Auto-Owners earned 5 stars out of 5 for overall performance. NerdWallet’s ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula takes into account consumer experience, complaint data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and financial strength ratings.

Auto-Owners Insurance Company serves a lot more than just owners of automobiles. The company offers over a dozen types of insurance through independent agents in 26 states. People who need several insurance policies may benefit from the convenience and discounts of bundling them with Auto-Owners, which has many coverage options.

Deductible benefits. If you have both home and auto insurance through Auto-Owners and need to make a claim due to the same covered loss, Auto-Owners will either reduce your auto insurance deductible or waive it completely, depending on how much your homeowners deductible is. Your collision deductible is also waived if you get into a crash with another Auto-Owners customer.

Rental car coverage. If you’re renting a car, Auto-Owners will pay any fees the rental car company may charge you if you have an accident. Like most other insurers, it will extend your personal auto insurance coverage to a car you rent.

No online quotes available. Users who prefer to do everything online may find it frustrating that there are no online quotes available through Auto-Owners. Instead, you need to contact an independent agent to get a quote.

State availability. Although Auto-Owners is a great choice for many drivers, it’s offered in only 26 states throughout the country.

When you’re shopping for car insurance, it’s important to understand what car insurance coverage you want and what you’re required to buy. For instance, most states require a minimum amount of car insurance to drive a vehicle. Alternatively, if you want extra protection, you may be interested in full coverage insurance. Read about the most common types of car insurance coverage to see how they work.

Auto-Owners offers all the usual coverage types, including liability, other state-required coverage, roadside assistance and comprehensive and collision. The company also offers several add-on coverage types and options:

• Gap coverage can come in handy if you have a loan or lease balance and your car is totaled or stolen. Comprehensive and collision coverages pay out only up to the value of your car, which might be less than you owe on a loan or lease. Gap insurance pays the difference.

• Diminished value coverage is similar to gap insurance, but for less extreme situations. If your car is damaged (rather than stolen or totaled), this add-on will compensate you for the reduced value of your car.

• Additional expenses insurance goes further than traditional rental car coverage. In addition to paying for a rental car if your car is in the shop for a covered claim, this optional coverage also pays for food, lodging and other incidentals if you’re stranded.

• The Personal Automobile Plus package has more than 10 perks and coverages, including identity theft coverage, cell phone insurance and coverage for replacing lost or stolen keys.

• Accident forgiveness. Forgives your first at-fault accident, which means your rates won’t go up after a crash. Available only to drivers with no at-fault claims or major traffic violations in the past 36 months.

Auto-Owners also may include a few benefits in its auto policies that other major insurers don’t.

Common loss deductible. This benefit applies if you have your home insurance through Auto-Owners in addition to an auto policy with comprehensive coverage. If you need to make a claim to both policies for the same event — such as a bad storm or a tree falling on both your house and car — the company will reduce your auto deductible by the amount of your property deductible. If your homeowners deductible is higher, the company will waive your auto deductible.

Collision coverage advantage. If you’re in a collision with another customer of the company, your collision deductible will be waived. 

Rental car insurance. When you rent a car, your Auto-Owners policy covers as much as it does for your personal car, as well as any fees from the rental company associated with an accident. Some auto policies have lower coverage limits when you rent a car and don’t pay those fees.

You may be able to save on your auto insurance policy by:

• Buying multiple insurance products from Auto-Owners.

• Paying premiums on time for a 36-month period.

• Paying your premium in full, upfront.

• Opting for paperless billing and online payments.

• Insuring more than one vehicle.

• Owning a vehicle with safety features like anti-lock brakes and airbags.

• Having few or favorable (not-at-fault) claims.

• Being a new customer and getting a quote at least one day before starting a policy.

• Maintaining good grades as a student.

• Being a student and leaving your car at home while attending school more than 100 miles away.

• Monitoring teen drivers with GPS.

For most families, term life insurance is the best mix of price and protection. From Auto-Owners, term life insurance comes in 10-, 20- or 30-year terms and can be extended to age 95.

Consult a financial advisor if you’re considering permanent life insurance.

Auto-Owners had far fewer than the expected number of complaints about auto insurance to state regulators relative to its size, according to three years’ worth of data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

Auto-Owners’ customer satisfaction ratings are mixed.

Website: Auto-Owners has a user-friendly website with information on policy options and discounts. Policyowners can log in to view policy information, select paperless billing, make payments and more.

Mobile app: Android and Apple users can download the Auto-Owners app and track claims, pay bills and view documents and insurance ID cards.

Other types of insurance from Auto-Owners include:

• Motor home and RV insurance.

• ATV and off-road vehicle insurance.

• Commercial auto insurance.

Auto-Owners can also provide pet insurance through a partnership with Figo.