Esurance is an Allstate company that operates 100% online. Licensed to sell car insurance in 43 U.S. states, Esurance’s technology helps drivers buy and manage their policies quickly and with little fuss. That said, Allstate actually writes Esurance policies — and Esurance no longer sells new policies.
Progressive operates in all 50 U.S. states plus Washington, D.C., and is America’s third-largest property and casualty insurance company.[?] While Progressive has an extensive selection of coverages, its chatbot isn’t very intuitive, and live customer service can be difficult to reach.
Read on to learn more about each of these insurers to determine if either is the right fit for you.
On average, Progressive offers lower liability-only quotes than Esurance.
Progressive offers policies in all 50 U.S. states, whereas Esurance — which used to offer policies in 43 states — no longer writes new policies.
Progressive offers more insurance coverages than Esurance — including pet insurance, through its partner Pets Best.
Esurance vs. Progressive: The verdict
Esurance policies are underwritten by Allstate and are generally cheaper than Progressive policies. But Esurance doesn’t actively seek new business, and Progressive offers more discounts and policy options. Progressive has an Insurify Quality (IQ) Score of 8.7 out of 10, compared to Esurance’s score of 8.9.
The average rate for full coverage from Progressive is $173 per month. The average rate for liability coverage is $101. Esurance’s policies are written by Allstate, and the average rate for full-coverage insurance from Allstate is $139. The average rate for liability coverage is $74 per month.
Esurance coverage is relatively basic, but the company also offers gap coverage. Progressive’s loan/lease payoff coverage is less comprehensive than gap coverage, but it has a wider range of options, including rental car reimbursement.
Progressive also has better discounts, and more of them than Esurance, which only offers bundling discounts with renters insurance and discounts for using its telemetrics program.
Progressive has those plus a long list of additional discounts.
Progressive also ranked 19th in the J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Survey, but Allstate, which writes Esurance’s policies, ranked eighth.[?]
Factor | Esurance | Progressive |
|---|---|---|
| IQ Score | 8.9 (Allstate) | 8.7 |
| Customer satisfaction score | 882 (Allstate) | 870 |
| Average quote: liability only | $74 (Allstate) | $101 |
| Number of available discounts | 5 | 13 |
| Number of states where it operates | 43 | 50 |
Our editorial team spent more than 350 hours developing the Insurify Quality (IQ) Score and scoring insurance companies. The IQ Score objectively analyzes and calculates a score for insurers using more than 15 crucial criteria. The team weighted criteria by importance to the consumer — factors such as customer reviews and affordability influence the score more than availability and third-party ratings.
We rate each company on a 1 to 10 scale based on five categories: financial ratings, customer satisfaction, affordability, customer support and transparency, and availability. Insurify updates ratings once a year or as more recent information becomes available.
- Third-party financial ratings: Insurify uses data from AM Best, S&P, Moody’s, and more to compare insurance companies’ credit and ability to pay out future claims.
- Customer satisfaction: To calculate this score, Insurify analyzed more than 55,000 customer reviews across 155 car insurance companies. We also consider third-party ratings from J.D. Power, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, and Trustpilot.
- Affordability: Our data scientists analyzed more than 90 million real-time auto insurance rates from our partners across the U.S., as well as available discounts, to calculate an affordability score.
- Customer support and transparency: This measures coverage options, ease of claims filing, and the insurer's transparency surrounding discounts, coverages, and claims process.
- Availability and reach: Insurify scores availability and reach by identifying the number of states in which insurers offer coverage and company size by market share.
Esurance
Esurance doesn’t have its own listing in market-share data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), nor does it rank for customer satisfaction in J.D. Power surveys, but the Better Business Bureau (BBB) gives it a B+.[?]
Progressive
Progressive is the second-largest writer of private passenger policies in the U.S. While it’s not a top performer in J.D. Power’s customer satisfaction surveys overall, it does rank in the top 10 or 11 companies in most regions of the U.S. and the top 20 nationwide.
Esurance DriveSense vs. Progressive Snapshot
DriveSense and Snapshot are telematics programs that record data about your driving habits. If the data shows you to be a safe driver, you can earn discounts on your car insurance policy.
DriveSense is an app-based technology available in 35 of the 43 states where Esurance is available. Esurance will enroll you automatically when you start a rate quote and send you a link to download the app. You’ll get a discount for enrolling, but after that, you must record at least 50 trips per term to earn ongoing discounts.
To participate in Progressive’s Snapshot program, first request a quote. You can then enroll and choose to use either the mobile app or plug-in dongle. You’ll receive an average discount of $94 for signing up and a discount of $231 upon completion of the program, which usually lasts six months. But you should know that about 20% of drivers get a rate increase because of their high-risk driving.
