Your Progressive car insurance rates may increase as a result of a variety of factors, including accidents or traffic violations on your driving record. But rates are also increasing due to economic factors affecting the auto insurance industry.
If your Progressive insurance rates keep going up, you have options including, shopping for a new insurer or taking advantage of discounts such as:
- Paying in full
- Bundling policies
- Snapshot telematics
We’ll explore all options to save you money below.
Why did my Progressive auto insurance go up for no reason?
1. Standard, industry-wide rate increases
Insurance providers have to account for regular increases in year-to-year expenses, which is why you’ll often see your rate increase at renewal.
2. Inflation and other economic factors
Inflation, increased repair costs due to high-tech parts and supply-chain issues and shortages, and increased frequency in serious accident claims have driven up insurance policy premiums for everyone. According to Jerry’s research, car insurance rates have increased 26% between 2021 and 2023.
Learn more: Progressive car insurance review
What you can do about it
1. Consider switching to a new insurance company
Comparing rates from multiple insurers before renewal is the best way to avoid—or recover from—rate hikes.
An easy way to comparison shop is to use Jerry—a licensed insurance agency that partners with dozens of the country’s top providers to find you cheap car insurance.
Simply answer a few questions about yourself, your vehicle, and your driving history, and Jerry will browse car insurance quotes and present you with the best and most affordable options.
2. Look at discount options
Even if you choose to stick with Progressive, ensuring you’ve taken advantage of all the car insurance discounts you may qualify for can help you significantly lower your insurance premiums.
Here are the discounts types and their average savings:
- Snapshot Telematics Program ($231): Personalizes your rate based on your actual driving. The safer you drive, the more you can save.
- Good Student Discount (10%): Available if you add a full-time student on your policy who maintains a “B” average or better.
- Multi-car Discount (12%): Savings for having more than one vehicle listed on your policy.
- Online Quote Discount (7%): Available when you quote car insurance online.
- Sign Online Discount (9%): Earned by signing your insurance documents online.
- Multi-policy Discount (Varies): Save when you have two or more policies with Progressive.
- Continuous Insurance Discount (Varies): Acknowledges the time you spent with your previous insurer with a discount.
- Teen Driver Discount (Varies): Helps offset the cost of adding a teen driver to your policy.
- Homeowner Discount (Varies): Offered simply for being a homeowner, regardless of whether your home is insured through Progressive.
- Pay in Full Discount (Varies): Available if you pay for your policy in full up front.
- Automatic Payment Discount (Varies): Given for setting up automatic payments from a checking account, credit card, or debit card.
- Paperless Discount (Varies): Applies when you opt to receive your documents via email and is dependent upon signing your documents online.
3. Consider additional options to lower your current insurance price
- Raise your deductible on comprehensive and collision coverage. Drivers who choose a higher deductible can often save money on full coverage.
- Take a state-approved defensive driving course. This option isn’t available with Progressive in every state, so check with your insurance agent to see if you qualify.
- Install an anti-theft system, and/or park in a garage. If you decide to go with another insurance provider, they might offer comprehensive coverage discounts.
Other factors that can make your rates go up
Here are some other reasons you might see an increase in auto insurance rates:
- Recent tickets/violations: If you’ve been recently cited for a moving violation, filed an insurance claim, been convicted of a DUI, or been in an at-fault accident, you should expect a significant rate hike. In fact, especially if it results in a collision claim, your rate could increase following a not-at-fault accident as well. Choosing a policy with accident forgiveness can help you avoid this.
- Age: Insurance rates peak at 18 and start declining until someone becomes older than 75 years old, then it starts increasing again, according to Progressive’s data.
- Credit score: Unless you live in California, Hawaii, or Massachusetts, providers are allowed to consider your credit score when calculating your insurance score—if your score has recently dropped, don’t be surprised if your car insurance premiums rise.
- Vehicle type and cost: Your vehicle’s actual cash value affects your insurance rates, and so do its repair costs. The higher each is, the higher your rates will be.
- Lapse in coverage: Even brief lapses in insurance coverage can result in significant rate increases for the next several years.
- High-risk zip code: If you live in an area that experiences high crime rates—especially property crimes, like vehicle theft—you’ll pay more for coverage than drivers living in safer neighborhoods.
- Added a new driver or new car: Many people don’t realize that adding drivers and vehicles to your policy often results in increased rates—especially if you add a driver with a poor driving record, or a high-value vehicle.
Learn more: How car insurance is calculated
Sarah Gray is an insurance writer with nearly a decade of experience in publishing and writing. Sarah specializes in writing articles that educate car owners and buyers on the full scope of car ownership—from shopping for and buying a new car to scrapping one that’s breathed its last and everything in between. Sarah has authored over 1,500 articles for Jerry on topics ranging from first-time buyer programs to how to get a salvage title for a totaled car. Prior to joining Jerry, Sarah was a full-time professor of English literature and composition with multiple academic writing publications.
Jessica Barrett is a senior insurance writer and editor with 10 years of experience in the automotive and travel industries. A specialist in car insurance, car loans, and car ownership, Jessica’s mission is to create comprehensive content that car owners can use to manage their costs and improve their lives. As a managing editor for a team of writers and insurance specialists, Jessica has edited over 2,000 articles for Jerry on topics ranging from local insurance shopping tips to refinancing car loans with bad credit. Before joining Jerry as a senior content editor in 2021, Jessica created visual content for clients such as Expedia, Vivid Seats, Budget Direct Car Insurance, Angie’s List, and HomeAdvisor. Her content was published in Business Insider, Forbes, Apartment Therapy, and the BBC.
