Acuity vs. Auto-owners: Which Company is the Best Fit for You?

Quick Facts

• Looking at the national averages for insurance, Auto-owners offers significantly less expensive premiums than Acuity
• Auto-owners has more affordable rates for policyholders who live in rural neighborhoods
• Auto-owners may help you save more money -- they offer more discounts than Acuity Insurance

Acuity or Auto-owners: Which Company has the Cheapest Car Insurance?

Are you considering a new insurance policy? With so many ads from all sorts of companies offering large savings, you're probably wondering exactly how much you might be able to save.

You've maybe even narrowed it down to Acuity or Auto-owners as potential options, but which one has cheaper premiums for auto insurance?

Looking at nationwide averages, Acuity is quite a bit more expensive than Auto-owners, with rates averaging $313 a month compared to just $179 with Auto-owners.

However, that doesn't necessarily mean Auto-owners will be the less expensive option for every single driver. Car insurance carriers vary their prices depending on things like how good your credit score is, where you live, how old you are, how clean your driving record is, and a ton of other factors, so rates will vary quite a bit from person to person.

Wanting to know if Acuity or Auto-owners is really the right carrier for you? Keep on reading to see how average prices can change based on all of the factors we've mentioned above.

Acuity vs. Auto-owners: Average Car Insurance Rates by State

Acuity and Auto-owners only compete against each other in two states, with Auto-owners offering more affordable premiums to the average driver in all of them. Colorado has the most noticable difference, where Auto-owners rates are $174 cheaper than insurance prices at Acuity.

That being said, there are plenty of other factors that go into your auto insurance payment than just your home state. Continue reading to see how other variables will affect your rates.

Which is the Best Company For Young Drivers?

Teen drivers will almost always have the most expensive car insurance premiums of any other group of drivers out there on the road. It's because teen drivers are statistically much more likely to get into accidents since they have less experience on the roads.

That being said, that doesn't mean teen drivers can't still save money on their insurance. For example, 18-year-old drivers pay an average of over 60% less per month by choosing Auto-owners over Acuity.

Even so, both companies will offer you dramatically lower rates by the time drivers turn 25. For example, average prices for Acuity policyholders lower around $500 and Auto-owners's premiums decrease about $250 over that time.

Which is the Best Company for Retired Drivers?

Once you approach retirement age, you'll generally enjoy the most affordable auto insurance prices you'll ever find. You've been on the road for years, and all that experience pays off when it comes to your monthly premiums for insurance.

So, which company offers the best rates to retired drivers? Auto-owners gets the edge, with prices for drivers 65 and older $50 more affordable than the national average for Acuity.

Which is the Best Company for Married Drivers?

Did you know that auto insurance premiums are normally cheaper for married couples than they are for those who are single? This usually boils down to married drivers having more than one vehicle on their policy -- something a lot of car insurance carriers will reward with discounts.

For single drivers, the difference in average rates between these two companies is significant, with Auto-owners premiums coming in at around half of Acuity's. For married policyholders, the advantage is clear again - Auto-owners has the edge when it comes to average rates.

Acuity or Auto-owners: Average Rates by Gender

Men are statistically more likely than women to get into collisions and file an insurance claim, which means they'll usually end up paying more for insurance than women.

Generally, women see prices almost $20 a month less expensive with Acuity, and more than $10 cheaper with Auto-owners when compared to their male counterparts.

Looking at the data for each carrier specifically, Auto-owners comes out on top for both men and women. On average, women save about $130 per month and men save about $138 with Auto-owners compared to the average Acuity policyholder.

Acuity vs. Auto-owners: Compare State Minimum vs. Full Coverage Rates

*State minimum value indicates liability-only policies at each state's minimum bodily injury and property damage (BI/PD) limits

**Full coverage indicates state minimum BI/PD limits with collision and comprehensive coverages added to policy.

It's no secret that auto insurance can be pretty complicated. There are a range of different coverages that account for several different things. Some protect you and your car, while others only provide coverage for other people's property and health if you cause a collision.

But most policies end up falling into two different types of coverage -- liability coverage (which covers the other party's injuries and property damage if you cause an accident) and full coverage (which includes collision and comprehensive coverages that protect your own car, in addition to what you get with liability).

Looking specifically at state minimum limits for liability insurance, Auto-owners has the significant edge, with average monthly rates coming in at $99. If you want a full coverage policy with the same state minimum limits, Auto-owners again has the edge, with policies averaging around $260 a month to Acuity's $454.

Is Acuity or Auto-owners Better for Drivers with Spotty Records?

You've probably seen plenty of commercials from car insurance carriers offering great prices for good drivers, but that doesn't mean people with less-than-perfect driving records can't save money, too.

Speeding tickets and at-fault accidents will most likely raise your premiums, but is Acuity or Auto-owners cheaper for drivers with spotty records?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Speeding Tickets?

Policyholders who use Acuity for their auto insurance can typically expect their monthly bill to go up about 29% after getting a speeding ticket. Auto-owners policyholders can expect a less drastic increase of around 27%.

Even so, Auto-owners is generally the less expensive option for drivers both with clean records and with a ticket -- their rates are around 47% more affordable for drivers with clean records and 49% less expensive for those with a ticket.

Which Company is Best for Drivers After an Accident?

Acuity drivers who get in a collision can expect to see their prices rise by over $100, while those who have insurance through Auto-owners will see about a $45 increase.

At the end of the day, the more affordable premiums come from Auto-owners, with average rates coming in at $168 compared to Acuity Insurance's $344.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with a DUI?

