Auto insurance · Updated August 2026
Auto-Owners Insurance vs Travelers
Auto-Owners Insurance is built for drivers who buy through independent agents. Travelers is built for independent-agent buyers who bundle home and auto. On the NAIC's 2025 complaint index, Auto-Owners Ins. Co. drew 0.47 and Standard Fire Ins. Co. drew 0.38, against an industry median of 1.00. AM Best rates both companies A++. Neither is reliably cheaper. For the same driver in the same state, either can return the lower number.
By Dylan Leggett, licensed insurance agent · NPN 17875887
The short answer
Auto-Owners Insurance has written auto since 1916 and writes through Auto-Owners Insurance Group companies. It writes seven lines: auto, home, renters, life, umbrella, commercial, and boat. The tradeoff: it drew 0.47 on the 2025 complaint index against Travelers's 0.38.
Travelers has written auto since 1853 and writes through Travelers group companies. Standard Fire Ins. Co. drew 0.38 on the NAIC's 2025 complaint index, 64 complaints on $3.6 billion of private-passenger premium. The tradeoff: it writes six lines against Auto-Owners Insurance's seven.
Both companies state by state, and their filed rates trade the lead by address. A national average will not predict which one wins for you. For the same driver in the same state, either can return the lower number.
About two minutes. No effect on your credit score.
Side by side
Auto-Owners Insurance vs Travelers: the data sheet
Sources are listed under the measured figures. How we compare
Auto-Owners Insurance | Travelers | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Drivers who buy through independent agents | Independent-agent buyers who bundle home and auto |
| Who underwrites it | Auto-Owners Insurance Group companies | Travelers group companies |
| Complaints per policyTravelers, ahead of Auto-Owners Insurance | 0.47 64 complaints on $2.9B written | 0.38 64 complaints on $3.6B written |
NAIC complaint index, 2025, private passenger auto · Auto-Owners Ins. Co. vs Standard Fire Ins. Co. · 1.00 is the industry median | ||
| Financial strengthTied at A++ | A++ Superior | A++ Superior |
AM Best financial strength rating · A++ is the highest issued | ||
| Coverage you can buyAuto-Owners Insurance, if you want to bundle | 7 lines auto, home, renters, life, umbrella, commercial, boat | 6 lines auto, home, renters, boat, umbrella, commercial |
| PriceNot rated | Filed state by state, priced to the driver. The main factors are below. | |
| Mobile appEffectively tied | 4.72 4,335 ratings | 4.69 124,651 ratings |
Apple App Store, August 2026 | ||
| Availability | Available in 26 states | Available in all 50 states |
| Known for | Independent agents, broad bundling discounts | IntelliDrive discounts, hybrid and electric vehicle discounts |
In practice
Where they differ
The complaint records
On the NAIC's 2025 complaint index, Auto-Owners Ins. Co. drew 0.47 and Standard Fire Ins. Co. drew 0.38, against an industry median of 1.00. The index weighs a company's complaint count against the volume expected for its size, so 1.00 is the industry median and a lower number is fewer complaints than expected.
Financial strength
AM Best rates both companies A++. A++ is the highest grade AM Best issues. The grade measures the company's ability to pay claims, not its service or its price.
Who underwrites each one
Auto-Owners Insurance policies are written by Auto-Owners Insurance Group companies. Travelers policies are written by Travelers group companies. The brand on the advertising and the company on the policy are often different entities, and the complaint figures on this page belong to the named companies.
What each one covers
Auto-Owners Insurance writes seven lines and Travelers writes six lines. Auto-Owners Insurance writes auto, home, renters, life, umbrella, commercial, and boat. Travelers writes auto, home, renters, boat, umbrella, and commercial. If auto is all you need, the difference costs you nothing.
Price
Which is cheaper: Auto-Owners Insurance or Travelers?
Neither company is reliably cheaper. What sets the price:
The record sets the range. A ticket, an at-fault accident, or a moves the two prices by different amounts, and the direction is not consistent between states. A quote on the real record is what separates them.
Availability decides some matchups. Auto-Owners Insurance writes in 26 states. Travelers writes in all 50 states. Where only one of them writes in your state, the comparison answers itself.
The bundle decides some comparisons. Both companies write more than one line, so the combined number can settle the comparison rather than the auto number alone. Multi-policy discounts are filed per state.
One application. Real prices from the carriers writing in your state.