Progressive vs. State Farm Car Insurance: Which Is Better For You?

Bottom line: Progressive offers cheaper premiums for a variety of drivers, while State Farm has a more highly-valued claims process.

On average, Progressive is notably cheaper than State Farm for a variety of personas, like drivers with speeding tickets, DUIs, and poor credit. Interestingly enough, State Farm has a slightly cheaper average premium for teen drivers, even though, as noted below, Progressive offers a straight-up discount on premiums for teens.

Progressive and State Farm offer insurance for many of the same vehicles, including cars, boats, RVs, trailers, motorcycles, and off-road vehicles (like golf carts, ATVs, and snowmobiles). Both companies also provide a full suite of standard coverage, such as:

• Liability
• Comprehensive
• Collision
• Uninsured motorist coverage
• Rental car reimbursement
• Ridesharing insurance

Between the two, however, Progressive has slightly more (and more unusual) car insurance options. For one, it sells custom parts and equipment (CPE) coverage, which can repair or replace up to $5,000 of auto modifications, like a new paint job or custom wheels. It also has a "Deductible Savings Bank," which will subtract $50 from a collision or comprehensive premium for every six months a driver goes without accidents or violations. Finally, Progressive also offers pet injury coverage, which covers up to $1,000 of veterinary bills if a pet is injured in an accident.

Progressive and State Farm both have a generous lineup of discounts. Progressive and State Farm offer the same number of discounts, but State Farm offers more discounts for safe vehicles (passive restraint and vehicle safety, for instance), while Progressive offers more discounts for factors unrelated to driving or cars, like signing up online and paperless statements.

Both companies also offer discounts through their own telematics programs, which monitor driving and reduce premiums for excellent driving habits. State Farm's program is called "Drive Safe & Save," which can purportedly save drivers up to 30% with good driving. "Snapshot" is Progressive's program, and it claims drivers save an average of $231 per year.

Progressive and State Farm both make filing a claim easy. Drivers can file claims online, through a mobile app, or by calling claims centers. They can also submit photos online and sometimes get estimates for basic and minor external damage within a couple of days.

One perk that sets State Farm apart is its Select Service® program. When drivers use a body shop within this program, they get a guaranteed completion date, pick up and delivery upon request, and a limited lifetime warranty from the shop. This last benefit can give drivers peace of mind, knowing that they can take their cars back to the same shop at no charge if a problem persists or a new problem arises that can be linked to the repairs.

Both Progressive and State Farm have low ratings on their BBB profiles, but while Progressive has an A rating, State Farm has a C-. That said, State Farm has a much higher ranking in J.D. Power's 2023 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study. While State Farm ranked fifth out of 25 companies, Progressive ranked 19th.

All things considered, both Progressive and State Farm offer a variety of insurance coverage for a low price. That said, State Farm might be better for drivers if they dread the claims process or want a limited lifetime warranty for any repairs. On the flip side, Progressive might be better if drivers have a blemish on their driving record (DUI or speeding tickets) or want any of its more unusual coverage options. It's best to compare rates from both companies, however, as well as with other highly rated car insurance companies, as premiums can vary from driver to driver.