American Family Insurance vs Progressive: Which Is Better?

Choosing between American Family Insurance and Progressive for your auto insurance can be difficult. Both companies have been around for decades and offer comprehensive coverage options.

To help you decide, in this comprehensive guide we’ll compare American Family vs Progressive on key factors like:

Cost of insurance
Discounts offered
Customer service ratings
Types of coverage available
Availability in each state

By the end, you’ll have the details to determine which top insurer best fits your needs and budget.

Cost Comparison: American Family vs Progressive

One of the most important considerations when choosing an auto insurer is how much you’ll pay in premiums. Here’s an overview of average rates from American Family and Progressive:

For minimum coverage, American Family costs approximately $1,290 per year while Progressive costs about $981 per year on average.
Full coverage costs around $2,850 per year with American Family and $2,760 per year with Progressive.
Based on these published rate estimates, Progressive offers cheaper car insurance rates than American Family across different policy types and levels of coverage.
However, actual prices vary significantly based on factors like your age, location, and driving record. You’ll need to get custom quotes to see exact pricing for your situation.

Discounts: American Family vs Progressive

Both insurers offer a range of discounts to help lower your premiums:

American Family Discounts

Multi-policy
Pay in full
Paperless billing
Good student
Defensive driver
Teen driver

Progressive Discounts

Multi-policy
Multi-vehicle
Good driver
Continuous coverage
Paperless billing
Auto pay
Loyalty

American Family has 18 types of discounts versus 13 from Progressive. However, keep in mind that total cost is generally more important than number of discounts when comparing car insurance companies.

Customer Service: American Family vs Progressive

You want an insurer that offers quality customer service and makes the claims process easy. Here’s how American Family and Progressive compare:

J.D. Power Claims Satisfaction Rating: American Family scored 4.4/5 while Progressive scored 4.3/5.
NAIC Complaint Index: American Family scored 0.43 and Progressive scored 1.45. Lower is better on this complaint metric.
WalletHub Editors’ Rating: American Family scored 4.3/5 and Progressive scored 3.9/5
WalletHub Users’ Rating: American Family scored 3.4/5 and Progressive scored 2.6/5

Based on these ratings, American Family tends to have better customer satisfaction compared to Progressive.

Coverage Options: American Family vs Progressive

American Family and Progressive both provide standard auto insurance coverages like:

Liability
Comprehensive
Collision
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist
Medical Payments

For additional protection, here are some notable coverage options each company offers:

American Family

Rideshare coverage
Roadside assistance
Rental reimbursement

Progressive

Custom parts coverage
Loan/lease payoff
Rideshare coverage
Roadside assistance

The available insurance options are very similar between providers. Both offer the standard coverages drivers expect plus useful add-ons for specialized situations.

Availability: American Family vs Progressive

American Family operates in 19 states while Progressive is available nationwide:

American Family:

Arizona
Colorado
Georgia
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Minnesota
Missouri
Nebraska
Nevada
North Dakota
Ohio
Oregon
South Dakota
Utah
Washington
Wisconsin

Progressive:

All 50 states

So Progressive will be the option for drivers in states not served by American Family. But both companies have broad availability.

The Bottom Line: American Family vs Progressive

To summarize the comparison:

Cost: Progressive offers cheaper rates overall
Discounts: American Family has more discounts
Customer Service: American Family rated higher
Coverage: Both offer standard options plus extras
Availability: Progressive in all states vs American Family in 19 states

For most drivers, the decision will come down to cost versus customer service. Progressive provides lower premiums while American Family gets better ratings for claims and support.

Our recommendation is to get free quotes from both insurers. See exact pricing for your situation. Then you can make the right choice between saving money with Progressive or going with American Family for renowned service. There’s really no wrong decision between these two great insurance providers.

American Family Insurance Company Review – What you need to know

FAQ

Is Progressive Insurance really cheaper?

Progressive car insurance costs $2,075 per year on average for full coverage insurance. That rate is about $70 a year less than the average national annual rate of $2,148.

Why is American family insurance so expensive?

Candace Baker, Car Insurance Writer American Family is so expensive because car insurance is expensive in general, due to rising costs for insurers. But at $665 per year, the average American Family car insurance premium is actually about the same as the national average of $671 per year.

What is cheaper than Progressive?

Geico and USAA are among the insurance companies that are cheaper than Progressive.

Why is Progressive Direct cheaper than with an agent?

Because there are differences in expenses or other business aspects among these sales channels, prices may vary based on how you buy. For example, if you buy through an agent or broker, your car insurance price includes the commission paid to the agent or broker selling the policy.