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

Quick Facts

• In general, Auto-owners offers significantly cheaper prices than Mercury
• Auto-owners offers more affordable rates for drivers with a DUI charge on their record
• Mercury offers more discounts than Auto-Owners Insurance

Auto-owners vs. Mercury: 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 hefty discounts, but exactly how much money can you save by switching?

You might have narrowed your search down to Auto-owners or Mercury, but which company has less expensive prices for insurance?

Looking at nationwide averages, Auto-owners is quite a bit cheaper than Mercury, with rates averaging $179 per month compared to $295 with Mercury.

However, that doesn't mean Auto-owners will necessarily be more affordable than Mercury for every single driver. Car insurance companies use all sorts of complex algorithms to calculate premiums, so depending on how clean your driving record is or where you live (among many other factors), you could see wildly different rates from the ones above.

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

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

Auto-owners and Mercury compete against each other in four states, with Mercury offering cheaper premiums to the average driver in all of them. If you live in Arizona, Mercury is the less expensive of the two carriers when looking at the overall average rates. Auto-owners is the more affordable option in Georgia, Illinois, and Virginia.

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

Which is the Best Company For Young Drivers?

You might already know that teen drivers typically pay a lot more for auto insurance than 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.

But still, even with seemingly sky-high premiums, teen drivers can still find ways to save money. Just look at the table above -- where 18-year-old drivers who have Auto-owners for their car insurance pay nearly $350 less than those who use Mercury.

That being said, both companies will offer you dramatically lower prices by the time you turn 25. For example, average premiums for Auto-owners policyholders decrease almost $250 and Mercury's rates drop about $500 over that time.

Which is the Best Company for Retired Drivers?

Once you approach retirement age, you'll generally enjoy the lowest insurance prices you can find. You've been on the road for years, and all that experience pays off when it comes to your monthly rates for auto insurance.

So, which carrier offers the best prices to retired drivers? Auto-owners gets the edge, with premiums for drivers 65 and older $86 less expensive than the national average for Mercury.

Which is the Best Company for Married Drivers?

You may not be aware, but insurance rates tend to be more affordable for married policyholders than they are for single policyholders. This usually boils down to married couples having multiple cars on their policy -- something several auto insurance carriers will reward with discounts.

When it comes to relationship status, Auto-owners is the clear winner for those who are single, with prices around $148 a month cheaper than Mercury, on average. The advantage for married drivers with Auto-owners is also obvious, where drivers save more than $70 per month.

Auto-owners vs. Mercury: Average Rates by Gender

You may not know, but men usually pay more for car insurance than women do. This is because men are statistically more likely than women to cause a collision and get into accidents, which leads to increased risk for insurers and, therefore, higher premiums.

With Auto-owners, women normally pay about 6% a month less than men, while with Mercury, the difference is closer to 5% per month.

When it comes to the most affordable prices for each gender, Auto-owners comes out on top for both men and women. On average, women save about $114 a month and men save around $117 with Auto-owners compared to the average Mercury policyholder.

Auto-owners or Mercury: 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 auto insurance can be pretty complicated. There are lots of 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.

But most 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 a collision) and full coverage (which includes comprehensive and collision coverages that protect your own vehicle, alongside what you get with a liability policy).

If you're looking for state minimum liability limits, Auto-owners generally offers significantly more affordable premiums of $99 compared to Mercury's $184. When it comes to full coverage policies with similar limits, Auto-owners again has the edge, with policies about $150 per month cheaper than Mercury, on average.

Is Auto-owners or Mercury 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.

You'll probably end up paying more with accidents and tickets on your record, but which of these two companies offers the lowest rates to 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 Mercury normally raises rates around $57 per month, on average.

Even so, 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 49% less expensive for drivers with clean records and 44% more affordable for those with a ticket.

Which Company is Best for Drivers After an Accident?

Auto-owners drivers who get in an accident can expect to see their prices rise by over $45, while those who have insurance through Mercury will see about a $100 increase.

Overall, the less expensive premiums come from Auto-owners, with monthly prices averaging $168 compared to Mercury Insurance's $346.

