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

Quick Facts

• Based on national averages for car insurance, Auto-owners offers slightly more affordable premiums than Safeway
• Auto-owners offers less expensive average rates for drivers who have received a ticket within the last few years
• Safeway offers more affordable prices for residents of rural areas

Auto-owners vs. Safeway: 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 huge discounts. But exactly how much can you save by switching?

You've maybe even narrowed it down to Auto-owners or Safeway for your next policy, but which company has cheaper premiums for auto insurance?

As you can see, Auto-owners is about $15 per month more affordable than Safeway when looking at the national average rates for insurance.

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

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

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

Auto-owners and Safeway only compete against each other in three states, with Safeway offering cheaper prices to the average driver in all of them. If you live in Georgia, Auto-owners is the less expensive of the two carriers when looking at the overall average rates. Safeway is the cheaper option in Alabama and Arizona.

There are plenty of other factors that go into your insurance bill than just the state you live in. Continue reading to learn more about how other factors will affect your rates.

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. The reason is that young, inexperienced drivers are statistically much more likely to get into an accident that results in an insurance claim, making them much riskier to insure.

Even so, that doesn't mean teen drivers can't still save money on their auto insurance. For example, 18-year-old drivers pay an average of more than $60 less a month by choosing Auto-owners over Safeway.

That being said, both companies will drop premiums by the time drivers turn 25. Safeway offers the steepest decrease, with 25-year-olds paying less than a third of what 18-year-old drivers are charged. That being said, Auto-owners still has the most affordable prices at $164 a month.

Which is the Best Company for Retired Drivers?

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

When looking at Auto-owners and Safeway specifically, which company is best for retired drivers? Auto-owners gets the slight edge here, with average rates coming in at around $133 monthly compared to Safeway's $136. However, that difference is less than 5%, which means it ultimately will come down to other variables, such as where you live or your driving record.

Which is the Best Company for Married Drivers?

You may not be aware, but insurance premiums tend to be more affordable for married policyholders than they are for single policyholders. This usually boils down to married couples having more than one car on their policy -- something quite a few 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 rates about $24 per month cheaper than Safeway, on average. It's not quite so glaring for married drivers, where drivers who use Auto-owners save around $2 a month.

Auto-owners vs. Safeway: Average Rates by Gender

Men are statistically more likely than women to get pulled over for speeding or get into an accident. That means when it comes to car insurance men will normally end up paying a little more.

Usually, women see premiums about 6% per month less with Auto-owners, and around 9% less with Safeway.

When it comes to the cheapest prices for each gender, Auto-owners offers the lowest average premiums for both men and women. On average, male drivers save about $18 a month and women save about $11 with Auto-owners compared to the average Safeway policyholder.

Auto-owners or Safeway: 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.

Insurance can be a complicated subject for most people. There are so many different limits and coverages that it can make it pretty confusing to find the right policy.

But the 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 alongside liability coverage).

In this case, Auto-owners offers the most affordable average rates for state minimum liability limits, while Safeway has the edge for full coverage policies with similar coverage limits. Drivers looking for basic state minimum coverage can save around $30 with Auto-Owners Insurance, while full coverage comes out to be around $2 more affordable with Safeway Insurance.

Is Auto-owners or Safeway 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.

At-fault accidents and tickets will most likely raise your prices, but is Auto-owners or Safeway less expensive for drivers with less-than-perfect records?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Speeding Tickets?

Auto-owners policyholders can expect their rates to go up an average of $44 per month if they get a ticket, while Safeway usually raises premiums about $7 a month, on average.

However, Auto-owners has more affordable prices for drivers in both categories -- their rates are around 26% cheaper for drivers with clean records and 3% 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 insurance premiums. Drivers who use Safeway for their auto insurance will see a monthly bill around $60 (or 27%) more expensive after reporting an accident to their insurance carrier.

Overall, drivers who use Auto-owners end up with the cheaper prices after an accident, with monthly prices averaging $168 compared to Safeway Insurance's $223.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with a DUI?

