Review of Progressive Auto Insurance

Review of Progressive Auto Insurance
review-rating
Progressive is a major national insurer offering many types of auto coverage and add-ons to their standard policies.
8/10
Cost
8/10
Features
8/10
Ease of use
8.5/10
Services
9/10
You can insure many of your possessions through Progressive — your home, boat, and even your Segway or snowmobile! (Random, yes). However, Progressive is most widely known for its auto insurance. Is Progressive auto insurance worth it? What should you know before getting auto insurance with Progressive? Here’s our complete review of Progressive auto insurance.

What is Progressive auto insurance?

Founded in 1937, Progressive has progressively (pun intended, don’t hate us) grown to become a leader in the auto insurance field. They offer standard auto insurance policies, with additional add-ons that consumers can opt for.
Third-party ratings also consistently rank Progressive among the most reliable insurers financially. However, keep in mind they were ranked below the industry average in the J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study.
Here’s is the insurance coverage Progressive customers can expect to get:
  • Liability: This coverage covers expenses if you cause injury or property damage and need to pay medical bills or repair someone’s property.
  • Comprehensive coverage covers repairs or replacement of your vehicle for events beyond your control, such as fire or vandalism.
  • Collision: This repairs or replaces your vehicle during a collision with another object. These expenses are covered regardless of if you are at fault.
  • Uninsured bodily injury and motorist damage: If someone else is at fault during a collision but is uninsured or underinsured, this policy will cover your bills and the medical bills of others in your vehicle.
  • Medical payments: This coverage will cover medical or funeral bills if you’re in a collision. This coverage could apply if you are hit by another car or as a pedestrian.
Progressive also has additional add-ons that you can choose to supplement your policy. Here is an example of some of their add-ons:
  • Roadside assistance: If you need immediate help because your vehicle has broken down, you’ve run out of gas, you have a flat tire or any other reason, this add-on will tow you to an auto shop.
  • Lease payoff: If you total your car, your collision insurance only covers the maximum your auto is worth now, not your total lease. Lease pay-off insurance can help you cover the gap.
  • Rideshare coverage: If you’re logged into a rideshare app and get into a collision while waiting for a customer before starting a trip, this add-on will extend the coverage of your original policy to cover repairs or vehicle replacement.

How does Progressive auto insurance work?

Progressive prides itself on making the sign-up process easy. There are many ways to get an insurance quote, you can even get one on Facebook Messenger by using Flo the chatbot. These are the steps for getting a quote through their website. Before you start, have your personal information, such as your social security number and current insurance policy. You’ll also need to know the make, model, and year of all the vehicles you want to insure.
1. Enter your zip code Progressive has different offerings based on your location, so you’ll first need to enter the zip code in the state where your vehicle is registered.
Review of Progressive Auto Insurance
2. Provide basic personal details The next step in the quote process requires entering your name, date of birth, and address.
Review of Progressive Auto Insurance
3. List your vehicles You’ll next need to enter the make, model, and year of all vehicles you want insurance for. You’ll also need to include information such as the primary use of your vehicles, whether you own or lease them, and approximately how many miles per week you travel.
Review of Progressive Auto Insurance
4. Provide detailed personal information Before you complete the process, you’ll need to give additional personal information such as your social security number, employment status, education, and driving record. You’ll need to provide the same information for any additional drivers you want to add to your policy.
Review of Progressive Auto Insurance
5. Provide insurance history Next, you’ll need to provide some information about prior insurance policies. If you currently have insurance, have your policy handy to answer the questions easily.
Review of Progressive Auto Insurance
6. Review your insurance rates After submitting your information, Progressive will take you to a screen where they quote rates.

How much does Progressive insurance cost?

The average monthly insurance pricing varies based on several factors, including your state, car type, driving history, and sometimes even your marital status or education level.

Average premiums

Progressive reports that between 2021 and 2022, the average monthly insurance premium for liability-only insurance was $81 in low-cost states like California, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, South Dakota, Vermont, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Medium-cost states

The average monthly premium in medium-cost states is $102. These states are Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, Texas, and Utah.

Most expensive premiums

The most expensive states for auto insurance are Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and West Virginia. The average monthly premium in these states for liability-only insurance is $146. The higher population density in some states could contribute to more car accidents. Also, many of these states are on the coast, where vehicles experience damage due to hurricanes.

Progressive auto insurance features

Progressive does have some features that make auto insurance with them unique. Here’s what Progressive does differently, and that’s worth noting.

Free coverage for pet injuries

Progressive knows how special our furry family members are to us — and how much vet bills can potentially set you back. If you collide while your pet is in the car, Progressive will cover its vet bills with pet insurance.

“Name Your Price” tool

It’s quite normal to have a budget in mind when you’re shopping for car insurance. Chances are you won’t be able to say yes to all coverage if you hope to keep your premiums within a specified amount. Progressive allows you to shop for car insurance by price, so you can eliminate add-ons that aren’t in your budget.

