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

Quick Facts

• Looking at the national averages for insurance, Auto-owners offers significantly more affordable prices than Fremont
• Auto-owners offers less expensive average premiums for drivers who have below-average credit
• Fremont has cheaper prices in MI

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

Are you considering a new insurance policy? After all, you've seen ads from all sorts of companies offering hefty savings. But exactly how much can you save by switching?

You've maybe even narrowed your search down to Auto-owners or Fremont for your next policy, but which carrier will offer you less expensive rates?

As you can see, Fremont is quite a bit more expensive than Auto-owners, with premiums averaging $562 a month compared to just $179 with Auto-owners when looking at the national average rates for auto insurance.

But Auto-owners may not be the lowest or best option for each driver out there. After all, car insurance carriers can offer drastically different rates to every driver depending on rating factors like your credit score, your driving record, where you call home, or even your age (among other things), so prices will change quite a bit from person to person.

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

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

Auto-owners and Fremont only compete against each other in Michigan, where Auto-owners offers the cheaper average prices. Auto-owners drivers tend to pay about $318 per month less on average compared to drivers who use Fremont for their insurance.

That being said, there's a lot more that goes into your auto insurance bill than just where you call home. Keep reading to find out more.

Which is the Best Company For Young Drivers?

You might already know that teen drivers usually pay a lot more for car insurance than any other group of drivers out there on the road. Typically, that's because teen drivers are statistically much more likely to get into an accident that results in a car insurance claim, making them much riskier to insure.

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 75% less a month by choosing Auto-owners over Fremont. It's worth noting that Auto-owners offers car insurance in 23 different states compared to Fremont's one, which can skew the average premiums a bit, but the difference here is still considerable.

Even so, both companies will offer you dramatically lower rates by the time you turn 25. For example, average premiums for Auto-owners policyholders drop almost 60% and Fremont's rates reduce more than 70% over that time.

Which is the Best Company for Retired Drivers?

When it comes to insurance, patience and experience pay off, with drivers around retirement age paying some of the cheapest prices you can find.

So, which carrier offers the best premiums to retired drivers? Auto-owners gets the edge, with rates for drivers 65 and older $188 more affordable than the national average for Fremont.

Which is the Best Company for Married Drivers?

Married couples tend to get slightly cheaper auto insurance prices than those who are single. This usually boils down to married drivers having multiple vehicles on their policy -- something several 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 a third of Fremont's. For married policyholders, the advantage is clear again - Auto-owners has the edge when it comes to average prices.

Auto-owners or Fremont: Average Rates by Gender

Men are statistically more likely than women to get into a collision or get pulled over for speeding, which means they'll generally end up paying more for auto insurance than women.

On average, men see premiums about $10 per month higher with Auto-owners; men and women get the same monthly rates with Fremont.

Looking at the data for each company specifically, Auto-owners comes out on top for both men and women. On average, women save about $388 a month and men save around $377 with Auto-owners compared to the average Fremont policyholder.

Auto-owners vs. Fremont: 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 insurance can be a complicated subject for most people. There are so many different coverages and limits that it can make it pretty confusing to find the right policy for you.

The two most common policies that drivers look at fall into two categories -- liability coverage (that covers bodily injury and property damage for other drivers and passengers if you cause an accident) and full coverage (which includes collision and comprehensive coverages that protect your own car, in addition to liability).

Looking specifically at state minimum limits for liability insurance, Auto-owners has the significant 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 about $260 per month to Fremont's $790.

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

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

You'll probably end up paying more with at-fault collisions and speeding tickets on your record, but which of these two companies offers the most affordable rates to drivers with less-than-ideal driving records?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Speeding Tickets?

Policyholders who use Auto-owners for their auto insurance can normally expect their monthly bill to go up around 27% after getting a speeding ticket. Fremont policyholders can expect a bit more drastic of an increase of about 38%.

However, Auto-owners tends to offer the best prices for both drivers who have clean records and those with a recent ticket. With Auto-Owners Insurance, drivers with a clean record can save around $104 a month and drivers with a speeding ticket can save about $198 per month.

Which Company is Best for Drivers After an Accident?

Both carriers will raise prices pretty significantly if you get into an at-fault collision with Fremont raising by around 27%. Auto-owners has a less extreme rise, but you can still expect to pay nearly 30% more than you were prior to your first accident.

At the end of the day, drivers who use Auto-owners end up with the cheaper prices after an accident, with average premiums coming in at $168 compared to Fremont Insurance's $307.

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 insurance bill. For example, Fremont increases average rates by more than $500 a month -- that's just under a 85% increase.

