Progressive Insurance Review 2024

Progressive is best for people with a clean driving record, drivers with a DUI, and those who may need more than one type of insurance, like personal auto coverage and rideshare coverage. It’s not ideal for people who need gap insurance or people who value stellar customer service.

Progressive’s annual average rate for full coverage car insurance is $1,891, which is under the national average of $1,924 by about 2 percent. It’s also lower than average for minimum coverage, which costs an average of $481 at Progressive compared to $547 for companies across the board.

With DUI rates nearly $1,000 below the national average, Progressive is also a good choice for drivers with a DUI. Progressive’s rates go up by an average of only 29 percent after a DUI, significantly less than the national average increase of 73 percent.

Progressive Rates by Driver Profile

Compare Progressive Rates

Here’s how Progressive’s rates compare to other major insurance companies for drivers with a good record:

I saved on my Progressive quote with seven discounts:

• Online purchase
• Pay in full
• Online quote
• Paperless
• Passive restraint (airbags)
• Other vehicle safety features (Smart Technology Discount)
• Snapshot (tracking your driving habits)

I want to focus on two discounts: the discount associated with the Snapshot program and the bundling discount, which I did not benefit from.

Progressive Snapshot

Snapshot is Progressive’s form of UBI, or usage-based insurance. When I signed up for Snapshot, my rates dropped even lower, as low as about $48 per month for minimum coverage. I enrolled in Snapshot during my quote process and immediately got a discount of around $5 per month. I chose the mobile app option, although there was also an option to track my driving through a plug-in device.

Essentially, the program rewards customers for safe driving habits. For example, it’ll give lower rates to someone who brakes and accelerates smoothly, avoids driving between midnight and 4 a.m. on weekends, doesn’t use their phone while driving, and drives less overall. Snapshot saved me about $60, but Progressive claims it saves customers an average of $94 at sign-up and an average of $231 when the program has more data on your driving after six months. Keep in mind that your rates could go up if your driving habits are risky, which is why I’d recommend this only to someone with safe habits behind the wheel.

Bundling Discount

Another discount option is bundling, which saves customers an average of 5 percent.

Had I purchased multiple policy types instead of just auto insurance, I would’ve gotten discounts on both policies. On average, new Progressive customers save 7 percent when they bundle homeowners and auto insurance specifically.

Those weren’t the only ways I could save, however. Here’s a complete list of all the discounts Progressive offers:

• Automatic payments
• Bundling
• Continuous insurance
• Distant student
• Good student
• Homeowner
• Multiple cars
• Online quote
• Paperless billing
• Pay in full
• Sign documents online
• Snapshot
• Teen driver

It was really easy for me to get an online quote from Progressive. The entire process only took a few minutes, and I loved that Progressive gave me three packages to choose from, costing anywhere from about $51 to $241 monthly.

There were multiple points during the quote process when I had the opportunity to receive discounts, whether it was signing up for Snapshot, bundling my insurance with another policy type such as homeowners insurance, or having passive restraints in my car. Below, I show the quotes after I added the Snapshot discount.

Once I chose a package, I filled out some more information online, including my vehicle identification number, my primary phone number, and how I would like to receive my bills (I got $3 off for choosing paperless billing.) From there, all I had to do to begin coverage was provide payment.

If you prefer, you can call Progressive directly to get a quote. However, I enjoyed this simple, frictionless online process, which made buying insurance as easy as any online shopping experience. Additionally, I got a discount for signing up online. Learn more about Progressive’s pricing.

Progressive offers the standard types of car insurance, which include liability, medical payments/personal injury protection, uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, collision and comprehensive insurance.

In addition to these, Progressive offers many other coverages and add-ons, including:

