Otto Insurance Review: Spam Risks, Quotes, and More

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 Insurance: What You Need to Know

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. But, as of this writing, there’s limited information about the history of the company and its team. For example, the company doesn’t yet have ratings from industry standards like AM Best or J.D. Power.

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).

Is Otto Insurance a Spammy Site?

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.

How to Compare Car Insurance Quotes with Otto

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.

Once in the quote form, I entered my ZIP code and clicked “Check rates.”

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.

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.

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.

Next, I answered a few more questions about myself, including demographic information. This included my gender and relationship status — two factors that influence rates.

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.

I entered my birthdate next. Age is one of the most influential factors in determining car insurance rates, so this was an important piece.

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.

Finally, it asked for my contact information, including my name, email address, home address, and phone number.

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.

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.

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.

Otto Insurance Reviews: What Real Customers Are Saying

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 calls Otto a “100% false advertisement” and claims they were bombarded with spam after using the site.

The following Reddit user even warns that Otto is “not legit” and that its partners will “spam you with phone calls and emails.”

The complaint below — filed with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) — highlights the difficulty of removing yourself from Otto’s lists, even after the company has supposedly removed you. After the complaint, Otto responds by letting the customer know they’ve been unsubscribed.

Still, in four follow-ups, the customer complains that companies are still contacting them.

Unfortunately, other complaints on the BBB website are nearly identical: the company says the customer is unsubscribed, but the customer continues to get solicitations.

It’s also worth noting that Otto sold my information, too. A few weeks after initially receiving a quote from Otto, I received a letter in the mail from an unnamed third-party organization claiming that my car’s warranty had expired and offering to sell me an extended warranty.

So, if you want to avoid endless spam calls, emails, and mail, you may want to avoid Otto entirely.

But fortunately, you can get better results through several of Otto’s competitors. We’ll go over some solid alternatives in the coming sections.

Otto vs. Compare.com

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.

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’re located. It’s also worth noting that Compare.com works with more than 75 of the nation’s top insurance companies, so you can be confident you’re finding the best deal.

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 vs. Insurify

Insurify is another insurance-comparison site. Where Otto could only direct me to partners, Insurify generated four actual quotes for me. It also worked with other comparison marketplaces.

To generate my quotes, I filled out an online form on Insurify’s website. The form was more extensive than Otto’s since it asked questions about my driving record. Insurify also appears to have a more extensive network of nationwide insurers.

Overall, Insurify made it easy to go to the insurer’s website and complete my purchase. Alternatively, I could buy my policy through Insurify since the company also has an in-house agency.

Finally, like Compare.com, Insurify doesn’t sell personal information. All in all, the site felt much less spammy than Otto.

Otto vs. The Zebra

The Zebra is yet another insurance-comparison website that produces real quotes for users. Unlike Otto, it doesn’t sell its users’ personal information. The site also uses a more complete quoting form, where you can enter information about your driving record (and likely get a more accurate quote).

When I used The Zebra to get quotes, I only got two results — despite the fact that the website advertises it generates quotes from “every major insurance company.”

Similar to Insurify, The Zebra is able to act as an insurance agent, so you can buy a policy directly through the site. Overall, I found The Zebra easy to use and more effective than Otto.

Otto Insurance FAQs

Here are some quick answers to the most commonly asked questions about Otto Insurance.

Is Otto Insurance easy to use?

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).

Is Otto Insurance a trustworthy site?

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.

Is Otto insurance an actual insurance company?

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.

Does Otto sell your information?

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, as well as texts, emails, and direct mail.

Does it cost money to use Otto Insurance?

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.

How do you stop Otto and its partners from contacting you?

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.

Sources

1. Trustpilot, “Otto insurance,” accessed September 9, 2024.
2. BBB, “Otto insurance,” accessed September 9, 2024.
3. Reddit, “Otto Insurance review: buyer beware, they are not legit,” accessed September 9, 2024.