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

Quick Facts

• Looking at the national averages for car insurance, Auto-owners offers less expensive rates than California Casualty
• Auto-owners tends to be a much more affordable option for drivers who have a speeding ticket on their driving record
• California Casualty has cheaper premiums in CO, DE, OR, and WA

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

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

You've maybe even narrowed your search down to Auto-owners or California Casualty as potential options, but which company will offer you more affordable rates?

Looking at nationwide averages, California Casualty is around $22 more a month than Auto-owners.

Even so, Auto-owners may not be the cheapest or best option for each driver out there. Insurance carriers vary their premiums depending on things like how good your credit score is, how old you are, where you live, how clean your driving record is, and tons of other factors. So, at the end of the day, prices from every carrier will differ quite a bit from person to person.

So, if you want to find out which of Auto-owners or California Casualty is really the best for you, keep reading to see average premiums for each company broken down by a range of different rate factors.

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

Auto-owners and California Casualty only compete against each other in one states, with Auto-owners offering less expensive prices to the average driver in all of them. Colorado has the most noticable difference, where Auto-owners rates are $3 cheaper than auto insurance prices at California Casualty.

That being said, there's a lot more that goes into your car insurance cost than just your home state. Keep reading to find out more.

Which is the Best Company For Young Drivers?

Young drivers -- especially teens -- generally pay a lot for insurance compared to older drivers. It's because teen drivers are statistically much more likely to cause collisions and other accidents that will result in an insurance claim.

But still, even with seemingly sky-high premiums, teen drivers can still find ways to save money. For example, 18-year-old drivers pay an average of almost 10% less per month by choosing Auto-owners over California Casualty.

That being said, both companies will offer you dramatically lower rates by the time you turn 25. For example, average prices for Auto-owners policyholders lower nearly 60% and California Casualty's rates reduce almost 60% over that time.

Which is the Best Company for Retired Drivers?

When it comes to car insurance, patience and experience pay off, with drivers around retirement age paying some of the lowest premiums out there.

When looking at Auto-owners and California Casualty specifically, which carrier is best for retired drivers? Auto-owners gets the edge, with rates for drivers 65 and older over 10% less expensive than the national average for California Casualty.

Which is the Best Company for Married Drivers?

You may not be aware, but auto insurance premiums tend to be more affordable for married drivers than they are for single policyholders. That's because policies for married policyholders typically cover multiple vehicles, which several carriers will give you a discount for.

For those who are single, the difference in average prices between these two companies is not very significant, with Auto-owners rates coming in at about 10% less than California Casualty's. The advantage for married couples is more obvious, where drivers who use Auto-owners save nearly 15% a month.

Auto-owners or California Casualty: Average Rates by Gender

Men are statistically more likely than women to get into collisions and get speeding tickets. That means when it comes to car insurance men will usually end up paying a little more.

Men normally pay around 6% more per month than women with Auto-owners, but with California Casualty, the difference is closer to 8% a month.

Looking at overall affordability, Auto-owners comes out as the cheapest option for both genders. On average, women save about $19 per month and men save about $24 with Auto-owners compared to the average California Casualty policyholder.

Auto-owners vs. California Casualty: 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 a complicated subject for most people. Everyone needs insurance, but there are so many different coverages and limits that it can be hard to find the right policy for you.

But most policies end up falling into two different types of coverage -- liability coverage (which covers the other party's property damage and injuries if you cause a collision) and full coverage (which usually refers to having collision and comprehensive coverages alongside what you get with a liability policy).

Looking specifically at state minimum liability limits, Auto-owners has the edge, with average monthly prices 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 California Casualty's $281.

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

It's no secret -- drivers with good records end up getting the best deals on their auto insurance. But that's not to say you can't save money if you don't have the best driving record, either.

You'll probably end up paying more with at-fault collisions and speeding tickets on your record, but which of these two carriers offers the lowest premiums to drivers with less-than-perfect records?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Speeding Tickets?

Policyholders who use Auto-owners for their insurance can normally expect their monthly bill to go up about 27% after getting a speeding ticket. California Casualty policyholders can expect a less drastic increase of around 19%.

However, Auto-owners has cheaper prices for drivers in both categories, offering premiums that are $16 and $5 less expensive, respectively, compared to California Casualty.

Which Company is Best for Drivers After an Accident?

Both companies will raise rates pretty significantly if you get into an at-fault collision with California Casualty increasing by about 31%. Auto-owners has a less extreme climb, but you can still expect to pay nearly 30% more than you were prior to your first accident.

At the end of the day, the cheaper premiums come from Auto-owners, with average prices coming in at $168 compared to California Casualty's $198.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with a DUI?

On average, a DUI offense is going to cost you much more than a single collision or ticket when it comes to your car insurance bill. For example, California Casualty increases average rates by more than $150 per month -- that's just under a 55% increase.

But if you end up with a DUI charge and are looking for more affordable prices, Auto-owners tends to be more affordable for the average driver, with monthly premiums coming in at around $264 to California Casualty's $300.