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, Auto-owners increases average rates 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, Auto-owners tends to be the much cheaper option with average premiums of $264 a month compared to $303 from Mercury.

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

Did you know that many auto insurance carriers take your credit score into account when calculating rates? This isn't always the case (Massachusetts, for example, has banned the use of credit score as a rating factor) but it might come into play for a lot of policyholders.

Insurance companies argue that someone with bad credit is less likely to pay their bills on time, which makes them riskier to insure. Because of that, drivers with bad credit will often be forced to pay more.

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

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Good Credit?

If you have solid credit, you'll usually find a better deal with Auto-owners. Drivers with "excellent" credit can save over 55% compared to Mercury, and those with "good" scores can also expect to see savings -- around $137 or 52% less expensive each month.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Bad Credit?

Auto-owners typically offers lower prices than Mercury when it comes to drivers with a below average credit score. Drivers with "fair" credit pay about $126 per month less with Auto-owners compared to Mercury, and those with "poor" scores typically save an average of around $89 per month.

Is Auto-owners or Mercury 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 car insurance carriers will charge for coverage. Usually, the more miles you drive, the more you can expect to pay for insurance.

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

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

We've already mentioned how your home state can play a role in how much you pay for auto insurance, but the type of area you live in can have a sizable impact as well. Typically, policyholders who live in less densely populated rural areas will pay quite a bit less than urban drivers because there are a lot fewer cars on the roads in those areas.

When comparing these two companies side-by-side, Auto-owners usually comes out as the cheapest option for drivers in all types of areas, no matter if they're urban, suburban, or rural.

For policyholders in urban ZIP codes, Auto-owners offers premiums around $205 monthly compared to Mercury's $401. People who live in suburban ZIP codes can expect to pay about $169 a month for Auto-owners and $275 for Mercury. Lastly, those in rural areas tend to get the most affordable rates from both carriers, with average monthly prices coming in at $164 and $209 for Auto-owners and Mercury respectively.

Auto-owners vs. Mercury 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 auto insurance discounts as you can.

The hard part is finding all of the discounts you can take advantage of, since it can feel sometimes like every company has different discounts and each one is advertised differently.

Below, we've compared all of the different discounts offered by Auto-owners and Mercury so that you can find the one that has the most discounts and, therefore, the biggest savings.

Looking at the total number of discounts, Mercury has advantage when it comes to total number of discounts. Auto-owners offers a grand total of 24 discounts, while Mercury has 27.

There are a couple discounts both companies offer, but Mercury also offers continuous insurance discounts, DRL discounts, e-signature discounts, and more that Auto-owners does not.

On the flip side, Auto-owners has a couple unique discounts of its own -- company car discounts, discounts for getting driver training, education discounts, and more.

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

You've seen the role certain factors have on your insurance and the different discounts carriers offer. But, when it comes down to it, is Auto-owners or Mercury the best carrier for you and your specific driver profile?

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

• You don't have any speeding tickets, DUIs, or at-fault collisions on your record.
• You're looking for more protection with "full coverage" car insurance.
• You live in a rural area.

Mercury might be best for you if...

• You care about discounts (Mercury offers the most).

We hope this guide helps you get a good idea of the differences between Auto-owners and Mercury 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 multiple companies, not just Auto-owners and Mercury. Luckily, sites like Compare.com do all the hard work for you. Simply enter your ZIP codes below and get multiple free quotes from some of the best auto insurance carriers in your area, all in just a few minutes.

Auto-owners vs. Mercury FAQs

Is Auto-owners or Mercury cheaper?

Looking just at the national average premiums, Auto-owners is the cheaper of the two companies, offering average rates of $179 per month compared to $295 for Mercury. That being said, Auto-owners won't necessarily be the lowest carrier for everyone, since there are a bunch of different variables that are considered when it comes to your car insurance cost.

Who is better, Auto-owners or Mercury?

Sadly, the real answer is "it depends.". Neither company is "better" for everyone -- it all depends on the makeup of your unique insurance profile.

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

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

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

The only way to find the car insurance company 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 make 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 Mercury 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.