Progressive Car Insurance Review

Progressive Ratings at a Glance

Who's Progressive Car Insurance For?

Started in 1937 by two lawyers, Progressive Insurance has grown to be a nationwide carrier and a well-recognized brand. Priding itself as an innovator in the industry, Progressive was the first to offer drive-in claim service and also the first to offer an installment option for payments. Millions of Americans who pay their insurance premiums monthly instead of annually can thank Progressive Insurance for leading the way.

Younger drivers and less-experienced drivers often find auto insurance with many national providers to be price-prohibitive, or in some cases, they might even find themselves ineligible for coverage. Many of these drivers or able to find a home with Progressive Auto Insurance, because underwriting rules for the insurer have been traditionally more forgiving of inexperienced drivers than some other national auto insurers.

Choosing an auto insurance company is an individual decision, and a company that is a fit for some is not a fit for others. Progressive’s strengths (check out Benzinga's Progressive Home Insurance review for more accolades) are in its available discounts and its willingness to write policies for some drivers who could not purchase insurance affordably from other major providers.

Safe drivers with clean driving records can maximize their savings with a safe driving discount as well as by utilizing progressive Snapshot program. While the combination of these discounts and others can create dramatic savings on premiums, Progressive’s snapshot discount, in particular, can affect rates in both directions.

Progressive’s agent network is not as strong as some other national insurers simply due to its sparsity. Where the insurer has fewer agents available to provide personalized service, it has developed additional features available through its website or mobile app, as well as online discounts designed to attract new customers who are comfortable doing their insurance business online.

• Liability:  Insurance is regulated at the state level, and each state has its own rules and requirements in regard to liability coverage. Auto liability coverage with Progressive is divided into two types of liability: bodily injury, and property damage. Bodily injury liability coverage pays toward other people who are injured if you are at fault in an accident. Property damage liability pace toward the property of others damaged if you are at fault in an accident. Property might include other vehicles, buildings, signs, or other property which may be damaged in an auto accident. Coverage is only available up to the amount you've selected for your policy, and any liability in excess of your selected coverage limits will not be paid by the insurer. Higher selected limits offer you better protection.
• Collision: Required by most lenders, and a wise coverage selection in many other cases, collision coverage pays for damage to your vehicle caused by hitting a stationary object or another vehicle.
• Comprehensive: Vehicles can be damaged in a number of ways besides collision damage. These might include falling branches, vandalism, fire, windshield damage or even theft. Comprehensive auto coverage pays toward repair or replacement for these covered perils.
• Medical: Coverage options for your own medical care and medical care for other drivers on your policy if injured by an automobile will vary by state. Customers with collision coverage will find they also have medical coverage for pets injured in an automobile accident.
• Road Service: As an option, Progressive offers roadside assistance to policyholders.
• Gap Insurance: Automobiles begin to depreciate the moment we drive them off the dealer lot. Progressive’s gap insurance option helps cover the difference between the amount still outstanding on a car loan and the insurance payout if the vehicle is totaled.

Progressive Car Insurance Policy Types

Progressive provides insurance options for nearly any personal vehicle on land or water and is known for its attractive rates on specialty vehicles such as RVs. Many consumers report better rates for their RV with Progressive than with their existing auto insurance providers.

• Auto: Progressive makes a growing business of ensuring cars, light trucks, and SUVs, consistently earning a top-five position for market share among top insurers.
• Motorcycle: Progressive is well-known for affordable motorcycle insurance, and is currently the leading motorcycle insurer.
• ATV: Three-wheelers and quad style ATVs are welcomed.
• RV/Camper: It's not uncommon for consumers who insure their cars and homes elsewhere to purchase RV insurance from Progressive due to the insurer's attractive rates for these vehicles.
• Boat/Personal Watercraft: Water bugs often insure their boats or PWC with Progressive.
• Golf Cart/Segway: Whether scooting around golf courses or campgrounds or even piloting a Segway around town, Progressive has coverage available for these personal transportation vehicles.
• Snowmobile: Snowmobile insurance is required in some states, Progressive will cover any incidents on and off the trails.

Other Related Insurance Types Offered by Progressive

Progressive offers discounts on your auto policy for bundling other insurance policies purchased through the company. For example, you can save an additional five percent off your auto policy if you also purchase a homeowners, renters, or condo policy through Progressive. Other policy types may apply as well.

