Progressive Auto Insurance Review

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The Details

The Good

Rewards safe drivers. Progressive gives drivers the chance to sign up for a program that tracks driving habits. Drive well and save on premiums. However, if you drive poorly, your rates could hike up next time you renew your policy.  

Offers rideshare insurance and other non-standard coverages. Progressive has a few coverages not offered by most companies, such as rideshare insurance for Uber and Lyft drivers and pet insurance for your cats and dogs should they get injured in a car accident. 

Variety of discounts and ways to save. There are many ways to save money with Progressive, including multi-policy bundles, good student discounts, homeowners discounts, and the aforementioned safe-driving program. You’re going to want to use these discounts, too, considering Progressive’s higher-than-average rates.

The Bad

Premiums are above the industry average. Premiums depend on a whole host of factors: your driving record, age, the state you live in, and more. That said, based on our sample quote, premiums with Progressive skew quite high, at above-average rates. You could find cheaper rates with other insurers, or you could take advantage of Progressive’s many discounts to help lower your price. 

Customer satisfaction is below average. Individual experiences will vary, but based on data from Consumer Reports, J.D. Power, and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, Progressive ranks lower than other large insurers for customer satisfaction. Common complaints include difficulty with claims handling, poor service, and other issues.

The Breakdown

Car insurance rates are determined by factors such as the driver’s age, gender, driving history, credit score and credit history, and the make and model of car.

Those variables make it difficult to predict what any given driver will pay for a policy from any given car insurance company. That said, let’s take a look at a sample Progressive policy to see what you might pay for car insurance.

Our sample driver is a single male driver in California who drives a 2017 Toyota Camry. Progressive quoted him $151.91 per month or — $1,822.92 in total for the year. This is higher than the national average of $1,189.64 a year, and higher than the average of $1,195 a year in California, as cited by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).

Here are the details of the policy details:

Rates current as of May 2021. The above numbers are based on a sample profile. Rates will vary for each applicant based on location, driving history, vehicle, number of people included on the policy, and other factors.

Progressive is more expensive than the average car insurer, at least in California. If you’re looking for a better fit, you should check out the best auto insurance carriers. And if you’re still interested in Progressive, keep in mind that discounts can help drive costs down.

Discounts

Progressive offers a wide range of discounts, including discounts for insuring multiple cars on one policy, bundling home and auto, and consistently staying insured, even with other carriers. 

There are also opportunities to save by signing up for the Progressive Snapshot program, which monitors your driving, as well as discounts for students who keep up a certain GPA.

Here’s the full discount list:

• Automatic payment discount. Get a discount for setting up automatic payments from a checking account, credit card, or debit card. 

• Continuous insurance (for when you switch carriers). Save when you switch to Progressive. The amount of savings varies based on how long you’ve been insured with your previous carrier.

• Distant student discount. Receive a discount if you have a full-time student on your policy who is 22 years old or younger and lives more than 100 miles from your home.

• Good student discount. Get a discount if you add a student with a B average or better on your policy.

• Homeowner discount. Save if you’re a homeowner, even if your home is not insured through Progressive.

• Multi-car discount. Get a discount if you have more than one vehicle on your policy as long as it's kept at your address.

• Multi-policy discount. Combine your auto insurance with home, motorcycle, RV, or any combination of Progressive policies and get a discount.

• Online quote discount. If you get your quote online, you’ll save.

• Online signup discount. Sign your documents online and get a discount.

• Paperless discount. Choose to get your documents via email and receive a discount.

• Pay-in-full discount. Pay for your policy in full up front for this discount.

• Safe driver discount. Progressive’s Snapshot program personalizes your rate based on your safe driving. The safer you are, the more you save. 

• Teen driver discount. Add a teen driver 18 years or younger to your policy to get a discount.

The standout way to save here is the safe driver discount, Progressive Snapshot. This entails attaching a tracking device to your car or using a smartphone app to keep track of your driving habits, including speed, how much you drive, and when you drive. If you drive safely, Progressive can lower your premium the next time you renew your policy. However, the opposite is also true — if you drive poorly, your rates can increase.

Also, remember that all discounts will vary by state, your driving record, and other individual information. 

To gauge a company’s financial health we look at ratings from credit agencies. Firms such as A.M. Best, Moody’s, and Standard and Poor’s tell us how risky or safe insurance carriers are, and whether they can pay out claims in the event of an accident. 

Here’s how they rank Progressive:

• Year founded: 1937

• A.M. Best: A+

• Moody’s: Aa2

• Standard & Poor’s: AA

A.M. Best is a credit rating firm focused on the insurance industry. An A+ rating from them means a company can fulfill its financial obligation to customers when it’s time to file a claim.

Analysis firm Standard & Poor’s gives Progressive an AA rating, which means they have a very strong ability to meet customers’ financial commitments. Moody’s score of Aa2 means the same basic thing.

Besides financial rating institutions, we turn to third-party review sites and customer satisfaction surveys to see what regular people think of their chosen insurer. Based on the available information, it appears customers are split on the efficacy of Progressive’s service and claims management.    

Here’s how it shakes out:

• Better Business Bureau: A-

• Consumers Advocate: 4.7 / 5

• Consumer Affairs: 3.9 / 5

• Consumer Reports: 75 / 100

• J.D Power: 3 / 5

• NAIC complaint index: 1.30

The Better Business Bureau ranks companies based on truthfulness in advertising, pricing transparency, and other factors. Progressive gets an A- rating from the BBB. Customers can also submit their own reviews, though they’re not taken into account for the official rating. Based on those submissions, Progressive scores about 1.1 stars out of 5, from a total of about 400 reviews.

