Progressive vs. Liberty Mutual: Which Is Better?

Overall, Progressive has lower auto insurance premiums for most drivers. Liberty Mutual does not make its pricing data as widely available, so it’s best to get a quote directly with the company to compare rates.

Progressive vs. Liberty Mutual: Pros and Cons of Each

Progressive Is Better For:

• Drivers looking for the lowest rates
• Rideshare drivers
• Drivers who need mechanical breakdown coverage

Liberty Mutual Is Better For:

• Teachers looking for discounts, perks and special coverage options
• Customers who prefer to shop online
• Military members looking for military discounts

Price is one of the most important factors for most people who are purchasing auto insurance. Progressive has lower average rates for all driver profiles with available pricing data, including drivers with a clean record, senior drivers, and drivers with a DUI. It’s also well known for offering affordable rates to drivers with low credit.

Liberty Mutual doesn’t make its average rates available for 25-year-old drivers or drivers with low credit. Even so, Progressive is known for offering some of the lowest rates for drivers with a less-than-stellar credit rating, so it may be a better option than Liberty Mutual for drivers who fall into this category.

Both Liberty Mutual and Progressive offer the standard coverage options you’d expect from a car insurance provider, including the following:

• Liability
• Comprehensive and collision
• Medical payments and personal injury protection (PIP)
• Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage

In addition to this standard coverage, both insurers offer optional add-on coverage types that are not available from all providers, including roadside assistance, accident forgiveness, and custom parts replacement.

Both insurers offer rideshare coverage, although Liberty Mutual offers it as a partnership with Lyft and Uber, and only in select states. Unlike Progressive, Liberty Mutual does not offer vehicle protection or mechanical breakdown insurance.

Both Progressive and Liberty Mutual offer a wide range of auto insurance discounts to help drivers save on their premiums. These include bundling discounts, good driver discounts, and discounts for the way you manage your policy, including pay-in-full, paperless, and online quote savings.

Liberty Mutual also provides a unique perk for teachers, which may include $0 deductible collision coverage or vandalism loss coverage if your vehicle is damaged on school property. Only Progressive offers discounts for continuous insurance.

Progressive vs. Liberty Mutual Telematics Programs

In addition to the standard discount options listed above, both Progressive and Liberty Mutual offer telematics discount programs: Progressive Snapshot and Liberty Mutual RightTrack. Both discount programs use an app to monitor your driving habits and reward safe driving with discounts. Telematics monitors driving behaviors such as acceleration, night driving, and cellphone usage while driving.

With RightTrack, you get a 10 or 15 percent discount (depending on location) as soon as you sign up. By practicing safe driving habits, you can get a discount of up to 30 percent. RightTrack is not available in the following states:

• Alaska
• California
• Hawaii
• Maryland
• Montana
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• New York
• South Dakota
• Washington
• Wyoming

Progressive Snapshot advertises an average discount of $169 just for signing up. According to its website, drivers can save up to $322 at policy renewal³. Snapshot is available in all states except California. Drivers in Hawaii and New York are not eligible for the sign-up discount.

Liberty Mutual has a higher score on J.D. Power’s usage-based insurance study⁴ than Progressive. Liberty Mutual scored third out of 11 providers surveyed, compared with seventh for Progressive. This indicates Liberty Mutual is a better option for drivers who prioritize usage-based discounts.

There is no clear winner between Liberty Mutual and Progressive when it comes to third-party customer satisfaction ratings.

Liberty Mutual has a higher score on the J.D. Power Auto Insurance Claims Satisfaction Study⁵, while Progressive has a higher grade on the CRASH Network Insurer Report Card⁶. However, Liberty Mutual’s score from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) shows it receives more customer complaints than Progressive does.

Claims Satisfaction

Liberty Mutual fared better than Progressive in the J.D. Power Claims Satisfaction Study, with a score of 717 out of 1,000, compared with Progressive’s 672. However, Progressive’s C grade on the CRASH Network Insurer Report Card is higher than Liberty Mutual’s D+.

