THE VERDICT
Progressive is better than USAA overall, per WalletHub’s grading criteria. Progressive beats USAA when it comes to customer service and its claims process, for starters. Progressive also offers its services to members of the military and civilians alike, while USAA limits its availability to the U.S. military community and eligible family members. Plus, Progressive offers 24/7 live customer support, while USAA does not. Progressive and USAA offer comparable insurance and discount options, however, and people in all 50 states and Washington D.C., can get policies from both companies. The average USAA car insurance premium is $67 per month for a good driver in California, while the average Progressive car insurance premium is $86 per month
Below, you can find even more details about how USAA and Progressive stack up against one another.
Compare USAA vs. Progressive
- Types of Insurance: USAA beats Progressive
- Cost: USAA beats Progressive
- Discounts: USAA beats Progressive
- NAIC Rating: Progressive beats USAA
- J.D. Power Rating: USAA beats Progressive
- Market Share: Progressive beats USAA
USAA has a higher J.D. Power rating than Progressive. However, Progressive has a higher consumer review score on WalletHub and a more favorable customer complaint score from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). That’s a big reason why it won the customer rating category of our review.
Both companies have received more than the average number of complaints for companies their size, according to the NAIC. Customers have complained about delayed or denied claims payments from Progressive and USAA’s tendency to offer unsatisfactory settlements. Despite these complaints, USAA and Progressive are both in good standing with leading credit rating agencies like AM Best, S&P, and Moody’s Investors Service, which is a show of their financial strength and claims-paying ability.
Finally, Progressive bests USAA when it comes to attracting customers. Progressive sold 13.8% of all personal auto insurance premiums written in 2021, making it the third-largest car insurance provider in the country, according to the Insurance Information Institute. USAA ranks fifth overall, having written 6% of private car insurance premiums in 2021.
USAA vs. Progressive: Customer Satisfaction Ratings
Source |
Progressive |
USAA |
NAIC Complaint Index |
1.45 |
2.27 |
JJ.D. Power Rating (Customer Satisfaction).D. Power Rating |
4.14.1/5 |
4.44.5/5 |
J.D. Power Rating (Claim Satisfaction) |
4.3/5 |
4.5/5 |
WalletHub Editor's Rating |
3.7/5 |
3.5/5 |
WalletHub User's Rating |
2.7/5 |
2.7/5 |
The NAIC Complaint Index is calculated by dividing a company’s number of complaints by its share of market premiums. The average is always 1.00, and both Progressive and USAA exceed that benchmark.
To learn more about what sets these two companies apart, check out WalletHub’s full
USAA review and
Progressive review.