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

Quick Facts

• Based on national averages for car insurance, Auto-owners offers significantly less expensive premiums than Encompass
• Auto-owners has cheaper prices for residents of urban areas
• Encompass offers more discounts than Auto-Owners Insurance

Auto-owners vs. Encompass: Which Company has the Cheapest Car Insurance?

So, you're thinking about switching your auto insurance. You've probably seen commercials and billboards from companies offering large discounts, but exactly how much money can you save by switching?

You've maybe even narrowed it down to Auto-owners or Encompass as your top options, but which company has more affordable premiums for insurance?

As you can see, Encompass has average rates that are about 60% per month more expensive than those from Auto-owners when looking at the national average rates for car insurance.

That being said, that doesn't mean Auto-owners will necessarily be cheaper than Encompass for every single driver. After all, insurance companies can offer drastically different rates to each driver depending on rating factors like your driving record, your age, where you call home, or even your credit score (among other things), so rates will change quite a bit from person to person.

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

Auto-owners or Encompass: Average Car Insurance Rates by State

Auto-owners and Encompass compete against each other in 16 states, with Auto-owners offering more affordable rates to the average driver in all of them. If you live in, undefined is the less expensive of the two carriers when looking at the overall average prices, but Auto-owners is the cheaper option in most of the others.

There are plenty of other factors that go into your auto insurance bill than just your home state. Continue reading to see how other factors will affect your rates.

Which is the Best Company For Young Drivers?

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

However, that doesn't mean that teen drivers have to just accept sky-high car insurance premiums. Just look at the table above -- where 18-year-old drivers who have Auto-owners for their auto insurance pay more than $500 less than those who use Encompass.

But both companies will offer you dramatically lower prices once you turn 25. For example, average rates for Auto-owners policyholders reduce nearly $250 and Encompass's premiums drop over $500 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 cheapest rates you'll ever find.

But who has the best prices for retired drivers between Auto-owners and Encompass? Auto-owners gets the edge here, with average premiums coming in at around $133 monthly compared to Encompass's $335.

Which is the Best Company for Married Drivers?

Did you know that insurance rates are usually cheaper for married couples than they are for single drivers? That's because policies for married drivers generally cover several cars, which quite a few carriers will offer you a discount for.

When it comes to relationship status, Auto-owners is the clear winner for single policyholders, with prices about $361 a month less expensive than Encompass, on average. The advantage for married policyholders with Auto-owners is also obvious, where drivers save almost 60% per month.

Auto-owners vs. Encompass: Average Rates by Gender

Men tend to pay more for auto insurance than women. This is because women are less likely to get tickets and get into accidents, which lowers the chances of an insurance claim.

Normally, women see premiums around $10 a month more affordable with Auto-owners, and about $25 cheaper with Encompass when compared to their male counterparts.

Looking at overall affordability, Auto-owners comes out on top for both men and women. On average, women save about $280 per month and men save around $292 with Auto-owners compared to the average Encompass policyholder.

Auto-owners or Encompass: 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 car insurance can be pretty complicated. There are a bunch of different coverages that account for many different things. Some protect you and your vehicle, while others only provide coverage for other people's property and health if you cause an accident.

Even so, most policies end up falling into two different types of coverage -- liability only (which provides bodily injury and property damage coverage for other drivers if you cause a collision) and full coverage (which includes comprehensive and collision coverages that protect your own vehicle, in addition to liability coverage).

If you're looking for state minimum liability limits, Auto-owners typically offers significantly cheaper rates of $99 compared to Encompass's $302. When it comes to full coverage policies with similar limits, Auto-owners again has the edge, with policies about $350 a month more affordable than Encompass, on average.

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

It's no big secret that drivers who are accident-free get better deals on their insurance. But even if you have a spotty record, you can still find plenty of ways to save some cash on your monthly bill.

You'll probably end up paying more with tickets and accidents on your record, but which of these two companies offers the most affordable prices to drivers with spotty records?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Speeding Tickets?

Auto-owners policyholders can expect their premiums to go up an average of $44 per month if they get a ticket, while Encompass generally raises prices around $61 a month, on average.

That being said, Auto-owners has less expensive rates for drivers in both categories. Drivers with a clean record can save about $106 per month and drivers with a speeding ticket can save around $123 a month with Auto-Owners Insurance.

Which Company is Best for Drivers After an Accident?

Auto-owners drivers who get in an accident can expect to see their premiums climb by just under 30%, while those who have insurance through Encompass will see about a 30% increase.

Overall, Auto-owners offers the cheapest prices for drivers with an at-fault accident on their records, with monthly rates averaging $168 compared to Encompass Insurance's $328.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with a DUI?

If you get a DUI charge, you can expect some pretty significant increases in your monthly auto insurance bill -- usually a lot more than a collision or ticket. Encompass drivers usually see a 78% raise in their car insurance premiums after a DUI charge, while Auto-owners will normally increase rates by around 54%.

If you have a DUI on your record and are looking for more affordable premiums, Auto-owners tends to be the much more affordable option with average prices of $264 per month compared to 1020 from Encompass.

