Auto insurance · Updated August 2026
USAA vs Auto-Owners Insurance
USAA is built for military members, veterans, and their families. Auto-Owners Insurance is built for drivers who buy through independent agents. On the NAIC's 2025 complaint index, United Services Automobile Assn. drew 0.83 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
USAA has written auto since 1922 and writes through USAA and its subsidiaries. The tradeoffs: it drew 0.83 on the 2025 complaint index against Auto-Owners Insurance's 0.47, and it writes six 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 USAA's Available nationwide to the military community, and its app carries 4,335 ratings against USAA's 2,300,916.
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
USAA vs Auto-Owners Insurance: the data sheet
Sources are listed under the measured figures. How we compare
USAA | Auto-Owners Insurance | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Military members, veterans, and their families | Drivers who buy through independent agents |
| Who underwrites it | USAA and its subsidiaries | Auto-Owners Insurance Group companies |
| Complaints per policyAuto-Owners Insurance, ahead of USAA | 0.83 278 complaints on $7.0B written | 0.47 64 complaints on $2.9B written |
NAIC complaint index, 2025, private passenger auto · United Services Automobile Assn. 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 | 6 lines auto, home, renters, life, umbrella, boat | 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 | 4.80 2,300,916 ratings | 4.72 4,335 ratings |
Apple App Store, August 2026 | ||
| Availability | Available nationwide to the military community | Available in 26 states |
| Known for | Military-only membership, banking and insurance in one account | Independent agents, broad bundling discounts |
In practice
Where they differ
The complaint records
On the NAIC's 2025 complaint index, United Services Automobile Assn. drew 0.83 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
USAA policies are written by USAA and its 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
USAA writes six lines and Auto-Owners Insurance writes seven lines. USAA writes auto, home, renters, life, umbrella, and boat. 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: USAA 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. USAA writes in Available nationwide to the military community. 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.