Home Insurance Auto-Owners vs. American Family: Which should you choose for home insurance in 2024? Insure.com’s side-by-side comparison of Auto-Owners and American Family is based on customer surveys and third-party ratings to help you find the best fit for your family. View Carriers Please enter valid zip Compare top carriers in your area Written by Jessica Olson Reviewed by Leslie Kasperowicz Leslie Kasperowicz 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 Insurance.com. Posted on: July 15, 2024 Why you can trust Insure.com Quality Verified At Insure.com, we are committed to providing the timely, accurate and expert information consumers need to make smart insurance decisions. All our content is written and reviewed by industry professionals and insurance experts. Our team carefully vets our rate data to ensure we only provide reliable and up-to-date insurance pricing. We follow the highest editorial standards. Our content is based solely on objective research and data gathering. We maintain strict editorial independence to ensure unbiased coverage of the insurance industry. Auto-Owners and American Family are two of Insure.com’s Best Home Insurance Companies for 2024. While both are great companies, each has pros and cons, and we’ve summarized them here so you can make a side-by-side comparison and find the best fit for your home insurance needs. Auto-Owners came in third of all the carriers analyzed, even higher than some larger nationwide companies like State Farm. Auto-Owners has low rates with an annual average of $2,160, personalized service and a superior AM Best score of A++, indicating financial solvency and ability to pay claims. American Family comes highly recommended by its customers, with 91% saying they’ll recommend it to others. American Family also scored well for ease of service, an important factor for customers. Its premiums are slightly higher, coming in at $2,504 annually. One drawback of both companies is availability – neither company offers policies in all states. Key Takeaways Auto-Owners has cheaper rates of $2,169 annually, while American Family’s rates are a little higher at $2,504 on average. A high percentage of American Family customers recommend it to others. Neither company offers policies in all states. Insure.com compares Auto-Owners vs. American Family: Which is better for you? We’ve compiled data on Auto-Owners and American Family to help you compare these two companies side by side. Based on a survey of Insure.com’s customers as well as third-party rating systems such as AM Best and NAIC, you can see how Auto-Owners and American Family stack up and which company might be the best fit for you. If rates are what matters most to you, Auto-Owners is a good pick, with average rates well below the national average and cheaper than American Family for those with good credit. Auto-Owners is also a top pick for claims satisfaction, making it a great pick for those who value a company that’s there when you need it. However, American Family is rated better for overall customer satisfaction and is a much more affordable choice for homeowners with lower credit scores; if that’s you, American Family might be the better pick. Insure.com comparison of Auto-Owners vs. American Family The table below summarizes multiple data points for Auto-Owners and American Family so you can compare them at a glance. Both companies have high overall ratings on Insure.com’s 2024 Best Home Insurance Companies ranking and comparable customer satisfaction ratings. Auto-Owners has a superior AM Best score of A++, the highest available score, indicating financial solvency and ability to meet its financial obligations such as paying out claims. American Family has an excellent AM Best score of A. They both have low NAIC ratings, which means a small number of complaints lodged against them. Auto-Owners’ slightly lower score means less complaints. Auto-Owners has cheaper average rates of $2,160 annually for a home insurance policy. American Family averages $2,504 annually. Both companies only offer policies in about 25 states. Auto-Owners American FamilyInsure.com overall rating (out of 5 stars)4.54.2Best forClaims satisfactionCustomer satisfactionAverage premium $2,160$2,504Customer satisfaction rating3.864.14NAIC rating0.330.37AM Best ratingA++AState availabilityAL, AZ, AR, CO, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, MI, MN, MO, NE, NC, ND, OH, PA, SC, SD, TN, UT, VA, WIAZ, CO, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, MI, MO, MN, NE, NV, ND, OH, OR, SD, UT, WA, WI Auto-Owners vs. American Family: Home insurance overview The table below shows how each carrier scored in all major categories of the Insure.com Best Insurance Companies ranking, which included a survey of home insurance customers. The percentage of those customers who said they were satisfied in each category is presented here. American Family leads the way with discounts, customer satisfaction and policy offerings. Auto-Owners scored better for claims handling and cheaper rates. Auto-OwnersAmerican FamilyDiscounts42%54%Claims handling74%71%Customer Satisfaction67%84%Cheapest rates3rd of all ranked companies – $2,160 annually6th of all ranked companies – $2,504 annuallyRecommended to others86%91% Auto-Owners vs. American Family: Pros and cons The chart below compares some of the pros and cons of Auto-Owners and American Family, according to our analysis of the data and survey results. Auto-OwnersAmerican FamilyProsProsRated well for ease of serviceRated as highly trustworthyBelow average ratesLots of discountsConsConsNo online quotes are availableNot as cheap as other companiesNot available in all statesNot available in all states Auto-Owners vs. American Family: Which has the cheapest home insurance rates? The table below shows the rates for different coverage levels for Auto-Owners and American Family. For all coverage levels, Auto-Owners offers the cheapest annual rates. Auto-Owners vs. American Family: Rates by coverage level Coverage level Auto-Owners average ratesAmerican Family average rates$200,000 with $1,000 Deductible and $100,000 Liability $1,732 $1,962 $200,000 with $1,000 Deductible and $300,000 Liability $1,741 $1,976 $300,000 with $1,000 Deductible and $100,000 Liability$2,150 $2,489 $300,000 with $1,000 Deductible and $300,000 Liability $2,160 $2,504 $400,000 with $1,000 Deductible and $100,000 