Progressive Roadside Assistance: Coverage and Cost (2024)

Progressive Roadside Assistance Review

Overall, we rate Progressive roadside assistance 9.0 out of 10.0. It ranks 10th on our list of the best roadside assistance plans.

What Does Progressive Roadside Assistance Cover?

Progressive roadside assistance coverage includes towing, winching, battery jump-starts, fuel delivery, electric vehicle battery charging, locksmith services, flat tire changes and up to one hour of on-scene mechanical repair. It is comparable to other insurance and car warranty roadside assistance plans, but it isn’t quite as extensive as a roadside plan from a dedicated provider like AAA.

Progressive roadside assistance covers towing to the nearest qualified repair facility if your car is disabled because of a mechanical breakdown but not if you get into an accident. Towing after an accident may be covered under another part of your Progressive policy though. 

Here’s a breakdown of what Progressive’s roadside service covers:

In addition to roadside assistance service for cars, Progressive offers roadside assistance for motorcycles, boats and recreational vehicles. The same coverage applies whether you drive a car or an RV. Coverage also extends to towing alternative vehicles, even if they aren’t insured through Progressive.

Progressive Roadside Assistance Limits

To purchase Progressive roadside assistance, you must have auto insurance through the company. You are also limited to using your policy for vehicles already included in it. You can’t use it also while driving a rental car or a family member’s car unless that vehicle is on your policy.

There are some other limitations as well. For example, you have to cover the cost of any maintenance item or fluids that your car needs. Some other programs include a certain amount of gas for free. Also, there’s a limit to the number of roadside events you can claim with Progressive. The limit is based on your other insurance coverage limits and state laws. Making a large number of roadside claims in one policy term may raise your insurance rates.

Our team reached out to Progressive for a comment on these program limitations but did not receive a response.

Progressive Roadside Assistance Cost

Progressive roadside assistance can cost between $15 and $30 per six-month policy term (or $30 to $60 per year). In one Progressive insurance quote we received, roadside assistance was priced at $26.30 for a six-month term.

This is slightly higher than roadside assistance plans from other companies. For example, Geico’s roadside assistance can cost as low as $14 per year, and State Farm charges around $30 per year depending on the vehicle. 

In fact, if you are OK spending $60 per year you can get AAA’s lowest plan for about that price. AAA’s Basic plan costs about $64 per year depending on the region and can cover you whether you’re driving your own car or riding in someone else’s.

How Does Progressive Roadside Assistance Work?

You’re stuck on the side of the road or highway. You can either call Progressive’s roadside assistance number directly or start a roadside claim within the app on your phone. Progressive’s roadside assistance phone number is 1-800-776-4737. You can also get reimbursed for covered services if you contact a provider directly. For example, if you call a tow truck operator yourself, you can submit your receipt to Progressive.

One nice thing about the app is that it has instructions for jump-starting a battery and replacing a flat tire yourself, just in case. After you start your request, you’ll have to wait for the service technician to get there. Progressive uses Agero and its affiliate network of providers, so technicians are located across the country. However, Progressive roadside assistance isn’t necessarily known for its speed of execution, some customers say.

Progressive Roadside Service: How To Sign Up

You can sign up for Progressive roadside assistance at any time. You don’t have to wait until your current insurance period is over. To sign up, you can either call your insurance agent or request a change to your coverage via the website or mobile app.

If you call your agent, they can also review any other changes to your driving situation to make sure you’re getting the best discounts. Using the website or mobile app is easy as well — just navigate to the coverage area to request a policy change.

Drivers with basic liability car insurance can get roadside assistance in most states. In some states, Progressive roadside assistance is only an option if you have full or comprehensive coverage.

Progressive Roadside Assistance: The Bottom Line

Adding roadside assistance to an existing Progressive car insurance policy can provide peace of mind for just a few more dollars per month. While it’s not as extensive a plan compared to other providers’ offerings, Progressive roadside assistance is a cost-effective option to protect your car. We recommend shopping around and comparing options before committing to a roadside assistance provider.

Progressive Roadside Assistance Competitors: Top Picks

Progressive isn’t the only insurance company that offers roadside assistance. You can get roadside coverage from most leading insurers, like Geico and USAA. It can also be smart to go with a dedicated provider like AAA to keep your car insurance prices steady.

Progressive Roadside Assistance vs. AAA

A Progressive plan costs roughly the same as an entry-level AAA plan. AAA Basic (or Classic depending on your regional AAA club) is comparable to Progressive’s roadside assistance, but it only covers towing up to three miles (or five under Classic). 

One of the drawbacks of insurance roadside coverage compared to programs like AAA is that you can only use it for vehicles on your own insurance policy (with an exception for towing your motorcycle, RV or boat). This might come as a disappointment if you’re used to AAA, which allows you to call roadside assistance for whichever vehicle you’re using, even if you’re not the driver. While Progressive roadside assistance is comparable to other roadside assistance plans, its coverage is not as extensive as AAA’s plans.

Allstate Roadside Assistance

Allstate is another good option for roadside assistance. The company offers a full roadside plan you can purchase without being an Allstate customer. Or, you can add it to your insurance policy for a lower price. 

Allstate’s stand-alone plan starts at $89 for the first year while the add-on is as low as $25 per vehicle. The company also offers a pay-per-use plan that’s free until you call for roadside assistance.

If you’re looking for cheap car insurance, use the free quote comparison tool below to see prices from providers in your area.

Progressive Roadside Assistance: FAQ

Below are frequently asked questions about Progressive roadside assistance:

Our Methodology

Because consumers rely on us to provide objective and accurate information, we created a comprehensive rating system to formulate our rankings of the best car insurance companies. We collected data on dozens of auto insurance providers to grade the companies on a wide range of ranking factors. The end result was an overall rating for each provider, with the insurers that scored the most points topping the list.

Here are the factors our ratings take into account:

Cost: Auto insurance rate estimates generated by Quadrant Information Services and discount opportunities were both taken into consideration.
Coverage: Companies that offer a variety of choices for insurance coverage are more likely to meet consumer needs.
Reputation and experience: Our research team considered market share, ratings from industry experts and years in business when giving this score.
Availability: Auto insurance companies with greater state availability and few eligibility requirements scored highest in this category.
Customer experience: This score is based on volume of complaints reported by the NAIC and customer satisfaction ratings reported by J.D. Power. We also considered the responsiveness, friendliness and helpfulness of each insurance company’s customer service team based on our own shopper analysis.

Our credentials:

800 hours researched
45 companies reviewed
8,500+ consumers surveyed

*Data accurate at time of publication.

Credits