We all know Flo – Progressive car insurance’s quirky commercial personality. Flo uses humor and storytelling to explain how consumers can save by switching their car insurance to Progressive. But is there any truth to her claims? We’re about to dig deeper.
Based on our findings, if you’re considering a new car insurance policy to save money, you may want to consider Progressive. Keep reading to learn what their policies include as well as what discounts may be available.
Progressive Insurance Overview
| Price | Varies by location, vehicle and other factors |
| Best For | Drivers on a budget |
| Not For | People who like having extra insurance perks like generous rental car coverage |
| Discounts | Automatic Payments Distant Student Garaging Good student Homeowner Multi-car Multi-policy Online quote Paperless billing Pay In Full Safe driver/Snapshot Teen Driver |
| States Served | All |
| In Business Since | 1937 |
| Better Business Bureau Rating | B- |
| A.M. Best Rating | A+ |
| S&P Rating | AA |
| Standout Features | Get huge discounts when you bundle policies for your car and your home. Receive a discount for paying your six-month policy in full. A+ (Superior) rating for financial strength and claims payment ability from A.M. Best Company. Get a free, no obligation quote online. |
Progressive Insurance Rates
Progressive claims new customers save $699 on average when they switch. And they make it easy to find out fast using their online quote tool.
One real benefit that comes with shopping for car insurance with Progressive is the fact that you can get a free, no obligation quote online after providing some very basic information. In some cases, Progressive may even have access to your vehicle information once you provide your name and address. This makes the entire quote process run more smoothly since you can expedite your application and skip over the information regarding your auto make and model, age and mileage.
Regardless, the main information Progressive needs to process your quote includes:
- Your name
- Address
- Auto type
- Length of time you’ve had a driver’s license
- Moving violations in the last three years, if any
- Housing status
- Current auto insurance status
- Add-on coverage you prefer
- Preferred coverage limits
- Discounts you may qualify for
Once you provide all the details Progressive asks for, they’ll offer you a selection of free quotes that vary depending on how much coverage you want to buy. You can even select a start date for your policy, ensuring it will be ready to go when you need it.
The more information you can provide, the more accurate your different cost rundowns will be.
The Simple Dollar’s Progressive Review
Like other companies that offer auto insurance, Progressive lets you customize your policy to meet your unique needs. They also offer three basic “tiers” of coverage you can choose from as your build out your policy — basic, choice, and recommended.
Progressive’s basic (bare bones) auto insurance policies come with lower policy limits and no additional coverage for medical payments or underinsured and uninsured motorists. They offer so many discounts that can help you save on auto insurance as well as other policies you choose to buy. The main discounts you can apply to your policy include:
- Multi-policy discounts: You can save 5% to 15% for bundling multiple insurance policies with Progressive, such as your auto and home insurance or auto insurance and boat insurance.
- Snapshot: This program helps you get a lower rate by monitoring your actual driving activity.
- Safe driver discount: Save an average of 31% if you haven’t had any accidents or traffic violations in the last three years.
- Multi-car discount: Save an average of 10% for bundling more than one car in your Progressive auto insurance policy.
- Homeowner discount: Save an average of 10% just for owning your own home, even if you don’t bundle your homeowner’s insurance with Progressive.
- Paperless statements: Sign for your policy online and ask for paperless statements to save even more.
- Good student discount: College and high school students with at least a B average can qualify for even more discounts.
Also note that you can have some say in the deductible you’ll need to pay in order to access your coverage. Choosing a higher deductible may help you secure lower monthly auto insurance premiums, whereas a lower deductible will cost more each month but lead to lower out-of-pocket costs if you need to file a claim.
When you step up from their basic tier and choose their choice or recommended coverage, they add:
- Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage: This coverage is crucial if you’re in an accident with an uninsured or underinsured motorist.
- Medical payments: Kicks in to take care of medical bills in the event you or other passengers are injured in your vehicle.
- Rental reimbursement: Can provide you with reimbursement if you need to pay for a rental car while your own insured vehicle is being repaired.
- Towing and labor costs: Can cover towing and labor costs if your vehicle is out of service.
- Comprehensive coverage: Additional coverage that kicks in to repair your vehicle no matter the cause of the damage.
- Collision coverage: This coverage will fix your car even if you were at fault in an accident.
Progressive auto insurance does offer a wide range of discounts for consumers from all walks of life, and they currently have over 18 million auto insurance customers. They also offer insurance for your home, as well as coverage for recreational vehicles including boats and motorcycles. The best part is, Progressive really does make it easy to get a free insurance quote online, so you don’t have to make a visit to an insurance agent’s office.
How to Save on Car Insurance
Every state requires auto insurance but has different requirements. Try lowering your premiums by:
- Choose a higher deductible. It will raise your out-of-pocket costs in an accident but will reduce your monthly premiums.
- Pay your premium annually instead of monthly for a discount.
- Limit how many miles you drive per year.
- Work on improving your credit to get a better rate.
- Take a defensive driver course and tell your insurance company. You could earn a good discount.
Progressive’s Competition
In our 2019 Best Cheap Car Insurance Companies report three companies dominated: Geico, Progressive and State Farm. There are many variables when it comes to car insurance that t’s always important to double check prices by getting quotes from several companies to confirm.
Progressive’s main price competitors are:
- Geico: Geico is our low price winner but it received only average reviews across the board in the J.D. Power insurance survey.
- State Farm: State Farm is the nation’s largest auto insurer. Known best for outstanding customer service, it’s the choice for shoppers looking for a balance between affordability and excellent customer service.
What Others Are Saying
At The Simple Dollar, we aim to provide a general overview of each insurer’s products and services through a standard rating process. We reviewed the most recent claims satisfaction and overall customer satisfaction studies from J.D. Power, customer reviews from Consumer Affairs and other sources, and financial solvency reports from A.M. Best. After a thorough research and discovery period, here’s how Progressive auto insurance stacks up:
| Progressive Auto Insurance at a Glance | ||
| Overall Rating 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑 |
Claims Satisfaction | 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑 |
| Coverage Options | 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕 | |
| Financial Solvency | 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕 | |
| Customer Satisfaction | 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑 | |
The Bottom Line
If you’re in the market for auto insurance, you might as well give Progressive a chance to earn your business. Applying for a free quote online is a breeze, and you can even customize your policy if you want higher coverage limits or special add-ons.
Still, you should compare pricing with at least three insurance companies before you settle on a new policy. By shopping around and making an apples to apples comparison, you can ensure you’re not paying more than you need to for a similar level of coverage.
