Nationwide vs. Progressive: Which Company is the Best Fit for You?

Quick Facts

• In general, Nationwide offers slightly more affordable prices than Progressive
• Nationwide tends to be a much cheaper option for policyholders who live in rural neighborhoods
• Progressive offers less expensive average rates for drivers with a DUI

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Nationwide or Progressive: Which Company has the Cheapest Car Insurance?

Are you considering a new insurance policy? After all, you've seen ads from all sorts of companies offering huge savings. But exactly how much can you save by switching?

You've maybe even narrowed it down to Nationwide or Progressive as potential options, but between the two, which one has cheaper premiums for car insurance?

As you can see, Progressive is around $10 more a month than Nationwide when looking at the national average rates for insurance.

However, that doesn't mean Nationwide will necessarily be more affordable than Progressive for every single driver. Auto insurance carriers vary their prices depending on things like how old you are, how good your credit score is, how clean your driving record is, where you live, and a variety of other factors, so premiums will differ quite a bit from person to person.

Wanting to know if Nationwide or Progressive is really the right company for you? Keep on reading to see how average rates can change based on all of the factors we've mentioned above.

Nationwide vs. Progressive: Average Car Insurance Rates by State

Nationwide and Progressive compete against each other in 30 states, with Nationwide offering less expensive prices to the average driver in all of them. If you live in, undefined is the cheaper of the two companies when looking at the overall average rates, but Progressive is the cheaper option in most of the others.

But there's more to car insurance than just where you call home. As we mentioned above, there's a lot of things that go into how insurance carriers determine your premiums. Keep reading to learn more.

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Which is the Best Company For Young Drivers?

Teen drivers will almost always have the most expensive car insurance prices of any other group of drivers out there on the road. Generally, that's because teen drivers are statistically much more likely to cause collisions and other accidents that will result in an insurance claim.

That being said, that doesn't mean that teen drivers have to just accept sky-high auto insurance premiums. For example, 18-year-old drivers pay an average of over 15% less per month by choosing Nationwide over Progressive.

Even so, with both companies, you'll see your prices lower significantly once you turn 25. For example, average rates for Nationwide policyholders reduce about $250 and Progressive's prices decrease around $300 over that time.

Which is the Best Company for Retired Drivers?

Drivers around retirement age normally enjoy some of the cheapest car insurance premiums you'll ever see. After all, they've likely been driving for quite some time, which usually decreases their chances of collisions and other infractions that can raise rates.

But who has the best prices for retired drivers between Nationwide and Progressive? In this case, Nationwide has the slight edge, with rates about $6 a month less than Progressive. But that difference is less than 5%, which means it ultimately will come down to other variables, like your credit score or where you live.

Which is the Best Company for Married Drivers?

Those who are single tend to get offered slightly more expensive insurance premiums than married couples. That's because policies for married policyholders typically cover more than one vehicle, which lots of carriers will give you a discount for.

When it comes to relationship status, Nationwide is the winner for single drivers, with rates almost 10% per month more affordable than Progressive, on average.

Nationwide or Progressive: Average Rates by Gender

Women tend to pay less for auto insurance than men. That's because women are less likely to get into accidents and get tickets, which lowers the chances of filing a claim with insurance.

With Nationwide, women normally pay around 7% a month less than men, and about 3% less with Progressive.

Looking at the data for each carrier specifically, Nationwide comes out on top for both men and women. On average, male drivers save about $7 per month and women save around $14 with Nationwide compared to the average Progressive policyholder.

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Nationwide vs. Progressive: Compare State Minimum vs. Full Coverage Rates

*State minimum value indicates liability-only policies at each state's minimum bodily injury and property damage (BI/PD) limits

**Full coverage indicates state minimum BI/PD limits with collision and comprehensive coverages added to policy.

Insurance can be a complicated subject for most people. There are several different coverages that account for many different things. Some protect you and your car, while others only provide coverage for other people's property and health if you cause a collision.

Even so, the most common policies that drivers look at fall into two categories -- liability coverage (which provides bodily injury and property damage coverage for other drivers if you cause an accident) and full coverage (which typically refers to having collision and comprehensive coverages in addition to liability).

When it comes to state minimum liability limits, Progressive has the edge, while Nationwide offers the lowest average prices for full coverage policies with similar coverage limits. Policyholders looking for basic state minimum coverage can save around $1 with Progressive, while full coverage comes out to be about $20 less expensive with Nationwide.

Is Nationwide or Progressive Better for Drivers with Spotty Records?

It's no secret -- drivers with good records end up getting the best deals on their car insurance. But that's not to say you can't save money if you don't have the best driving record, either.

You'll probably end up paying more with at-fault accidents and speeding tickets on your record, but which of these two companies offers the most affordable premiums to drivers with spotty records?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Speeding Tickets?

Drivers who use Nationwide for their auto insurance can generally expect their monthly bill to go up around 16% after getting a speeding ticket. Progressive policyholders can expect a bit more drastic of an increase of about 17%.

However, Nationwide has more affordable prices for drivers in both categories, offering rates that are 16% and 17% cheaper, respectively, compared to Progressive.

Which Company is Best for Drivers After an Accident?

Both carriers will increase premiums pretty significantly if you get into an at-fault collision with Progressive raising by around 30%. Nationwide has a less extreme climb, but you can still expect to pay nearly 30% more than you were prior to your first accident.

At the end of the day, drivers who use Nationwide end up with the cheaper prices after an accident, with average rates coming in at $178 compared to Progressive's $214.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with a DUI?

If you get a DUI charge on your record, it's probably going to cost you more than a simple ticket or even a collision. On average, Nationwide will increase your premiums about 46% after a DUI, while Progressive's average prices increase by more than 15%.

