Liberty Mutual vs Progressive: which is better for car insurance in 2026?
Across our six scoring categories, Liberty Mutual comes out ahead in 1, Progressive in 3, with 2 too close to call. There is no overall score to compare, though: Liberty Mutual does not publish enough of the underlying data to earn one, and we would rather leave it blank than build a number out of the two or three figures that happen to exist. Progressive is the better-documented of the two, which is not the same as being the better insurer for you. Judge these two on the categories where both have real figures — and on what they actually quote you.
Liberty Mutual 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
Too close to callLiberty Mutual does not release public rate data, so there is no like-for-like premium to set against Progressive's $2,062/yr. That is a real gap in the comparison, not a rounding error — treat Liberty Mutual's price as unknown until you have a quote in hand.
Not published. Liberty Mutual releases no public rate data, so no independent study — including ours — can put a national average against it. Any figure you see quoted for Liberty Mutual is an estimate.
$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
Liberty Mutual aheadLiberty Mutual takes claims satisfaction on 730/1,000 against Progressive's 673/1,000.
730 out of 1,000, third-highest in the J.D. Power 2025 study and thirty points above 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 Liberty Mutual's More than expected.
More complaints than expected for its size, based on 2021–2023 data — a different window from most carriers here, so not perfectly comparable.
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 Liberty Mutual'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 Liberty Mutual's 12 published.
Twelve published discounts, plus a customization tool Liberty Mutual says saves 12% or more — though that is excluded in nine states.
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
Too close to callNeither pulls ahead on digital experience: Liberty Mutual posts 4.79 iOS / 4.6 Android and Progressive 4.83 iOS / 4.6 Android, a difference too small to choose on.
4.79 on the App Store and 4.6 on Google Play across 669,000 combined ratings. Solid on both platforms.
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 Liberty Mutual if…
- You are among drivers who value claims handling and will quote it directly.
- You care most about how a claim actually goes: Liberty Mutual scores 730/1,000.
- Availability fits: 45 states and D.C. — not available in Alaska, California, North Dakota, South Dakota or Wyoming.
Pick Progressive if…
- You are among price shoppers willing to trade some claims experience for a lower premium.
- You want the lower complaint record — Progressive sits at Fewer than expected.
- Financial strength is a priority; Progressive holds A+ from AM Best.
- You expect to stack discounts — Progressive's lineup is the broader of the two.
Liberty Mutual vs Progressive, answered
The questions people ask before switching between these two.
Other comparisons
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