Liberty Mutual Vs. Progressive: Which Is Best? (2024) (2024)

Written by:

Dash Lewis, Writer

Written by: Dash Lewis Content Writer

02/10/2024 04:11 PM

Key Points:

• Liberty Mutual and Progressive offer strong coverage options and multiple discounts for different drivers.
• Liberty Mutual scores a bit higher for its shopping experience but both have comparable claims experiences according to J.D. Power.
• We rate Liberty Mutual slightly ahead of Progressive for its reputation, coverage, discounts, and more.

Both Liberty Mutual and Progressive made our list of the best car insurance companies in the nation. In this head-to-head review, we compare Liberty Mutual vs. Progressive by looking at coverage, cost, customer reviews, and the quotes and claims processes to help you determine which provider is best for you.

Liberty Mutual Vs. Progressive Overview

Liberty Mutual and Progressive are both national car insurance providers that offer standard coverage with optional add-ons. The insurance companies are about equal when it comes to cost and discounts, as well as quotes and claims processing. While Progressive has better customer reviews, Liberty Mutual performs better in terms of available coverage, and is our overall recommended provider between the two.

Liberty Mutual Vs. Progressive: Which One’s Better?

Considering it offers a few more extra coverage options and has a slightly better shopping experience, we rank Liberty Mutual insurance ahead of Progressive overall. Below, you can compare our ratings for these companies in multiple categories.

Liberty Mutual Vs. Progressive: Industry Ratings

The table below outlines industry ratings for both insurers. Keep these highlights in mind while you compare Liberty Mutual vs. Progressive car insurance in detail.

*Scores from the 2023 J.D. Power U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study℠

With scores like these from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and AM Best, we know that each company has sound business practices, and both are financially stable enough to pay out claims.

Liberty Mutual Vs. Progressive: Coverage

When it comes to auto insurance coverage, both Liberty Mutual and Progressive have a lot to offer. You can get important coverage like accident forgiveness and guaranteed asset protection (GAP) insurance with either company, but some types of auto insurance are specific to either Liberty Mutual or Progressive.

Car insurance works a little differently in each state, though most coverage options are the same. Here are the standard car insurance options available in most states from both companies:

• Bodily Injury Liability (BI): This pays for other people’s medical bills when you cause an accident.
• Property Damage Liability (PD): This pays for other people’s auto repairs when you cause an accident. Almost all states except New Hampshire and Virginia require both types of liability insurance.
• Collision Insurance: This covers damage from accidents no matter the fault and replaces your car in the case of a total loss.
• Comprehensive Car Insurance: This covers environmental damage and theft plus damage from hitting stationary objects.
• Personal Injury Protection (PIP): This can cover your medical bills and some other things like lost wages no matter who caused the accident. It’s often required in states with no-fault insurance systems like Florida and Michigan.
• Medical Payments (MedPay): This covers your medical bills up to a limit and can cover your health insurance deductible.
• Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM): This covers your medical bills and repair costs if someone without enough insurance causes an accident. It applies in hit-and-run situations. Many states require it including Illinois, New Jersey, and New York.

The term full coverage insurance usually refers to the combination of liability insurance with comprehensive and collision coverage. Of course, it also includes any other required coverages in your state.

Liberty Mutual and Progressive: Extra Coverage Options

Insurance companies offer different extras beyond the standard requirements. Below, you can see that Liberty Mutual offers a few more options than Progressive, but both companies have unique strengths. In particular, Liberty Mutual has a few young driver discounts which makes it a great insurance option for new drivers.

Standout Coverage From Liberty Mutual

Below are the coverages that make Liberty Mutual unique:

• Lifetime repair guarantee: After an accident, Liberty Mutual will make arrangements for your repairs, and those repairs will be guaranteed for as long as the vehicle is in your possession.
• Teachers car insurance: This type of insurance is exclusively available to people who are employed as full-time teachers or professors. It is provided at no additional cost on top of existing car insurance coverage and includes personal property protection for teaching materials and more.

Standout Coverage From Progressive

Below are the coverages that make Progressive unique:

• Custom parts and equipment value: Progressive’s CPE insurance covers any aftermarket installations to your car, including paint jobs, stereos, and more. If your new stereo is stolen out of your car, Progressive will help you pay to replace it.
• Rideshare insurance: If you drive for Uber, Lyft, or another ridesharing service, you’ll want this coverage. Rideshare insurance covers you and your passengers for medical bills after an accident, emergency roadside assistance, and rental car reimbursem*nt. It covers the gap between the rideshare company’s insurance and a standard car insurance policy.

Which Insurer Has The Best Coverage?

When you compare Liberty Mutual vs. Progressive, Liberty Mutual offers more choices for auto insurance coverage. However, certain specialty insurance coverage options like teacher’s car insurance and Mexico car insurance won’t apply to all drivers. Be sure to consider the types of coverage that you would actually use.

Liberty Mutual Vs. Progressive: Cost And Discounts

The cost of your car insurance policy depends on many things, including your location, age, marital status, credit score, and ultimately, which provider you choose. When we researched the cost of Liberty Mutual vs. Progressive, we found that the auto insurance companies have similar price points.

Insurance underwriters use factors in your background to assess risk for the company. For example, both companies would charge higher auto insurance rates for an 18-year-old policyholder with two tickets on their driving record than a 50-year-old with a clean record.

Both Liberty Mutual and Progressive offer online and over-the-phone options for potential customers looking for free quotes with no obligations. One thing that puts Progressive ahead of Liberty Mutual in this category is its Name Your Price® tool. To use this tool, customers input how much they want to pay for car insurance, then are matched with coverage to fit their desired budget.

