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

Quick Facts

• In general, Auto-owners offers significantly cheaper rates than State Auto
• Auto-owners offers less expensive average premiums for people who are single and purchasing insurance by yourself
• Auto-owners tends to be a much cheaper option for residents of urban areas

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

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

You've maybe even narrowed your search down to Auto-owners or State Auto, but between the two, which company has less expensive rates for auto insurance?

As you can see, State Auto is quite a bit more expensive than Auto-owners, with prices averaging $259 per month compared to just $179 with Auto-owners when looking at the national average rates for insurance.

But Auto-owners may not be the most affordable or best option for every driver out there. Car insurance companies vary their premiums depending on things like how good your credit score is, how old you are, where you live, how clean your driving record is, and all sorts of other factors, so rates will vary quite a bit from person to person.

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

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

Auto-owners and State Auto compete against each other in seven states, with Auto-owners offering more affordable prices to the average driver in all of them. If you live in South Carolina, State Auto is the less expensive of the two carriers when looking at the overall average rates. Auto-owners is the cheaper option in Illinois, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Utah, and Wisconsin.

But there's more to auto insurance than just where you live. As we mentioned above, there's a lot of things that go into how car insurance companies calculate your premiums. Continue reading to see how other factors will affect your rates.

Which is the Best Company For Young Drivers?

Young drivers -- especially teens -- usually pay a lot for insurance compared to older drivers. That's because young, inexperienced drivers are statistically much more likely to cause collisions and other accidents that will result in an insurance claim.

But still, even with seemingly sky-high prices, teen drivers can still find ways to save money. For example, 18-year-old drivers pay an average of nearly $350 less a month by choosing Auto-owners over State Auto.

That being said, both carriers will offer you dramatically lower rates by the time drivers turn 25. For example, average prices for Auto-owners policyholders decrease almost 60% and State Auto's premiums reduce nearly 75% over that time.

Which is the Best Company for Retired Drivers?

Drivers around retirement age normally enjoy some of the cheapest auto insurance prices you'll ever find. After all, they've likely been driving for quite some time, which generally lowers their chances of accidents and other infractions that can increase premiums.

So, which carrier offers the best rates to retired drivers? Auto-owners gets the edge, with premiums for drivers 65 and older $34 more affordable than the national average for State Auto.

Which is the Best Company for Married Drivers?

Did you know that car insurance prices are typically cheaper for married drivers than they are for single drivers? That's because policies for married policyholders generally cover multiple cars, which quite a few companies will offer you a discount for.

When it comes to relationship status, Auto-owners is the clear winner for single policyholders, with rates about $116 per month less expensive than State Auto, on average. The advantage is also clear for married couples - Auto-owners offers the lowest average premiums.

Auto-owners vs. State Auto: Average Rates by Gender

Men are statistically more likely than women to get into collisions and file an insurance claim. That means when it comes to auto insurance men will usually end up paying a little more.

Men normally pay more than $10 a month more than women with Auto-owners, while with State Auto, the difference is closer to $24 per month.

Looking at overall affordability, Auto-owners comes out on top for both men and women, with average rates $86 less for men and $73 cheaper for women.

Auto-owners or State Auto: 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 terms and limits that it can make it pretty confusing 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 comprehensive and collision coverages that protect your own vehicle, in addition to what you get with a liability policy).

If you're looking for state minimum liability insurance, Auto-owners typically offers significantly more affordable prices of $99 compared to State Auto's $149. When it comes to full coverage policies with similar limits, Auto-owners again has the edge, with policies around $100 a month cheaper than State Auto, on average.

Is Auto-owners or State Auto 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 accidents will most likely raise your premiums, but is Auto-owners or State Auto more affordable 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 State Auto normally raises rates about $48 a month, on average.

Even so, Auto-owners tends to offer the best prices for drivers both with a speeding ticket and with a clean record. Drivers with a clean record can save around $49 per month and drivers with a ticket can save about $53 a month with Auto-Owners Insurance.

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 State Auto for their car insurance will see a monthly bill around $99 (or 37%) more expensive after reporting a collision to their insurance company.

