Auto insurance · Updated August 2026
Progressive vs Travelers
Progressive is built for standard drivers, plus non-standard tiers. Travelers is built for independent-agent buyers who bundle home and auto. On the NAIC's 2025 complaint index, Progressive Direct Ins. Co. drew 0.74 and Standard Fire Ins. Co. drew 0.38, against an industry median of 1.00. AM Best rates Progressive A+ and Travelers A++. Neither is reliably cheaper. For the same driver in the same state, either can return the lower number.
By Dylan Leggett, licensed insurance agent · NPN 17875887
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. The tradeoffs: it drew 0.74 on the 2025 complaint index against Travelers's 0.38, and AM Best rates it A+ against Travelers's A++.
Travelers has written auto since 1853 and writes through Travelers group companies. Standard Fire Ins. Co. drew 0.38 on the NAIC's 2025 complaint index, 64 complaints on $3.6 billion of private-passenger premium. AM Best rates it A++, the highest grade it issues. The tradeoff: it writes six lines against Progressive's eight.
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 Travelers: the data sheet
Sources are listed under the measured figures. How we compare
Progressive | Travelers | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Standard drivers, plus non-standard tiers | Independent-agent buyers who bundle home and auto |
| Who underwrites it | Progressive group companies | Travelers group companies |
| Complaints per policyTravelers, ahead of Progressive | 0.74 367 complaints on $10.4B written | 0.38 64 complaints on $3.6B written |
NAIC complaint index, 2025, private passenger auto · Progressive Direct Ins. Co. vs Standard Fire Ins. Co. · 1.00 is the industry median | ||
| Financial strengthBoth strong; Travelers a step higher | 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, boat, umbrella, commercial |
| PriceNot rated | Filed state by state, priced to the driver. The main factors are below. | |
| Mobile appEffectively tied | 4.83 804,275 ratings | 4.69 124,651 ratings |
Apple App Store, August 2026 | ||
| Telematics program | Snapshot | IntelliDrive |
| Availability | All 50 states and Washington, D.C. | Available in all 50 states |
| Known for | Bundling, Name Your Price, usage-based discounts | IntelliDrive discounts, hybrid and electric vehicle discounts |
In practice
Where they differ
The complaint records
On the NAIC's 2025 complaint index, Progressive Direct Ins. Co. drew 0.74 and Standard Fire Ins. Co. drew 0.38, 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 Progressive A+ and Travelers 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. Travelers policies are written by Travelers group companies. 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 Travelers writes six lines. Progressive writes auto, home, renters, motorcycle, specialty property, RV, pet, and life. Travelers writes auto, home, renters, boat, umbrella, and commercial. If auto is all you need, the difference costs you nothing.
Price
Which is cheaper: Progressive or Travelers?
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. Travelers writes in all 50 states. Where only one of them writes in your state, the comparison answers itself.
Telematics moves the number. Both run a program: Snapshot at Progressive, IntelliDrive at Travelers. 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.