Progressive also offers:

• Homeowners
• Life
• Renters
• Business
• Commercial Auto
• Flood
• Motorcycle, Boat, or ATV
• Pet
• Jewelry or Personal Articles
• Event

• Homeowner Discount: Even if you don't insure your home with Progressive, there is a discount available simply for owning a home.
• Continuous Insurance: Many auto insurers, including Progressive, provide an additional discount for a continuous insurance history. Discount amounts vary based upon the length of your continuous insurance, whether with Progressive or another company.
• Start Policy Online: Even if you by your policy over the phone, if you started your quote online, Progressive offers a discount which they quote as being an average of 7 percent for customers.
• Sign Documents Online: In keeping with the insurer’s push to bind policies online, a discount is available for online document signing, which binds the policy.
• Safe Driver Discount: Drivers with no accidents or tickets in the past 3 years can earn a safe driver discount with Progressive, possibly saving more than 30% off the elements of their policy premiums affected by driving.
• Multi-car discount: Counting vehicles in the same household as opposed to vehicles on the same policy, Progressive offers a multi-car discount for multiple vehicles at the same address insured with Progressive.
• Bill Payment Discounts: Additional discounts are available for either paying your bill in full or for choosing automatic payments.
• Minor Child Driver: Auto insurers are infamous for high rates quoted for new drivers. Progressive Auto Insurance attempts to break this trend, in part, by offering a discount to drivers under the age of 18.
• Good Student Discount: A student with B's or higher can earn a better rate with Progressive. An additional discount is available for students away from home, provided the campus is more than 100 miles away.

Advertising for Progressive’s Snapshot discount has been prolific, sparking the curiosity of those wishing to lower their auto insurance premiums. Utilizing either a device which plugs into the on-board diagnostics port on the automobile or through a mobile app, the company measures relevant driving data based upon your actual driving habits. Enrollment is optional, but Progressive incentivizes enrollment by offering a participation discount which applies even before any driving data has been collected. The company boasts that the average driver saves over $100 off their auto insurance premium.

As an important caveat, the Snapshot discount can be removed and driving habits that the company rates as risky can even result in higher premiums at renewal. Many other insurers that utilize similar technology to offer individualized discounts do not increase rates based upon driving habits, but instead, simply remove the discount if the measured driving habits indicate higher risk.

• Agencies: Progressive does market and support its policies through independent agents. However, in many areas, agents who sell Progressive Insurance are few and far between when compared to the agent network of some other nationwide insurers.
• Website: Customers are heavily incentivized to purchase Progressive Insurance online, or at least to begin the process on Progressive’s website. Additional discounts are available for starting the quote online and for binding the policy with an electronic signature. Progressive’s website is full-featured, providing the ability to manage many basic options on your policy, as well as make payments or reach out for support.
• Mobile App: Progressive’s mobile app allows customers to see their progress in Snapshot, pay bills, view coverages and discounts, and even get quotes and make policy changes.

Progressive ranked “about average” for overall customer satisfaction in J.D. Power’s recent Auto Claims Satisfaction Study. Small delays or unexpected road bumps in the claims process can easily generate negative feedback because of how reliant we are on our automobiles. A claims satisfaction rating of “about average” places progressive mid-pack, with some consumers more pleased with their insurer and some less so.

Claims can be placed by phone, online, or through the mobile app. Progressive has a network of 60 concierge claim centers spread throughout the country to help expedite claim service. However, with only 60 centers nationwide, this is only a benefit to those fortunate enough to live nearby one of the concierge locations.

While Progressive did not perform as well on price satisfaction as some other insurers in JD Power's Insurance Shopping Study, the insurer is known for making insurance accessible for less experienced drivers and those with a slightly blemished driving history. Specialty insurance, such as RV and motorcycle insurance also tend to be priced well through Progressive.

Because the multi-policy discount available through Progressive is not as aggressive as the discount offered through some other major insurers, customers may have to combine other eligible discounts, including Snapshot, to help keep premiums in check. Insurance rates are volatile, subject to recent trends in claims, and determined based on a large number of individual factors.

Due to individual factors used in rating, Progressive Auto Insurance provides more compelling value for some than for others.

Frequently Asked Questions