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Licensed property and casualty insurance agent
10+ years editing experience
NPN: 20461358
Updated
Otto Insurance advertises itself as an insurance-comparison platform, but it actually operates as a lead-generation website, connecting users with insurance agencies, companies, and other comparison sites. In addition to car insurance policies, you can use Otto to search for home, pet, and life insurance. But keep in mind that Otto will direct you elsewhere to actually get your quote.
If you’re wondering how that works, Otto collaborates with a network of insurance agencies and insurers. When you enter your information, the site determines which of its partners will best be able to serve you. So, you may be connected with a specific insurer, another comparison site, or an agency that offers coverage in your area.
But nearly every online review of Otto complains of endless phone calls and spammy business practices. So, if you don’t like getting the run-around or receiving calls, texts, or even mail from numerous companies, you may want to look elsewhere.
Otto asks for much of the same personal information other insurance sites need to give you a quote. But after you’ve provided information like your name, address, phone number, email, and age, you won’t get any actual quotes from Otto. Instead, Otto sends you to either insurer websites or other comparison platforms to see actual quotes.
If you’re in a hurry to talk to someone about buying auto, home, or pet insurance, you’ll likely get phone calls and emails within minutes of requesting a quote through Otto. That could be helpful if you urgently need coverage and aren’t too concerned with price. But to compare actual quotes online, without spam, you’ll need to go elsewhere.
Easy-to-use site
Live agent support available by phone[1]
Completely free to use
Doesn’t show actual quotes
Very high risk of spam
Just 1.7 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot
Otto Insurance — not to be confused with Otto Insurance Group, an agency based in Ohio — is currently a subsidiary of Global Agora, a venture capital firm, and is headquartered in Miami, FL. Because Otto isn’t an insurance company, it has no AM Best rating and isn’t included in J.D. Power surveys.[2]
While most customers use the site to compare car insurance quotes online, you can also get quotes over the phone. I noticed that several of the positive reviews on the Otto Insurance website talked about calling in to get a quote, which may be easier for some users.
Keep in mind that Otto shares your information with its partners, so you can expect to receive emails and phone calls from third parties (but you can contact the company directly to have your information removed).
Overall, while the process of getting a car insurance quote from Otto was relatively easy, I was a bit disappointed to find that I didn’t receive any actual quotes (i.e., results with actual prices to compare). Instead, I only received an ad to “access [my] quote” through one of Otto’s partners.
Still, here’s what you can expect if you decide to use Otto to compare car insurance quotes.
To start the process, I went to Otto’s home page, where the company advertises the ability to “find your savings fast.” When I clicked “Start Saving,” it took me to the first page of the quote form.
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Once in the quote form, I entered my ZIP code and clicked “Check rates.”
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The next few pages were about my vehicle, each with just one question per page. I entered information here about my car’s year, make, model, and trim.
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Next, the site prompted me to add a second vehicle, advertising that I could save an additional 20%, which is a little misleading because the actual savings that insurers offer vary.
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Next, it asked about my current insurance and which company has “handled [my] insurance in the last six months” — which I thought was an odd way to phrase it.
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Next, I answered a few more questions about myself, including demographic information. This included my gender and relationship status — two factors that influence rates.
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Then, I answered a few questions about my financial situation. The first question here asked about my credit score (insurers can use your credit history to determine rates in most states). The form also asked whether I was a homeowner.
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I entered my birthdate next. Age is one of the most influential factors in determining car insurance rates, so this was an important piece.
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Next, the site confirmed that I’m the only driver on the policy, but it never asked about my driving record. Considering that’s one of the most important factors affecting car insurance rates, I found that a bit strange.
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Finally, it asked for my contact information, including my name, email address, home address, and phone number.
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I hit “Get Your Free Quote” and received just one result from Allstate. I was pretty disappointed since you can’t really “compare” quotes with just one result — especially when the one result doesn’t even show a price.
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I clicked “Access Your Quote” to see what would happen. This just took me to another page thanking me “for joining Otto Insurance” with a duplicate of the same Allstate advertisement I already saw.
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After clicking on this result one more time, it redirected me to Allstate’s home page, where I had to re-enter all of my information again. Frustrating.
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Otto’s auto insurance reviews are underwhelming, to say the least. I couldn’t find a single positive review outside of the company website.
Why so many negative reviews? It seems to come down to two common themes: the company doesn’t produce quotes, and it triggers a ton of spam calls and emails. For example, the BBB complaint below says spam was almost immediate after using Otto.[3]
“Business immediately sold my data resulting in 5 spam calls and a phishing attempt within 5 minutes of using the site. No auto insurance quotes were generated. I was exploited through deceptive marketing.”
This Trustpilot user pointed out that Otto’s promise to remove your info if you don’t want spam may not be very effective.[4]
“Scamy. Steer Clear.
This is a company that sells your information to agents who then hound you to no end. You will not get a good deal at the end of this. They say that if you contact them, they will delete your info. However, they sell your info almost immediately so it doesn’t matter. You will be hounded regardless.”
Another Trustpilot user complained that Otto repeatedly redirected him to the insurance company he was trying to leave.
“Worse than useless.