• Accident forgiveness: It’s no secret that car insurance rates increase after an accident. Progressive offers accident forgiveness at an additional cost, which will prevent a surcharge on your premium after an accident. Progressive also offers complimentary accident forgiveness to people who have been customers for at least five years with no accidents or violations. And for new customers, Progressive won’t raise your rates after your first claim of less than $500.
• Custom parts and equipment value coverage: If you’ve made any modifications to your car, like adding an aftermarket stereo system or custom wheels, you can insure these modifications for up to $5,000.
• Disappearing deductible: For every six-month period without a violation or claim, Progressive will reduce your collision or comprehensive deductible by $50.
• Loan/lease payoff: Typically, finance and leasing companies require gap insurance, which would cover the remainder of the amount owed on a loan or lease (above the actual cash value) in the event of a total loss. However, Progressive’s version covers only up to 25 percent of the car’s actual cash value, so depending on your financing, it’s possible you could still have a remainder on your bill.
• Pet injury coverage: If you get into an accident with your pet in your car, Progressive will cover up to $1,000 worth of vet bills. This coverage is part of collision coverage automatically and does not cost extra.
• Rental car reimbursement: If my car were in the shop for a covered claim, rental car reimbursement would help pay for a rental car.
• Rideshare coverage: Personal auto insurance does not cover rideshare driving, but the insurance from the rideshare companies won’t cover you when you’re driving to pick someone up or when you’ve just dropped them off. If you drive for a rideshare company or deliver for a platform like Postmates, rideshare coverage will fill in those gaps.
• Roadside assistance: Roadside assistance can cover services like towing, lockouts, fluid or fuel deliveries, and flat-tire changes.
• Trip interruption coverage: Available as an add-on to roadside assistance, trip interruption coverage would apply if I was more than 100 miles away from home and my car broke down. I would be able to get up to $500 for my related costs, which include lodging, transportation, and food. Note that the daily limits are $100 for lodging, $50 for transportation, and $50 for food.

While Progressive has excellent financial strength ratings from third parties like Moody’s, AM Best, and Standard & Poor’s, its customer satisfaction ratings are mixed. For example, in California, it received an 809 out of 1,000 on J.D. Power’s 2023 Auto Insurance Customer Satisfaction Index, while the regional average was 813. Similarly, it received a 1.07 out of 5 stars from customers on the Better Business Bureau, although I’ve noticed that most insurance companies have extremely low ratings on the BBB.

One bright spot, however, is Progressive’s NAIC Complaint Index score of 0.13. For a company of its size, the NAIC has received only 13 percent of the claims it had expected from Progressive customers.

There are several ways to file a claim with Progressive. You can do so on the company’s website or mobile app, or by calling your agent directly.

Property damage claims can be resolved in about one to two weeks, but with more severe accidents with bodily injuries, it could take up to a few months.

According to J.D. Power’s 2023 Auto Claims Satisfaction Study, Progressive ranks slightly below average, with a score of 870 out of 1,000, while the study’s average was 878. That means customers were not quite as satisfied with Progressive’s claims process as they were with companies like Erie Insurance and State Farm.

Some more mixed news: Progressive got a C rating on the CRASH Network’s 2024 Auto Insurer Report Card, which is partially based on its claims handling.⁹ Believe it or not, though, a C places Progressive in the top half of major insurers.

I found both Progressive’s website and app to be super-easy to use. There is a lot of information on the website, and the quote process was smooth on both desktop and mobile.

When it comes to mobile apps, Progressive has two, both with iOS and Android versions. The first is the regular Progressive app, which lets me request a quote, make a payment, file and check claims, and register with Snapshot. However, to actually use Snapshot to monitor my driving requires a second app: Snapshot Mobile on the Apple App Store or just Snapshot on Google Play. This app is also highly rated, although not quite as highly as the main Progressive app. Android users, for example, complain the app is unreliable, falsely reporting cell phone usage while driving, and that it drains phones’ batteries. My recommendation? Make sure your cell phone is charging while you drive.

Here are some of the factors I consider when evaluating an auto insurance company:

• Customer satisfaction: I take into account not only my own experience with a company, but also other customers’ experiences, which they rate and review on sites like the Better Business Bureau as well as surveys like J.D. Power’s Customer Satisfaction Study.
• Third-party ratings: I also take into account third-party financial strength ratings from AM Best, Moody’s, and Standard & Poor’s.
• Mobile apps and websites: I test out the company’s website and mobile app(s) to make sure they are helpful and easy to use.
• Claims: Aside from seeing the different ways that companies allow customers to submit claims — whether online or via live chat, app, phone, etc. — I also take into account ratings from the CRASH Network and J.D. Power’s Auto Claims Study to see how good a company is at processing claims in a timely manner.
• Pricing: I analyze national pricing data to see how an insurer’s average prices stacks up with the competition.
• Coverages: Finally, I see what coverages a company offers, not only the basic coverages like liability, but also add-ons like rental car reimbursement and gap insurance.