Is American Family or Auto-Owners better?
American Family is a terrific choice for car insurance because of its commitment to customer satisfaction and its various bundling and discount options. In addition to these offerings, American Family is highly recommended and has the advantage of affordable premiums.
Auto-Owners has a superior A++ ranking through AM Best, beating out the A grade received by American Family. It is also highly recommended by customers and has low monthly premiums. Auto-Owners earned the third spot in Insure.com’s survey, which ranked the top 10 auto insurance providers.
Keep reading to see how American Family compares to Auto-Owners in the top auto insurance companies survey.
Pros of Americal Family and Auto-Owners car insuranceAmerican Family Pros
- High customer satisfaction
- Affordable premiums
- Solidly-ranked policy offerings
Auto-Owners Pros
- Good premiums
- Highly-rated for renewals
How American Family and Auto-Owners score on customer satisfaction
American Family customers indicated they had a high level of satisfaction with the auto insurer’s customer service. More than 90% of respondents said they were satisfied with American Family, a rating higher than many competitors, including Auto-Owners.
Comparatively speaking, the survey found that 82% of Auto-Owners customers expressed satisfaction with Auto-Owners insurance. This shows that Auto-Owners is not performing as well as competitors, such as American Family, for customer satisfaction.
| Insurance Company | Percent of customers that are satisfied |
|---|---|
| American Family | 92% |
| Auto-Owners | 82% |
Do American Family and Auto-Owners customers plan to renew?
The data from the survey show that Auto-Owners customers have a greater intention to renew their policies than customers with American Family do, indicating that Auto-Owners is the preferred provider for renewals.
| Insurance Company | Percent of customers who plan to renew with the company |
|---|---|
| American Family | 86% |
| Auto-Owners | 95% |
How American Family and Auto-Owners score on policy offerings
American Family scored higher than Auto-Owners for policy offerings, showing that policy options are a strength for American Family compared with Auto-Owners.
| Insurance Company | Percent of customers satisfied with the company’s policy offerings |
|---|---|
| American Family | 83% |
| Auto-Owners | 73% |
Is American Family or Auto-Owners cheaper?
American Family is a better choice for car insurance rates when compared to Auto-Owners. Although they both offer better pricing than more expensive competitors, American Family has cheaper rates. Continue reading for a more in-depth look at rates for American Family and Auto-Owners for various driver profiles.
Which is cheaper at various ages?
American Family is more expensive in every age group, including adults aged 40, teens, young adults aged 20-24 and senior drivers. However, the rates for seniors are comparable for both insurers, with a $2 difference per year.
| Age Group | American Family | Auto-Owners |
|---|---|---|
| National Avg (40) | $1,362 | $1,406 |
| Teen (16-19) | $4,013 | $4,113 |
| Young Adult (20-24) | $2,126 | $2,416 |
| Avg for seniors (65) | $1,307 | $1,309 |
Which is cheaper with a ticket?
Auto-Owners insurance is cheaper than American Family insurance both before and after a ticket. With American Family, a ticket results in a 24% increase in rates, whereas with Auto-Owners that increase is just over 14%.
| Company | Annual premium | Average after ticket | $ increase | % increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Family | $1,724 | $2,143 | $419 | 24.28% |
| Auto-Owners | $1,652 | $1,884 | $232 | 14.04% |
American Family vs. Auto-Owners car insurance discounts
Both American Family and Auto-Owners offer good discounts on premiums with 9% and nearly 8% of discounts, respectively.
| Insurance Company | Percent Difference |
|---|---|
| American Family | 9.00% |
| Auto-Owners | 7.93% |
American Family vs. Auto-Owners available discounts
| Discount | American Family | Auto-Owners |
|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | Yes | Yes |
| Anti-Theft Device | Yes | Yes |
| Daily Commute | Yes | Yes |
| Days Advanced Purchase | Yes | Yes |
| Days Per Week Driven | Yes | – |
| Education | – | – |
| Electronic Funds Transfer | Yes | – |
| Electronic Signature | – | – |
| Homeowner | Yes | Yes |
| Lower Annual Mileage | Yes | Yes |
| Loyalty – Years Renewal With Company | Yes | – |
| Marital Status | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-Policy | Yes | Yes |
| Paperless/Electronic Documents | Yes | Yes |
| Payment Type | Yes | Yes |
| Primary Use | Yes | Yes |
| Profession | – | – |
| Purchase Status | – | – |
| Safety Devices | Yes | Yes |
| Telematics | – | – |
| Vehicle Ownership | – | – |
American Family vs. Auto-Owners: AM Best credit rating
AM Best rates insurance companies on their financial strength and gave American Family an A rating. At the same time, Auto-Owners received an A++, or superior, rating.
American Family vs. Auto-Owners: J.D. Power auto claims satisfaction score
On to the 2022 J.D. Power auto claims satisfaction study, American Family received a score of 874, outperforming Auto-Owners at 865. The industry average in the J.D. Power study was 873.
FAQ: American Family vs. Auto-Owners
Can I buy American Family car insurance online?
