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

Quick Facts

• Looking at the national averages for car insurance, Erie offers more affordable prices than Auto-owners
• Auto-owners offers more discounts than Erie Insurance
• Erie has cheaper premiums for drivers who have less-than-stellar credit

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

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

You might be considering Auto-owners or Erie for your next policy, but which one will offer you less expensive prices?

Looking at the national average rates for both companies, Erie is about $26 per month more affordable than Auto-owners.

That being said, Erie may not be the most affordable or best option for every single driver out there. After all, auto insurance carriers can offer drastically different rates to each driver depending on rating factors like your driving record, your credit score, where you call home, or even your age (among other things), so rates will vary quite a bit from person to person.

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

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

Auto-owners and Erie compete against each other in five states, with Erie offering cheaper prices to the average driver in all of them. If you live in Virginia, Auto-owners is the more affordable of the two companies when looking at the overall average premiums. Erie is the cheaper option in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.

That being said, there's a lot more that goes into your insurance cost than just the state you live in. Read on to learn more.

Which is the Best Company For Young Drivers?

Teen drivers will almost always have the most expensive auto insurance rates of any other group of drivers out there on the road. That's because young, inexperienced drivers are statistically much more likely to get into accidents since they have less experience on the roads.

However, that doesn't mean teen drivers can't still save money on their car insurance. For example, 18-year-old drivers pay an average of nearly $80 less a month by choosing Erie over Auto-owners.

Even so, both carriers will offer you dramatically lower prices by the time drivers turn 25. For example, average premiums for Auto-owners policyholders decrease almost $250 and Erie's rates lower more than $150 over that time.

Which is the Best Company for Retired Drivers?

Drivers around retirement age usually enjoy some of the lowest insurance prices you'll ever find. After all, they've likely been driving for quite some time, which generally reduces their chances of accidents and other infractions that can increase premiums.

When looking at Auto-owners and Erie specifically, which carrier is best for retired drivers? Erie gets the edge here, with average rates coming in at around $116 a month compared to Auto-owners's $133.

Which is the Best Company for Married Drivers?

Married drivers tend to get slightly less expensive auto insurance premiums than single policyholders. That's typically because married policyholders tend to own and insure more than one car, which can often earn you a discount.

When it comes to relationship status, Erie is the clear winner for single drivers, with rates about $35 per month cheaper than Auto-owners, on average. For married couples, the advantage is clear again - Erie has the edge when it comes to average prices.

Auto-owners vs. Erie: Average Rates by Gender

Men are statistically more likely than women to get into collisions and file an insurance claim. That means when it comes to car insurance men will normally end up paying a little more.

Generally, men see rates around $10 a month higher with Auto-owners, and about $11 more with Erie.

Looking at overall affordability, Erie comes out as the most affordable option for both genders, with average premiums $27 less for men and $27 cheaper for women.

Auto-owners or Erie: 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.

Insurance isn't the easiest topic to understand. Everyone needs auto insurance, but there are so many different terms and coverages that it can be hard to find the right policy.

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

If you're looking for state minimum liability limits, Erie normally offers slightly more affordable prices of $91 compared to Auto-owners's $99. When it comes to full coverage policies with similar limits, Erie again has the edge, with policies around $45 per month less expensive than Auto-owners, on average.

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

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

It's no secret secret that tickets and accidents lead to higher premiums, but which company -- Auto-owners or Erie -- has the cheapest rates for drivers with spotty records?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Speeding Tickets?

Auto-owners policyholders can expect their prices to go up an average of $44 a month if they get a ticket, while Erie generally raises rates about $18 per month, on average.

However, Erie tends to offer the best prices for both drivers who have a recent speeding ticket and those with clean records. Drivers with a clean record can save around $2 a month and drivers with a ticket can save about $28 per month with Erie Insurance.

Which Company is Best for Drivers After an Accident?

After an accident, drivers who have their auto insurance through Auto-owners can expect to see around an $47 -- or about 28% -- increase in their car insurance premiums. Drivers who use Erie for their insurance will see a monthly bill around $38 (or 24%) more expensive after reporting a collision to their car insurance carrier.

Overall, drivers who use Erie end up with the cheaper prices after an accident, with monthly prices averaging $157 compared to Auto-Owners Insurance's $168.

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 an accident or speeding ticket. For example, Auto-owners increases average premiums by just under $150 a month -- that's just under a 55% increase.