If you get a DUI charge on your record, it's probably going to cost you more than a simple speeding ticket or even an accident. For example, Auto-owners increases average premiums by nearly $150 per month -- that's nearly a 55% increase.

How does Credit Score Impact Acuity and Auto-owners Rates?

In many cases, your credit score can be used as one of the factors to determine your monthly car insurance rates. This isn't true for everyone (Michigan, for example, has banned the use of credit score as an insurance factor) but it will come into play for lots of policyholders.

Insurance companies argue that someone with bad credit is less likely to pay their bills on time, which makes them riskier to insure. Because of that, drivers with bad credit will often be forced to pay more.

So, which company offers the best prices for policyholders with good, average, or poor credit?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Good Credit?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Bad Credit?

Is Acuity or Auto-owners Better for Drivers who Work from Home or Have Short Commutes?

How much you drive can have a sizable impact on how much car insurance carriers will charge for coverage. Typically, the more milage you drive, the more you can expect to pay for insurance.

Auto-owners tends to be the cheaper option for both remote workers and those taking short commutes. Acuity's average rates for drivers with 6,000 annual miles come in just under 40% more expensive than Auto-owners. Those who drive 12,000 miles yearly can expect to pay more than 45% more with Acuity over Auto-owners.

Acuity or Auto-owners: Compare Rates for Urban, Suburban, and Rural Drivers

Where you live can play a substantial role in how much you pay for auto insurance. Usually, those who live in urban areas will pay more than drivers in rural areas because of the number of vehicles that are on the roads where they live.

When comparing these two companies side-by-side, Auto-owners normally comes out as the lowest option for drivers in every type of area, no matter if it's urban, suburban, or rural.

For policyholders in urban ZIP codes, Auto-Owners Insurance's average prices are around $169 less than Acuity Insurance. People who live in suburban areas pay about $144 less with Auto-owners compared to Acuity. Those in rural areas can expect to save around $89 with Auto-owners compared to Acuity.

Acuity vs. Auto-owners Discounts

You want to save as much money as you can, right? The best way to do that is by utilizing as many insurance discounts as possible.

But with what seems like a million different discounts out there, it can be hard to nail down the carrier that has the most discounts for your unique driver profile and to find all the discounts you can take advantage of.

Luckily, we did the hard work for you and broke down all of the different discounts offered by both Acuity and Auto-owners so that you can see which carrier can save you the most money each month.

Auto-owners blows Acuity away when it comes to the sheer amount of discounts available, offering 24 different discounts to Acuity's nine.

There are a couple discounts both carriers offer, but Auto-owners also offers discounts for ABS, advance quote, anti-theft, and more.

On the other hand, Acuity has a few proprietary discounts of their own like college graduate discounts and continuous insurance discounts.

Final Thoughts: Is Acuity or Auto-owners Best for You?

So, we've broken down the average premiums for many of the variables auto insurance companies look at, and we've shown you all the discounts each company offers. That's all well and good, but at the end of the day, which carrier is the right company for you and your specific profile and needs?

Auto-owners might be best for you if....

• You don't have any speeding tickets, DUIs, or at-fault collisions on your record.
• Your credit is below-average.
• You drive often but have a short commute.

Acuity might be best for you if...

• You have a more unique driver profile than those we mentioned above.

Hopefully, this guide helps you get a good idea of the differences between Acuity and Auto-owners. We also hope we've given you the information you need to make the best decision when it comes to your car insurance.

At the end of the day, the best way to make sure you're getting the best deal on your auto insurance policy is to compare quotes from a handful of carriers, not just Acuity and Auto-owners. Luckily, Compare.com makes it easy for you to do just that. Simply enter your ZIP code below and get free quotes from dozens of the top car insurance companies in your area, all in just a few minutes.

Acuity vs. Auto-owners FAQs

Is Acuity or Auto-owners cheaper?

Auto-owners is the more affordable of the two carriers when looking at national average rates, with policies averaging $179 a month with Auto-owners and $313 for Acuity. However, that doesn't mean Auto-owners will be the most affordable company for everyone, since there are multiple different factors (things like driving record, age, gender, etc.) that play a role in how much you pay.

Who is better, Acuity or Auto-owners?

Unfortunately, the answer truly is "it depends.". Neither carrier is necessarily "better" for everyone -- it all boils down to your unique insurance profile.

Why do Acuity and Auto-owners offer me different rates?

Car insurance companies use several different variables when determining the prices they charge. Things like your driving record, where you call home, gender, age, and sometimes even things like your credit score can all be used. Both Acuity and Auto-owners calculate premiums using different factors, so it's likely they'll offer different rates. The best way to determine which company is the lowest for you is by comparing personalized quotes from lots of different carriers.

How do I know if Acuity or Auto-owners is right for me?

The only way to find the insurance carrier that's right for you is by getting quotes from multiple companies and finding the one best suited for your individual budget. Luckily, Compare.com does all the hard work for you. Just enter your area information and you'll get quotes from dozens of your local top auto insurance carriers for free. With those, you can guarantee you're getting the cheapest rate. And maybe you'll find that the best company for you isn't Acuity or Auto-owners at all, but another you hadn't even thought of!

Methodology

All of the data referenced in this article has been gathered in collaboration with Quadrant Information Services. We analyzed more than 2.5 million rows of carrier-reported data to calculate the average rates referenced above. All rates are based on an insurance profile of a single-vehicle policy for a driver that owns a 2016 Honda Accord. For more information on how we calculate rates, please reference our data methodology.