Progressive Insurance got its start in personal auto insurance and, over time, expanded into homeowners, commercial auto, and small business insurance. It is a great option for businesses primarily in transportation or construction because of its robust commercial auto insurance package. Progressive Commercial, a division of Progressive Insurance, works as a broker for customers for most lines of commercial insurance, so you can use it as a provider or a broker.
Progressive Business Insurance Pros
- Online quotes
- 24/7 claims center
- Commercial auto insurance available in all 50 states
Progressive Business Insurance Cons
- Limited business insurance coverage options
- Different lines for reporting claims for different coverages
- Little information available on how quickly you can get a certificate of insurance (COI)
Standout Features
- Commercial auto insurance for nearly every type of vehicle
- Nationwide network of shops and roadside assistance services
- Multiple ways to save money for commercial auto customers
- Online quotes from Progressive or other business insurance companies
Financial stability: Progressive Insurance has been around since 1937 and, through a well-crafted underwriting plan, has created a strong financial position. Progressive’s AM Best rating is A+ (Superior).
Progressive Commercial Insurance Alternatives
 |  |  |
|---|---|---|
Best for businesses looking to save money by comparing quotes | Best for businesses to generate and share COIs | Best for small business owners having trouble finding coverage |
A- to A+ (Excellent to Superior) Financial Rating | A- (Excellent) Financial Rating | A- to A+ (Excellent to Superior) Financial Rating |
Progressive Business Insurance Options
Progressive Commercial insurance offerings are fairly limited when it comes to policies available directly from Progressive.
It’s important to note that Progressive differentiates between commercial auto insurance and business insurance, and there is a significant separation between these two offerings within Progressive’s organization:
- Progressive business insurance refers to all commercial policies other than auto.
- Both business insurance and commercial auto insurance are available in different regions, are underwritten differently, and have different 24/7 customer service lines.
This can be confusing if you purchase a commercial auto policy and a business owner’s policy (BOP) from Progressive, along with some additional coverages, such as professional liability, that are underwritten by an entirely different insurance company.
Progressive is the largest commercial auto insurer, so it’s no surprise the company has a robust offering for commercial auto insurance. It has been in the commercial auto space since 1971 and has been around long enough to understand the complexities of commercial auto insurance.
Commercial auto insurance from Progressive is available in all 50 states (but not Washington, D.C.). This nationwide availability sets it apart from most competitors—even the largest ones will usually not write policies in Alaska or Hawaii.
Progressive has a very broad appetite for commercial auto policies. It will insure standard vehicles like passenger cars, SUVs, and trucks. Beyond that, it will write for food trucks, buses, limousines, and motorhomes. It also offers fleet insurance and heavy truck insurance, and coverage is available for solopreneurs who own semi-truck freight companies.
Progressive doesn’t offer standalone property insurance, so the only way to get property insurance directly from the company is through a BOP. Its BOP combines general liability and commercial property insurance with business income insurance.
General liability insurance is the other small business insurance policy Progressive offers directly. Its general liability insurance, similar to other general liability insurance policies, provides coverage for property damage, bodily injury, and personal and advertising injury. It also includes medical payments coverage.
With the exception of the BOP and general liability insurance, the rest of the coverages listed below appear to be serviced and underwritten by a carrier other than Progressive, through the Progressive Advantage® Business Program. Through this program, Progressive utilizes its own licensed agents, and the company functions like a broker, helping you find insurance through another carrier.
Some of the companies Progressive works with are:
- Nationwide
- Hiscox
- Acuity
The following coverages are available through this program:
- Workers’ compensation
- Cyber liability
- BOP
- Liquor liability
- Inland marine insurance
- Employment practices liability insurance (EPLI)
Additionally, Progressive Commercial offers rideshare insurance, but it isn’t entirely clear if this offering is directly from Progressive or through another carrier with Progressive facilitating the sale.
Progressive Commercial also has some coverages for employers looking to provide benefits to their employees, such as:
- Employee pet insurance
- Health insurance
Progressive Industries Covered
Most of the target industries for Progressive Commercial insurance are small businesses, including common ones like:
- Accounting services
- Investment services
- Bakeries
- Cleaning and janitorial services
- Food services
- Hospitality management
- Liquor stores
- Catering companies
Given that its bread and butter is commercial auto insurance, it’s not surprising that Progressive writes policies for a lot of businesses related to the auto industry:
- Auto detailing
- Auto mechanic
- Garage
- Food truck
- Snowplow
- Food delivery
- Manufacturing
Of course, this list isn’t comprehensive; see Progressive’s list of industries served.
Progressive Business Insurance Quotes & Costs
Progressive Commercial is available through a variety of channels. While it was one of the first providers ever to offer online quotes, Progressive still works with independent agents to distribute its product. Aside from contacting the company online or through a local agent, you can call Progressive directly.
Getting an online quote from Progressive is easy. The key is to go into the process having a firm grasp on what type of small business insurance coverage you need. You should also be prepared to answer questions about your business. Make sure to have the following information on hand:
- The year your business started
- Number of employees
- Revenue
- Payroll
- Physical location
- Claims history
Once Progressive generates a quote, you’ll be presented with an option to purchase the policy. I’ve found that you typically have to call to finish the quote process, but sometimes you can purchase the policy online.