If you have a DUI on your record and are looking for more affordable prices, Erie tends to be the much more affordable option with average rates of $198 per month compared to $264 from Auto-owners.

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

In many cases, your credit score can come into play when companies calculate your monthly bill. This isn't always the case (Hawaii, for example, has banned the use of credit score as a rating factor) but it will come into play for lots of drivers.

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.

So, which company offers the lowest premiums for policyholders with poor, average, or good credit?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Good Credit?

If you have solid credit, you'll usually find a better deal with Erie. Drivers with "excellent" credit can save 4% compared to Auto-owners, and those with "good" scores can also expect to see savings -- about $18 or 14% cheaper each month.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Bad Credit?

Erie typically offers lower rates than Auto-owners when it comes to drivers with less-than-perfect credit. Drivers with "fair" credit pay around $26 per month less with Erie compared to Auto-owners, and those with "poor" scores normally save an average of about $59 monthly.

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

The amount of time you spend behind the wheel of your car plays a big role in your monthly auto insurance bill. That's because the fewer miles you put on your vehicle each year, the less likely you are to get into a collision and cause an insurance claim.

For both drivers who put 6,000 miles on their vehicles every year, as well as those who average twice that figure, Erie offers less expensive prices than Auto-owners. Erie's average rates for drivers with 6,000 annual miles come in nearly 20% cheaper than Auto-owners. Those who drive 12,000 miles yearly can expect to pay over 10% less with Erie over Auto-owners.

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

Where your home is can play a pretty big role in how much you pay for car insurance. Typically, policyholders who live in heavily-populated urban areas will pay quite a bit more than rural drivers because of the number of cars that are on the roads in those areas.

Erie tends to offer the most affordable prices for drivers in every type of area, no matter if it's urban, suburban, or rural.

For policyholders in urban ZIP codes, Erie offers premiums around $194 per month compared to Auto-owners's $205. People who live in suburban ZIP codes can expect to pay about $145 a month for Erie and $169 for Auto-owners. Lastly, those in rural areas tend to get the lowest prices from both companies, with average monthly rates coming in at $115 and $164 for Erie and Auto-owners respectively.

Auto-owners vs. Erie Discounts

Regardless of why you might be in the market for a new 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 car insurance discounts as you can.

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

Below, we've broken down all of the different discounts offered by both Auto-owners and Erie so that you can easily see which company offers the most discounts and, therefore, the biggest savings.

Overall, Auto-owners comes out ahead with 24 discounts to Erie's 21.

A couple of those are overlapping for things like advance quote discounts, COVID-19 relief discount, discounts for being a defensive driver, and discounts for being a good driver. Auto-owners also offers company car discounts, education discounts, good student discounts, and more that Erie does not.

On the flip side, Erie has a couple unique discounts of its own -- DRL discounts, farm discounts, mature driver discounts, and more.

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

So, we've broken down the average premiums for many of the factors auto insurance carriers look at, and we've shown you all the discounts each carrier offers. But, at the end of the day, which company is the right carrier for you and your specific profile and needs?

Erie might be best for you if....

• You don't have any speeding tickets, DUIs, or at-fault collisions on your record.
• You want basic insurance coverage at the state minimum limits.
• You're buying auto insurance for a teen and looking for a wallet-friendly option.

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

• You care about discounts (Auto-owners offers the most).

We hope this guide helps you get a better idea of the difference between Auto-owners and Erie and that it aids in making a more informed decision about your insurance.

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

Auto-owners vs. Erie FAQs

Is Auto-owners or Erie cheaper?

Looking just at the national average prices, Erie is the more affordable of the two companies, offering average rates of $153 per month compared to $179 for Auto-owners. That being said, Erie won't necessarily be the cheapest carrier for everyone, since there are several different variables that come into play when it comes to your car insurance payment.

Who is better, Auto-owners or Erie?

Unfortunately, the answer truly is "it depends.". One company is not necessarily "better" for everyone -- it all comes down to what your unique insurance profile looks like.

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

Car insurance carriers take a look at quite a few different factors when calculating the premiums they charge drivers. Things like where you park your vehicle, where you live, gender, age, and sometimes even things like your credit score can all come into play. Both Auto-owners and Erie use different formulas, so each one will most likely offer different rates. The only real way to see 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 Erie is right for me?

The only way to find the 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 area information and you'll get free quotes from dozens of the best auto insurance companies in your area. With those, you can guarantee you're getting the best price. And who knows, the best carrier for you might not be Auto-owners or Erie 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.