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

Quick Facts

• Looking at the national averages for auto insurance, Auto-owners offers significantly cheaper prices than Memberselect
• Auto-owners offers more affordable premiums for policyholders who live in suburban areas
• Memberselect offers more affordable rates for residents in Minnesota

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

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

You've maybe even narrowed your search down to Auto-owners or Memberselect as your top options, but between the two, which carrier will offer you less expensive premiums?

Looking at nationwide averages, Auto-owners has average rates that are about 35% per month more affordable than those from Memberselect.

Even so, Auto-owners may not be the most affordable or best option for each driver out there. Insurance companies use all sorts of complex algorithms to calculate prices, so depending on how clean your driving record is or how old you are (among several other factors), you could see wildly different rates from the ones above.

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

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

Auto-owners and Memberselect only compete against each other in Minnesota, where Auto-owners offers the cheaper average prices. For Minnesota residents, Auto-owners offers auto insurance for $173 a month on average. Memberselect's average rates come out to be over 50% more expensive, at $274 monthly.

There's a lot more that goes into your insurance cost than just your home state. Read on to learn more.

Which is the Best Company For Young Drivers?

Teen drivers will almost always have the most expensive car insurance prices of any group on the road. The reason is that young, inexperienced drivers are statistically much more likely to cause collisions and other accidents that will result in an insurance claim.

But that doesn't mean that teen drivers have to just accept sky-high auto insurance premiums. Just look at the table above -- where 18-year-old drivers who have Auto-owners for their car insurance pay more than $55 less than those who use Memberselect. It's worth noting that Auto-owners offers insurance in 23 different states compared to Memberselect's one, which can skew the average rates a bit, but the difference here is still considerable.

However, both carriers will offer you dramatically lower premiums by the time you turn 25. For example, average prices for Auto-owners policyholders decrease nearly 60% and Memberselect's premiums lower almost 40% over that time.

Which is the Best Company for Retired Drivers?

When it comes to auto 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 rates to retired drivers? Auto-owners gets the edge, with premiums for drivers 65 and older $105 cheaper than the national average for Memberselect.

Which is the Best Company for Married Drivers?

Those who are single tend to get offered slightly more expensive insurance rates than married couples. 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, Auto-owners is the clear winner for single policyholders, with prices around $94 a month more affordable than Memberselect, on average. The advantage for married drivers with Auto-owners is also obvious, where drivers save over 40% per month.

Auto-owners vs. Memberselect: Average Rates by Gender

Because men are more likely to get tickets and get into collisions, they raise the chances of filing a claim with insurance. Therefore, insurance companies will often charge men more than women.

With Auto-owners, women usually pay more than $10 a month less than men, and about $10 with Memberselect.

When it comes to the lowest premiums for each gender, Auto-owners comes out on top for both men and women, with average prices 34% less for men and 35% cheaper for women.

Auto-owners or Memberselect: 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, car insurance can be pretty complicated. There are many different coverages that account for several 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.

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

If you're looking for state minimum liability limits, Auto-owners normally offers significantly less expensive rates of $99 compared to Memberselect's $183. When it comes to full coverage policies with similar limits, Auto-owners again has the edge, with policies around $100 per month cheaper than Memberselect, on average.

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

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

It's no secret secret that accidents and tickets lead to higher premiums, but which company -- Auto-owners or Memberselect -- has the cheapest rates for 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 a month if they get a ticket, while Memberselect typically raises rates about $58 per month, on average.

That being said, Auto-owners tends to offer the best prices for both drivers who have clean records and those with a recent speeding ticket -- their rates are around 32% more affordable for drivers with clean records and 30% less expensive for those with a ticket.

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 prices. Drivers who use Memberselect for their auto insurance will see a monthly bill around $37 (or 17%) more expensive after reporting an accident to their car insurance carrier.

Overall, the cheaper premiums come from Auto-owners, with monthly rates averaging $168 compared to MemberSelect Insurance Company's $216.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with a DUI?

On average, a DUI offense is going to cost you much more than a single accident or ticket when it comes to your insurance bill. For example, Memberselect increases average prices by just under $300 a month -- that's over a 60% increase.

