Auto-Owners commercial auto insurance

Our take

The Auto-Owners Group is an excellent choice for small business owners, solopreneurs and independent contractors. It has several coverage options, including specialty products like gap coverage, and business owners can take advantage of the insurer’s discount programs to reduce their premiums. Discounts for paying your bill in full, monitoring your fleet, and professional group affiliation are just some options.

Auto-Owners Group isn't available in all states and doesn't offer online quotes, so those who prefer a digital insurance experience may be frustrated by the company's offerings.

Understanding commercial auto insurance

Commercial auto insurance covers claims involving company-owned vehicles, including cars, trucks and vans. Depending on the policy, it pays for injuries and damages to people and property, including your employees, passengers and business-owned vehicles. A personal insurance policy, on the other hand, won’t cover claims that happen while the vehicle is operating for business purposes. 

A basic policy includes bodily injury liability and property damage liability, which pay for damage you or your drivers cause to others during an accident. Each state has different required liability limits, and your policy should have at least the limits required by state law. Consider higher limits for better protection.

Businesses can also sign on for additional coverage, such as comprehensive and collision insurance. Comprehensive covers damage to your vehicles from non-collision events, such as theft and natural disasters. Collision covers damage from impacts with other vehicles or objects. More details about your policy options follow.

Auto-Owners commercial auto insurance coverage

There are five areas that most Auto-Owners commercial auto insurance policies cover.

• Liability: This pays for injuries to others and damage to other cars or property when your driver is at fault for the accident.
• Collision: This pays to repair or replace your vehicle if it strikes another object, overturns, rolls or is in a collision with another vehicle where your driver is at fault for the accident.
• Comprehensive: This pays to repair or replace the vehicle if it is damaged by something other than collision, such as vandalism, fire or storm damage. 
• Uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM): This helps pay for damage and injuries associated with an accident that wasn’t your fault when the other party doesn’t have any insurance or lacks sufficient coverage to cover the loss. 
• Medical payments: This protects your driver and passengers and helps pay for injuries they incur in an at-fault accident.

In addition to these basic coverages, Auto-Owners also offers a big selection of endorsements for more customized protection. You can add roadside assistance, additional expenses coverage, hired and non-owned liability and physical damage coverage, diminished value coverage, gap insurance and several others.

Types of commercial vehicles Auto-Owners insures

Auto-Owners covers a wide range of vehicles, including:

• Business autos: This category includes all cars, light trucks, SUVs and vans. 
• Trucks: Auto-Owners covers a variety of trucks, including dump trucks, construction vehicles and tractor-trailers.
• Trailers: This category includes pickup truck utility trailers, dump body trailers and tractor-trailers. 

Auto-Owners’ commercial auto insurance benefits

Auto-Owners says it offers many services that business customers may find beneficial, including:

• Multiple commercial auto insurance endorsements
• Discounts for reducing commercial car insurance premiums
• Specialty coverages for motor carriers

How Auto-Owners stacks up against other commercial auto insurance companies

Auto-Owners is the seventh-largest commercial auto insurance company by market share, controlling about 3% of the market, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), the standard-setting and regulatory support organization overseen by the country’s top insurance regulators. Its closest competitors are Zurich, which has a 3.2% market share, and State Farm, with a 2.8% share of the market, according to the NAIC’s 2024 numbers. Progressive is the largest commercial auto insurance in the country.

A major criterion for judging insurance companies is the NAIC’s complaint index.

The NAIC’s complaint index is based on the number of complaints filed against the company with state insurance regulators compared to that company’s market share. A score of 1.0 means it received a number of complaints proportionate to its market share, while a score greater than 1.0 means it received a higher-than-expected number of complaints for its market share. 

In 2024, Auto-Owners’ NAIC complaint index for commercial auto insurance was 0.61, which means it has fewer complaints than expected for its size. 

Another consideration when selecting an insurer is its financial stability. After all, you want your insurance company to be on a strong financial footing should you even need to file a claim. 

AM Best, a ratings agency that measures financial strength, gives Auto-Owners an A+, indicating that the company is in a superior position to meet its financial obligations. 

How does Auto-Owners commercial auto insurance pricing compare with the competition?

Auto-Owners doesn’t publish its commercial auto insurance rates online. However, the cost of commercial car insurance coverage depends on several factors, such as location, coverage options, vehicle, driving history and the business you're in.

According to Insureon, a small business insurance agency, the average cost of commercial auto insurance is about $147 per month, or $1,764 per year.

To see how Auto-Owners’ commercial auto insurance prices compare to those of its competitors, you’ll need to get a personalized rate quote.

“It’s a good idea to compare quotes from more than one insurance carrier to find the best value for your situation. Additionally, consulting with an agent can ensure you have the right levels of coverage to safeguard your business from surprise expenses down the line,” says Belen Tokarski, president and chief operating officer of Mylo, an independent insurance broker.

Tips to save on Auto-Owners commercial auto insurance 

Auto-Owners offers many ways to help you save money on your commercial auto insurance policy.

• Policy bundling discount: You can get a discount for bundling commercial auto insurance with another policy, including life insurance.
• Pay-in-full discount: Auto-Owners will give you a discount if you pay your annual premium upfront. 
• Fleet-monitoring discount: If you install telematics tracking devices in your fleet vehicles, you can earn a discount.
• Favorable loss history discount: You can get a reduced premium if your business has no recent claims.
• Farm use seasonal discount: Auto-Owners will provide a discount on commercial car insurance for certain farm vehicles that are only used seasonally.
• Group discount: If your business is a member of certain groups or organizations, like chambers of commerce, credit unions and trade associations, this discount applies.

Another good way to save is to hire drivers with good driving records to ensure you get the best rates. 

How to buy Auto-Owners commercial vehicle insurance

To purchase a commercial car insurance policy from Auto-Owners, you’ll need to contact an independent agent in your area. The company doesn’t offer quotes or policy sales online.

Before you talk to an agent, you’ll want to have all pertinent information available to ensure that the quote is accurate. You’ll need the year, make, model and VIN for all vehicles. You’ll also need employees' driver's license numbers so the agent can properly rate the drivers. 

Also, consider what coverage you want. You can choose to get a liability-only policy to meet state minimum requirements; however, this will not protect the vehicle if you are at fault for an accident. Talk to the representative about deductible options to help you save money while getting the protection you want. 

Once the representative has all the information, they’ll provide you with a quote for approval. From there, you just need to pay the initial premium to start the policy. 

Bottom line: Why go with Auto-Owners for commercial auto insurance?

Auto-Owners can be a great commercial auto insurance provider for businesses that want to customize a policy based on their needs. The company offers more endorsements than most of the largest commercial auto insurers. Additionally, Auto-Owners offers good discounts, which can help reduce your commercial auto premium. However, the company only operates in 26 states, so it’s not an option for every business. 

What our expert says

Q: Should businesses shop around for quotes?

Belen Tokarski President and COO of independent insurance broker Mylo.

"It’s a good idea to compare quotes from more than one insurance carrier to find the best value for your situation."

Sources:

• Auto-Owners. “2024 Property/Casualty Market Share” Accessed April 2025.
• Auto-Owners. “Commercial Auto Ways to Save” Accessed April 2025.
• Auto-Owners. “Commercial Auto Coverages” Accessed April 2025.