Some customers said their claims took a long time to process and required multiple phone calls.
  • Low benefit amounts: Other customers said their rental coverage wasn’t enough to cover what they needed.
  • Rising rates: Some Auto-Owners customers said their rates have risen as much as 40% over recent years.
  • Conflicting information: Customers have received conflicting information from agents, like one representative saying something isn’t covered while another one says it is.
  • Low claim values: Some customers report receiving low offers for repairs or only partial coverage for claims.

*We reached out to Auto-Owners about these negative reviews but did not receive a response.


Auto-Owners Claims Process

Our 2025 surveys of home and auto insurance customers show that Auto-Owners may approve fewer claims than the industry average. Our survey results also suggest that Auto-Owners auto claims can take a bit longer to process than the industry average. However, our home insurance survey only included six Auto-Owners customers, and our auto insurance survey only included 13, which is a smaller sample size.

Rating AreaAuto-OwnersIndustry Average
Average home claim approval timeOne to two weeksOne to two weeks
Average auto claim approval timeOne to two weeksOne week or less
Percent of home claims approved66%91%
Percent of auto claims approved74%98%
Data updated as of Nov. 2025

How Auto-Owners Compares to Other Top Insurance Companies

Auto-Owners offers comparable rates and coverage to top-rated insurance companies like State Farm and Allstate, but it may struggle with claims service, based on our consumer surveys. We’re comparing Auto-Owners to State Farm and Allstate because these companies were popular choices in our 2025 surveys, and all three offer solid insurance bundling options.

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Auto-Owners
GET QUOTE with our partner, Money.com
Average Minimum Coverage Bundled Premium
$3,026
$2,347
$3,293
Average Full Coverage Bundled Premium
$4,418
$3,762
$4,798
Overall Insurance Score
4.5 of 5
4.4 of 5
4.5 of 5
J.D. Power 2025 Home Insurance Study Score
621/1,000
657/1,000
633/1,000
J.D. Power 2025 Auto Insurance Study Score*
638/1,000
649/1,000
637/1,000
NAIC Complaint Index
0.46 (below average)
.84 (below average)
.70 (below average)
Average Claim Approval Rate
74%
99%
97%
Attributes Average Minimum Coverage Bundled Premium Average Full Coverage Bundled Premium Overall Insurance Score J.D. Power 2025 Home Insurance Study Score J.D. Power 2025 Auto Insurance Study Score* NAIC Complaint Index Average Claim Approval Rate
Auto-Owners
GET QUOTE with our partner, Money.com
$3,026
$4,418
4.5 of 5
621/1,000
638/1,000
0.46 (below average)
74%
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$2,347
$3,762
4.4 of 5
657/1,000
649/1,000
.84 (below average)
99%
GET QUOTE with our partner, Money.com
$3,293
$4,798
4.5 of 5
633/1,000
637/1,000
.70 (below average)
97%
GET QUOTE with our partner, Money.com
No results were found.
Rates refreshed as of Feb 2026
*The J.D. Power 2025 Auto Insurance Study Score is averaged across all U.S. regions

Frequently Asked Questions: Auto-Owners Insurance

Auto-Owners is a legitimate company with an A+ financial strength rating from AM Best and a low complaint ratio according to the NAIC. This insurer offers solid coverage options, although customer reviews are mixed, based on our review.

We rated Auto-Owners higher than State Farm for car insurance but State Farm higher for home insurance. If you’re thinking of bundling coverage, we found that State Farm is cheaper than Auto-Owners for minimum and full coverage. The right company for you depends on your insurance needs and premium budget.

You can generally assess the reputation of an insurance company by looking at industry ratings such as AM Best and Better Business Bureau scores and reading customer reviews. If possible, find reviews for the company’s local offices in your area and look for trends in positive and negative experiences.


How We Rated the Best Home and Auto Insurance Providers

Because consumers rely on us to provide objective and accurate information, we created a comprehensive rating system to formulate our rankings of the best auto, home and life insurance companies. We collected data on dozens of insurance providers to grade the companies on a wide range of ranking factors. Learn more about how we rate insurance providers in each industry below:

  • Auto Insurance: Our team has analyzed more than 130 auto insurers based on their industry standing, availability, coverage, cost and discounts, customer service, and technology. We evaluate both national and regional insurers to determine the most reputable options on the market. Learn more about our auto insurance methodology.
  • Home Insurance: We assessed dozens of home insurance providers and created a scoring system to compare each company’s quality and service. We took a comprehensive look at insurers’ reputations in the industry, coverage offerings, average costs and customer service. See our rating process in more detail in our home insurance rating methodology.

*Data accurate at time of publication.

If you have feedback or questions about this article, please email our team at editors@marketwatchguides.com.

Meet the Team

Brogan Woodburn is a seasoned automotive writer who specializes in auto insurance, shipping, warranties and loans. He’s based in Prineville, Ore., where he enjoys playing guitar and hiking in the high desert.

Learn more about Brogan Woodburn

Tori Addison is an editor who has worked in the digital marketing industry for over five years. Her experience includes communications and marketing work in the nonprofit, governmental and academic sectors. A journalist by trade, she started her career covering politics and news in New York’s Hudson Valley. Her work included coverage of local and state budgets, federal financial regulations and health care legislation.

Learn more about Tori Addison
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