Auto-Owners Insurance Review: Auto, Homeowners, Renters, Life, and Pet Insurance – Business Insider
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Bottom line: Auto-Owners Insurance offers car, homeowners, renters, pet, and life insurance. The company is known for its high marks in homeowners and
auto insurance
customer satisfaction. However, it is only available in 26 states.
Auto-Owners insurance pros and cons
Auto-Owners car insurance review
JD Power Customer Satisfaction Rating
#10
AM Best Financial Strength Rating
A++ (Superior)
JD Power Customer Satisfaction Rating
#10
AM Best Financial Strength Rating
A++ (Superior)
Pros
Ranked #10 in J.D. Power’s auto claims satisfaction survey
Lots of discount and coverage options
Cons
Not available in all states
More Information
High marks on customer satisfaction
Roadside assistance, purchase price guarantee, and rental car coverage
Discounts for students, bundling, vehicle safety, policy coverage, and payment history.
Auto-Owners Insurance was established in 1916 by Vern V. Moulton in Michigan. It is ranked #10 in J.D. Power’s auto claims satisfaction survey.
Auto-Owners Insurance offers a wide array of discount opportunities to save on your premiums, such as student discounts and vehicle safety discounts. Additionally, Auto-Owners Insurance offers discounts for bundling your auto insurance with other insurance products like most carriers.
Auto-Owners Insurance has a range of coverage options such as roadside assistance and rental car coverage. It also guarantees purchase price protection which ensures that you are compensated for the purchase price of your vehicle.
There are four types of insurance coverage: liability insurance (required by most states), comprehensive, collision, and full car coverage. Your lender may require comprehensive and collision coverage if you lease or finance your car.
Here are the differences between the various coverage types:
Auto-Owners car insurance features and discounts
Road trouble service coverage — Auto-Owners will provide you with roadside assistance if you are stuck on the road with a flat tire or a dead battery. Purchase price guarantee coverage — Guarantees compensation for your car’s purchase value and not the depreciated value. Rental car coverage — Offers a range of coverages for your rental car in case of an accident. Multi-policy discount — Get a discount for bundling your auto policy with qualifying insurance products. Life multi-policy discount — Get a discount for bundling your life insurance policy with your auto policy. Payment history — Receive a discount for paying your premium on time for 36 consecutive months. Paid in full discount — Receive a discount for paying your policy premiums in full and on time. Green discount — Get a discount for enrolling in e-billing and e-delivery. Advance quote discount — Get a discount if you are a new applicant and request a quote before your policy’s effective date. Multi-car discount — Receive a discount for insuring two or more vehicles. Safety feature discount — Receive a discount if your vehicle is equipped with anti-lock brake systems, airbags, or anti-theft devices. Higher deductible discount — Qualify for additional savings on your policy by choosing a higher deductible. Favorable loss history — Get a discount if you have no claims or minor claims. Good student discount — Receive up to 20% if you are a student and maintain a grade point average of “B” or better. Student away at school discount — Receive a discount if you attend school more than 100 miles away from home without a vehicle. Teen driver monitoring discount — Get a discount for installing a GPS in a vehicle your teenager primarily uses.
Visit Auto-Owners Insurance’s auto insurance website to learn more.
Auto-Owners homeowners insurance review
JD Power Customer Satisfaction Rating
#7
AM Best Financial Strength Rating
A++ (Superior)
JD Power Customer Satisfaction Rating
#7
AM Best Financial Strength Rating
A++ (Superior)
Pros
Ranks #7 in J.D. Power’s homeowners insurance customer satisfaction survey
Insider’s top pick for homeowners insurance
Variety of discount and coverage options
Cons
Not available in all states
More Information
Ranks high in customer satisfaction
Discounts for installing protective devices, being mortgage-free, having a home water shutoff system, and having a backup generator
Coverage for identity theft, and coverage for household appliances
Full replacement of your home if your coverage is too low
Auto-Owners Insurance ranks #7 in J.D Power’s homeowners insurance customer satisfaction survey. It is also one of our top picks for homeowners insurance.