Liability$2,604 $3,018 $400,000 with $1,000 Deductible and $300,000 Liability $2,616 $3,035 $600,000 with $1,000 Deductible and $100,000 Liability $3,464 $4,012 $600,000 with $1,000 Deductible and $300,000 Liability$3,480 $4,032 $1,000,000 with $1,000 Deductible and $100,000 Liability$6,672 $5,681 $1,000,000 with $1,000 Deductible and $300,000 Liability$6,700 $5,705 Auto-Owners vs. American Family: Rates by credit history Insure.com compiled rates for different credit scores in the table below. Auto-Owners has the cheapest rates for people with excellent and good credit scores, but not for fair and poor scores — rates jump exponentially. Insurers consider many different factors when calculating rates, and credit scores are among them in most states. Credit scoreAuto-Owners average ratesAmerican Family average ratesExcellent$1,053 $2,040 Good$2,160 $2,522 Fair$5,287 $3,069 Poor$51,186 $4,996 Auto-Owners vs. American Family: Customer satisfaction According to the Insure.com Best Insurance Companies Survey of 2024, 84% of American Family customers report being satisfied. That’s higher than Auto-Owners by almost 20 percentage points. CompanyPercentage of customers who are satisfiedAuto-Owners67%American Family84% Auto-Owners vs. American Family: Discounts The table below shows what discounts each carrier offers. American Family has the most discounts in total; however, which discounts apply to you will determine which is the better choice. Discount typeAuto-Owners American FamilyMulti-policy/bundlingYYAdvanced quote/purchaseYNSecurity/alarm systemYYProtective devicesYYLoyaltyYYAutopayNYPaid in fullYYPaperless billing/documentsYYNew/upgraded roofNYNew homeownerNNNew customerNNHome renovationNYSmart homeNYNew home (new construction)NYGreen certificationsYN Which has a bigger auto and home discount? One of the most common types of discounts that insurance companies offer is auto and home bundling: buying both policies with the same carrier. You’ll see from the table below that Auto-Owners gives an average 12% discount for auto and home bundling and American Family gives an average 17% discount. CompanyAverage auto-home bundle discount percentageAuto-Owners12%American Family17% Auto-Owners vs. American Family: Claims processing Auto-Owners scored higher in this category – 74% of customers surveyed say they were satisfied with how their claims were handled. This is an important factor when deciding which carrier to choose. CompanyPercentage of customers who are satisfiedAuto-Owners74%American Family71% The bottom line: Auto-Owners vs. American Family Auto-Owners and American Family are two solid, financially stable companies. Auto-Owners has lower prices and is rated higher for claims handling while American Family has higher customer satisfaction scores, more discounts and ranks higher for policy offerings. Neither is available in every state, so that may factor in your decision. Comparing carriers and shopping around is the best way to get the best rates and find a carrier that best fits your needs. Methodology Insure.com in the fall of 2023 surveyed more than 1,750 insurance consumers (1,151 people with home insurance). The survey was conducted by online market research company Slice MR. Respondents were asked to name their home insurer and then grade it in the following categories: customer satisfaction, ease of service, claims satisfaction and policy offerings. The percentage of respondents who said they were satisfied or very satisfied with their insurer is presented in the results. Respondents were then asked to pick their insurer’s top three attributes out of more than a dozen presented – including digital experience, discounts best for auto/home bundling and best for discounts. The number of responses for each attribute were totaled before dividing by the number of each company’s customers who responded to that survey question to create a percentage. Respondents were then asked if they would recommend their home insurer to someone else and if they planned to renew their policies. 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 the statement. 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 AM Best data, which measure financial strength, and National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ complaint data, which ranks a company by the number of customer complaints it receives. The Insure.com team identified the NAIC company code or codes that were the primary underwriting companies for each carrier and line of business using total annual premiums. The associated NAIC complaint index score was used in the calculations. If more than one underwriting company was identified for a line, the editors used a weighted average of the NAIC complaint index scores. 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 home 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) AM Best: 25% of total score Annual premium: 20% of total score NAIC: 15% of total score Each insurer was awarded between half a star and 5 stars. No company in the ranking received less than half a star in any category, and 5 stars was the most any insurer could receive. In case you missed it What is HO-6 condo insurance and how much does it cost? Average homeowners insurance cost by ZIP code in 2024 What is dwelling coverage and how much do you need? 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Most Americans don’t 1/1 Related Articles Renters insurance calculator: How much renters insurance costs by state and city in 2024 By Shivani Gite Condo and co-op homeowners insurance: What you should know By Mark Vallet Cost of living calculator By Nupur Gambhir Homeowners insurance rates by state in 2024 By Jake Safane Homeowners insurance calculator: Estimate the cost of homeowners insurance By Jessica Olson Mobile home insurance cost and coverage in 2024 By Chris Kissell On this page Insure.com compares Auto-Owners vs. American Family: Which is better for you?Insure.com comparison of Auto-Owners vs. American FamilyAuto-Owners vs. American Family: Home insurance overviewAuto-Owners vs. American Family: Pros and consAuto-Owners vs. American Family: Which has the cheapest home insurance rates?Auto-Owners vs. American Family: Customer satisfactionAuto-Owners vs. American Family: DiscountsAuto-Owners vs. American Family: Claims processingThe bottom line: Auto-Owners vs. American FamilyMethodology ZIP Code Please enter valid ZIP See rates