Progressive roadside assistance and insurance policy

Progressive Roadside Assistance: Powering Peace of Mind


Written by Catherine • Updated Jan 31, 2023

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Questions:


In the 1997 film Breakdown, characters Jeff and Amy Taylor end up fighting for their lives after their Jeep stops running on a deserted road. If it were a real-life story, that would have been the ideal time for the Taylors to use their Progressive roadside assistance coverage. A local technician would have quickly diagnosed the Jeep’s loose battery cables and had the Taylors on their way — no drama required.  

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  1. 1

    Progressive roadside assistance is a good value for the price.

  2. 2

    Roadside assistance coverage costs $16-23 annually.

  3. 3

    Progressive roadside assistance covers the four most common reasons drivers need emergency services: flat tires, dead batteries, keys locked inside the car, and mechanical failure.

What is roadside assistance?

Roadside assistance is auto insurance that pays for services to help drivers after their cars break down. It’s sometimes called breakdown and towing coverage or breakdown services, but this isn’t the same thing as mechanical breakdown insurance. Standard services in a roadside assistance program include tire changes and short-distance towing, along with support to get you back on the road when you lock the keys in your car, your battery dies, or you run out of gas.


Some new car warranties have limited roadside services built-in. You can also purchase more robust roadside assistance packages from specialized providers like the American Automobile Association (AAA) and Urgent.ly. Many car owners prefer to buy roadside assistance coverage from their auto carrier, as a low-cost add-on to their auto policy. Progressive, Farmers, State Farm, Geico, and other carriers offer this type of coverage.  

Progressive Roadside Assistance Protections

Incident Type

Needed Roadside Assist

How it Works

Your car breaks down for unknown reasons.

Towing or On-site Repair

When your car breaks down and is not functional, Progressive roadside assistance provides up to one hour of mechanical service to diagnose and fix the problem. If one hour of service is not enough, you can pay for additional labor or you can have your car towed 15 miles or to the nearest repair shop for free.

Your car gets stuck in mud, snow, water, or sand.

Winching

Your Progressive roadside assistance plan includes pulling your car 100 feet out of a stuck spot to the nearest road. The tow truck technician typically uses a motor-powered winch with a heavy-duty chain or cable to displace your car.

Your battery dies, on the road or in your driveway.

Battery jumpstart

A technician will jumpstart your dead battery.

You run out of gas.

Fuel delivery

If your car is completely out of fuel, a technician will deliver enough gas to get you to the nearest gas station.

Your electric car battery dies.

Towing

Your Progressive roadside assistance coverage does not pay to charge your electric vehicle, but you can have your electric car towed 15 miles or to the nearest charging facility.

You lose your keys or lock them in your car.

Locksmith

If you lose your car keys, your roadside coverage plan will send out a locksmith to help. You will have to pay for replacement keys, but not the locksmith services. If you lock your keys in the car, Progressive roadside assistance will send a technician who gains entry into the vehicle.

You are stuck roadside with a flat tire.

Tire change

If you provide a spare tire, your roadside coverage pays for the cost of the tire change, on-site.

Most people get Progressive roadside assistance for their vehicle, but you can also get roadside assistance coverage for your motorcycle, boat, or RV.

Roadside Assistance

Progressives’ overview of roadside services

What does Progressive roadside assistance include?

Progressive roadside assistance pays for towing, winching, battery jumpstarts, fuel delivery, lockout services, and tire changes. See the table below for an explanation of when you might need each of these services and what you can expect.

What is not included in Progressive roadside assistance?

Progressive offers a standard level of emergency services for drivers, but there are exceptions. These are shown in the table below. First, each policy has limits on how many roadside assistance calls you can make every six months. More importantly, you cannot access any of these services unless you’re driving a car that’s listed on your policy. That means you’re not covered when you rent a car or borrow a friend’s car.

Exceptions and rules:

Policy-specific caps on services

Each policy outlines limits for the number of times you can access roadside assistance services every six months.

Vehicles covered

You can only use roadside assistance services for vehicles listed on your insurance policy. You are not covered in rental cars.

Parts and tires

Parts, tires, or batteries required to get your car back on the road are not covered by your roadside assistance coverage.


How do I get Progressive roadside assistance?        

Progressive offers its roadside assistance as an add-on to its standard auto coverages — meaning you can only get Progressive roadside assistance when you have Progressive auto insurance. In some states, you can only opt into roadside assistance when you already have Progressive comprehensive and collision.


If you already have Progressive auto insurance, call an agent at (800) 776-4737 or use Progressive’s online chat feature to add roadside assistance to your policy. If you don’t have Progressive auto insurance currently, start an online quote at Progressive.com. You’d opt into roadside assistance when you select the coverages you want. See our post on how long it takes to get car insurance.


