Summary:
Progressive is the third largest auto insurance company in the US. The company’s rates are in the mid-priced range for car insurance for most categories with the exception of young drivers who pay a higher than average price. The company’s claims satisfaction rating is rather disappointing. However, Progressive is a solid company financially. You can get a quote and purchase insurance online from Progressive similar to its other competitors, Geico and Esurance. Therefore, if you prefer to purchase car insurance online, do comparison shopping with these 3 providers. In addition to auto insurance, Progressive offers property insurance, business insurance, and a variety of personal insurance types. Progressive is a good choice for people who already have one policy with the company and want to save money through bundling.
Pros
- Progressive is rated an A+ for financial strength by A.M. Best.
- Progressive has a ‘Name your Price’ tool to help you find insurance in your price range. However, to get a cheaper rate you have to sacrifice some coverage.
- Progressive gives significant Good Driver Discounts of up to 31%. Through its Snapshot Program, drivers save an average of $130 a year.
Cons
- Rates for young drivers are higher than that of other large auto insurance companies.
- Progressive has a low customer satisfaction rating according to a recent study conducted by Consumer Reports.
- They do not have brick and mortar stores.
Progressive is a large well-known auto insurance company with a number of national commercials advertising its automobile insurance. Because of these factors, most people probably believe that Progressive’s auto insurance may be a great deal. They are wrong. Progressive’s rates are mid-range at best and high for younger drivers. Even though Progressive offers a Teen Driver Discount which it advertises, the company could simply try charging teen drivers less up front. Furthermore, although it does have a ‘Name Your Price’ tool, every auto insurance company is willing to sell you less coverage for a lower rate. Progressive’s claims satisfaction rating is low as well.
Progressive, however does offer significant discounts for good driving habits. This can reduce rates for adult drivers significantly. Moreover, Progressive offers a variety of other discounts, some of which can be substantial. Furthermore, the company offers a full array of insurance products. Thus, Progressive may be a popular name in auto insurance, but its only best for people who qualify as good drivers and people who are interested in some of the other insurance types and services from Progressive.
The Value Equation ($$$)
The cost of a car insurance premium is one of the primary determining factors for customers when they are shopping for automobile insurance. Progressive bases your rates on many of the same criteria as many other large car insurance companies including your age, location, driving history, coverage options, and type of vehicle. Progressive has a ‘Name Your Price’ feature which makes it easier for you to find car insurance coverage within your price range; however, it is important for you to understand that the less you are willing to pay, the less coverage you get. Therefore, consumers are still advised to shop around for good rates that includes the coverage that they need. Yet, Progressive still makes it easier than other auto insurance companies to find the coverage that you can afford.
To get a quote from Progressive, you can go online and use the Progressive Direct platform. The company claims that you can get an accurate quote in about six minutes. You can even purchase the auto insurance online without going through an agent. This often makes the auto insurance cost a little less due to the fact that most agents, even captive agents, take a small commission from each sale.
Here is a quick glimpse of how Progressive’s average annual premiums compare to two other large national providers:
| GEICO | Progressive | State Farm | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drivers in 20s | $1,413 | $2,247 | $2,337 |
| Drivers in 30s | $1,200 | $2,253 | $2,343 |
| Drivers in 40s | $1,174 | $1,623 | $1,567 |
| Drivers with at-fault accident | $1,556 | $2,211 | $1,501 |
| Drivers with DUI/DWI | $2,518 | $2,173 | $3,806 |
| Drivers with speeding ticket | $1,385 | $2,075 | $1,968 |
The national average auto insurance rate from Progressive is $4,036. This places it at about mid-range when comparing the ten largest auto insurance companies.
Discounts
Progressive offers a number of discounts which consumers may qualify for to lower their car insurance premiums. They fall into these categories:
- Multi-policy discount – If you have more than one policy with Progressive such as auto and boat or auto and home you can get a discount. The average amount of this discount is 5%.
- Snapshot: BIG Discounts for good drivers – This is a telemetric device that tailors your rate to how safe you drive. The average discount from the Snapshot program is $130 according to Progressive.
- Safe Driver Discount – If you have not had any tickets or accidents in three years, Progressive will deduct up to 31% from your auto insurance premium.
- Multi-car – Having more than one car insured by Progressive allows you to save. The average multi-car discount is 10%.
- Homeowner – You can get a discount for being a homeowner even if your home is not insured by Progressive. The average discount for being a homeowner is 10%.
- Sign Online – If you sign your documents online, progressive will give you a discount for that too. You can also get a discount for going Paperless.
- Online quote – You can get a discount for starting a quote online even if you contact an agent to finish the quote.
- Continuous Insurance – If you don’t have any lapses in coverage, you get a discount. This is true even if you were insured with another company as long as there are no gaps.
- Teen Driver – Progressive offers a teen driver discount.
- Good Student- A high school or college student who maintains a B average qualifies for a discount. There is also a Student Away Discount for college students who are 22 or younger and more than 100 miles away from the car.