Auto-Owners Insurance offers home safety, bundling, and e-billing discounts. It also offers discounts for being mortgage-free, claim-free, and having good payment history.
With your Auto-Owners Insurance policy, you can add identity theft and equipment breakdown coverage. Additionally, Auto-Owners Insurance offers guaranteed home replacement as optional coverage to replace your home entirely if your coverage limit is too low.
Homeowners insurance protects your dwelling, personal belongings, and offers personal liability coverage for injuries that happen on your property. Standard homeowners insurance looks like the table below, but coverage varies depending on your provider:
*Available as add-on coverage if not part of policy
**Flood insurance is available through the NFIP and approved insurers
***If you live in hurricane or tornado areas, additional windstorm rider may be required
Auto-Owners homeowners insurance discounts and features
Multi-policy discount — Get a discount for bundling your home policy with qualifying insurance products. Life multi-policy discount — Get a discount for bundling your life insurance policy with your home policy. Payment history — Receive a discount for paying your premium on time for 36 consecutive months. Paid in full discount — Receive a discount for paying your policy premiums in full and on time. Green discount — Get a discount for enrolling in e-billing and e-delivery. Advance quote discount — Get a discount if you are a new applicant and request a quote before your policy’s effective date. Protective devices discount — Qualify for a discount if you have home safety devices like smoke detectors, deadbolt locks, and fire extinguishers.Water shut-off system discount — Qualify for a discount if you have an approved whole-home water shut-off system.Automatic backup generator discount — Receive a discount if you have a qualifying backup generator. Mortgage-free discount — Receive a discount if you don’t have a mortgage or line of credit on your home.Higher deductible discount — Qualify for additional savings on your policy by choosing a higher deductible. Favorable loss history — Get a discount if you have no claims or minor claims. Guaranteed home replacement cost coverage — Get full compensation for your home if your coverage limit is too low. Home cyber protection — Receive coverage for stolen or corrupted data.
Visit Auto-Owners Insurance’s homeowners insurance website to learn more.
Auto-Owners renters insurance review
AM Best Financial Strength Rating
A++ (Superior)
AM Best Financial Strength Rating
A++ (Superior)
Cons
Not available in all states
More Information
Discounts for bundling, payment history, enrolling in e-billing, and installing protective home devices
Additional savings for choosing a higher deductible and being claim-free
Auto-Owners Insurance doesn’t rank in J.D. Power’s renters insurance customer satisfaction survey.
Auto-Owners Insurance offers discounts for bundling your policies, paying your premiums on time, and installing home safety systems. You may also qualify to receive a discount for having good claim history and choosing a higher deductible on your policy.
Renters insurance will cover your personal property in the event of damage and theft. Your landlord is responsible for insuring the building and structure. A renters insurance policy has three main parts: personal property coverage, personal liability coverage, and “loss of use” coverage.
Personal property covers lost, damaged, or stolen belongings. Personal liability protects you if your pet injuries a guest, if someone is injured in your unit, or if you are sued for damages. “Loss of use” coverage assists you with relocation costs if your rental becomes unlivable due to damage.
*Available as add-on coverage
**Flood insurance is separate coverage
Data from Hippo Insurance
Auto-Owners renters insurance discounts and features
Multi-policy discount — Get a discount for bundling your renters policy with qualifying insurance products. Life multi-policy discount — Get a discount for bundling your life insurance policy with your renters policy. Payment history — Receive a discount for paying your premium on time for 36 consecutive months. Paid in full discount — Receive a discount for paying your policy premiums in full and on time. Green discount — Get a discount for enrolling in e-billing and e-delivery. Advance quote discount — Get a discount if you are a new applicant and request a quote before your policy’s effective date. Protective devices discount — Qualify for a discount if you have home safety devices like smoke detectors, deadbolt locks, and fire extinguishers. Higher deductible discount — Qualify for additional savings on your policy by choosing a higher deductible. Favorable loss history — Get a discount if you have no claims or minor claims.
Visit Auto-Owners Insurance renters insurance website to learn more.
