Progressive Accident Forgiveness: Coverage Explained

Accident forgiveness stops your auto insurance rates from increasing after your first car accident. While this is usually an optional policy add-on, Progressive accident forgiveness comes complimentary on most policies subject to state laws.

New Progressive auto insurance customers earn small accident forgiveness immediately. But after five years of customer loyalty, you might qualify for large accident forgiveness.

Keep reading this Progressive accident forgiveness review to learn the details of this coverage, how to add it to your policy, and compare it to programs from other top insurance companies to determine if Progressive accident forgiveness is right for you.

What is Progressive accident forgiveness?

Accident forgiveness is an optional coverage offered to drivers to prevent auto insurance rates from increasing after your first car accident. Usually, this policy add-on costs $4-15 per month on average. It may be considered part of a full coverage auto insurance policy, but not always.

However, in most states, Progressive accident forgiveness is included in all policies as a complimentary customer benefit, subject to regional laws.

But how exactly does accident forgiveness work with Progressive? New customers in most states automatically get small accident forgiveness coverage when your policy begins.

After your first accident, your Progressive car insurance rates won’t increase as long as the claim is equal to or less than $500.

With accident forgiveness from Progressive, your rates don’t increase even if the accident was your fault.

As a customer loyalty benefit, Progressive also offers large accident forgiveness coverage. To qualify, you must be a Progressive customer for at least five years. You also must remain accident and violation-free for three consecutive years.

With large accident forgiveness, your Progressive insurance rates won’t increase even if the total claim exceeds $500. But either way, you do lose any safe driver discounts from Progressive after an accident is forgiven.

However, free accident forgiveness may not be available in all states, according to the company website. It also may not apply to all types of car accidents. For more information, speak with your local Progressive agent and ask how regional laws may impact your policy.

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How much does Progressive accident forgiveness cost?

Progressive accident forgiveness is free to drivers in most states, making it a unique customer benefit. This coverage comes at a nominal cost through many other top auto insurance companies.

According to some sources, accident forgiveness from other companies typically costs $48-180 annually.

The Progressive website states that accident forgiveness may not be available in all states. The coverage also only applies to certain types of accidents. But unfortunately, the company does not list states where the coverage is unavailable. You must speak with a Progressive agent near you for more information about eligibility based on your ZIP code.

New and current customers can dial the Progressive auto insurance phone number at 1-866-749-7436 to see if accident forgiveness can be automatically added to your new or existing policy.

How does a car accident impact my auto insurance rates?

Filing a claim after a car accident almost always affects your insurance quotes. However, it depends on who is at fault and the type of claim you file. For example, at-fault accidents typically always lead to a rate increase. It usually takes about three years for an accident to fall off your record and your rates to go back down.

How much does insurance increase after an accident with Progressive?

One at-fault accident may cause your Progressive insurance costs to go up by 28% on average.

But even if you are not at fault for causing the accident, your car insurance costs may still go up depending on where you live. However, not-at-fault claims do not usually impact your rates as significantly as at-fault claims.

Therefore, Progressive accident forgiveness applies to your first accident with damage costing $500 or less regardless of who is at fault.

Is Progressive accident forgiveness worth it?

If you are a Progressive policyholder satisfied with your coverage, it’s worth asking your agent if accident forgiveness is part of your policy, especially since it’s not available in all states. Where applicable, the coverage is typically included in your policy automatically. But Progressive encourages both new and existing customers to call for verification.

You do not want to assume you have access to accident forgiveness only to find out that the coverage does not apply in your state after a car accident.

Even safe drivers can benefit from an accident forgiveness policy, especially a free one.

While you can control your own actions behind the wheel, you cannot always predict how other people might drive. Accident forgiveness, therefore, provides you with an extra layer of protection and peace of mind.

The accident forgiveness may be free, but is Progressive insurance good overall?

Progressive insurance reviews from real customers online are mixed. But the company currently has a decent complaint index ratio, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). The median is always set to 1.00, and Progressive earned 1.09, meaning it received the same number of consumer complaints as the median.

It is common for larger companies to have mostly negative reviews online. But positive reviews for Progressive mention competitively priced rates.

This company is also known for offering affordable auto insurance for teenagers and new drivers. Plus, it also provides numerous stackable auto insurance discounts.

Progressive is also financially stable and holds an A+ score from A.M. Best.

Overall, Progressive is a good car insurance company that offers customers a broad range of coverage options and discounts. Complimentary accident forgiveness is the cherry on top of an already good car insurance policy.

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How does accident forgiveness from Progressive compare to other auto insurance companies?

Progressive’s accident forgiveness program sets itself apart from other companies because both the small and large accident forgiveness programs are complimentary. However, this coverage is relatively basic. So let’s compare it to the forgiveness programs from other top auto insurance companies.

Perhaps one of the most well-known accident forgiveness programs comes from Allstate. Customers can choose a cheaper, more basic forgiveness program, known as Gold-level, which forgives a single at-fault accident.

But for a higher price, a Platinum package is also available in which your accident forgiveness is not limited to a certain number of incidents. Therefore, if it fits your budget, the Allstate Platinum car insurance package is ideal for drivers who frequently file claims or have a rocky driving record.

Nationwide also sells accident forgiveness to customers who’ve been with the company for at least six months.

While this program costs money, it’s more well-rounded than Progressive’s options. For example, two minor violations and two at-fault accidents in three years are forgiven. You also don’t lose your Nationwide safe driver discount even if an accident is forgiven.

Other companies, like State Farm, offer accident forgiveness for free as a customer loyalty benefit like Progressive.

However, you must be a policyholder with State Farm for nine years with no accidents on record to qualify. But you get to keep your State Farm safe driver discounts.

Geico also provides free accident forgiveness to customers after five years. However, this company sells supplemental coverage to interested drivers as well. You get to keep your safe driver discount. But availability and costs vary by state.

Ultimately, Progressive’s accident forgiveness program is relatively basic when compared to the available options from some of the other best insurance companies. It’s easier to qualify for than some other complimentary packages, but you lose any good driver discounts. But for many drivers who don’t often file claims, this program is worthwhile.

Progressive Accident Forgiveness: The Bottom Line

Overall, Progressive accident forgiveness is a nice customer benefit. Not only is it free, but you also have the opportunity to transition to large accident forgiveness if you remain accident-free for three years. So it’s especially relevant for safer drivers who rarely file claims.

But if you have a rocky driving record or file claims frequently, you may need a more robust accident forgiveness program that provides more wiggle room.

Plus, the program is not available in all states. Progressive customers also lose their safe driver discounts, even with accident forgiveness. If this concerns you, consider looking deeper into accident forgiveness programs from some other top auto insurance companies.

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