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How does Credit Score Impact Nationwide and Progressive Rates?

Did you know many car insurance companies take your credit score into account when determining premiums? Certain states and carriers do not allow for credit score to be used as an auto insurance factor, but it will come into play for quite a few policyholders.

The reasoning auto insurance companies use is that drivers with bad credit will be less likely to pay their bills on time; so usually, they'll be asked to pay more, while those with good credit will be rewarded with less expensive rates.

Looking specifically at Progressive and Nationwide, which carrier has the best prices for policyholders at different credit levels?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Good Credit?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Bad Credit?

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Is Nationwide or Progressive Better for Drivers who Work from Home or Have Short Commutes?

How much you drive can have a large impact on your monthly insurance cost. That's because the fewer miles you drive, the less likely you are to be in an accident and file an insurance claim.

As you can see in the table above, annual mileage doesn't have much of an impact on how much Progressive charges. However, there's a small difference in monthly rates for Nationwide, with policyholders who drive the least paying around $1 less every month compared to those who drive 12,000 miles yearly. Still, for drivers in both categories, Nationwide is the cheaper company.

Nationwide or Progressive: Compare Rates for Urban, Suburban, and Rural Drivers

Where you live can play a sizable role in how much you pay for auto insurance. Generally, if you live in an urban area with more cars on the road, you'll pay a little more for car insurance, while the opposite is true for people in rural areas.

Nationwide boasts the cheapest average prices for drivers in all areas, regardless of if they're urban, suburban, or rural.

For drivers in urban ZIP codes, Nationwide's average rates are about 4% less than Progressive. People who live in suburban areas pay around 11% less with Nationwide compared to Progressive. Those in rural areas can expect to save about 2% with Nationwide compared to Progressive.

Nationwide vs. Progressive Discounts

You want to save as much money as you can, right? The best way to do that is by utilizing as many insurance discounts as possible.

But with what seems like a million different discounts out there, it can be hard to nail down the company that has the most discounts for your unique driver profile and to find all the discounts you qualify for.

Luckily, we did the hard work for you and broke down all of the different discounts offered by both Nationwide and Progressive so that you can find the company that has the most discounts and, therefore, the largest savings.

Progressive blows Nationwide away when it comes to the sheer amount of discounts available, offering 12 more discounts than Nationwide.

A couple of those are overlapping for things like agency transfer discounts, discounts for being a defensive driver, distant student discounts, and discounts for being a good student. Progressive also offers discounts for ABS, advanced safety feature, continuous insurance, and more.

On the other hand, Nationwide has a few proprietary discounts of their own for things like driver training discounts, employee discounts, intra-agency transfer discounts, and more.

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Final Thoughts: Is Nationwide or Progressive Best for You?

So, we've broken down the average premiums for many of the factors car insurance carriers look at, and walked through the different discounts each carrier offers, too. That's all well and good, but when it comes down to it, which company is the right one for you, your vehicle, and your wallet?

Nationwide might be best for you if....

• You will be the only person on the auto insurance policy.
• Your home is in a busy urban area.
• You're of retirement age and want to take advantage of lower prices.

Progressive might be best for you if...

• Your driving record includes a DUI charge.
• You're looking for the best premiums on liability only coverage.
• You and your spouse are buying insurance together.

Hopefully, this guide helps you get a good idea of the differences between Nationwide and Progressive and that you can now make a more informed decision when it comes to your car insurance.

But, at the end of the day, there's only one way to know for sure that you're getting the best possible deal on auto insurance -- comparing quotes from several companies, not just Nationwide and Progressive. Luckily, Compare.com does all the hard work for you. Just enter your ZIP code below and get free quotes from dozens of top insurance carriers in your area, all in just a few minutes.

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Nationwide vs. Progressive FAQs

Is Nationwide or Progressive cheaper?

Nationwide is the more affordable of the two companies when looking at national average rates, with policies averaging $170 a month with Nationwide and $180 for Progressive. But that doesn't mean Nationwide will be the most affordable carrier for each driver, since there are lots of different variables (things like driving record, age, gender, etc.) that play a role in how much you pay.

Who is better, Nationwide or Progressive?

Sadly, the answer truly is "it depends.". Neither company is "better" for everyone -- it all depends on what your unique auto insurance profile looks like. For example, Nationwide is less expensive for drivers with excellent credit, while Progressive offers more affordable prices for drivers with a recent DUI.

Why do Nationwide and Progressive offer me different rates?

Car insurance carriers use a lot of different factors when calculating the rates they charge. Things like gender, where your home is, your driving record, age, and sometimes even things like your credit score can all come into play. Both Nationwide and Progressive calculate premiums using different variables, so it's likely they'll offer different prices. The best way to determine which carrier is the cheapest for you is by comparing personalized quotes from a range of different companies.

How do I know if Nationwide or Progressive is right for me?

The only way to find the insurance company that's right for you is by getting quotes from multiple carriers and finding the one best suited for your individual budget. Luckily, Compare.com makes it easy for you to do just that. Just enter your information once and you'll get quotes from dozens of your local top car insurance companies for free. With those, you can guarantee you're getting the lowest price. And maybe you'll find that the best carrier for you isn't Nationwide or Progressive at all, but another you hadn't even thought of!

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Methodology

All of the data referenced in this article has been gathered in collaboration with Quadrant Information Services. We analyzed more than 2.5 million rows of carrier-reported data to calculate the average rates referenced above. All rates are based on an insurance profile of a single-vehicle policy for a driver that owns a 2016 Honda Accord. For more information on how we calculate rates, please reference our data methodology.