You can get a free quote online through American Family and use the website to find an agent through a ZIP code search or by calling 1-800-692-6326.
Can I buy Auto-Owners car insurance online?
With Auto-Owners, you can search online to find an agent and contact that agent to receive a quote. Once insured, you can pay bills and view documents online.
Who should get American Family car insurance?
American Family is best for individuals looking for low premiums and high customer satisfaction with their auto insurance provider. Also, if you are wanting to bundle policies, like home and auto insurance, American Family has good ratings in Insure.com’s Best Car Insurance Companies survey for bundling.
Who should get Auto-Owners car insurance?
Auto-Owners is a good company for customers who want the assurance of a superior rating through an outside organization, like AM Best. Auto-Owners also may be a good choice for people looking for a variety of insurance options and discounts, including discounts for good drivers and good students.
What other types of insurance does American Family offer?
American Family also offers:
- Business
- Farm and ranch
- Home
- Renters
- Condo
- Manufactured home
- Personal property
- Pet
- Life
- Health
- Umbrella
- Travel
What other types of insurance does Auto-Owners offer?
Auto-Owners also offers:
- Homeowners
- Condo
- Renters/rental dwelling
- Mobile home
- Umbrella
- Property and valuables
- Farm insurance
- Pet insurance
- Flood insurance
- Life insurance
- Business insurance
Resources & Methodology
Sources
J.D. Power. “Insurers Struggle to Manage Expectations in Auto Claims Process as Repair Times Increase, J.D. Power Finds.” Accessed January 2024.
Methodology
Insure.com, which is CarInsurance.com’s sister site, surveyed more than 1,500 insurance consumers (1,080 people with auto insurance). Online market research company Slice MR conducted the survey.
Respondents were asked to name their auto insurer and grade it in the following categories – customer satisfaction, ease of service and policy offerings. The percentage of respondents who said they were satisfied or very satisfied with their insurer is presented in the results.
Respondents ranked their insurer’s top three attributes out of more than a dozen presented – including claims satisfaction, digital experience, discounts, military discounts, best for young drivers and teens, best for college students, best for senior drivers, best for drivers with a ticket, best for high-risk drivers and best for auto/home bundling.
For a number one choice, five points were given; for a second choice, three points; and for a third choice, a single point. The total points for each choice – first, second and third – were then divided by the number of each company’s customers who responded to that survey question to create a percentage. Those percentages are presented in the results as survey scores.
Respondents were then asked if they would recommend their auto insurer to someone else and whether they would renew with their company. The percentage who said yes is presented in the results.
Finally, respondents were given the statement “I trust my insurance company” and asked if they strongly agreed, agreed, disagreed or strongly disagreed with it. The percentage of those who said they agreed or strongly agreed is presented in the results.
The editors compiled the survey results and then selected – based on the number of survey responses – the top companies for further evaluation.
They then collected National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ complaint data, which ranks a company by the number of customer complaints it receives, and A.M. Best data, which measures financial strength.
They also collected insurance rate data from Quadrant Information Services.
With the help of Prof. David Marlett, Ph.D., Managing Director of the Brantley Risk and Insurance Center at Appalachian State University, the editors created a rating system to determine which insurance companies were best in each sector.
For auto insurers, we took the following and gave each a weight.
- Survey: 40% of the total score (10% customer satisfaction, 10% recommended, 10% renewal rate and 10% claims handling)
- Annual premium: 20% of total score
- AM Best: 25% of total score
- NAIC: 15% of total score
- Each insurer was awarded from 1 to 5 stars. No insurer in our star ranking received less than 1 star and 5 stars was the most any insurer could receive.
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Laura Longero
Executive Editor
Laura Longero is an insurance expert and Executive Editor at CarInsurance.com, where she specializes in helping consumers navigate the complexities of the financial and insurance industries. She has 15 years of experience educating people about finance and car insurance. Prior to joining CarInsurance.com, she worked as a reporter and editor at the USA Today Network. Her expertise provides readers with practical guidance, helping them make informed choices about their financial and insurance needs.
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John McCormick
Editorial Director
John is the editorial director for CarInsurance.com, Insurance.com and Insure.com. Before joining QuinStreet, John was a deputy editor at The Wall Street Journal and had been an editor and reporter at a number of other media outlets where he covered insurance, personal finance, and technology.
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Leslie Kasperowicz
Executive Editor
Leslie Kasperowicz is an insurance educator and content creation professional with nearly two decades of experience first directly in the insurance industry at Farmers Insurance and then as a writer, researcher, and educator for insurance shoppers writing for sites like ExpertInsuranceReviews.com and InsuranceHotline.com and managing content, now at CarInsurance.com.
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Nupur Gambhir
Managing Editor
Nupur Gambhir is a content editor and licensed life, health, and disability insurance expert. She has extensive experience bringing brands to life and has built award-nominated campaigns for travel and tech. Her insurance expertise has been featured in Bloomberg News, Forbes Advisor, CNET, Fortune, Slate, Real Simple, Lifehacker, The Financial Gym, and the end-of-life planning service.