During the course of our auto insurance research, the Star team really began to appreciate how much the world of auto insurance quotes has changed. Gone are the days when you actually had to go into an insurance provider’s office and talk to an agent. Now everything can be done from the comfort of your home. We guess you could say it's very “progressive”, which brings us to our next auto insurance review. Here's how Progressive Insurance measured up to the competition.
What’s New with Progressive:
- Easy online auto quotes
- Online claims service
- Access to multiple insurance providers
StarReviews' Favorite Progressive Feature:
The Star team is an “instant gratification” kind of group. That's probably why we really liked the fact that Progressive allows you to buy and print your insurance documents in a single online session. Sit down at your computer uninsured and walk away with proof of insurance in hand just minutes later. What more could you ask for?
About Progressive:
Progressive Insurance has been providing auto insurance since 1937. Started by Joseph Lewis and Jack Green, Progressive’s main focus has always been automobile insurance. Over the years Progressive had grown by leaps and bounds and is an insurance-industry leader in both customer service and convenience.
What Progressive Offers:
- Auto insurance
- Recreational vehicle insurance
- Commercial vehicle insurance
- Information Privacy Protection
- Comparison Rates
- Paperless Billing
The Progressive Experience:
During our exploration of the Progressive website we found that there were many things that we liked. For example, the site has a ticker that displays the recent quote comparisons that were completed by other people and shows the vehicle and the prices that were quoted to the potential buyer. This gave us an instant clue about what we might expect to pay for our auto insurance. From there we jumped right into the quote process.
The Progressive quote process requires your name, date of birth, zip code and email address – which we found to be simple enough. The next several pages queried us about our mailing address, the kind of vehicle(s) that we wanted to insure, our driving record and the types of coverage that we wanted to purchase. When we finished the forms, we were instantly given our quotes online.
Our quotes were presented to us in multiple categories including Minimum, Economy, Recommended, Plus and Custom. Each one of the categories provided a rate per month as well as the paid in full price of each of the respective plans. We were very pleased with the way the quotes were presented as it allowed us to quickly determine which plan would best meet our needs.
Once you become a Progressive customer, you'll be happy to know you can manage your policy online (making changes if necessary) and you can even file claims via the website. Forget about having to call an agent with every little need. This site allows you to save time and frustration by managing things yourself.
Progressive Pricing:
Pricing will vary on a case by case basis and is contingent on certain factors. Pricing quotes should be obtained directly through Progressive.
Progressive Customer Service:
We found the service level at Progressive to be first class. This is due to several factors, the most important ones being 24/7 access to their support staff and the level of friendliness and knowledge that we encountered. No matter what questions we threw at the rep we talked with, she had a friendly and understandable response ready. The level of service was above par and really impressed us. We also really liked all of the website support options. From FAQs to an insurance terms glossary, Progressive had it all. If you're looking for insurance information, the Progressive website will prove to be very useful.
Upside:
- Well presented and informative quotes, great customer service and accessibility, insurance plans to cover nearly any type of vehicle
Downside:
- You might be able to find cheaper coverage elsewhere.