You can also work with an insurance broker to get quotes from multiple companies. A broker knows insurance laws in your state and can help you find policies with the best rates for you.

Liberty Mutual and Progressive Discounts

To get a better sense of how much you would personally pay for auto insurance, we recommend looking at the discounts you would qualify for. Here’s a snapshot of the insurance discount offers from Liberty Mutual and Progressive.

Both auto insurers have accident forgiveness, but Progressive’s accident forgiveness can be separated into two different offerings. Small accident forgiveness is applied to every customer’s policy at no extra cost as soon as they join Progressive. It covers claims that are less than $500. Large accident forgiveness is available after you have been with Progressive for five years and accident-free for three years.

Progressive Vs. Liberty Mutual Usage-Based Insurance

When it comes to usage-based insurance, you may have a difficult time choosing between Liberty Mutual vs. Progressive. Liberty Mutual’s RightTrack^® and Progressive’s Snapshot^® are mobile app-based telematics programs that monitor your driving habits to help you save on car insurance. Data collected by Snapshot will never increase your rates–it can only qualify you for discounts if you’re a safe driver.

If you currently have a policy with one of these providers for a different insurance product, such as renters or home insurance, and are exploring your options for car insurance, we encourage you to stick with your provider. Both companies are excellent choices and offer a discount for bundling multiple policies.

Liberty Mutual Vs. Progressive: Customer Experience

Liberty Mutual has slightly higher customer satisfaction ratings than Progressive. In terms of overall satisfaction with the auto insurance quotes process, Liberty Mutual pulls ahead according to the 2023 J.D. Power U.S. Insurance Shopping Study^℠. The auto insurer earned a score of 865 out of a possible 1,000, while Progressive earned 853. Liberty Mutual ranked in second place in the study for mass-market companies.

Looking at the 2023 J.D. Power U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study presents a slightly different picture. Here, Progressive pulls ahead with 870 points compared to Liberty Mutual’s 866. Both of these scores are below the industry average of 878. This means customers of both companies said there was room to improve with how Liberty Mutual and Progressive handled the claims experience.

BBB ratings show how a company responds to complaints over time. Liberty Mutual has an A- rating with accreditation, and Progressive has an A rating from the platform. These ratings show taht both companies respond to complaints relatively quickly.

Liberty Mutual Vs. Progressive: Our Take

Liberty Mutual and Progressive are both highly regarded auto insurance providers that offer a wide range of discounts and receive high marks from industry experts and customers alike. Liberty Mutual offers a better shopping experience though both companies are on par with one another for the claims experience. To find the cheapest car insurance quote, we recommend comparing rates from both providers.

More Recommendations For Auto Insurance

We recommend drivers considering Liberty Mutual and Progressive also look into Geico and USAA auto insurance.

Geico: Best for Basic Coverage

In our Geico review, we ranked it 4.5 stars out of 5.0 and named the provider Best for Basic Coverage due to its low car insurance rates and excellent customer service.

Geico offers standard car insurance coverage similar to other providers, as well as roadside assistance, rental car reimbursem*nt, and mechanical breakdown insurance. Plus, Geico offers some great discounts like:

• Good driver discount: Remain accident-free for five years and save on your car insurance. Some Geico customers save up to 26 percent.
• Military discount: If you’re a member of the military, you could get up to 15 percent off your car insurance, and if you’re deployed, you could save up to 22 percent.
• Federal employee discount: Federal employees are eligible for discounts.

Compare: Geico vs. Progressive

USAA: Best For Military Members

While we didn’t name USAA the best overall provider in our USAA auto insurance review, we named it Best for Military Members, and gave it a rating of 4.5 out of 5.0. Like Geico, it offers low rates to its customers, but you must be a member of the military, a veteran, or the immediate family member of someone in the military to qualify for USAA coverage. If you’re eligible, the insurer offers several money-saving opportunities, such as:

• Family discount: Receive insurance premium reductions if you have family members with a USAA policy.
• New vehicle discount: If your vehicle is less than three years old, it is eligible for this discount.
• Premier driver discount: Those with good driving records for five years receive reduced policy rates.

Liberty Mutual Vs. Progressive: FAQ

Below are a few frequently asked questions when comparing Liberty Mutual and Progressive:

How We Rate Insurers

Our review process aims to deliver consistent and unbiased assessments of car insurance providers. While there are multiple qualities that make a car insurance company successful, our review team focuses on those we believe are the most important for consumers:

• Reliability: It’s important that an auto insurer is able to meet its claims obligations. Companies with a strong financial strength rating from AM Best score best in this category. Established insurers with a long history of reliable service also receive positive marks.
• Availability: Insurance companies that offer wider availability to consumers in terms of state availability and few eligibility requirements are more likely to meet consumer needs.
• Cost: Cost can be difficult to compare between insurers because so many factors impact annual premiums. The cheapest insurer for one driver may not be the cheapest for another. To determine our cost score, we look at insurance rate estimates generated by Quadrant Information Services, discount opportunities, and consumer reports.
• Coverage: To determine our coverage score, we look at the number of coverage options available as well as coverage limits and deductible options. Our ratings also take into account additional services and benefits like roadside assistance.
• Service: We comb through customer reviews on sites like the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to learn about customer experiences. Insurers with a low volume of complaints score well in this area. We also consider the claims process, giving higher ratings to car insurance providers that offer a smooth experience.
• Technology: Providers with an online quote tool, easy-to-use claims app and a usage-based insurance app score best in this category.

*Data accurate at time of publication.

Dash Lewis Content Writer