Is Progressive Good Car Insurance? Review

Rates by Driver Profile

All figures below are MoneyGeek's driver-category averages as of 2026-05-30, in dollars per month, with the published gap to the national average in the adjacent column. None of them is your rate: premiums are individually underwritten by state, limits, deductible, vehicle, zip code and underwriting company, and a quote is not a bound premium.

Minimum limits are set by statute and differ by state, and in a no-fault state you are also buying personal injury protection that an at-fault/tort state does not require — so a minimum-limit figure in one state is not comparable to one in another. State minimums are also rarely enough to cover a serious injury claim brought against you.

One caveat on the bad-credit row: a few states, California, Hawaii, Massachusetts and Michigan among them, prohibit or sharply restrict credit-based insurance scoring in auto rating, so that penalty or advantage does not apply the same way there.

A competing analysis reaches the opposite headline. U.S. News & World Report's 2026 analysis lists Progressive's average annual rate as $1,949, which it describes as $563 lower than the national average in that study. The two are not the same measurement — driver mix, coverage limits and states sampled differ. Read Progressive as cheap for some profiles and expensive for others, not cheap or expensive overall.

Coverage Options and Add-Ons

Availability and exact limits are set by the policy form filed in your state, and not all of these are offered everywhere. Read the endorsement language before assuming a scenario is covered.

• Deductible Savings Bank — cuts your collision or comprehensive deductible by $50 for every claim-free six-month period, and can take it to $0 (MoneyGeek, 2026-05-30).
• Custom Parts and Equipment (CPE) — covers aftermarket stereos, wheels, lift kits and similar additions with a standard $5,000 limit, available up to $30,000 (MoneyGeek, 2026-05-30). Factory equipment is already covered by comprehensive and collision; CPE is for what you added.
• Pet Injury Coverage — pays up to $1,000 toward a pet's vet bills if the animal is hurt in a covered accident, included automatically with no additional deductible (MoneyGeek, 2026-05-30). It attaches to collision, so a liability-only policy will not carry it.
• Loan/Lease Payoff (gap) — pays the shortfall between the actual cash value settlement and the loan balance after a total loss, capped at the percentage of ACV stated in your filed form. It must be added before the loss.
• Rental Reimbursement — pays a stated daily and per-claim maximum while a covered repair is under way. The daily limit you picked is printed on your declarations page.
• Roadside Assistance — towing, jump starts, lockout and fuel delivery, with tow distance and per-event limits set by the endorsement.
• Rideshare coverage — offered in many but not all states, and the only way the gap between a personal policy and the transportation network company's policy gets filled. Confirm it exists on your state's form before driving for an app.

Discounts Available

Only the programs with a published savings figure are tabled here.

Snapshot needs the hardest thought: 20% of users see a rate increase rather than a discount (MoneyGeek, 2026-05-30). Scoring weights sit in each state's filing, and some states restrict how much a usage-based program may surcharge.

Progressive also publishes named programs including Multi-Policy, Multi-Car, Continuous Insurance, Homeowner, Good Student, Teen Driver, Paperless, Online Quote and Automatic Payment. The percentage attached to each comes from your state's rate filing, so the only reliable number is the one itemised on your own declarations page.

Complaint Data and Claims Satisfaction

Progressive's NAIC auto complaint index is listed at 0.98 against a baseline of 1.00 for an average company (MoneyGeek, 2026-05-30) — slightly fewer confirmed complaints than expected for its size, and close enough to the baseline to read as unremarkable rather than good.

That national figure hides variation by underwriting company and state. Progressive writes through multiple subsidiaries, and the Indiana Department of Insurance's 2024 Auto Complaint Index lists Progressive Paloverde Ins Co at 1.23, above that state's 1.00 average. Check which named company appears on your declarations page before applying a national index to yourself, and pull your own state DOI's report, since index methodology and the complaint categories regulators break out — delays, denials, unsatisfactory settlement offers — differ between them.

Satisfaction scores are weaker than the complaint index. The J.D. Power Auto Claims Satisfaction score is 672 out of 1,000, below average against an industry average of 697, and Overall Customer Satisfaction is 621 out of 1,000, described as below average in every region studied (MoneyGeek, 2026-05-30). The counterweight is digital: a Digital Service Experience score of 715 out of 1,000, above average and tied for 3rd place (MoneyGeek, 2026-05-30). Read together, that is a company that handles self-service well and scores poorly once a human claim is in motion.

On solvency, AM Best lists Financial Strength at A+ (Superior) with a Long-Term Credit Standing of 'aa' for high credit quality, and S&P Global lists Financial Strength at A, strong financial security characteristics (MoneyGeek, 2026-05-30). Ratings are opinions at a point in time, apply to specific rated entities, and guarantee neither future solvency nor any particular claim outcome.

Claims Process Walkthrough

1. Report the claim through the Progressive mobile app, the online claims portal or the 24/7 claims line. The app route is what the 715 Digital Service Experience score reflects (MoneyGeek, 2026-05-30). Have the policy number, date and location, the other driver's details and any police report number.
2. Get a claims representative assigned. Progressive does not publish an average time-to-first-contact or time-to-payout figure, so there is no insurer-specific number to hold it to. What does apply is your state's unfair claims settlement practices law, which sets acknowledgement and decision deadlines for every insurer licensed there — those are state deadlines, not a Progressive policy.
3. Choose how the damage is inspected: photo estimating through the app, a field adjuster visit, or a drop-off at a Progressive Service Center where one operates, which handles inspection and repair coordination in one place. Service Center coverage is regional, not nationwide.
4. Pick a shop. Use a Network shop, where the repair comes with a written guarantee, or any shop you choose. Every state gives you the right to select your own repairer; the guarantee is the insurer-specific part.
5. Settle the deductible and payment. Your collision or comprehensive deductible comes off the repair payment, reduced by any Deductible Savings Bank credit of $50 per claim-free six-month period (MoneyGeek, 2026-05-30). Total losses settle at actual cash value, and gap exists only if Loan/Lease Payoff was added before the loss.
6. Escalate in writing. Ask for the specific policy language and estimate the decision rests on, then file with your state DOI if it is unresolved. No claim outcome is guaranteed on any timeline.

Who This Insurer Is Best and Worst For

• Drivers with a DUI — likely the best fit. Full coverage at $165/month, 24% below the national average, with an affordability rank of 4, is the strongest position in the table (MoneyGeek, 2026-05-30). Quote it before buying from a non-standard carrier.
• Drivers with poor credit, where scoring is allowed — worth quoting. $288/month full coverage is 5% below average, though the absolute number still sits well above the $125/month clean-record adult figure (MoneyGeek, 2026-05-30).
• Young drivers and families adding a teen — usually a poor fit on price. $377/month full coverage, 25% above average with an affordability rank of 14, is where Progressive is least competitive (MoneyGeek, 2026-05-30).
• App-first drivers — a reasonable fit. The 715 Digital Service Experience score, tied for 3rd, is the only above-average service figure in the set (MoneyGeek, 2026-05-30).
• Anyone who expects to use the claims department — go in with eyes open. A 672 claims score against a 697 average and 621 overall, below average in all regions, sit uneasily against the 0.98 complaint index (MoneyGeek, 2026-05-30).