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

Quick Facts

• Based on national averages for insurance, Auto-owners offers slightly more affordable prices than GEICO
• Auto-owners tends to be a much cheaper option for policyholders who drive a short distance to work everyday
• GEICO offers more discounts than Auto-Owners Insurance

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

So, you're considering switching your auto insurance. After all, you've seen ads from all sorts of companies offering large discounts. But exactly how much can you save by switching?

You might be considering Auto-owners or GEICO as potential options, but between the two, which company has less expensive rates for auto insurance?

Looking at nationwide averages, Auto-owners is about $6 per month cheaper than GEICO.

However, that doesn't mean Auto-owners will necessarily be more affordable than GEICO for every single driver. Car insurance companies use a ton of complex algorithms to calculate prices, so depending on how clean your driving record is or how good your credit score is (among a lot of other factors), you could see wildly different premiums from the ones above.

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

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

Auto-owners and GEICO compete against each other in 22 states, with GEICO offering less expensive prices to the average driver in all of them. If you live in, undefined is the more affordable of the two carriers when looking at the overall average premiums, but GEICO is the cheaper option in most of the others.

That being said, there are plenty of other factors that go into your insurance payment than just the state you live in. Read on to find out more.

Which is the Best Company For Young Drivers?

You might already know that teen drivers normally pay a lot more for auto insurance than any other group of drivers. It's typically because young, inexperienced drivers are statistically much more likely to get into accidents since they have less experience on the roads.

Even so, that doesn't mean teen drivers can't still save money on their insurance. For example, 18-year-old drivers pay an average of nearly $25 less a month by choosing GEICO over Auto-owners.

But both companies will offer you dramatically lower rates by the time you turn 25. GEICO offers the steepest drop, with 25-year-olds paying less than half what 18-year-old drivers are charged. Auto-owners's average prices lower almost 60% during that same period.

Which is the Best Company for Retired Drivers?

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

When looking at Auto-owners and GEICO specifically, which company is best for retired drivers? Auto-owners gets the edge here, with average premiums coming in at around $133 a month compared to GEICO's $148.

Which is the Best Company for Married Drivers?

Did you know that auto insurance prices are generally cheaper for married policyholders than they are for those who are single? This usually boils down to married couples having multiple cars on their policy -- something quite a few car insurance carriers will reward with discounts.

When it comes to relationship status, the two companies are comparable for single policyholders, with rates only differing about $3 per month, on average. The advantage for married drivers is more obvious, where drivers who use Auto-owners save more than $15 a month.

Auto-owners vs. GEICO: Average Rates by Gender

Men are statistically more likely than women to get pulled over for speeding or get into an accident, which means they'll usually end up paying more for insurance than women.

On average, men see prices around 6% per month higher with Auto-owners, while with GEICO, the difference is closer to 4% a month.

Looking at the data for each carrier specifically, Auto-owners comes out on top for both men and women. On average, male drivers save about $4 per month and women save about $7 with Auto-owners compared to the average GEICO policyholder.

Auto-owners or GEICO: 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.

Auto insurance isn't the easiest topic to understand. There are so many different coverages and terms that it can make it pretty confusing to find the right policy.

The two most common policies that many drivers look at fall into two categories -- liability only (which covers the other party's injuries and property damage if you cause a collision) and full coverage (which generally refers to having comprehensive and collision coverages in addition to liability coverage).

If you're looking for state minimum limits for liability insurance, Auto-owners normally offers slightly less expensive premiums of $99 compared to GEICO's $101. When it comes to full coverage policies with similar limits, Auto-owners again has the edge, with policies around $10 a month more affordable than GEICO, on average.

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

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

Tickets and accidents will most likely raise your premiums, but is Auto-owners or GEICO less expensive 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 per month if they get a ticket, while GEICO typically raises rates about $35 a month, on average.

That being said, GEICO tends to offer the best prices for both drivers who have clean records and those with a recent speeding ticket. Drivers with a clean record can save around $6 per month and drivers with a ticket can save about $15 a month with GEICO.

Which Company is Best for Drivers After an Accident?

Auto-owners drivers who get in an accident can expect to see their premiums rise by over $45, while those who have insurance through GEICO will see around a $85 increase.

Overall, Auto-owners offers the lowest rates for drivers with an at-fault accident on their records, with monthly prices averaging $168 compared to GEICO's $200.

