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

Quick Facts

• Based on national averages for auto insurance, Trustgard Auto offers significantly less expensive premiums than Auto-owners
• Auto-owners offers more discounts than Trustgard Auto Insurance
• Trustgard Auto offers more affordable rates for policyholders who have a clean record

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

So, you're thinking about switching your auto insurance. With so many ads from all sorts of companies offering huge discounts, you're probably wondering exactly how much you might be able to save.

You've maybe even narrowed it down to Auto-owners or Trustgard Auto for your next policy, but which one has cheaper prices for insurance?

Looking at the national average rates for both companies, Auto-owners is about $42 more per month than Trustgard Auto.

But that doesn't necessarily mean Trustgard Auto will be the more affordable option for every single driver. Auto insurance carriers vary their rates depending on things like how clean your driving record is, where you live, how old you are, how good your credit score is, and a ton of other factors. So, at the end of the day, premiums from each carrier will differ quite a bit from person to person.

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

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

Auto-owners and Trustgard Auto only compete against each other in three states, with Auto-owners offering cheaper prices to the average driver in all of them. If you live in Illinois, Auto-owners is the less expensive of the two companies when looking at the overall average premiums. Trustgard Auto is the more affordable option in Indiana and Tennessee.

But there's more to car insurance than just where you live. As we mentioned above, there's a lot of things that go into how insurance carriers calculate your prices. Read on to find out more.

Which is the Best Company For Young Drivers?

Teen drivers will almost always have the most expensive car insurance rates of any other group of drivers out there 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 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 Trustgard Auto for their insurance pay more than $35 less than those who use Auto-owners. It's worth noting that Auto-owners offers auto insurance in 23 different states compared to Trustgard Auto's three, which can skew the average rates a bit, but the difference here is still considerable.

Even so, both companies will offer you dramatically lower premiums once you turn 25. Trustgard Auto offers the steepest reduction, with 25-year-olds paying less than a third of what 18-year-old drivers are charged. Auto-owners's average prices lower nearly 60% during that same period.

Which is the Best Company for Retired Drivers?

Once you approach retirement age, you'll usually enjoy the most affordable car insurance premiums 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 insurance.

But who has the best prices for retired drivers between Auto-owners and Trustgard Auto? Trustgard Auto gets the edge here, with average rates coming in at around $96 monthly compared to Auto-owners's $133.

Which is the Best Company for Married Drivers?

You may not be aware, but auto insurance prices tend to be more expensive for single drivers than they are for married couples. That's generally because married drivers tend to own and insure several cars, which can often earn you a discount.

When it comes to relationship status, Trustgard Auto is the clear winner for single policyholders, with premiums about $41 a month less expensive than Auto-owners, on average. The advantage is also clear for married policyholders - Trustgard Auto offers the cheapest average rates.

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

Men are statistically more likely than women to get into accidents and file an insurance claim, which means they'll typically end up paying more for insurance than women.

Men normally pay over $10 per month more than women with Auto-owners, and almost $10 with Trustgard Auto.

Looking at the data for each carrier specifically, Trustgard Auto comes out on top for both men and women, with average prices 23% less for men and 24% cheaper for women.

Auto-owners or Trustgard 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.

For most people, auto insurance isn't the easiest topic to understand. 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.

That being said, the most common policies that many drivers look at fall into two categories -- liability only (which provides bodily injury and property damage coverage for other drivers if you cause a collision) and full coverage (which includes two additional coverages -- comprehensive and collision -- alongside liability coverage).

If you're looking for state minimum limits for liability insurance, Trustgard Auto usually offers cheaper premiums of $79 compared to Auto-owners's $99. When it comes to full coverage policies with similar limits, Trustgard Auto again has the edge, with policies around $65 a month more affordable than Auto-owners, on average.

Is Auto-owners or Trustgard 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 collisions will most likely raise your prices, but is Auto-owners or Trustgard Auto cheaper 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 per month if they get a ticket, while Trustgard Auto typically raises rates about $50 a month, on average.

However, Trustgard Auto is generally the more affordable option for both drivers who have a recent speeding ticket and those with clean records -- their rates are around 19% less expensive for drivers with clean records and 10% 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 increase by over $45, while those who have insurance through Trustgard Auto will see around a $35 increase.

Overall, Trustgard Auto offers the lowest premiums for drivers with an at-fault accident on their records, with monthly rates averaging $133 compared to Auto-Owners Insurance's $168.