Overall, the less expensive rates come from Auto-owners, with monthly prices averaging $168 compared to State Auto Insurance's $269.

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 speeding ticket when it comes to your auto insurance bill. State Auto drivers usually see a 55% raise in their insurance premiums after a DUI charge, while Auto-owners will usually increase rates 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 cheaper option with average rates of $264 per month compared to $380 from State Auto.

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

You may not have known, but your credit score can come into play when carriers determine your monthly bill. This isn't always the case (for example, California and Michigan are two states that ban the practice entirely), but it might come into play for a lot of drivers.

Auto 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.

So, which carrier offers the cheapest prices 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 50% compared to State Auto, and those with "good" scores can also expect to see savings -- around $99 or 43% more affordable every month.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Bad Credit?

Auto-owners typically offers lower premiums than State Auto when it comes to drivers with a below average credit score. Drivers with "fair" credit pay about $86 per month less with Auto-owners compared to State Auto, and those with "poor" scores typically save an average of around $36 a month.

Is Auto-owners or State Auto 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 your monthly car insurance bill. That's because the fewer miles you put on your car each year, the less 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 State Auto charges. However, there's a small difference in monthly prices for Auto-owners, with policyholders who drive 6,000 miles each year paying about $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. State Auto: Compare Rates for Urban, Suburban, and Rural Drivers

Where you park your vehicle can have a big impact on your monthly auto insurance cost. Generally, those who live in rural areas will pay less than policyholders in urban areas because of the small number of cars that are on the roads in those areas.

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

Drivers in rural ZIP codes see the most affordable premiums from both companies, but Auto-owners comes out on top with average rates around $164 monthly. Auto-owners also has cheaper average prices for policyholders in urban and suburban ZIP codes -- a $112 and $67 a month respective difference when compared to State Auto drivers in similar areas.

Auto-owners vs. State Auto Discounts

You want to save as much money as possible, right? The best way to do that is by taking advantage of as many insurance discounts as you can.

But where do you even start? With what seems like a million different discounts out there, it may be difficult to find all the ones you can take advantage of.

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

Auto-owners knocks State Auto out of the park when it comes to the sheer number of discounts available, offering 24 different discounts to State Auto's 18.

There are a couple discounts both carriers offer, but Auto-owners also offers company car discounts, education discounts, group discounts, and more that State Auto does not.

On the flip side, State Auto has a couple unique discounts of its own -- advantage program discounts, employee discounts, gold plus discounts, and more.

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

So, we've broken down the average premiums for many of the variables car insurance companies look at, and walked through the different discounts each carrier offers, too. That's all well and good, but when it comes down to it, is Auto-owners or State Auto the best one for you and your specific driver profile?

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

• Your credit is less-than-stellar.
• You live in an suburban area.
• You have a short commute.

State Auto might be best for you if...

• You have a more unique driver profile than those we mentioned above.

We hope this guide helps you get a better idea of the difference between Auto-owners and State Auto and that you can now make a more informed decision when it comes to your auto 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 carriers, not just Auto-owners and State Auto. Luckily, Compare.com does all the hard work for you. Simply enter your ZIP codes below and get free quotes from dozens of top insurance companies in your area, all in just a few minutes.

Auto-owners vs. State Auto FAQs

Is Auto-owners or State Auto cheaper?

Looking just at the national average rates, Auto-owners is the less expensive of the two carriers, offering average rates of $179 per month compared to $259 for State Auto. However, Auto-owners won't necessarily be the cheapest company for everyone, since there are a bunch of different factors (things like gender, age, driving record, etc.) that play a role in how much you pay.

Who is better, Auto-owners or State Auto?

Unfortunately, the only answer we can give you is "it depends.". One carrier is not necessarily "better" for everyone -- it all comes down to what your unique auto insurance profile looks like.

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

Insurance companies take a look at several different variables when calculating the premiums they charge policyholders. Factors such as age, where your home is, your driving record, gender, and sometimes even things like your credit score can all come into play. Both Auto-owners and State Auto use different formulas, so each one will most likely offer different prices. The only real way to see which company is the lowest for you is by comparing personalized quotes from lots of different carriers.

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

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