Farmers vs Progressive: which is better for car insurance in 2026?
Across our six scoring categories, Farmers comes out ahead in 1, Progressive in 5. Progressive edges the weighted overall score by 1.0 of a point, on the strength of price, complaint record, financial strength, discounts, digital experience. That is not a reason to skip Farmers: it scores higher on claims satisfaction, and a quote that comes in lower beats a review that scores higher. Progressive is the safer default; Farmers is worth a quote if you are among drivers who want an agent and have specific coverage needs farmers can meet.
Farmers vs Progressive, side by side
Sources: average premiums from NerdWallet's August 2026 rate analysis (Quadrant Information Services), for a 35-year-old driver with a clean record and good credit in a 2023 Toyota Camry LE at 12,000 miles a year, 100/300/50 limits with $1,000 deductibles — national average $2,356. Claims satisfaction from the J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction Study (segment average 700). Complaint record from NerdWallet's analysis of NAIC complaint data, 2022–2024. Financial strength from AM Best. Discounts and app data from each carrier's published pages and the Apple App Store / Google Play, retrieved August 2026. Updated August 2026.
Category by category
Price
Progressive aheadProgressive averages $2,062/yr for full coverage against Farmers's $4,048/yr — about $1986 a year, or 165.5 dollars a month, in Progressive's favor for this profile.
$4,048 a year for full coverage, 72% above the national average and the most expensive carrier in this review by a wide margin.
$2,062 a year for full coverage, about 13% under the national average and effectively tied with State Farm. Progressive's real pricing story is the discount stack rather than the base rate.
Claims satisfaction
Farmers aheadFarmers takes claims satisfaction on 690/1,000 against Progressive's 673/1,000.
690 out of 1,000, ten points below the segment average.
673 out of 1,000 is the weakest claims score in this review — 27 points below the segment average and 70 behind Erie. This is Progressive's clearest weakness.
Complaint record
Progressive aheadProgressive takes complaint record on Fewer than expected against Farmers's About the expected number.
Close to the number of complaints expected for its size.
Fewer complaints than expected for its size, which sits oddly alongside the claims score and suggests the friction shows up in satisfaction rather than in formal complaints.
Financial strength
Progressive aheadProgressive takes financial strength on A+ against Farmers's A.
AM Best A (Excellent).
AM Best A+ (Superior). No concerns about its ability to pay.
Discounts
Progressive aheadProgressive takes discounts on 16 published against Farmers's 10 published*.
Roughly ten discounts, though Farmers blocks automated access to its own discounts page, so we could not verify the list or its telematics program name directly.
Sixteen published discounts, more than almost anyone — and unusually, Progressive publishes the average value of most of them rather than hiding behind 'varies'.
Digital experience
Progressive aheadProgressive takes digital experience on 4.83 iOS / 4.6 Android against Farmers's 4.84 iOS / 4.7 Android.
4.84 on the App Store and 4.7 on Google Play — the best-rated app pairing in this review, across a relatively small rating base.
4.83 on the App Store and 4.6 on Google Play. Progressive was built direct-to-consumer and the digital experience shows it.
So which one?
Pick Farmers if…
- You are among drivers who want an agent and have specific coverage needs farmers can meet.
- You care most about how a claim actually goes: Farmers scores 690/1,000.
- Availability fits: 40 states, through agents — the Farmers brand left Florida in 2023 and does not write in Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont or West Virginia.
Pick Progressive if…
- You are among price shoppers willing to trade some claims experience for a lower premium.
- Price is your first filter — Progressive averages $2,062/yr for full coverage on our benchmark profile.
- You want the lower complaint record — Progressive sits at Fewer than expected.
- Financial strength is a priority; Progressive holds A+ from AM Best.
Farmers vs Progressive, answered
The questions people ask before switching between these two.
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