Auto-Owners life insurance review
AM Best Financial Strength Rating
A++ (Superior)
AM Best Financial Strength Rating
A++ (Superior)
Pros
Offers level term, universal, and whole life policies
Bundling oppurtunities
Cons
Not available in all states
Does not rank in J.D. Power’s life insurance satisfaction survey
More Information
Discount for bundling your life insurance policy with other Auto-Owners Insurance products
Term life, universal life, whole life
Auto-Owners Insurance didn’t make the list for J.D. Power’s life insurance customer satisfaction survey.
Auto-Owners Insurance offers level term life, whole life, and universal life. Level term life will cover you for a selected period, and your premiums won’t increase during your term. However, when your term is up, your premiums will often increase.
Whole life is a lifelong policy that provides death benefits and builds cash value. Universal life insurance is also a type of permanent life insurance that pays death benefits and accrues cash value. However, a universal life policy earns interest based on current money market rates. Another distinct feature of a universal life policy is its payment flexibility. Auto-Owners Insurance allows you to adjust coverage amount, premiums, payment schedules and increase or decrease coverage based on your current needs.
Some financial advisors recommend a combination of term and permanent life insurance.
Auto-Owners life insurance features
Level term life — A policy that offers coverage for a 10, 20, or 30 year period.Universal life — A flexible policy that allows you to obtain death benefits and build cash value. You can also add multiple family members to your policy.Whole life — A lifelong policy that provides coverage up to age 110. It pays a death benefit and builds cash value.
Visit Auto-Owners Insurance life insurance website to learn more.
Auto-Owners Insurance pet insurance review
AM Best Financial Strength Rating
A++ (Superior)
AM Best Financial Strength Rating
A++ (Superior)
Pros
Offers discount for purchasing a policy
Covers accidents and illnesses
Cons
Not available in all states
Limited coverage options
More Information
Discount for purchasing a policy
Accident and illness coverage
Auto-Owners Insurance for pets covers both accidents and illnesses. You can receive 5% off your policy by purchasing pet insurance through an Auto-Owners’ independent agent.
Pet insurance usually offers two types of coverage: accident-only and accident and illness coverage. Wellness plans are usually available for additional purchase.
Accident-only coverage only reimburses the cost of injuries your pet suffers as a result of an accident. Accident and illness policies cover both accidents and sickness or diseases your pet develops after your policy begins. No pet insurance carrier covers pre-existing conditions.
*Curable pre-existing conditions may qualify for coverage
Auto-Owners pet insurance discount
Enrollment discount — Receive 5% off your policy by purchasing pet insurance through an independent agent from Auto-Owners Insurance.
Learn more by visiting Auto-Owners Insurance pet insurance website.
Auto-Owners Insurance vs. the competition
Auto-Owners, Amica, and American Family insurance are regional carriers that offer auto, homeowners, life, renters, and pet insurance. While Auto-Owners doesn’t rank for life and renters insurance, it’s #7 in homeowners insurance customer satisfaction and #10 in auto claims satisfaction.
Is Auto-Owners Insurance trustworthy?
We checked the NAIC Complaint Index for complaints against Auto-Owners Insurance. Auto-Owners Insurance has slightly fewer complaints filed against it compared to other top insurers.
Auto-Owners Insurance’s financial stability is strong with an A.M. Best’s rating of A++ (Superior). While Auto-Owners Insurance is a legitimate insurance provider, it’s important to do your own research to ensure that Auto-Owners Insurance is the right insurance company for you.
Auto-Owners Insurance — Frequently asked questions
What states does Auto-Owners Insurance cover?
Auto-Owners insurance currently operates in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
How do I get a quote from Auto-Owners Insurance?
Unlike other insurance carriers, Auto-Owners Insurance does not have an online quoting tool. You’ll need to contact an independent agent using Auto-Owner Insurance’s agency locator to obtain a quote.
How do I pay my bill or view the status of my claim at Auto-Owners Insurance?
You must contact your independent agent to file a claim. You can pay your bill or view the status of your claim using the Auto-Owners app or website.
Alani Asis
Personal Finance Reviews Fellow
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