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 ticket or even a collision. Auto-owners drivers usually see a 54% raise in their insurance prices after a DUI charge, while Trustgard Auto will normally increase rates by about 43%.

Trustgard Auto has the overall cheapest premiums for drivers with a DUI on their records at $171 per month, but it's worth noting that Auto-owners's average rates come from 23 states compared to just three for Trustgard Auto, so the data may be skewed slightly.

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

You may not have known, but your credit score can be used as one of the factors to determine your monthly auto insurance 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.

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

So, which company offers the most affordable prices for drivers with poor, average, or good credit?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Good Credit?

If you have a solid credit score, you'll usually find a better deal with Auto-owners for an "excellent" credit score. Policyholders with "excellent" credit can save over 15% compared to Trustgard Auto, while those with "good" scores can expect to see better savings from Trustgard Auto -- around $1 or 1% cheaper than Auto-owners each month.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Bad Credit?

Trustgard Auto typically offers lower premiums than Auto-owners when it comes to drivers with bad credit. Drivers with "fair" credit pay about $36 per month less with Trustgard Auto compared to Auto-owners, and those with "poor" scores generally save an average of around $147 a month.

Is Auto-owners or Trustgard Auto 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 big impact on your monthly insurance cost? Typically, the more miles you put on your vehicle each year, the more you can expect to pay for coverage.

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

Auto-owners vs. Trustgard Auto: 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. Normally, drivers who live in heavily-populated urban areas will pay quite a bit more than rural policyholders because there are a lot more vehicles on the roads in those areas.

Trustgard Auto tends to offer the lowest rates for drivers in every type of area, no matter if it's urban, suburban, or rural.

Those in rural areas can expect to pay around $134 per month with Trustgard Auto and $164 with Auto-owners. Drivers in suburban ZIP codes pay a monthly rate of about $132 with Trustgard Auto compared to $169 with Auto-owners. For drivers in urban ZIP codes, Trustgard Auto's average premiums are around $147 while Auto-owners offers rates about $205.

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

But where do you even start? With what seems like a million different discounts out there, it may be challenging to find all the ones you qualify for.

In the section below, we've compared all of the different discounts offered by Auto-owners and Trustgard Auto so that you can see which carrier can save you the most money each month.

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

A couple of those are overlapping for things like anti-theft discounts, COVID-19 relief discount, discounts for being a defensive driver, and discounts for being a good student. Auto-owners also offers ABS discounts, driver training discounts, good driving discounts, and more that Trustgard Auto does not.

On the flip side, Trustgard Auto has a couple unique discounts of its own -- advanced safety feature discounts, intra-agency transfer discounts, legacy discounts, and more.

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

So, we've broken down the average premiums for many of the variables car insurance carriers look at, and we've shown you all the discounts each carrier offers. But, at the end of the day, which insurance company is the best company for you and your specific needs?

Trustgard Auto might be best for you if....

• You have a clean record.
• You're looking for more protection with "full coverage" insurance.
• You drive fewer than 6,000 miles each year.

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

• You value the experience that comes with a large national auto insurance carrier.
• You're looking for the company with the most discounts.

We hope this guide has ben a valuable resource as you compare Auto-owners and Trustgard Auto and that you can now make a more informed decision when it comes to your 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 a handful of companies, not just Auto-owners and Trustgard Auto. 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 auto insurance carriers in your area, all in just a few minutes.

Auto-owners vs. Trustgard Auto FAQs

Is Auto-owners or Trustgard Auto cheaper?

Looking just at the national average prices, Trustgard Auto is the cheaper of the two companies, offering average rates of $137 a month compared to $179 for Auto-owners. But Trustgard Auto won't necessarily be the most affordable carrier for every policyholder, since there are multiple different factors that come into play when it comes to your car insurance payment.

Who is better, Auto-owners or Trustgard Auto?

Sadly, the only answer we can give you is "it depends.". No single company is "better" for each driver -- it all boils down to your unique auto insurance profile. For example, Trustgard Auto offers less expensive premiums for drivers with a recent DUI, while Auto-owners is more affordable for drivers with excellent credit.

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

Insurance carriers take a look at quite a few different variables when calculating the rates they charge drivers. Factors like your driving record, age, where your home is, gender, and sometimes even things like your credit score can all be used. Both Auto-owners and Trustgard Auto use different formulas, 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 range of different companies.

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

The only way to find the auto insurance company that's right for you is by getting quotes from multiple 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 ZIP code 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 lowest price. And who knows, the best carrier for you might not be Auto-owners or Trustgard 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.