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 speeding ticket when it comes to your insurance bill. On average, GEICO will increase your rates about 58% after a DUI, while Auto-owners's average premiums climb by just under 55%.

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

Did you know that many auto insurance companies take your credit score into account when calculating prices? 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 policyholders.

The reasoning car insurance carriers use is that drivers with bad credit will be less likely to pay their bills on time; so usually, they'll be asked to pay more, while those with good credit will be rewarded with cheaper premiums.

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

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Good Credit?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Bad Credit?

Is Auto-owners or GEICO 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 how much auto insurance companies will charge for coverage. Typically, the more miles you put on your vehicle, the more you can expect to pay for coverage.

For both drivers who put 6,000 miles on their vehicles yearly, as well as those who average twice that figure, Auto-owners tends to be the less expensive option. Auto-owners's average prices for drivers with 6,000 annual miles come in around $2 more affordable than GEICO. Those who drive 12,000 miles each year can expect to pay about $9 less with Auto-owners over GEICO.

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

Where your home is can play a substantial role in how much you pay for insurance. Normally, those who live in rural areas will pay less than drivers in urban areas because of the small number of cars that are on the roads in those areas.

Auto-owners boasts the lowest average prices in urban and suburban areas, while GEICO wins in rural areas.

In urban areas, Auto-Owners Insurance's average rates are around 3% less than GEICO. Drivers in suburban ZIP codes pay about 9% less with Auto-owners compared to GEICO. If you live in a rural area, you can expect to save around 3% with GEICO compared to Auto-owners.

Auto-owners vs. GEICO 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. That's where 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 qualify for.

In the section below, we've compared all of the different discounts offered by Auto-owners and GEICO so that you can easily see which company offers the most discounts and see which ones you might be able to take advantage of.

Overall, GEICO has the advantage when it comes to total number of discounts. Auto-owners offers a grand total of 24 discounts, while GEICO has 28.

Both carriers offer several of the same discounts -- like anti-theft discounts, discounts for being a defensive driver, distant student discounts, and discounts for being a good student -- but GEICO also offers commercial drivers license discounts, deployed driver discounts, DRL discounts, and more that Auto-owners does not.

On the flip side, Auto-owners has a couple unique discounts of its own -- advance quote discounts, company car discounts, education discounts, and more.

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

So, you've seen how different factors can affect your auto insurance prices. We've shown you all the discounts each company offers, too. That's all well and good, but at the end of the day, which insurance carrier is the right one for you and your specific needs?

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

• You have above-average credit.
• Your home is in a busy urban area.
• You drive often but have a short commute.

GEICO might be best for you if...

• You have a clean record.
• You've received a ticket for speeding recently and don't want to see your premiums increase.
• Your neighborhood is in a rural area.

We hope this guide helps you get a good idea of the differences between Auto-owners and GEICO. We also hope we've given you the information you need to make the best decision about your car 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 auto insurance -- comparing quotes from multiple companies, not just Auto-owners and GEICO. 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. GEICO FAQs

Is Auto-owners or GEICO cheaper?

Looking just at the national average rates, Auto-owners is the cheaper of the two companies, offering average rates of $179 per month compared to $185 for GEICO. But Auto-owners won't necessarily be the most affordable company for every policyholder, since there are a bunch of different variables that come into play when it comes to your car insurance cost.

Who is better, Auto-owners or GEICO?

Unfortunately, the real answer is "it depends.". One carrier is not "better" for everyone -- it all depends on the makeup of your unique auto insurance profile. For example, Auto-owners offers less expensive prices for policyholders with an at-fault accident on their record, while GEICO is more affordable for drivers who have less-than-stellar credit scores.

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

Car insurance carriers take a look at several different factors when determining the premiums they charge drivers. Variables such as your driving record, age, where you call home, gender, and sometimes even things like your credit score can all be taken into consideration. Both Auto-owners and GEICO calculate rates using different factors, so each one will most likely offer different prices. The only real way to see which company is the cheapest for you is by comparing personalized quotes from many different companies.

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

The only way to find the insurance carrier that's right for you is by getting quotes from a handful of 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 free quotes from dozens of the best car insurance companies in your area. That way, you can guarantee you're getting the most affordable premium. And who knows, the best company for you might not be Auto-owners or GEICO 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.