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

You may not have known, but your credit score can come into play when carriers calculate your monthly bill. Certain states and companies do not allow for credit score to be used as a rating factor, but it will come into play for several policyholders.

Insurance carriers argue that those with poor credit scores are less likely to pay their bills on time every month, which increases the risk involved on their end, while the opposite is true for those with good credit.

Looking at Auto-owners and Encompass specifically, which carrier has the most affordable rates for drivers at different credit levels?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Good Credit?

If you have a great credit score, you'll usually find a better deal with Auto-owners. Policyholders with "excellent" credit can save just under 75% compared to Encompass, and those with "good" scores can also expect to see savings -- about $267 or 67% cheaper each month.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Bad Credit?

Auto-owners typically offers lower prices than Encompass when it comes to drivers with less-than-perfect credit. Drivers with "fair" credit pay around $294 per month less with Auto-owners compared to Encompass, and those with "poor" scores usually save an average of about $330 a month.

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

How much you drive can have a big impact on your monthly auto insurance cost. That's because the more miles you put on your car, the more likely you are to get into an accident and cause an insurance claim.

Auto-owners tends to be the less expensive option for both drivers who put 6,000 miles on their vehicles annually, as well as those who average twice that figure. Encompass's average premiums for drivers with 6,000 annual miles come in over 60% more expensive than Auto-owners. Those who drive 12,000 miles yearly can expect to pay more than 60% more with Encompass over Auto-owners.

Auto-owners vs. Encompass: Compare Rates for Urban, Suburban, and Rural Drivers

Where you park your vehicle can have a substantial impact on your monthly insurance payment. Generally, drivers who live in heavily-populated urban areas will pay quite a bit more than rural policyholders due to the number of cars that are on the roads in those areas.

When comparing these two companies side-by-side, Auto-owners typically comes out as the lowest option for drivers in all areas, regardless of if they're urban, suburban, or rural.

Drivers in rural ZIP codes see the most affordable rates from both carriers, but Auto-owners comes out on top with average premiums around $164 monthly. Auto-owners also has cheaper average prices for policyholders in urban and suburban ZIP codes -- a $355 and $265 a month respective difference when compared to Encompass drivers in similar areas.

Auto-owners vs. Encompass Discounts

Regardless of why you might be in the market for a new car insurance policy, you're always going to want to save as much money as possible, and the best way to do that is by utilizing as many auto insurance discounts as you can.

But where do you even start? With what seems like a million different discounts out there, it may be challenging to find all the ones you're eligible for.

In the section below, we've compared all of the different discounts offered by Auto-owners and Encompass so that you can find the one that has the most discounts and, therefore, the biggest savings.

Looking at the total number of discounts, Encompass comes out ahead with 26 discounts to Auto-owners's 24.

There are a couple discounts both companies offer, but Encompass also offers DRL discounts, EFT discounts, employee discounts, and more that Auto-owners does not.

On the flip side, Auto-owners has a couple unique discounts of its own -- company car discounts, COVID-19 relief discount, education discounts, and more.

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

So, you've seen how different variables can affect your insurance premiums. We've broken down the different discounts each carrier offers, too. But, when it comes down to it, which company is the best company for you and your specific profile and needs?

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

• You have a DUI charge on your record.
• Your home is in a busy urban area.
• You're buying car insurance for a teen and looking for a wallet-friendly option.

Encompass might be best for you if...

• You're looking for discounts -- Encompass has the most.

We hope this guide helps you get a better idea of the difference between Auto-owners and Encompass. We also hope we've given you the information you need to make the best decision about your auto insurance.

But, at the end of the day, there's only one way to know for sure that you're getting the best possible deal on car insurance -- comparing quotes from a handful of carriers, not just Auto-owners and Encompass. Luckily, sites like Compare.com do all the hard work for you. Just enter your ZIP code below and get free quotes from dozens of the top auto insurance companies in your area, all in just a few minutes.

Auto-owners vs. Encompass FAQs

Is Auto-owners or Encompass cheaper?

Looking just at the national average rates, Auto-owners is the less expensive of the two carriers, offering average rates of $179 per month compared to $466 for Encompass. Even so, Auto-owners won't necessarily be the cheapest carrier for everyone, since there are a variety of different factors (things like driving record, age, gender, etc.) that play a role in how much you pay.

Who is better, Auto-owners or Encompass?

Unfortunately, the answer truly is "it depends.". No one company is necessarily "better" for every driver -- it all depends on the makeup of your unique insurance profile.

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

Car insurance companies take a look at lots of different variables when calculating the prices they charge policyholders. Factors such as gender, your driving record, age, where you live, and sometimes even things like your credit score can all be taken into consideration. Both Auto-owners and Encompass calculate rates differently, so each one will most likely offer different prices. The only real way to see which carrier is the lowest for you is by comparing personalized quotes from several different carriers.

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

The only way to find the insurance company that's right for you is by getting quotes from several 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 free quotes from dozens of the best auto insurance carriers in your area. With those, you can guarantee you're getting the cheapest rate. And who knows, the best carrier for you might not be Auto-owners or Encompass at all!

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.