Auto insurance · Updated August 2026
State Farm vs Auto-Owners Insurance
State Farm is built for drivers who want a local agent with a national carrier. Auto-Owners Insurance is built for drivers who buy through independent agents. On the NAIC's 2025 complaint index, State Farm Mutual Automobile Ins. Co. drew 0.59 and Auto-Owners Ins. Co. drew 0.47, 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
State Farm has written auto since 1922 and writes through State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. and subsidiaries. The tradeoffs: it drew 0.59 on the 2025 complaint index against Auto-Owners Insurance's 0.47, and it writes five lines against Auto-Owners Insurance's seven.
Auto-Owners Insurance has written auto since 1916 and writes through Auto-Owners Insurance Group companies. Auto-Owners Ins. Co. drew 0.47 on the NAIC's 2025 complaint index, 64 complaints on $2.9 billion of private-passenger premium. It writes seven lines: auto, home, renters, life, umbrella, commercial, and boat. The tradeoffs: it writes in 26 states against State Farm's 48 states and Washington, D.C., and its app carries 4,335 ratings against State Farm's 1,246,642.
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
State Farm vs Auto-Owners Insurance: the data sheet
Sources are listed under the measured figures. How we compare
State Farm | Auto-Owners Insurance | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Drivers who want a local agent with a national carrier | Drivers who buy through independent agents |
| Who underwrites it | State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. and subsidiaries | Auto-Owners Insurance Group companies |
| Complaints per policyAuto-Owners Insurance, ahead of State Farm | 0.59 1,815 complaints on $64.6B written | 0.47 64 complaints on $2.9B written |
NAIC complaint index, 2025, private passenger auto · State Farm Mutual Automobile Ins. Co. vs Auto-Owners 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 | 5 lines auto, home, renters, life, umbrella | 7 lines auto, home, renters, life, umbrella, commercial, boat |
| PriceNot rated | Filed state by state, priced to the driver. The main factors are below. | |
| Mobile appEffectively tied | 4.79 1,246,642 ratings | 4.72 4,335 ratings |
Apple App Store, August 2026 | ||
| Availability | 48 states and Washington, D.C. | Available in 26 states |
| Known for | Largest U.S. auto insurer, local agent network | Independent agents, broad bundling discounts |
In practice
Where they differ
The complaint records
On the NAIC's 2025 complaint index, State Farm Mutual Automobile Ins. Co. drew 0.59 and Auto-Owners Ins. Co. drew 0.47, 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
State Farm policies are written by State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. and subsidiaries. Auto-Owners Insurance policies are written by Auto-Owners Insurance 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
State Farm writes five lines and Auto-Owners Insurance writes seven lines. State Farm writes auto, home, renters, life, and umbrella. Auto-Owners Insurance writes auto, home, renters, life, umbrella, commercial, and boat. If auto is all you need, the difference costs you nothing.
Price
Which is cheaper: State Farm or Auto-Owners Insurance?
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. State Farm writes in 48 states and Washington, D.C. Auto-Owners Insurance writes in 26 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.