- Payment Discounts – Progressive offers a Pay In Full and an Automatic Payments discount for those who satisfy these requirements.
Like with other auto insurance companies, the discounts that you qualify for with Progressive Auto Insurance are mostly determined when you obtain the policy; however, you can add discounts you become eligible for later to save on your rate. Discounts are determined by a variety of factors such as age and driving record. Interestingly, Progressive does not have any car insurance discounts listed on its website for type of car and safety feature such as air bags, anti-lock brakes, and anti-theft devices; these are some of the features that other large car insurance companies do provide a discount for having. However, just like with any other car insurance company, you must remain qualified for the discounts that you receive throughout the life of the policy to maintain the discount.
>>MORE: Progressive Pet Insurance Review
Claims Satisfaction
An auto insurance company’s claims satisfaction rating is just as important as price when shopping for quality automobile insurance. Progressive’s claims satisfaction rating is actually rather low.
How easy is it to file a claim with Progressive?
- File a claim by visiting its website at: https://www.progressive.com/claims/
- File a claim by calling: 1-800-776-4737
- Contact your insurance agent to file a claim.
What is the average customer experience and satisfaction with Progressive?
Every year, J.D. Power surveys an estimated 10,000 customers who have filed a claim in the last six months. Insurance providers are ranked on a 1000-point scale based on the results of this survey. Progressive falls near the bottom of the list of auto insurers with a score of 849/1000. The national industry average is 861/1000. In comparison, State Farm, the largest insurance company in the United States, scored an 864/1000, just above the national average. GEICO, the second largest insurance company in the U.S. scored 857/1000, right below the national average.
Coverage Options
| Coverage | GEICO | Progressive | State Farm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liability | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Physical Damage | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Uninsured Motorist | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Medical Payments Coverage | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Comprehensive | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Collision | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Roadside Assistance | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| New Car Replacement | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Rental Reimbursement | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Rideshare (Uber/Lyft) | ✔ | X | ✔ |
| Gap insurance | X | ✔ | ✔ (Only for State Farm financed vehicles) |
Thus, Progressive offers the typical coverage options that all medium to large sized auto insurance companies offer. There are several other large auto insurance companies that have a wider array of coverage options.
Other Insurance
In addition to traditional auto insurance, Progressive also insures boats, classic cars, golf carts, motorcycles, recreational vehicles and trailers, segways, and snowmobiles. Thus, you can get all your vehicles, on road and off road, insured with the same insurance company.
Progressive also offers property insurance. The company offers homeowners insurance, condo insurance, mobile home insurance, renters insurance, and flood insurance. Progressive also offers homeshare insurance for people who have a short-term rental; this insurance starts at $8 a night.
Through Progressive, you can also purchase some commercial insurance policies. The types of commercial insurance that Progressive offers includes Workers’ Compensation, Professional Liability, General Liability, Commercial Auto, Business Owners Policies, Business Insurance, Business Health Insurance and Cyber Insurance. Furthermore, Progressive offers a Commercial website portal to make it more convenient to explore its commercial insurance.
Moreover, Progressive offers different types of Personal Insurance. Some types of personal insurance Progressive offers includes insurance for electronic devices, health insurance, ID theft insurance, pet insurance, wedding and event insurance, travel insurance, and umbrella insurance. The types of life insurance that Progressive offers includes term life insurance, permanent life insurance, and final expense insurance. The life insurance starts as low as $14 a month. Additionally, Progressive offers personal loans, home financing, and home refinancing as well as a car shopping service.
Website Experience
Progressive’s website is rather easy to navigate as long as you use the drop-down menu at the top of the screen instead of clicking on ‘Auto” and a picture of a car in the middle of the screen if you want to see coverage options and discounts. The website has a basic and simple design, yet it is very functional. On the website, you can get a car insurance quote and even purchase the insurance, file a claim, pay a bill, print ID cards, request changes to your policy and more.
Progressive also has a mobile app which can be used to file a claim and find repair services. Progressive offers Virtual Assistance through Google Home devices. Through this feature you can ask a number of insurance related questions. You can also get a quote through Progressive’s Flo Chatbot using Facebook Messenger.
The Bottom Line
- Progressive is the third largest insurance company in the United States. It is a very solid company financially, rated an A+ by A.M. Best.
- Progressive’s rates are in the middle range when compared to the top ten largest auto insurance companies. The teen driver rate, however, is high. Furthermore, Progressive has a low claims satisfaction rating according to J.D. Power, falling below most of its large competitors.
- Progressive does have a ‘Name Your Price’ tool to help you find the car insurance coverage options within your budget more quickly and easily.
- Progressive does offer a wide range of insurance products including non-traditional auto insurance, a variety of different types of property insurance, life insurance, home financing and refinancing, and personal loans. Furthermore, Progressive offers a wide array of commercial insurance which you can access through its own commercial insurance portal.
- Additionally, you can purchase car insurance directly from Progressive on its website without ever talking to an agent. This can save you money on the agent’s commission fees.