If you get a DUI charge on your record, it's probably going to cost you more than a simple speeding ticket or even a collision. For example, Auto-owners increases average rates by just under $150 per month -- that's just under a 55% increase.

If you have a DUI on your record and are looking for more affordable prices, Safeway tends to be the much cheaper option with average premiums of $220 per month compared to $264 from Auto-owners.

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

Did you know that many car insurance companies take your credit score into account when calculating rates? This isn't always the case (for example, California and Massachusetts are two states that ban the practice entirely), but it does affect several policyholders out there.

The reasoning insurance carriers use is that drivers with good credit will be more likely to pay their bills on time; so they'll reward them with cheaper prices, while those with poor credit will generally be forced to pay more.

Looking at Auto-owners and Safeway specifically, which carrier has the cheapest premiums for policyholders at different credit levels?

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 50% compared to Safeway, and those with "good" scores can also expect to see savings -- about $65 or 34% more affordable every month.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Bad Credit?

If you have a below average credit score, it can be somewhat of a toss-up as far as which company offers you the best rates. Drivers with "fair" credit pay around $18 less with Auto-owners than Safeway, but those whose credit is considered "poor" have it flipped -- saving about $123 a month with Safeway.

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

Did you know that the amount of time you spend in your car have a sizable impact on how much auto insurance companies will charge for coverage? That's because the more miles you put on your vehicle each year, the more likely you are to get into an accident and cause an insurance claim.

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

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

Where you park your car can play a big role in how much you pay for car insurance. 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 vehicles on the roads in those areas.

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

In urban areas, Auto-Owners Insurance's average rates are about 12% less than Safeway Insurance. Drivers in suburban ZIP codes pay around 16% less with Auto-owners compared to Safeway. If you live in a rural area, you can expect to save about 11% with Safeway compared to Auto-owners.

Auto-owners vs. Safeway 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, and the best way to do that is by taking advantage of as many auto insurance discounts as you can.

But with what seems like a million different discounts out there, it can be difficult to nail down the company that has the most discounts for your unique driver profile and to find all the discounts you can take advantage of.

In the table below, we've taken a look at all of the different discounts Auto-owners and Safeway offer their customers so that you can see which one can save you the most money each month.

Auto-owners blows Safeway away when it comes to the sheer amount of discounts available, offering 13 more discounts than Safeway.

Both carriers offer a lot of the same discounts -- like discounts for being a defensive driver, discounts for being a homeowner, and paid in full discounts -- but Auto-owners also offers ABS discounts, advance quote discounts, anti-theft discounts, and more that Safeway does not.

On the flip side, Safeway has a couple unique discounts of its own -- agency transfer discounts, full coverage discounts, military discounts, and more.

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

You've seen the role certain factors have on your car insurance and the different discounts companies offer. That's all well and good, but at the end of the day, which insurance carrier is the right fit for you?

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

• Your driving record contains an at-fault accident.
• You want basic insurance coverage at the state minimum limits.
• You don't spend much time in your car.

Safeway might be best for you if...

• You have a DUI charge on your record.
• You're looking for more protection with "full coverage" auto insurance.
• Your neighborhood is in a rural area.

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

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

Auto-owners vs. Safeway FAQs

Is Auto-owners or Safeway cheaper?

Looking just at the national average premiums, Auto-owners is the more affordable of the two carriers, offering average rates of $179 per month compared to $194 for Safeway. Even so, Auto-owners won't necessarily be the most affordable company for each driver, since there are multiple different variables that are considered when it comes to your car insurance payment.

Who is better, Auto-owners or Safeway?

Sadly, the only answer we can give you is "it depends.". No single carrier is necessarily "better" for everyone -- it all comes down to what your unique auto insurance profile looks like. For example, Safeway offers less expensive prices for drivers with a recent DUI, while Auto-owners is cheaper for drivers with excellent credit.

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

Insurance companies take a look at a lot of different factors when determining the rates they charge policyholders. Variables such as gender, where you call home, age, your driving record, and sometimes even things like your credit score can all be taken into consideration. Both Auto-owners and Safeway calculate premiums using different formulas, 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 lots of different carriers.

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

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