Farm Bureau Insurance of Michigan auto insurance

Overview

Farm Bureau Insurance of Michigan is the insurance arm of the Michigan Farm Bureau Family of Companies, and it writes only in Michigan. It ranked #50 among U.S. private passenger auto insurers by 2025 direct premiums written according to NAIC market share data, with $601.2 million in auto premiums and a 0.16% national share, all from Michigan drivers.

Auto, home and farm policies are written by two property-casualty companies, Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company of Michigan and Farm Bureau General Insurance Company of Michigan, and life insurance by Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company of Michigan. The company is headquartered in Lansing and says it has nearly 800 associates and about 450 Farm Bureau Insurance agents across the state. AM Best has described it as the leading farmowners insurer in Michigan, and the company markets itself as "Michigan's Insurance Company." Its link to the state farm organization is explained in the guide to how Farm Bureau insurance works.

History

Michigan Farm Bureau was founded on February 4, 1919, when county Extension agents and farmers from 57 county Farm Bureaus met at Michigan Agricultural College, now Michigan State University. Thirty years later its members decided they wanted their own insurer. In January 1949 the organization hired Nile Vermillion to set up Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company of Michigan, which opened for business on March 7, 1949, selling auto insurance to Farm Bureau members.

Farm Bureau Life followed in 1951. In 1960 the company introduced what it describes as America's first farmowners policy, covering an entire farm operation in one package, and in 1968 it launched group-rated auto policies. It took the name Farm Bureau Insurance Group in 1964 and dropped "Group" in 1988. More recent milestones include the Lake Estate policy for lakefront homes in 2011, the purchase of Cincinnati Equitable Life in 2019, the FB Drives Michigan telematics app in 2021, and the 2025 sale of Leaders Life Insurance Company to Truss Peak Holdings. On the rating side, AM Best upgraded the property-casualty companies from B++ (Good) to A- (Excellent) in May 2017 after improvements in capitalization and operating results.

Auto insurance coverage

Michigan is a no-fault state with coverage rules unlike any other, and Farm Bureau's personal auto policy is built around them:

• Personal injury protection, which pays medical expenses, work loss benefits and attendant care for you and household family members; the state's 2019 no-fault reform changed how drivers choose PIP levels
• Property protection insurance for damage your car does to other people's property in Michigan
• Bodily injury and third-party liability for lawsuits after serious injuries
• Limited property damage (mini-tort) coverage for up to $3,000 you can owe for damage to other vehicles
• Uninsured and underinsured motorists coverage
• Collision and comprehensive, with comprehensive covering events such as deer strikes, fire, theft, glass breakage and vandalism
• Emergency roadside service, rental and travel reimbursement, and coverage for customized furnishings

Discounts and programs

FB Drives Michigan is the company's smartphone telematics program, launched on April 29, 2021. It scores phone use, braking, speed and miles driven. According to the company's announcement, updated in 2025, enrolling earns an immediate 10% auto discount on annual policies (8% on six-month policies), and premiums can drop by up to another 10% if total miles fall under a set threshold.

Other auto discounts listed by the company:

• FB Advantage discount, based on an insurance score built from your credit report and insurance history (see credit-based insurance scores)
• Multi-policy, multi-auto and select customer discounts
• Advance signing discount when a policy is bound at least seven days before your current insurer's premium is due
• Affinity discount for members of qualifying professional, civic or alumni associations
• Preferred youthful driver discount for vehicles assigned to drivers aged 16 to 20 on policies that also have the multi-policy discount
• Anti-theft, no dependents, SmartPay and waiver of work loss benefits discounts
• Paperless billing, and no installment fees when you pay in full

Members of Michigan Farm Bureau also get separate membership savings on travel and other services.

Claims

Claims can be reported online, by calling the Claim Reporting Team at 877-324-6764, or through your agent, and status updates are available online, by email or by phone. The FB Express Auto program is a direct repair network of partner shops across the state for faster repairs. For roadside help, policyholders with roadside coverage can call a preferred tow provider from Farm Bureau's network or use any provider and submit the receipt for reimbursement up to the policy limit. The company says it has earned a "Superior" rating for personal lines claims customer experience from the Ward's Experience Monitor program.

Ratings and reputation

Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company of Michigan and Farm Bureau General Insurance Company of Michigan are rated A- (Excellent) with a stable outlook by AM Best, according to the company's ratings page updated in July 2025. AM Best's most recent public release on the group, from June 2020, cited the strongest level of balance sheet strength and its tie to Michigan Farm Bureau, while noting the risk of concentration in a single state.

Satisfaction scores are weak. In the J.D. Power 2026 U.S. Auto Insurance Study, Michigan Farm Bureau Insurance scored 614 in the North Central region, 19th of 20 ranked brands and 31 points below the 645 regional average; only National General scored lower. Erie Insurance led the region with 688.

Who it suits

Farm Bureau Insurance of Michigan suits Michigan households, especially farm, rural and lakefront owners, that want a local agent who can handle auto, home, farm and life policies together, and drivers who are comfortable sharing driving data for a telematics discount.

• Strengths: Agents across Michigan and a long history of farm-focused products; FB Drives Michigan pays 10% at enrollment plus possible mileage savings; FB Express Auto direct repair network; a wide list of Michigan-specific discounts.
• Weaknesses: Sold only in Michigan; near the bottom of the 2026 J.D. Power North Central rankings; an A- (Excellent) rating, one notch below A; the FB Advantage discount depends on a credit-based insurance score.

How to contact Farm Bureau Insurance of Michigan