Nationwide Vs Progressive: Which Is Best In 2020?

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Nationwide and Progressive are two popular household names when it comes to car insurance. But is one a better choice for you and your vehicle? In this review, we’ll compare Nationwide vs Progressive over a variety of categories.

Both Nationwide and Progressive made our list of the best auto insurance companies in the nation. In the end, you may decide that getting a quote from both is your best option. After all, we always recommend getting several auto insurance quotes so you can compare coverage. Use our tool below to get started.

In this article:

Nationwide And Progressive Highlight Reel

We found Nationwide car insurance to be the best option on the market for seniors, while Progressive car insurance is our first choice for high-risk drivers. However, we think both would provide excellent coverage for most drivers. Here’s a quick overview of our findings.

Nationwide Vs Progressive: Coverage Options

Car insurance companies offer many different types of coverage to give customers the peace of mind they need. Compare these options from Nationwide vs Progressive to see which company has more of what you want:

Standout Coverage From Both Providers

Deductible savings bank: Both Progressive and Nationwide offer deductible savings banks. With Progressive, $50 will be subtracted from your collision and comprehensive deductible for every claim-free policy period. With Nationwide, your deductible will be decreased by $100 for every year you drive safely (up to $500).

Accident forgiveness: Nationwide’s accident forgiveness is available for customers in select states. It protects your car insurance rates from increasing after your first at-fault accident.

When comparing Nationwide vs Progressive, we prefer Progressive’s accident forgiveness. You can get small accident forgiveness automatically when you sign up – it includes claims for less than $500. Large accident forgiveness is available as an additional purchase for drivers who have been driving safely with Progressive for more than five years.

Standout Coverage From Nationwide

Towing and labor: Nationwide differentiates between its roadside assistance policy, which includes battery jumps, flat tire services, and towing, and its towing and labor policy that only covers the cost of a tow and labor for up to one hour. Progressive’s roadside assistance policy includes towing and labor and more roadside help.

Total loss deductible waiver: If you add this coverage to your policy, you won’t have to pay the cost of your collision or comprehensive deductible if your car is totaled in an accident.

Standout Coverage From Progressive

Custom parts and equipment: This type of protection covers any aftermarket installation that is stolen or damaged, including your car’s stereo system, custom paint job, and more.

Rideshare insurance: This type of coverage is for people who drive for a rideshare service like Uber or Lyft. It covers the cost of medical expenses for you and your passenger, plus rental car reimbursement.

Nationwide Vs Progressive: Cost And Discounts

The cost of car insurance is a major factor when trying to decide what insurance company to choose and how satisfied you’ll be long-term. We compared the cost of policies from Progressive vs Nationwide and found that both offer competitive rates.

Here’s the driver profile we used:

• 23-year-old female driver
• Located in North Carolina
• Unmarried
• Employed (not by the government)
• Not a homeowner

We kept the coverages the same from each provider. Let’s compare the car insurance quotes we got for Nationwide vs Progressive:

We found that car insurance rates from Progressive were more affordable for our driver than Nationwide. Before making a final decision on cost though, it’s important to consider each provider’s discounts. The amount of discounts you qualify for will give you a better idea of which auto insurance company will be most cost-effective for your needs.

Standout Discounts From Nationwide

Affinity membership: Nationwide partners with multiple academic and professional organizations to give certain members and employees discounts on car insurance.

Standout Discounts From Progressive

Distant student discount: If a student on your policy goes to school 100 miles away from home or farther and doesn’t bring the insured car to school, you get a discount on your insurance.

Continuous insurance: You qualify for this discount if you haven’t had any lapses in insurance or cancellations in the past from any car insurance provider.

Name Your Price® tool: While not technically a discount, Progressive’s Name Your Price tool can provide great savings. If you go to Progressive to compare quotes, you can search for plans that fit your budget by inputting the price you want to pay for your car insurance first.

Comparing Usage-Based Discounts

Between Nationwide vs Progressive, both companies offer usage-based discount programs through mobile apps or plug-in devices. Here are some of the strengths we found in each program:

Nationwide Vs Progressive: Quotes And Claims

Both Nationwide and Progressive offer online or over-the-phone quotes. To measure each company’s quotes processes, we looked to the J.D. Power’s 2019 U.S. Insurance Shopping Study℠ that measured customer satisfaction for policy price, distribution channel, and policy offerings. Here were the results:

• Nationwide: 828/1,000
• Progressive: 838/1,000

These numbers tell us that customers are slightly more pleased with the shopping experience provided by Progressive when comparing Nationwide vs Progressive.

According to the J.D. Power 2019 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study℠, Nationwide customers report higher satisfaction with claims servicing than Progressive customers. Nationwide earned 867 points out of a possible 1,000 in the study, and Progressive earned an 856 points.

Nationwide Vs Progressive: Ratings And Reviews

Before you make your final decision, let’s see what experts and current customers have to say about Nationwide and Progressive.

Both companies received A+ ratings from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and AM Best. The BBB rates a company’s transparency and business practices, among other things, and AM Best rates a company’s financial strength.

To give you a better idea of the service you can expect by region, here’s how Nationwide and Progressive performed in the J.D. Power 2019 U.S. Auto Insurance Study℠. The study measured customer satisfaction with company interaction, policy offerings, the billing process, and other factors.

*All ratings are based on a 1,000-point scale.

Finally, we took a look at customer reviews to compare Nationwide vs Progressive. BBB reviewers praised Nationwide for knowledgeable, professional representatives but complained about the slow claims process. Progressive, on the other hand, was complimented on exceptional customer service and put down for unexplained rate increases.

Nationwide Vs Progressive: Which Provider Is Best? 

Our Recommended Car Insurance Providers

You can never have too many options for car insurance. It’s smart to get quotes from multiple sources and compare them, so you know you’re paying the best rates for your coverage.

In your search, we recommend checking out USAA and Geico, the two auto insurance companies that performed best in our industry review. Follow the link below to start comparing quotes from top insurers.

USAA: Best For Military

USAA car insurance is available exclusively to military members and their immediate family members. If you qualify for USAA car insurance, it could be the best provider for you. We rated USAA at 5.0 stars, the highest of any provider we reviewed.

With USAA, you can get standard coverage and military-specific discounts to save money on your auto insurance. Plus, USAA has earned high marks from experts, topping the charts in multiple J.D. Power studies.

Geico: Best Overall

We named Geico auto insurance the best choice overall. Although USAA performed better, Geico is available to all drivers and offers a great combination of extensive coverage and low rates. In addition to standard coverage, you have the option to add:

• Roadside assistance
• Rental car reimbursement
• Mechanical breakdown insurance
• And more

Geico also offers competitive discounts for groups like safe drivers, student drivers, military personnel, and accident-free drivers.

To further compare these two providers, read our review of Geico vs USAA.

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