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

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

Did you know that many auto insurance companies take your credit score into account when calculating prices? Certain states and carriers do not allow for credit score to be used as a rating factor, but it does affect many drivers out there.

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

Looking at Auto-owners and Memberselect specifically, which company has the best premiums 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 50% compared to Memberselect, and those with "good" scores can also expect to see savings -- about $88 or 41% less expensive every month.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Bad Credit?

Auto-owners typically offers lower rates than Memberselect when it comes to drivers with less-than-stellar credit. Drivers with "fair" credit pay around $89 per month less with Auto-owners compared to Memberselect, and those with "poor" scores normally save an average of about $113 a month.

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

How much you drive can have a considerable impact on how much insurance carriers will charge for coverage. Generally, those who drive fewer miles will end up with more affordable premiums since there's less of a chance of getting into a collision and causing an insurance claim.

For both drivers who put 6,000 miles on their vehicles annually, as well as those who average twice that figure, Auto-owners tends to be the cheaper option. Auto-owners's average prices for drivers with 6,000 annual miles come in nearly 35% more affordable than Memberselect. Those who drive 12,000 miles each year can expect to pay more than 35% less with Auto-owners over Memberselect.

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

Where you call home can play a sizable role in how much you pay for car insurance. Usually, policyholders who live in less densely populated rural areas will pay quite a bit less than urban drivers due to the small number of vehicles that are on the roads in those areas.

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

Policyholders in rural ZIP codes see the cheapest prices from both companies, but Auto-owners comes out on top with average rates around $164 per month. Auto-owners also has less expensive average prices for drivers in urban and suburban ZIP codes -- a $89 and $133 a month respective difference when compared to Memberselect policyholders in similar areas.

Auto-owners vs. Memberselect 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. 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 find all the ones you're eligible for or to nail down the carrier that has the most discounts for your unique driver profile.

In the table below, we've taken a look at all of the different discounts Auto-owners and Memberselect offer their customers so that you can see which one offers the most discounts and see which ones you might be able to take advantage of.

Auto-owners blows Memberselect away when it comes to the sheer amount of discounts available, offering 24 different discounts to Memberselect's 13.

Both carriers offer a lot of the same discounts -- like advance quote discounts, discounts for being a defensive driver, discounts for being a good driver, and multi-policy discounts -- but Auto-owners also offers ABS discounts, company car discounts, COVID-19 relief discount, and more that Memberselect does not.

On the flip side, Memberselect has a couple unique discounts of its own -- AAA discounts, EFT discounts, prior carrier discounts, and more.

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

So, you've seen how different factors can affect your car insurance premiums. We've shown you all the discounts each company offers, too. But, at the end of the day, which carrier is the right carrier for you, your vehicle, and your wallet?

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

• You're single and purchasing auto insurance by yourself.
• You have above-average credit.
• You drive fewer than 6,000 miles yearly.

Memberselect might be best for you if...

• You like the personalized touch of a small, regional company.

We hope this guide helps you get a good idea of the differences between Auto-owners and Memberselect and that you can now make a more informed decision when it comes to your insurance.

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

Auto-owners vs. Memberselect FAQs

Is Auto-owners or Memberselect cheaper?

Looking just at the national average rates, Auto-owners is the more affordable of the two companies, offering average rates of $179 per month compared to $274 for Memberselect. However, Auto-owners won't necessarily be the most affordable carrier for everyone, since there are lots of different variables that come into play when it comes to your insurance payment.

Who is better, Auto-owners or Memberselect?

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

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

Insurance carriers take a look at a lot of different factors when determining the premiums they charge drivers. Things like your driving record, where you live, gender, age, and sometimes even things like your credit score can all come into play. Both Auto-owners and Memberselect calculate prices differently, so each one will most likely offer different premiums. The only real way to see which carrier is the lowest for you is by comparing personalized quotes from a range of different companies.

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

The only way to find the auto insurance company that's right for you is by getting quotes from several carriers and finding the one best suited for your individual budget. Luckily, sites like Compare.com make it easy for you to do just that. Just enter your information once and you'll get free quotes from dozens of the best car insurance companies in your area. With those, you can guarantee you're getting the best premium. And who knows, the best carrier for you might not be Auto-owners or Memberselect 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.