Auto-owners vs. Hastings Mutual: 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 Hastings Mutual
• Auto-owners tends to be a much more affordable option for policyholders who may not have much of a commute
• Hastings Mutual has cheaper prices for drivers who have an at-fault accident on their record

Auto-owners vs. Hastings Mutual: 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 might have narrowed it down to Auto-owners or Hastings Mutual for your next policy, but which carrier will save you the most?

Looking at the national average rates for both companies, Hastings Mutual has average rates that are about 15% per month more expensive than those from Auto-owners.

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

Luckily, we've broken down average prices from both Auto-owners and Hastings Mutual by many different rate factors, so read on to find out which carrier is the best for you.

Auto-owners or Hastings Mutual: Average Car Insurance Rates by State

Auto-owners and Hastings Mutual compete against each other in five states, with Hastings Mutual offering more affordable premiums to the average driver in all of them. If you live in Illinois or Michigan, Auto-owners is the cheaper of the two companies when looking at the overall average prices. Hastings Mutual is the less expensive option in Iowa, Indiana, and Wisconsin.

But there's more to calculating car insurance rates 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 -- typically pay a lot for auto insurance compared to older drivers. It's because young, inexperienced drivers are statistically much more likely to get into an accident that results in an auto insurance claim, making them much riskier to insure.

Even so, that doesn't mean that teen drivers have to just accept sky-high insurance premiums. As you can see above, teens who use Hastings Mutual save nearly $20 a month compared to those who use Auto-owners.

But both carriers will decrease prices by the time drivers turn 25. For example, average premiums for Auto-owners policyholders drop almost $250 and Hastings Mutual's rates reduce more than $150 over that time.

Which is the Best Company for Retired Drivers?

Drivers around retirement age generally enjoy some of the most affordable car insurance prices out there. After all, they've likely been driving for quite some time, which usually reduces their chances of accidents and other infractions that can increase premiums.

But who has the best rates for retired drivers between Auto-owners and Hastings Mutual? Auto-owners gets the edge, with prices for drivers 65 and older over 20% cheaper than the national average for Hastings Mutual.

Which is the Best Company for Married Drivers?

Did you know that insurance premiums are normally more expensive for single drivers than they are for married drivers? This usually boils down to married policyholders having several cars on their policy -- something quite a few auto insurance companies will reward with discounts.

When it comes to relationship status, the two carriers are comparable for those who are single, with rates only differing around $20 per month, on average. The advantage for married couples is more obvious, where drivers who use Auto-owners save more than 25% a month.

Auto-owners vs. Hastings Mutual: Average Rates by Gender

Women typically to pay less for car insurance than men. This is because men are statistically more likely than women to get into collisions and file an insurance claim, which leads to increased risk for insurers and, therefore, higher prices.

Normally, men see rates about 6% per month higher with Auto-owners, and around 2% more with Hastings Mutual.

When it comes to the lowest premiums for each gender, Auto-owners comes out on top for both men and women. On average, women save about $34 a month and men save about $28 with Auto-owners compared to the average Hastings Mutual policyholder.

Auto-owners or Hastings Mutual: 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.

For most people, insurance can be pretty complicated. Everyone needs auto insurance, but there are so many different terms and coverages that it can be hard to find the right policy.

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

If you're looking for state minimum liability insurance, Auto-owners normally offers significantly more affordable rates of $99 compared to Hastings Mutual's $142. When it comes to full coverage policies with similar limits, Auto-owners again has the edge, with policies around $20 per month cheaper than Hastings Mutual, on average.

Is Auto-owners or Hastings Mutual 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.

Tickets and at-fault accidents will most likely raise your premiums, but is Auto-owners or Hastings Mutual more affordable for drivers with less-than-perfect 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 Hastings Mutual generally raises rates about $20 per month, on average.

However, Hastings Mutual has less expensive prices for drivers in both categories, offering premiums that are $12 and $36 cheaper, respectively, compared to Auto-Owners Insurance.

Which Company is Best for Drivers After an Accident?

Auto-owners drivers who get in a collision can expect to see their rates rise by over $45, while those who have insurance through Hastings Mutual will see around a $15 increase.