Variety of ways to contact

You can use the standard forms of contact—web chat, call, or email—but you can also contact Progressive through Facebook Messenger or, if you have a Google Home device, ask Progressive’s questions directly through that.

Gap insurance

Not all insurers offer gap insurance, which covers the difference between your insurance payout and the cost of your loan or lease should you total your car. This sets Progressive apart from competitors, who score similarly in other areas.

Progressive vs. competitors

Want to know how Progressive stacks up against its competitors? Here’s what they look like side-by-side.
Insurer
J.D. Power 2023 auto claims satisfaction score
Multiple discounts
Gap Coverage
Progressive
870/1,000
Yes
Yes
GEICO
871/1,000
Yes
No
State Farm
891/1,000
Yes
No

Progressive vs. GEICO

If you’re looking for a bargain on car insurance, you’ve likely come across GEICO, as they target those looking for cheaper car insurance. Even though Progressive and GEICO are evenly matched in many areas, one place where Progressive pulls away from GEICO is with gap insurance. If you get in a collision and your car is a write-off, gap insurance helps cover the difference between your payout, what you still owe, or the amount remaining on your lease.

Progressive vs. State Farm

Like Progressive, State Farm offers several options to customize your coverage. However, like GEICO, they don’t offer gap insurance, which could be a deal-breaker if you’re leasing a car or have a large auto loan. A stroke in State Farm’s favor is that they are ranked higher than Progressive on J.D. Power’s claims satisfaction survey.

Who is Progressive insurance best for?

Thinking about getting Progressive auto insurance? Here are the people who usually benefit the most from getting a policy through Progressive.

People who need more than one policy

Going with Progressive could save you money as they offer insurance discounts for bundled policies if you're looking for other types besides auto insurance. Progressive offers motorcycle, homeowners insurance, renters insurance, life insurance, and many other policies such as recreational vehicle, business, and even travel insurance. Using multiple insurance products through Progressive, you can receive multi-policy discounts.

Rideshare drivers

Because Progressive offers coverage for drivers that extend whenever you have a rideshare app, they’re an ideal auto insurance company if you’re using ridesharing to make up some or all of your income.

Who shouldn’t use Progressive?

Progressive isn’t right for everyone. Here are some people the company might turn off.

People who want a smaller company

Progressive is a large, nationwide company. If you’re looking for a smaller, more personal company, Progressive might not fit you.

Consumers looking for excellent customer service

While Progressive is rated in the top 20 for J.D. Power’s annual customer satisfaction survey, they didn’t make the top 10 — some customers might see that as a reason to pick a competitor who ranked higher on the list. If customer service is a high priority for you, this is something to consider.

Pros and cons

When comparing auto insurance companies, it’s helpful to list the advantages and disadvantages so you can get an accurate description of what each insurer offers. Here’s the good and the bad about Progressive.
Pros
  • Easy online quote tool: You can receive a quote within minutes online, or using Facebook Messenger.
  • Easy to search for affordable quotes: Using the “Name Your Price” feature Progressive makes staying within a budget simple.
  • Pet injury covered: If you get collision coverage, the cost of your vet bills will be covered to a set amount if you get into an accident.
Cons
  • Mid-level customer service rating: While Progressive was rated in the top 20 for customer service, there are still a lot of auto insurers who rate above them.

FAQs

Still have questions about car insurance from Progressive? Here are answers to some of the most common questions.
Is Progressive auto insurance any good?
Progressive auto insurance is the third largest auto insurance provider in the United States and offers many coverage options for customizing your auto insurance according to your budget. However, their customer satisfaction rankings are middle-of-the-pack.
Is Progressive or GEICO better?
Progressive’s two major advantages over GEICO are that they offer gap insurance and pet health insurance. However, GEICO ranks higher in claims satisfaction ratings.
Why is Progressive car insurance so cheap?
Progressive offers many driver discounts to policy-holders, plus they allow you to search for the cheapest policy based on your budget. Various discounts include good student discounts, safe driver discounts, good driving habits discounts, and multi-car discounts. Going paperless and setting automatic payments as well as having a good credit score could help you save, too. Increasing your deductible can keep your premiums down. Working with a Progressive insurance agent can help you to benefit from every discount available.

The bottom line

Progressive is a major national insurer offering auto coverage and add-ons to its standard policies. In addition to auto coverage, they offer coverage for many other scenarios, such as business, life, and home insurance, as well as insurance for almost anything with a motor. Their standard policies include gap and pet health insurance, which could be appealing in some scenarios.
However, it’s important to keep in mind that Progressive ranks lower than some of its top competitors in terms of customer satisfaction. While they’re still a top 20 company for customer happiness, other companies rank above them and offer similar policies.
Before choosing any insurer, carefully assess your budget and find a policy that covers your financial needs with monthly premiums you feel comfortable making. Then, weigh each company’s advantages and disadvantages to find the right solution for you.

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