Auto-owners has the overall lowest prices for drivers with a DUI on their records at $264 a month, but it's worth noting that Auto-owners's average rates come from 23 states compared to just one for Fremont, so the data may be skewed slightly.

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

Did you know many auto insurance companies take your credit score into account when determining rates? Certain states and carriers do not allow for credit score to be used as an auto insurance factor, but it might come into play for many drivers.

Insurance companies argue that those with good credit scores are more likely to pay their bills on time each month, which lowers the risk involved on their end, while the opposite is true for those with bad credit.

Looking specifically at Fremont and Auto-owners, which company has the best prices for policyholders at different credit levels?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Good Credit?

Michigan is one of a just a few states that prohibits car insurance carriers from using credit scores to determine premiums. And since Fremont is only available in Michigan, there is no data available on how credit score impacts rates because it's not a factor at all. This may be a good thing, since Auto-owners and other companies tend to increase premiums quite a bit in other states if you don't have excellent credit.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Bad Credit?

If you have bad credit and live in Michigan, the good news is it won't cost you extra when it comes to auto insurance. As you can see, poor credit can really cost Auto-owners drivers in other states, but no need to worry if you live in Michigan.

Is Auto-owners or Fremont 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 insurance payment. Generally, those who drive fewer miles will end up with more affordable prices since there's less of a chance of causing a collision and filing an insurance claim.

As you can see in the table above, annual mileage doesn't have much of an impact on how much Fremont charges. However, there's a small difference in monthly rates for Auto-owners, with policyholders who drive 6,000 miles every year paying about $1 less each month compared to those who drive 12,000 miles annually. Still, for drivers in both categories, Auto-owners is the cheaper carrier.

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

Where you park your vehicle can play a large role in how much you pay for car insurance. Usually, those who live in urban areas will pay more than drivers in rural areas since there are a lot more cars on the road where they live, which increases the chances of an accident.

Auto-owners boasts the most affordable average prices for drivers in all types of areas, no matter if they're urban, suburban, or rural.

For policyholders in urban ZIP codes, Auto-Owners Insurance's average premiums are around $477 less than Fremont Insurance. People who live in suburban areas pay about $367 less with Auto-owners compared to Fremont. Those in rural areas can expect to save around $303 with Auto-owners compared to Fremont.

Auto-owners vs. Fremont 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 auto insurance discounts comes into play.

But with what seems like a million different discounts out there, it can be difficult 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 looked at all of the different discounts Auto-owners and Fremont offer their customers so that you can easily see which company offers the most discounts and see which ones you might be able to take advantage of.

Auto-owners knocks Fremont out of the park when it comes to the sheer number of discounts available, offering 10 more discounts than Fremont.

Both carriers offer several of the same discounts -- like anti-theft discounts, discounts for being a defensive driver, discounts for being a good driver, and discounts for insuring multiple cars with the same company -- but Auto-owners also offers discounts for advance quote, company car, distant student, and more.

On the other hand, Fremont has a few proprietary discounts of their own for things like garage discounts, premier risk discounts, and umbrella policy discounts.

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

So, you've seen how different variables can affect your car insurance prices. We've broken down the different discounts each company offers, too. But, at the end of the day, is Auto-owners or Fremont the best one for you, your vehicle, and your wallet?

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

• You've received a ticket for speeding recently and don't want to see your rates increase.
• You're looking for the carrier with the most discounts.
• You drive often but have a short commute.

Fremont might be best for you if...

• You're looking for the best rates in MI.

Hopefully, this guide helps you get a good idea of the differences between Auto-owners and Fremont. We also hope we've given you the information you need to make the best decision about your auto 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 Fremont. Luckily, Compare.com does all the hard work for you. Just enter your ZIP code below and get free quotes from dozens of the top insurance carriers in your area, all in just a few minutes.

Auto-owners vs. Fremont FAQs

Is Auto-owners or Fremont cheaper?

Auto-owners is the less expensive of the two companies when looking at national average premiums, with policies averaging $179 per month with Auto-owners and $562 for Fremont. Even so, that doesn't mean Auto-owners will be the lowest company for every driver, since there are several different factors that are considered when it comes to your auto insurance cost.

Who is better, Auto-owners or Fremont?

Unfortunately, the only answer we can give you is "it depends.". No single carrier is "better" for each policyholder -- it all depends on what your unique car insurance profile looks like.

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

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

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

The only way to find the car insurance carrier 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 information once and you'll get quotes from dozens of your local top auto insurance companies for free. With those, you can guarantee you're getting the most affordable price. And maybe you'll find that the best company for you isn't Auto-owners or Fremont 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.