Overall, Hastings Mutual offers the cheapest prices for drivers with an at-fault collision on their records, with monthly premiums averaging $126 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. Hastings Mutual drivers usually see a 77% raise in their insurance rates after a DUI charge, while Auto-owners will typically increase premiums by about 54%.

If you have a DUI on your record and are looking for more affordable prices, Auto-owners tends to be the much less expensive option with average premiums of $264 monthly compared to $478 from Hastings Mutual.

How does Credit Score Impact Auto-owners and Hastings Mutual Rates?

Did you know that many auto insurance companies take your credit score into account when calculating rates? Certain states and carriers do not allow for credit score to be used as a rating factor, but it will come into play for several policyholders.

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

Looking specifically at Auto-owners and Hastings Mutual, which company has the most affordable rates for policyholders 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. Drivers with "excellent" credit can save just under 45% compared to Hastings Mutual, and those with "good" scores can also expect to see savings -- around $64 or 33% cheaper every month.

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 prices. Drivers with "fair" credit pay about $31 less with Auto-owners than Hastings Mutual, but those whose credit is considered "poor" have it flipped -- saving around $42 a month with Hastings Mutual.

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

How much you drive can have a big impact on your monthly premiums. Usually, those who drive fewer miles will end up with less expensive prices since there's less of a chance of getting into a collision and causing an insurance claim.

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

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

Where you call home can have a considerable impact on your monthly insurance cost. Normally, those who live in rural areas will pay less than policyholders in urban areas due to the small number of cars that are on the roads in those areas.

Auto-owners vs. Hastings Mutual 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 insurance discounts as you can.

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.

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

Auto-owners blows Hastings Mutual away when it comes to the sheer amount of discounts available, offering 24 different discounts to Hastings Mutual's 10.

A couple of those are overlapping for things like company car discounts, discounts for being a defensive driver, and discounts for insuring multiple cars with the same company. Auto-owners also offers advance quote discounts, COVID-19 relief discount, distant student discounts, and more that Hastings Mutual does not.

On the flip side, Hastings Mutual has a couple unique discounts of its own -- prior carrier discounts and workloss exclusion discounts.

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

So, we've broken down the average premiums for many of the variables auto insurance carriers look at, and walked through the different discounts each company offers, too. But, at the end of the day, which carrier is the best one for you and your specific profile and needs?

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

• You're single and purchasing insurance by yourself.
• You're looking for more protection with "full coverage" car insurance.
• You are purchasing your auto insurance with a spouse.

Hastings Mutual might be best for you if...

• You don't have any speeding tickets, DUIs, or at-fault collisions on your record.
• You've been pulled over for speeding recently.
• You're buying insurance for a teen and looking for a wallet-friendly option.

We hope this guide helps you get a better idea of the difference between Auto-owners and Hastings Mutual. We also hope we've given you the information you need to make the best decision when it comes to 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 several companies, not just Auto-owners and Hastings Mutual. Luckily, Compare.com makes it easy for you to do just that. Simply enter your ZIP codes below and get free quotes from dozens of top insurance carriers in your area, all in just a few minutes.

Auto-owners vs. Hastings Mutual FAQs

Is Auto-owners or Hastings Mutual 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 $211 for Hastings Mutual. Even so, Auto-owners won't necessarily be the cheapest company for each policyholder, 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 Hastings Mutual?

Sadly, the only answer we can give you is "it depends.". Neither carrier is "better" for everyone -- it all depends on what your unique auto insurance profile looks like.

Why do Auto-owners and Hastings Mutual offer me different rates?

Car insurance carriers take a look at a lot of different variables when determining the prices they charge drivers. Things such as gender, where you park your vehicle, your driving record, age, and sometimes even things like your credit score can all come into play. Both Auto-owners and Hastings Mutual calculate premiums differently, so each one will most likely offer different rates. The only real way to see which company is the most affordable for you is by comparing personalized quotes from lots of different companies.

How do I know if Auto-owners or Hastings Mutual 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, sites like Compare.com do all the hard work for you. Just enter your area information and you'll get free quotes from dozens of the best auto insurance companies in your area. That way, you can guarantee you're getting the lowest rate. And who knows, the best company for you might not be Auto-owners or Hastings Mutual 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.