I used the OTTO website and input ALL the information they asked for, including that my current insurer is Allstate. After entering everything, they came back not with a quote, but a link to Allstate. I then tried to call OTTO at the number posted in two places on their page. The call could not be connected. I found another number for OTTO and called one of their reps. I explained everything to her, gave her all the same information, and told her I wanted to get away from Allstate. That was my whole intent. She told me she would connect me with Liberty Mutual. I was connected and the lady on the other end informed me that she was with ALLSTATE, NOT LIBERTY MUTUAL! Additionally, the OTTO lady told me they would not share or sell my information, but I told her that immediately after entering my information the first time, I received a text message from a Farmer’s agent and a follow up phone call. I did not go to OTTO to be misdirected and spammed and will not do business with them in the future.”
To be fair, Otto does have some positive reviews on Trustpilot. But it’s worth noting that the most recent positive comment is more than a year old. And some commenters appear to have confused Otto with other companies, thanking it for its claims handling (which Otto doesn’t do because it’s not an insurance company) and for help finding a life insurance policy (Otto sells only auto, pet, and home insurance).
The main difference between Otto and Compare.com is that Otto is a lead generator — it only sells your “lead” to other websites. On the other hand, Compare uses direct integrations with insurance companies to generate real quotes, with real prices, that it shows you instantly.
When I used Compare.com, I got quotes from seven different insurance companies. Some users may find more real quotes — it just depends on your profile and where you live. It’s also worth noting that Compare.com works with more than 120 of the nation’s top insurance companies, so you can be confident you’re finding the best deal.[5]
Compare.com’s quote form was more thorough than what I experienced with Otto. It asked for my driving history and additional information that would provide me with much more accurate pricing. Overall, Compare.com was just as easy to use as Otto but gave me significantly better results.
Finally, unlike Otto, Compare doesn’t sell personal information, so I didn’t get any spammy follow-ups after generating my quotes.
Here’s an overview of my experience with both sites.
Otto | Compare.com | |
|---|---|---|
| Number of real quotes | 0 | 7 |
| Trustpilot rating | 1.7/5 | 4.7/5 |
| BBB rating | A (not accredited) | A+ (accredited since 2015) |
Though Otto gives you a way to take your name off its list (only after the fact), you can probably consider Otto to be at least somewhat spammy. For example, after getting a “quote” from Otto, I received junk mail from “Auto Protect USA” about “extremely urgent and time-sensitive” information regarding my car’s extended warranty — a definite red flag.
While there was no mention of it coming directly from Otto, it was addressed to the name I’d assigned to Otto in order to track where junk mail and spam come from. I also received phone calls from Otto’s partners almost as soon as I sent in my first form.
The company is fairly up-front about how it sells information to third parties. It even lists how to be removed from the list at the bottom of its home page. Overall, customers seem to agree that Otto is a fairly spammy website. But at the end of the day, your experience may vary.
Here are some quick answers to the most commonly asked questions about Otto Insurance.
Yes, Otto has a user-friendly website. It takes just two minutes to fill out the form and get “results.” That said, those results only directed me to other websites where I ultimately didn’t get a quote. Customer reviews tell a similar story about not receiving quotes (but they did receive plenty of spam).
In some ways, Otto is trustworthy. The site is up-front about the fact that it sells information to other websites. But there are some glaring issues: it advertises discounts as if they’re guaranteed (they’re not) and makes itself look like a quote-comparison website even though it’s a lead-generation site.
No, Otto isn’t an actual insurance company. Instead, Otto is a site meant to help users shop for and compare car insurance quotes. But don’t expect to see actual rates when you get a quote from Otto — since the company is a lead-generation site, you’ll only get ads.
Yes, Otto sells information to third parties. Though the site doesn’t have a statement as to how it makes money (something other comparison websites do), it’s likely that selling information is an important part of its business. If you use the service, expect a lot of phone calls, texts, emails, and direct mail.
No, Otto is completely free to use and doesn’t ask for any payment information. That said, you’ll need to pay the insurance company if you decide to buy a policy from one of your results. But, again, there is no fee to use Otto.
Email [email protected] and include your contact information (phone number and email address) to have them removed from Otto’s system. It takes 24 to 48 hours to process your request.
Otto is legit in the sense that it is an actual company that’s involved in connecting consumers to insurance products, including auto insurance. But it’s not an actual comparison site, and you won’t see any real-time quotes when you use Otto. It’s a lead-generation site, which means you’ll likely receive phone calls and emails from other companies after using Otto.
Otto Insurance falls short when you compare it to actual insurance-comparison websites like Compare.com. It can’t show you immediate, accurate quotes like Compare.com does. And you’ll likely get phone calls and emails from other companies after using Otto.
Because it’s neither an insurance company nor a comparison website, Otto doesn’t actually “offer” any type of insurance policy. But the company’s website does advertise that it can help you get quotes for auto, pet, and home insurance.
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Licensed property and casualty insurance agent
10+ years editing experience
NPN: 20461358
At Compare.com, it’s our mission to give you the tools to find the best (and most affordable) insurance for your unique needs and budget. We strive to provide information that’s helpful, clear, and unbiased, and we believe that comparing insurance companies should never put you at risk of spam. Our editorial team — which is made up of experienced writers, editors, insurance agents, and data analysts — has spent thousands of hours researching and creating the coverage overviews, side-by-side comparisons, and detailed reviews you see across our site.
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