How does Credit Score Impact Auto-owners and California Casualty Rates?

Did you know many insurance carriers take your credit score into account when determining premiums? This isn't true for everyone (Massachusetts, for example, has banned the use of credit score as a car insurance factor) but it will come into play for quite a few drivers.

Auto insurance companies argue that those with poor credit scores are less likely to pay their bills on time each month, which raises the risk involved on their end, while the opposite is true for those with good credit.

Looking specifically at California Casualty and Auto-owners, which carrier has the best rates for policyholders at different credit levels?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Good Credit?

If you have great credit, Auto-owners will generally reward you the most. For drivers with "excellent" credit scores, Auto-owners comes in more than 30.15 cheaper. Drivers with "good" credit scores typically save about 26% with Auto-owners compared to average prices from California Casualty.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Bad Credit?

If you have less-than-stellar credit, it can be somewhat of a toss-up as far as which company offers you the best rates. Drivers with "fair" credit pay around 16% less with Auto-owners than California Casualty, but those whose credit is considered "poor" have it flipped -- saving about 10% a month with California Casualty.

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

Did you know that the amount of time you spend in your car have a sizable impact on your monthly premiums? Normally, those who drive less will end up with more affordable rates since there's less of a chance of causing an accident and filing an insurance claim.

For both remote workers and those taking short commutes, Auto-owners offers less expensive premiums than California Casualty. California Casualty's average prices for drivers with 6,000 annual miles come in 5% more expensive than Auto-owners. Those who drive 12,000 miles yearly can expect to pay over 15% more with California Casualty over Auto-owners.

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

We've already mentioned how your home state can play a role in how much you pay for car insurance, but the type of area you live in can have a large impact as well. Generally, those who live in rural areas will pay less than policyholders in urban areas since there are a lot fewer cars on the road where they live, which lowers the chances of an accident.

Auto-owners vs. California Casualty Discounts

No matter why you might be in the market for a new insurance policy, you're always going to want to save as much money as you can. That's where car insurance discounts comes into play.

But with what seems like a million different discounts out there, it can be challenging 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 compared all of the different discounts offered by Auto-owners and California Casualty so that you can see which one offers the most discounts and see which ones you might be able to take advantage of.

Auto-owners blows California Casualty away when it comes to the sheer amount of discounts available, offering 24 different discounts to California Casualty's 14.

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

On the other hand, California Casualty has a few proprietary discounts of their own for things like full coverage discounts, mature driver discounts, renewal discounts, and more.

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

So, you've seen how different variables can affect your auto insurance rates. We've shown you all the discounts each company offers, too. But, when it comes down to it, which insurance carrier is the right fit for you?

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

• You don't have any speeding tickets, DUIs, or at-fault accidents on your record.
• You're looking for the company with the most discounts.
• You want to save money while purchasing car insurance for a teenager.

California Casualty might be best for you if...

• You live in one of the following states: Colorado, Delaware, Oregon, and Washington.

Hopefully, this guide has ben a valuable resource as you compare Auto-owners and California Casualty and that you can now make a more informed decision when it comes to your auto insurance.

At the end of the day, the best way to make sure you're getting the best deal on your insurance policy is to compare quotes from a handful of companies, not just Auto-owners and California Casualty. Luckily, Compare.com does all the hard work for you. Just enter your ZIP code below and get free quotes from dozens of top car insurance carriers in your area, all in just a few minutes.

Auto-owners vs. California Casualty FAQs

Is Auto-owners or California Casualty cheaper?

Auto-owners is the more affordable of the two companies when looking at national average prices, with policies averaging $179 per month with Auto-owners and $201 for California Casualty. But that doesn't mean Auto-owners will be the lowest carrier for every policyholder, since there are lots of different factors that come into play when it comes to your insurance bill.

Who is better, Auto-owners or California Casualty?

Unfortunately, the only answer we can give you is "it depends.". No one company is necessarily "better" for everyone -- it all boils down to your unique auto insurance profile. For example, California Casualty is less expensive for drivers who have less-than-stellar credit scores, while Auto-owners offers cheaper premiums for drivers with an at-fault accident on their record.

Why do Auto-owners and California Casualty offer me different rates?

Insurance carriers use lots of different variables when calculating the rates they charge. Factors like gender, where your home is, age, your driving record, and sometimes even things like your credit score can all be taken into consideration. Both Auto-owners and California Casualty calculate prices using different formulas, so it's likely they'll offer different rates. The best way to determine which carrier is the most affordable for you is by comparing personalized quotes from a bunch of different companies.

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

The only way to find the auto insurance company that's right for you is by getting quotes from multiple carriers and finding the one best suited for your individual budget. Luckily, Compare.com makes it easy for you to do just that. Just enter your ZIP code and you'll get quotes from dozens of your local top car insurance companies for free. That way, you can guarantee you're getting the cheapest price. And maybe you'll find that the best carrier for you isn't Auto-owners or California Casualty 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.