Consumers Advocate is a third-party review site that focuses on a company’s reputation, policy features, and stability. They give Progressive an “excellent” 4.7 out of 5. 

Consumer Affairs is a review site that lets customers submit their own reviews. Based on around 1,800 ratings Progressive has a score of 3.9 out of 5. Most customers are satisfied, but several others warn about difficulties with claims handling and customer service.   

Well-known publication Consumer Reports aggregates reviews from its readers. They rate Progressive in the yellow, or about average, with a score of 75. Progressive’s best score is for claims handling and service, while its lowest is for the cost of premiums. Readers give customer service an average rating of 3 out of 5. 

J.D. Power rates insurance companies based on clarity of billing and policy information, policy offerings, price, and other factors. Based on their 2020 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study [1] , which collected responses from over 11,000 auto insurance customers, Progressive sits near the bottom of the list. Other prominent carriers such as Allstate, Geico, and State Farm sit much higher.  

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) tracks complaints submitted to state insurance departments. According to their complaint index, Progressive auto insurance has a score of 1.30. A score of 1 represents the baseline average, with a zero meaning there weren’t enough customer complaints to count. Based on that, Progressive receives more complaints than other companies.

Progressive offers all the standard coverage options you’d expect from an insurance provider of its size. You’ll also find several optional add-ons you can include on your policy such as roadside assistance in case your car breaks down, and pet insurance for any four-legged passengers hurt during an accident.

Standard coverage options

With Progressive you’ll get all the basic coverage options you need.

• Liability coverage. Required in almost every state, this covers the cost if you injure someone or damage property in a car accident.

• Personal injury protection. This covers medical or other expenses, like lost wages if you or your passengers are injured in an accident.

• Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. Covers the cost if you’re in an accident that was caused by a driver who doesn’t have insurance, or whose insurance doesn’t cover the full extent of the damage.

• Collision coverage. Covers damage to your own car after a car accident, regardless of who was at fault.

• Comprehensive coverage. Covers damage to your car that wasn’t caused by a collision, including damage from extreme weather, hail, flood, fire, falling objects, vandalism and theft.

Additional coverage and features

These features can be added to your policy for an additional cost.

• Roadside assistance. This pays for towing if your car breaks down, plus lock-out services, flat-tire changes, and fuel or fluid delivery.

• Loan/lease payoff. Also called gap insurance. This helps if your car is totaled in an accident while you’re still making payments on it. Loan/lease payoff will pay out the difference between what your car was worth before it was totaled and what you still owe on your loan or lease.

• Rental car reimbursement. Pays up to a certain amount for a replacement rental car if your car is in the shop after a covered accident.

• Custom parts and equipment coverage. This covers your car if you have custom additions made to it, like custom rims, sound systems, or exterior paint.

• Rideshare coverage. This add-on extends your regular car insurance coverage to your car if you drive for services like Lyft and Uber. It covers you when the app is on but you don’t have passengers.

• Pet injury. This covers any veterinarian bills if your dog or cat is injured in a car accident.

Other types of insurance offered

Progressive is mainly known for car insurance, but there are other insurance products they offer. If you’re looking to save on premiums, you can bundle your auto policy with the following products to get a discount.

• ATV insurance. Coverage for an all-terrain vehicle you own. 

• Boat insurance. Coverage for your dinghy, pontoon, or yacht. 

• Classic car insurance. This will cover your vintage Mustang or Corvette. 

• Golf cart insurance. For that little thing that moves you around the course or gated community. 

• Motorcycle insurance. Hog protection. 

• RV insurance. Coverage for your vacation home on wheels. 

• Segway insurance. Coverage for your two-wheeler. 

• Snowmobile insurance. Coverage for your wintertime ski slope skimmer.

• Homeowners insurance. Coverage for a home you own.

• Business insurance. Coverage for your business. 

• Condo insurance. Coverage for everything in your condo not already covered by your HOA policy.

• Renters insurance. Coverage for your possessions if you rent an apartment or house.

• Umbrella insurance. This increases your liability coverage, so you’re more protected in case you cause injury or damage to someone else or their property.

Progressive also provides dental, health, pet, travel, vision, and identity theft protection. 

Your experience with Progressive, of course, will vary. However, some things are certain: Progressive’s website has several tools to help policyholders and prospective customers, including an online quote tool, billing portal, and information about coverage options. Their products are available nationwide, there is a mobile app available, and applying is an easy process. 

State availability

Progressive auto insurance is available in all 50 states. 

Application process

Applicants can enter their details online and get quotes for different coverage levels and the prices for each. In our experience, it was easy to go back several steps and edit information. The website also saves quotes so buyers can return to them easily, a feature many competitors have yet to figure out. Drivers can also apply over the phone.

Payment methods

Progressive lets customers pay several ways:

• Online through their website

• Over the phone with a credit card

• Via check or money order

• Via the Progressive mobile app

• Via text

Progressive also allows customers to pay with PayPal, money order, or electronic funds transfer (EFT). 

Digital tools

• Online quote tool

• Mobile app for bill-paying, claims-tracking, and roadside assistance

• Snapshot app for tracking driving 

Claims process 

Progressive drivers can file and track claims online, over the phone, or through the mobile app. 

Contact info

• Website: www.progressive.com

• Phone: 1-800-776-4737

• Headquarters: 6300 Wilson Mills Road, Mayfield Village, Ohio 44143

Policygenius offers insurance policies from many of the nation's top insurers, who pay us a commission for our services. However, all editorial choices are made independently.