If you’ve ever found yourself searching online for the best rates on insurance, then it’s likely you may have come across Otto Insurance. Otto and their adorable otter mascot offer to help you find cheap coverage within seconds, but can these claims be trusted? 

The Otto Insurance reviews on the company’s own website paint the service as an insurance shopper’s dream. But dig a little deeper and you’ll soon discover a very different picture. 

Let’s take a closer look at the truth behind all those glowing Otto Insurance reviews to find out what exactly the company offers and whether or not it's worth using.   

What Insurance Plans Does Otto Offer? 

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Many customers have found themselves a bit put off after arriving at Otto’s website, only to discover that the company doesn’t actually offer insurance at all. As it turns out, Otto Insurance isn’t an insurance company in and of itself, so they don’t actually offer any of their own policy options.

So, what exactly is Otto and where does the “insurance” part of their name factor in?  

Otto claims to be an insurance rate comparison site that will present you with different quotes from insurance companies in your area. But after using the service, many customers have found that even these claims are a little misleading. 

How Does Otto Insurance Work?

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Otto Insurance claims to be your one-stop-shop for finding the best rates offered by various insurance companies. Upon arriving at the Otto website, you’ll be prompted to choose from one of several different types of insurance, including:  

You’ll then be asked to fill out a short questionnaire that will ask you questions about yourself and whatever it is you’re out to insure. While the whole process is relatively painless, you won’t actually be able to view any of the available quotes without entering your contact information.  

For many customers, this is where things get a bit dicey.  

Otto Insurance’s Sketchy Privacy Policy

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Before accessing a single quote, Otto requires you to submit personal information such as your name, address, phone number, and email address. Otto Insurance's privacy policy reveals that they also reserve the right to collect additional information about you from other “online and offline” sources.  

Additionally, Otto’s website stores cookies on your computer to collect everything from your IP address and Internet service provider to the area code associated with your server.  

Why all the Big Brother action? Because, while Otto Insurance touts itself as a free tool geared toward helping customers, its real focus appears to be generating leads for its insurance partners. 

Otto takes all the information they collect about you and passes it along to their partner insurance providers, which number in the thousands. These companies then use your information to relentlessly contact you in an effort to sell you their products.  

Common Customer Complaints/Reviews About Otto Insurance 

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Though you may find plenty of great Otto Insurance reviews supplied by the company itself, things get a lot less flattering on other review sites. The company’s Facebook reviews page, for instance, reveals an overall review of just one out of five stars.  

One of the most prominent complaints among Otto Insurance reviews is the fact the companies Otto shares your information with are not at all shy about contacting you. This usually results in a stream of unwanted spam calls and emails.  

Additionally, many users complained that Otto ended up directing them to their own insurance providers, where they were offered even more expensive quotes than what they were currently paying.  

The truth is that while Otto Insurance claims to make comparing different rates easier, it actually presents you with very few quotes at all. You’ll mostly be directed to the third-party websites of insurers in your area, all of which you’ll need to speak to directly in order to obtain an actual customized quote.  

You may also want to read:

Is Otto Insurance Accredited by the BBB? 

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No. Otto Insurance is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau. While it claims to work on behalf of customers, Otto's setup is actually designed to collect lead-generation information on behalf of insurance companies. While the company is technically legit in that it doesn't attempt to scam customers out of money, it's not the convenient insurance quote comparison tool it claims to be either.    

How Does Otto Insurance Rank Overall?

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Overall, we’d have to rate Otto Insurance on the lower end of the spectrum, with one star at the most. 

In all fairness, Otto is fairly transparent about the fact that they are not actually an insurance service once you arrive on their site. But their claims to provide users with upfront quotes that they can compare for free is incredibly questionable.  

While you may be presented with one or two vague quotes to compare, Otto mostly alerts you to the fact that an agent will contact you soon. By submitting your information to Otto, you’re less likely to end up with a list of solid quotes to compare and more likely to end up fielding spam calls from more insurance providers than you ever knew existed.  

Whether you're looking for an online insurance quote comparison tool or an actual insurance provider, there are far better options than Otto Insurance. 