Esurance vs. Progressive: Which is the cheapest?
Allstate, which writes policies for Esurance, offers cheaper rates than Progressive, on average. But your unique situation can affect your car insurance rates dramatically.
Car insurance companies look at a wide range of factors to determine your premiums, including your age, gender, marital status, driving record, and more. This is why it’s important to compare quotes from several insurers to find the best policy for you.
Esurance: Cheapest for drivers with a clean driving record
Drivers without any incidents, like speeding tickets or at-fault accidents, typically pay lower rates for Esurance policies written by Allstate. Below, you can see how liability-only rates compare for drivers with a clean record.
Driver Type | Esurance (Written by Allstate) | Progressive |
|---|---|---|
| Clean driving record | $74 | $101 |
Esurance: Cheapest for drivers with a speeding ticket
A speeding ticket on your record will negatively affect your insurance rates. If you have a ticket on your record, Esurance policies, written by Allstate, tend to be lower for liability coverage.
Driver Type | Esurance (Written by Allstate) | Progressive |
|---|---|---|
| Drivers with a speeding ticket | $97 | $0 |
Esurance: Cheapest for teen drivers
Teen drivers pay some of the highest rates in the marketplace, but Esurance policies, written by Allstate, tend to be more affordable than Progressive.
Driver Type | Esurance | Progressive |
|---|---|---|
| 18-year-old | $158 | $0 |
Esurance: Cheapest for senior drivers
Esurance offers cheaper rates for senior drivers than Progressive. Here, you can see the average rates below.
Driver Type | Esurance | Progressive |
|---|---|---|
| Senior drivers | $57 | $0 |
Esurance: Cheapest for drivers with bad credit
Most states allow insurers to review your credit history during the underwriting process, and this means drivers with poor credit histories tend to pay more for car insurance than drivers with strong credit histories.
If you have a poor credit history, an Esurance policy, written by Allstate, tends to be more affordable than one written by Progressive.
Driver Type | Esurance | Progressive |
|---|---|---|
| Drivers with bad credit | $90 | $0 |
Compare coverages: Esurance vs. Progressive
Both Progressive and Esurance offer standard coverage options, like bodily injury liability, property damage liability, personal injury protection, uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, collision, and comprehensive coverage.
But there are some differences in each company’s extra coverage options. For example, Esurance offers rideshare coverage in only a few states, while Progressive has a wider offering. Esurance also offers conventional gap insurance, while Progressive offers loan/lease payoff coverage.
The table below breaks down some of the optional coverages available from either insurer.
Coverage | Esurance | Progressive |
|---|---|---|
| Gap insurance | Yes | Offers loan/lease payoff |
| Rideshare insurance | Yes (in some states) | Yes |
| Emergency road service coverage | Yes | No |
| Rental car reimbursement | Yes | Yes |
| Custom parts and equipment | Yes | Yes |
Compare discounts: Esurance vs. Progressive
Both Esurance and Progressive offer a range of discounts to drivers.
But Progressive drivers have access to more discounts than Esurance drivers. While both insurance companies offer a bundling discount, Progressive offers many more policy types than Esurance.
For example, Progressive goes beyond renters insurance, homeowners insurance, and motorcycle insurance to offer boat insurance, business insurance, ATV insurance, pet insurance, flood insurance, life insurance, and more.
The table below illustrates which discounts are available to you through each insurance company.
Discount | Esurance | Progressive |
|---|---|---|
| Clean driving record | Yes | No |
| Defensive driving course | No | Yes |
| Multi-policy | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-car | Yes | Yes |
| Low mileage | No | No |
| Telematics (safe driving app) | Yes | Yes |
| Anti-theft device | Yes | No |
| New car | No | No |
| Military/affiliation | No | Yes |
| Good student | Yes | Yes |
Esurance vs. Progressive FAQs
If you’re still trying to decide whether Esurance or Progressive is the right insurer for you, consult the answers below.
Is Progressive or Esurance better for you?
It depends on what’s more important to you. Esurance no longer writes new policies, but you can seek coverage through its parent company, Allstate. Allstate rates are generally lower than Progressive. But Progressive offers more coverage options and discounts than Esurance.
Is Esurance good at paying claims?
Allstate, which owns Esurance, has an AM Best financial strength rating of A+ (Superior), which means the company is able to reliably pay out claims.
In addition, 69% of Esurance customers who file a photo claim see their claim approved for payment in just one day, according to the company.
Does Progressive or Esurance offer better auto insurance discounts?
“Better” depends on the number of discounts applicable to you, but it’s important to note that Progressive offers more discounts than Esurance.
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