How do I use roadside assistance from Progressive?

When you need to use your roadside assistance coverage, call 800-776-2778. This line is staffed around the clock. The dispatcher will document your issue and send out a qualified technician to provide any covered services free of charge. You could also call a service provider directly. In that case, you’d pay for the services yourself and submit your receipts to Progressive for reimbursement.

The four most common reasons drivers need roadside assistance are flat tires, dead batteries, keys locked inside the car, and mechanical failure. Here’s how Progressive roadside assistance handles each.

Flat tire

If you have Progressive roadside assistance and you blow out a tire, your first step is to verify that you have a viable spare. Without a spare, you can’t get a tire change. Your vehicle would have to be delivered to the nearest repair facility on a flatbed truck. Alternatively, you can call around local repair shops and see if they’ll bring you a replacement tire and help you change it. If you go that route, you’ll pay the repair shop directly, and then submit your receipts to Progressive for reimbursement. Your coverage won’t pay for the tire, but you should get reimbursed for the tire change.

If you have a spare, call Progressive at 800-776-2778. They’ll dispatch a technician. Once the technician arrives and completes the job, you’ll sign for services received and be on your way.

Dead battery

You accidentally leave your lights on and your car battery dies. If you have Progressive roadside assistance, you can call 800-776-2778 for a free jumpstart — even if your car is stuck in your driveway. A technician will arrive and attempt to start your car. If the battery is not rechargeable, the technician can tow your car to the nearest repair shop.

Keys locked inside

It happens to the best of us. You pull the door handle, realize it’s locked, and then see your keys inside. Hopefully, you didn’t leave your phone in the car, too. Call Progressive roadside dispatching at 800-776-2778 and an agent will send a local technician out to help. The technician will attempt to gain entry into the car safely, so you can get back on the road.

Mechanical failure

Your car sputters, coughs, and then shuts off. You manage to navigate safely to the right shoulder. As far as you know, there’s still gas in the tank. Contact Progressive roadside assistance at 800-776-2778 and explain what happened. A local mechanic will be dispatched to you. He or she will troubleshoot and implement any fixes that can be done within an hour. Hopefully, the problem is as simple as a loose battery cable. If it’s something more serious, or an issue that requires parts, the mechanic can tow your car to the nearest repair facility.

What does Progressive roadside assistance cost?

Progressive roadside assistance usually costs less than $12 for each six month policy term, but in some cases can cost upwards $50 depending on state and applicant.

How long do I have to wait for Progressive to send a roadside technician?

Timing varies based on where you are and how many service providers are nearby. You’ll generally wait 45 minutes or more.

Do I have to pay out-of-pocket for Progressive roadside services?

You do not have to pay out-of-pocket for covered services, as long as you use Progressive’s dispatching line (800-776-2778) to arrange for services. If you call a service provider directly, you will pay for those services directly and then send your receipts to Progressive for reimbursement.

Can I get reimbursed if I pay for covered services myself?

Yes. You can submit your receipt to Progressive here for partial reimbursement. You can also mail your documentation to:

Progressive Reimbursements – PO Box 9147 – Medford, MA 02155

Is Progressive roadside assistance right for me?

Progressive roadside assistance is likely a good choice when all of the following are true:

1. You already have Progressive auto insurance.


2. You’re not currently covered by another roadside assistance package, say through your auto warranty or dealership service program.


3. Desire to keep your costs low.


4. You don’t expect to need more robust services like trip interruption coverage.


How does Progressive roadside assistance compare to other options?

Compared to roadside assistance programs offered by other auto carriers, Progressive’s package is fairly standard in cost and included services. Relative to specialized providers AAA and Urgent.ly, Progressive’s program is less expensive but also has fewer services.  

Progressive roadside assistance: good value

Progressive’s roadside assistance program offers peace of mind at a fairly affordable price point. One important point to note is that you can only access your covered services via phone. If you have a road trip on the calendar, check the coverage maps for your cell phone provider. If necessary, change your route or buy a prepaid phone that’ll give you the coverage you need. You don’t want to end up breaking down in the middle of nowhere, without a way to contact a Progressive dispatcher — suspense films tell us that’s a very bad idea.

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About Catherine Brock

Catherine Brock is a former financial analyst with 15+ years of experience writing about personal finance and fashion. She's been featured in Forbes, The Motley Fool, USA Today, Refinery29, and her own blog Budget Fashionista. She's also appeared on ABC7 Chicago, FOX2News St. Louis, KCAL9 Los Angeles, Fox19 Cincinnati, WGN TV Chicago, and WCPO TV Cincinnati. When Catherine's not writing, she can be found riding a horse in the country or shopping online for clothes.

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