Having worked with Progressive Commercial for several years, I’ve found in many cases that you won’t realize you are working with Progressive Advantage® until you receive the quote and see the policies are from other carriers rather than from Progressive.
For the purposes of this article, I received a quote for general liability insurance for a painting company. The cost was $2,044 annually. The policy carried a limit of $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate. Limited information was provided beyond the overall limits on the policy, which was from the provider Hiscox instead of Progressive. I was given the option to purchase online or over the phone.
Progressive publishes information on its websites for the average costs of insurance its customers pay. The most recent information the company has provided is from 2022, so costs are likely higher now:
Type of Insurance | Median Monthly Cost |
|---|---|
General Liability | $53 |
BOP | $70 |
Workers’ Compensation | $70 |
Professional Liability | $42 |
Commercial Auto (Nonconstruction) | $175 |
Commercial Auto (Contractors or Construction) | $172 |
Progressive Claims Process & Other Services
Progressive Commercial’s website differs from its site for personal lines. This distinction is important because many providers have one website with different pages for different lines of business. Keep this in mind if you are a policyholder and plan to interact with Progressive Commercial online.
Claims Services
You can file a claim online or by calling. If you call, Progressive offers a 24/7 call center for claims, but the contact numbers are different for commercial auto and business insurance:
- Commercial auto: (800) 776-4737
- Business insurance: (855) 737-7527
However, because of Progressive’s broker program, you’ll want to make sure you know which carrier underwrites your business insurance. If it isn’t Progressive, you will need to call the carrier directly to file a claim.
Other Customer Services
Progressive has developed a robust customer service program to help its commercial auto policyholders get back in gear as soon as possible. Services include emergency roadside assistance for things like flat tires, emergency fuel services, and battery jumping, or delivery services. If you need help with roadside assistance, call (855) 577-0233.
The company also has a nationwide network of auto repair shops to help make the repair process go quickly and smoothly.
Progressive’s online resource offerings are rather slim and are mostly articles to help businesses. However, under its discount section, Progressive lists several tools businesses in the auto space can use, like fleet tracking and safe driving resources, to promote safe driving and, hopefully, generate some savings.
Finally, Progressive does offer an online portal to get a COI. However, it states that only some policies allow you to request one online, and you will need to call for the rest. No timeframe for generating the COI is provided.
Progressive Insurance Reviews
While researching for this Progressive business insurance review, I examined information drawn from third-party sources, including nonprofit organizations.
Complaints With the Department of Insurance
The insurance industry is not federally regulated. However, a quasi-federal organization known as the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) tracks complaints filed against insurance carriers at the state level. The NAIC complaint index of 1 is the national average—or the level of expected complaints.
In Progressive’s NAIC trend report for 2022 (the most recent available), its complaint index is significantly high: 1.97. However, the majority of those complaints are related to personal auto insurance. If you filter the complaints to focus solely on its business insurance side, then the average complaint index is 0.41, which is below the national average.
Third-party Reviews
While this review is focused on Progressive business insurance, Progressive’s dominance in the personal auto space occupies most of the reviews available and makes it harder to focus on how its commercial side is performing.
Overall, Progressive’s personal auto policyholders do not seem pleased. Most reviews on third-party sites like the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and Trustpilot[1] (which gave Progressive a score of 1.8 out of 5 from less than 20 reviews) are overwhelmingly negative.
However, it is evident that the majority of Progressive reviews are complaints stemming from the personal auto lines side of its business operations. I didn’t come across any reviews that were clearly for Progressive Commercial.
Additionally, the review score on Trustpilot is misleading. First, it is only for commercial auto insurance and not for all Progressive Commercial insurance offerings. Secondly, the score is derived from a very small sample size of around 15 reviews. Considering Progressive is the largest commercial auto insurer, it seems a bit odd that so few reviews—positive or negative—are available.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Yes. Progressive Insurance has been around since 1937 and has sold commercial insurance since 1971. It offers insurance in all 50 states.
Progressive Insurance has been a publicly owned corporation since 1971.
Progressive Commercial insurance is primarily focused on commercial auto insurance. However, in 2018, it released a BOP product in Ohio. Since then, Progressive Commercial has rolled out general liability and BOP products in other states.
According to Progressive, in 2022, the median monthly cost for general liability insurance was $53 and the BOP monthly median cost was $70.
In the Progressive Advantage® Business Program, the company functions like a broker and helps customers find a policy from carriers it selects. Many of the business insurance policies Progressive offers are through this program.
The primary number for Progressive Commercial is (888) 806-9598. If you are a commercial auto policyholder and need roadside assistance, you can call (855) 577-0233.
Bottom Line
Progressive Insurance has been an auto insurance company since 1937. Over time it has added other coverages, like homeowners, motorcycle, and commercial auto. It has recently expanded its commercial offering with BOPs and general liability policies for some states.
If you are a policyholder whose primary business involves transportation, whether on a small scale, with heavy trucks, or with a full fleet, Progressive Commercial is a great option to check out.
User review resource:
[1]Trustpilot | Progressive Insurance