Auto insurance · Updated August 2026
Progressive vs Erie Insurance
Progressive is built for standard drivers, plus non-standard tiers. Erie Insurance is built for agent-served drivers in the East and Midwest. On the NAIC's 2025 complaint index, Progressive Direct Ins. Co. drew 0.74 and Erie Ins. Exchange drew 0.55, against an industry median of 1.00. AM Best rates both companies A+. Neither is reliably cheaper. For the same driver in the same state, either can return the lower number.
By Kevin Lee, licensed insurance agent · NPN 19669698
The short answer
Progressive has written auto since 1937 and writes through Progressive group companies. It writes eight lines: auto, home, renters, motorcycle, specialty property, RV, pet, and life. Its iOS app holds 4.83 stars across 804,275 ratings. The tradeoff: it drew 0.74 on the 2025 complaint index against Erie Insurance's 0.55.
Erie Insurance has written auto since 1925 and writes through Erie Insurance Exchange. Erie Ins. Exchange drew 0.55 on the NAIC's 2025 complaint index, 108 complaints on $4.1 billion of private-passenger premium. The tradeoffs: it writes six lines against Progressive's eight, and its app holds 4.38 stars against Progressive's 4.83.
Both companies state by state, and their filed rates trade the lead by address. A national average will not predict which one wins for you. For the same driver in the same state, either can return the lower number.
About two minutes. No effect on your credit score.
Side by side
Progressive vs Erie Insurance: the data sheet
Sources are listed under the measured figures. How we compare
Progressive | Erie Insurance | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Standard drivers, plus non-standard tiers | Agent-served drivers in the East and Midwest |
| Who underwrites it | Progressive group companies | Erie Insurance Exchange |
| Complaints per policyErie Insurance, ahead of Progressive | 0.74 367 complaints on $10.4B written | 0.55 108 complaints on $4.1B written |
NAIC complaint index, 2025, private passenger auto · Progressive Direct Ins. Co. vs Erie Ins. Exchange · 1.00 is the industry median | ||
| Financial strengthTied at A+ | A+ Superior | A+ Superior |
AM Best financial strength rating · A++ is the highest issued | ||
| Coverage you can buyProgressive, if you want to bundle | 8 lines auto, home, renters, motorcycle, specialty property, rv, pet, life | 6 lines auto, home, renters, life, umbrella, commercial |
| PriceNot rated | Filed state by state, priced to the driver. The main factors are below. | |
| Mobile appProgressive | 4.83 804,275 ratings | 4.38 2,713 ratings |
Apple App Store, August 2026 | ||
| Telematics program | Snapshot | YourTurn |
| Availability | All 50 states and Washington, D.C. | Available in 12 states and Washington, D.C. |
| Known for | Bundling, Name Your Price, usage-based discounts | ERIE Rate Lock, first-accident forgiveness |
In practice
Where they differ
The complaint records
On the NAIC's 2025 complaint index, Progressive Direct Ins. Co. drew 0.74 and Erie Ins. Exchange drew 0.55, against an industry median of 1.00. The index weighs a company's complaint count against the volume expected for its size, so 1.00 is the industry median and a lower number is fewer complaints than expected.
Financial strength
AM Best rates both companies A+. A++ is the highest grade AM Best issues. The grade measures the company's ability to pay claims, not its service or its price.
Who underwrites each one
Progressive policies are written by Progressive group companies. Erie Insurance policies are written by Erie Insurance Exchange. The brand on the advertising and the company on the policy are often different entities, and the complaint figures on this page belong to the named companies.
What each one covers
Progressive writes eight lines and Erie Insurance writes six lines. Progressive writes auto, home, renters, motorcycle, specialty property, RV, pet, and life. Erie Insurance writes auto, home, renters, life, umbrella, and commercial. If auto is all you need, the difference costs you nothing.
Price
Which is cheaper: Progressive or Erie Insurance?
Neither company is reliably cheaper. What sets the price:
The record sets the range. A ticket, an at-fault accident, or a moves the two prices by different amounts, and the direction is not consistent between states. A quote on the real record is what separates them.
Availability decides some matchups. Progressive writes in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Erie Insurance writes in 12 states and Washington, D.C. Where only one of them writes in your state, the comparison answers itself.
Telematics moves the number. Both run a program: Snapshot at Progressive, YourTurn at Erie Insurance. A telematics program measures driving through an app or a plug-in device and adjusts the price on the result. The size of that adjustment is filed per state.
One application. Real prices from the carriers writing in your state.