Customer Service

Customer satisfaction scores can vary significantly by region. Progressive fared better than Liberty Mutual in the New York, Northwest, Southeast and Southwest regions, and Liberty Mutual scored better in the Central, Mid-Atlantic, New England, Texas and North Central regions.

Progressive’s score is above the regional average in California, and Liberty Mutual’s score is above the regional average in New England. In every other region, both companies’ scores are lower than the regional average.

The NAIC Complaint Index measures the number of complaints made to a company. The higher the number, the higher the number of complaints; a score of 1 is considered average. Progressive’s score of 2.13 is better than Liberty Mutual’s 3.41, which indicates that Progressive receives fewer complaints.

Shopping

On average, customers report a higher level of satisfaction with Liberty Mutual’s online shopping process than with Progressive’s. Both companies offer online quote tools, quotes by phone, options for online purchasing, and a large number of local agents for customers who prefer to shop in person.

Although the two providers offer the same shopping options, Liberty Mutual came in fourth in J.D. Power’s Insurance Shopping Study⁷, while Progressive ranked 14th. The survey evaluates factors such as price, ease of getting an online quote, and ease of buying a policy. The survey results suggest that customers favor Liberty Mutual’s shopping experience over Progressive’s.

Both Progressive and Liberty Mutual offer highly rated, robust tools for managing your policy online. Both companies’ apps allow customers to view policy information, file a claim, and request roadside assistance. Both insurers have an iOS customer rating of 4.8 out of 5 and an Android rating of 4.6 out of 5.

The table below breaks down what you can expect from each provider’s app:

Progressive has higher scores than Liberty Mutual for both service and shopping on the J.D. Power U.S. Digital Experience Study⁸. This suggests that overall, customers are more satisfied with Progressive’s online shopping experience, as well as with its online policy and claims management experience once they’ve purchased a policy.

While Progressive has the lowest auto insurance rates across most driver profiles, Liberty Mutual offers a wide variety of discounts that can lower your rates significantly. Still, drivers who prioritize the lowest possible rates may be more satisfied with Progressive’s pricing.

When it comes to customer service, Progressive and Liberty Mutual are fairly balanced — Liberty Mutual has a higher claims satisfaction score from J.D. Power but a lower CRASH Network Insurer Report Card grade. However, third-party pricing data suggests customers tend to prefer Progressive’s shopping experience and online policy management tools. Both insurers offer telematics programs; while Progressive’s Snapshot is more widely available, only Liberty Mutual’s RightTrack guarantees lower rates if you sign up for the program.

Overall, both providers offer good service, but Progressive offers lower average rates across all driver profiles. We recommend comparing multiple providers before you make your final decision. Remember, you can switch your auto insurance provider if you’re ready to try a new one.

We evaluate each provider based on the following factors:

• Price (40%): We analyze full and minimum coverage average premiums for a standard driving profile of a good driver with good credit. We also consider different driver profiles, including those with low credit or an at-fault accident, as well as available discounts. Full coverage averages use the following limits:
  • Bodily injury liability: $100,000 per person / $300,000 per accident
  • Property damage liability: $50,000 per accident
  • Uninsured and underinsured motorist bodily injury: $50,000 per person / $100,000 per accident
• Comprehensive and collision: $500 deductible
• Claims handling (25%): We evaluate the efficiency and transparency of the claims processes offered by each provider. We favor clear communication, fair evaluation of damages, and timely resolution of payment. We assess these factors using third-party sources, including the CRASH Network Insurer Report Card, J.D. Power’s Claims Satisfaction studies, and S&P and AM Best financial strength reports.
• Customer experience (25%): We evaluate how smooth the customer journey is, from getting a quote and buying a policy to making changes and accessing documents. We also take into account the availability and quality of online and agent interactions, as well as the functionality of the company’s website and mobile app. Our sources include the NAIC Complaint Index, BBB ratings, J.D. Power studies and app store reviews.
• Coverage options (10%): We review each company’s coverage offerings, favoring providers with options beyond the state-required minimums. These include gap insurance, accident forgiveness and rideshare coverage.

Learn more about our ratings and methodology.