Progressive vs. USAA Car Insurance: Which Is Better for You?

Bottom line: USAA generally has cheaper rates than Progressive, but membership is limited to military members, veterans, and their family members.

USAA generally has cheaper car insurance rates than Progressive, however, USAA membership is limited to current and former military members and their families. Keep in mind, though, that many factors influence your car insurance rates, including your ZIP code, age, driving history, vehicle, and credit history.

Like other top car insurance companies, both Progressive and USAA offer standard types of auto insurance coverage, including:

• Liability coverage
• Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage
• Medical payments
• Personal injury protection (PIP)
• Comprehensive
• Collision

Each company also provides common add-on coverages, like rental reimbursement, roadside assistance, and umbrella insurance.

Progressive also offers powersports insurance for vehicles like RVs/motorhomes, boats, motorcycles, electronic bikes, and ATVs/UTVs. USAA actually offers these types of coverage through an alliance with Progressive. USAA members can buy these policies at a 5% discount, but Progressive is the insurer.

Both companies are leading rideshare driver insurance companies, though USAA doesn't offer this coverage in Hawaii, North Carolina, Michigan, Montana, New Mexico, New York, South Carolina, or Virginia.

Each insurer has a few unique types of coverage. For example, Progressive automatically provides pet injury coverage when you include collision insurance on your policy. If your pet gets injured while riding in your vehicle, up to $1,000 of their vet bills will be covered. If you're a USAA member with comprehensive and collision insurance, you can add car replacement assistance to your policy, which provides up to 20% over your car's cash value if it's totaled or stolen.

Both Progressive and USAA offer multiple types of discounts. Many of these discounts are fairly standard, like good student discounts and discounts for bundling multiple types of policies, e.g., auto insurance and homeowner insurance.

Each insurer also allows you to earn personalized rates based on your behavior if you agree to let a telematics device monitor your driving activity: USAA through its SafePilot app and Progressive through its Snapshot app or plug-in device. USAA says you can save up to 30% with SafePilot, and participation will never increase your premiums. While Progressive says the average driver saves about $231 through Snapshot, about 20% of drivers see their rates increase.

Not surprisingly, USAA has a couple of discounts tailored to military families: Members who are deployed or are storing an insured vehicle for another reason can save up to 60%. If you garage your car on a military base, you can also save up to 15%.

Most of us buy car insurance with the goal of never having to use it. Both Progressive and USAA have a network of pre-approved repair shops that you can take your car to if you're involved in a collision. While using a shop within each company's network can streamline the repair process, the law generally prohibits insurers from requiring you to use a specific shop.

You can initiate Progressive's claims process by logging into your policy or using the mobile app. If you use a shop within Progressive's network, it'll handle the repair process from start to finish and pay the shop directly. You don't have to stick with a shop within Progressive's network, though. If you go to an outside shop, you'll need to provide Progressive with a copy of the repair estimate. Progressive will then issue the payment to you or directly to the shop.

With USAA, you'll need to file a claim online or using the USAA mobile app. You can receive a repair estimate in just four hours if you use the photo estimation tool. If you use a repair shop within USAA's Streamlined Appraisal Repair Service (STARS) network, USAA will coordinate repairs. You'll pay the deductible directly to the auto shop, and USAA will handle the rest of the bill. Most shops within the STARS network also have an Enterprise Rent-a-Car onsite or nearby. If you go outside the STARS network, you'll be responsible for coordinating repairs.

Progressive and USAA both make it easy to shop for a quote, start a claim, or request emergency roadside assistance online via mobile app. Progressive's mobile app and USAA's mobile app each receive an average rating of 4.8 stars on the App Store.

If you need to speak with a human, you can call Progressive customer support 24/7. USAA's customer support is available from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. CT Saturdays, and closed on Sundays and major holidays.

Both Progressiveand USAA receive a higher-than-average number of complaints relative to companies of the same size, according to complaint data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). Neither Progressive nor USAA earned top rankings for any region on the J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Auto Insurance Study or the J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study.

USAA generally offers lower auto insurance rates than Progressive, but membership is limited to members of the military, veterans, and their families. But in some situations, Progressive may have lower rates. For example, drivers with a DUI/DWI generally pay lower rates through Progressive than through USAA, according to data from The Motley Fool Ascent.

Even if you're eligible for USAA membership, it's generally worth comparing quotes. Progressive has several options for customizing your policy, including the Name Your Price Tool, which provides several coverage options depending on how much you want to pay. While it's not quite as easy to customize your policy with USAA, both companies offer competitive driver discounts. If you're open to using a telematics device, you could save even more money by demonstrating safe driving habits.

If you need multiple policies -- for example, auto insurance in addition to a homeowners or renters policy -- it's worth looking at the savings from buying both policies through the same insurer. Progressive and USAA both offer discounts when you bundle policies.