Is Auto-Owners or Erie better?
Auto-Owners can be a great choice for consumers because of advantages that include superior financial strength and a high percentage of current customers who plan to renew. Just as important, Auto-Owners ranked third in Insure.com’s top auto insurance companies in 2023 survey with 3.8 stars.
Erie Insurance, ranking sixth on Insure.com’s list, earned 3.2 stars. Still, despite a lower ranking than Auto-Owners, this company’s strengths include high customer satisfaction ratings, cheaper premiums than Auto-Owners and better policy offerings.
To learn more about how Auto-Owners and Erie compare to each other in Insure.com’s top auto insurance companies in 2023 survey, keep reading.
Pros – Auto-Owner vs. ErieAuto-Owners Pros
- High renewal rate
- Superior financial rating from AM Best
- Good discounts
Erie Pros
- Excellent score from J.D. Power and AM Best
- High renewal rate
- Strong policy offerings
How Auto-Owners and Erie score on customer satisfaction
Only 82% of customers with Auto-Owners indicated they experienced customer satisfaction with the company, suggesting the auto insurance provider could improve in this area.
Erie customers indicated they had much higher satisfaction with their auto insurance provider. In all, 96% of respondents said they were satisfied with the service from Erie – which was one of the top scores in the survey.
| Insurance Company | Percent of customers that are satisfied |
|---|---|
| Auto-Owners | 82% |
| Erie | 96% |
Do Auto-Owners and Erie customers plan to renew?
A higher percentage of Erie customers indicate they plan to renew than customers from Auto-Owners. Compared side-by-side, however, both auto insurance providers have strong customer ratings for renewals.
| Insurance Company | Percent of customers who plan to renew with the company |
|---|---|
| Auto-Owners | 95% |
| Erie | 100% |
How Auto-Owners and Erie score on policy offerings
Auto-Owners ranked significantly lower than Erie did for policy offerings available to customers – 19 percentage points lower – indicating that customers aren’t as satisfied with the company’s variety of policies on offer by Auto-Owners.
| Insurance Company | Percent of customers satisfied with the company’s policy offerings |
|---|---|
| Auto-Owners | 73% |
| Erie | 91% |
Is Auto-Owners or Erie cheaper?
There’s no real comparison regarding which company has better premiums. Auto-Owners is more expensive than Erie in many areas. Read on to take a more in-depth look at the rates of Auto-Owners and Erie based on various driver profiles.
Which is cheaper at various ages?
Auto-Owners has higher rates in every age category compared to Erie for auto insurance. See the table below for rates from both companies at various ages.
| Age Group | Auto-Owners | Erie |
|---|---|---|
| National Avg (40) | $1,406 | $1,254 |
| Teen (16-19) | $4,113 | $3,664 |
| Young Adult (20-24) | $2,416 | $2,244 |
| Avg for seniors (65) | $1,309 | $1,253 |
Which is cheaper with a ticket?
Auto-Owners is less affordable than Erie for drivers with tickets. And Auto-Owners penalizes drivers with tickets a higher percentage increase overall, but it’s not by much.
| Insurance Company | Average Annual Rates | Average Rates After Ticket | $ Increase | % Increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auto-Owners | $1,652 | $1,884 | $232 | 14.04% |
| Erie | $1,339 | $1,524 | $185 | 13.87% |
Auto-Owners vs. Erie car insurance discounts
For car insurance discounts, Auto-Owners offers a good deal, providing nearly 8% off of the annual premium. Auto-Owners and Erie both offer significant discounts on car insurance for safety features, green discounts for the former, and safe-driving and reduced usage discounts for the latter.
Auto-Owners vs. Erie available discounts
| Discount | Auto-Owners | Erie |
|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | Yes | Yes |
| Anti-Theft Device | Yes | Yes |
| Daily Commute | Yes | Yes |
| Days Advanced Purchase | Yes | Yes |
| Days Per Week Driven | – | – |
| Education | – | – |
| Electronic Funds Transfer | – | – |
| Electronic Signature | – | – |
| Homeowner | Yes | – |
| Lower Annual Mileage | Yes | Yes |
| Loyalty – Years Renewal With Company | – | Yes |
| Marital Status | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-Policy | Yes | Yes |
| Paperless/Electronic Documents | Yes | – |
| Payment Type | Yes | Yes |
| Primary Use | Yes | Yes |
| Profession | – | – |
| Purchase Status | – | – |
| Safety Devices | Yes | Yes |
| Telematics | – | – |
| Vehicle Ownership | – | – |
Auto-Owners vs. Erie: AM Best credit rating
AM Best rates insurance companies on their financial strength. Auto-Owners received an A++, or superior rating, while Erie received a slightly-lower A+ rating – still superior.
Auto-Owners vs. Erie: J.D. Power auto claims satisfaction score
Auto-Owners was not ranked in a 2022 J.D. Power auto claims satisfaction study, but Erie was and it received a score of 893, which is significantly above the industry average of 873 to the tune of 20 percentage points.
FAQ: Auto-Owners vs. Erie
Can I buy Auto-Owners car insurance online?
With Auto-Owners, you cannot obtain an online quote, although you can use the Auto-Owners website to search for an agent by entering your ZIP code. You also can pay bills and make claims online.
Can I buy Erie car insurance online?
You can get an online quote with Erie insurance whether that’s for auto insurance, home insurance, life insurance or business insurance. You can also be connected with one of Erie’s 13,000-plus independent contractors by calling 800-458-0811.
Who should get Auto-Owners car insurance?
Auto-Owners is better for customers who want an auto insurance provider with superior financial strength and for people who want to work directly with an agent. Auto-Owners’ customers also indicate strong intentions to renew, suggesting this company may be worth sticking with year after year.
Who should get Erie car insurance?
Erie insurance is great for customers looking for various strengths, including high auto claims satisfaction, great customer satisfaction and lower premiums than Auto-Owners.
What other types of insurance does Auto-Owners offer?
Auto-Owners also offers:
- Homeowners
- Condo insurance
- Renters/rental dwelling
- Mobile home
- Umbrella
- Property and valuables
- Farm insurance
- Pet insurance
- Flood insurance
- Life insurance
- Business insurance
What other types of insurance does Erie offer?
Erie also offers:
- Home
- Renters
- Condo
- Mobile home
- Personal valuables
- Flood
- Life
- Business
Resources & Methodology
Sources
J.D. Power. “Insurers Struggle to Manage Expectations in Auto Claims Process as Repair Times Increase, J.D. Power Finds.” Accessed March 2023.
Methodology
Insure.com, which is CarInsurance.com’s sister site in the fall of 2022 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.
Ask the Insurance Expert
Laura Longero
Executive Editor
Laura is an award-winning editor with experience in content and communications covering auto insurance and personal finance. She has written for several media outlets, including the USA Today Network. She most recently worked in the public sector for the Nevada Department of Transportation.
Ask the Insurance Expert
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.
Ask the Insurance Expert
Leslie Kasperowicz
Managing 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.
Ask the Insurance Expert
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.