The Pros and Cons of Otto Insurance 

While you’ll find plenty of negative Otto Insurance reviews online, if you don’t mind being directly contacted by a huge array of insurance providers, then it may be worth looking into for you. Here’s a breakdown of Otto’s pros and cons.

Pros
  • Entering your information into Otto is more or less like alerting every insurance provider in your area that you’re in the market for coverage
  • You won’t have to wait long before they all start contacting you to offer you customized quotes
Cons
  • Otto is not a licensed insurance provider
  • While Otto claims to offer users the chance to compare rates from different insurers, you’ll actually get very few quotes that may not reflect actual prices
  • Otto requires you to enter a great deal of personal information, all of which is then passed along to its 1,000+ insurance partners
  • Using Otto doesn’t actually provide you with access to insurance quotes you can compare, but will result in a great deal of spam calls and emails from various providers

A Better Alternative to Otto Insurance Services 

If you're looking for an easy way to compare insurance quotes, you can you can check out BestInsurer.com too in order to find affordable rates. Rest assured that they never sell your personally identifiable information. Just enter your zip code and they'll direct you to some of the best choices for auto, home, renters, or life insurance

Find the Best Rate for You

Here are Some Great Insurance Providers too:

Many people end up at the Otto Insurance website hoping to purchase coverage before realizing that Otto is not an actual insurance provider. If this sounds familiar, then we'd recommend checking out one of these reputable providers. 

Progressive

Progressive is the largest auto insurer in the U.S. and the third-largest insurance carrier overall. With over 27 million customers, Progressive offers insurance for pretty much anything you could ever hope to insure.

From home and auto insurance to pet and travel insurance, Progressive has you covered. The company is also well known for its wide range of discounts and customization options. 

Getting a quote from Progressive is as easy as selecting the type of insurance you're interested in and filling in your information on their website. You can also contact Progressive directly by phone, email, or chat. 

Progressive

Prudential 

If you're looking for life insurance, then be sure to check out Prudential. As a Fortune 500 company, Prudential is known throughout the world for providing both insurance and investment services to individuals and institutions alike.

First founded in 1875, Prudential now serves customers in over 40 countries. The company offers a wide array of plans, as well as resources that can help you choose the right one for you. 

Simply fill in your information on Prudential's website in order to get a quote or reach out to one of the company's representatives for help with any questions you may have. 

Prudential

We hope this has helped give you an idea of how Otto Insurance work, what you'll get from them and wether or not their services aligns with your needs. As always, use caution whenever handing out your personal information online.  

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The responses below are not provided, commissioned, reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any financial entity or advertiser. It is not the advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

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AJ

I agree with AC. But with me I did it at night to see if I would get the quotes in my email. It said they just needed 2 mins to complete the quotes. I'm still waiting for the quotes but in the meantime, I'm getting calls up the wazzoo. I had a person call me from the company the next morning to take information that I already gave online then called up an agent from another insurance and left me doing all of the talking while they hung up. The agent from the insurance company had no idea that Otto sent me. I could have done all of this myself, I did not need Otto for this mess. The ads are misleading. They are NOT an insurance company NOR are they a broker. SCAM!!!

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A C

They should be SUED! DO. NOT. PUT. YOUR. INFORMATION. IN. ON. THIS. "INSURANCE COMPANIES" WEBSITE! IT'S A FALSE CLAIM!!!!!! THEY'RE LITERALLY ADVERTISING AUTO INSURANCE AS LOW AS 10 DOLLARS ON SNAPCHAT!!!!! Next thing I know, a THOUSAND insurance companies ALL have my Information and are blowing up my phone and emails. I'm LITERALLY about to get my number changed. OTTO "INSURANCE" GEAR UP CAUDE I'M GETTING READY TO SUE AND SOON ENOUGH THERE WILL BE A WHOLE ARMY OF PEOPLE BEHIND ME. STOP HARRASSING PEOPLE AND LYING ON ADVERTISEMENTS. YOUR MONEY IS ABOUT TO BE A CHECK IN MY BANK ACCOUNT!!!!!!!!!!!