Point, Click, Save! Starting Today, Massachusetts Drivers Have New Choice for Car...

Point, Click, Save! Starting Today, Massachusetts Drivers Have New Choice for Car Insurance as Progressive Opens for Business

Award-Winning Web Site Makes it Fast and Easy to Get Accurate
Comparison Rates From Progressive and up to Three Top Competitors
MAYFIELD VILLAGE, Ohio--(Business Wire)--
For years, Massachusetts drivers saw national advertising for a
product they may have wanted to buy, but couldn't: Progressive car
insurance. But today, that comes to an end as the country's third
largest auto insurer begins offering policies to Bay State drivers
online at progressive.com.

"We've wanted to offer car insurance to Massachusetts drivers for
a long time and we're so excited to finally be able to do it," said
Cathy Wilton-Bransch, Progressive's Massachusetts product manager.
Wilton-Bransch said Progressive decided to enter the Massachusetts
private passenger auto market because of recent regulatory reforms
that allow companies to compete for customers with their own products
and prices.

Visitors to progressive.com can take advantage of its unique
comparison rating feature which offers individual drivers accurate
rates from Progressive and up to three top competitors. Consumers can
simply enter information about their vehicles and driving history, as
well as the coverage they'd like to purchase, and Progressive can
provide its rate and the rates of up to three other companies
including Commerce, Arbella and Liberty Mutual. Because the competitor
rates are based on actual rate filings submitted to the Division of
Insurance and are generated based on the consumer's specific
information, the rates are not samples, but actual rates consumers can
expect to get from the competitors. The quoting process only takes a
few minutes.

"We want to make comparison shopping as easy as possible. That's
why we show our rates right alongside the rates of other top
carriers," said Wilton-Bransch. "For some drivers, our rate may be the
lowest, but other drivers will get a better rate somewhere else. Our
goal is to give shoppers the information they need to make the
insurance decision that's right for them. Of course, we hope many
shoppers will find that Progressive is their best choice."

For shoppers who have questions while getting a quote,
progressive.com has a feature called "Talk to Me." The person clicks
on the Talk to Me icon and can be instantly connected to a licensed
insurance representative who can answer any questions they may have.

Innovations like Talk to Me and accurate comparison rates are the
types of features that have earned Progressive an industry-leading
position in the Internet space. Progressive.com is ranked #1 among
auto insurance carriers by Keynote(R) Systems (Nasdaq:KEYN), a company
that evaluates Web sites on how well they conform to online customer
experience best practices.

Progressive also holds the top spot for positive Web-based
customer experiences according to The Customer Respect Group (CRG).
Progressive earned a 7.5 on a 10-point scale - an "Excellent" rating -
on the Customer Respect Index, which measures customers' online
interactions with a company. The auto insurance industry as a whole
earned a 5.5 rating. CRG called progressive.com "strikingly
interactive and innovative" thanks to its RSS feeds, blogs and other
features.

Progressive is phasing in its buying options for Massachusetts
drivers over time; starting today, policies are available only online,
but eventually consumers will also be able to shop by phone and
through independent agents. Progressive has been offering commercial
auto insurance, which operates under a different regulatory system, to
Massachusetts business owners through independent agents for more than
a year.

About Progressive

The Progressive Group of Insurance Companies, in business since
1937, is the country's third largest auto insurance group and largest
seller of motorcycle and personal watercraft policies based on
premiums written, and is a market leader in commercial auto insurance.

Progressive is committed to becoming consumers' #1 choice for auto
insurance by providing competitive rates and products that meet
drivers' needs throughout their lifetimes, superior online and
in-person customer service, and best-in-class, 24-hour claims service,
including its concierge level of claims service available at service
centers located in major metropolitan areas throughout the United
States.

Progressive companies offer consumers choices in how to shop for,
buy and manage their auto insurance policies. Progressive offers its
products, including personal and commercial auto, motorcycle, boat and
recreational vehicle insurance, through more than 30,000 independent
insurance agencies throughout the U.S. and online and by phone
directly from the Company. Private passenger auto products and prices
are different when purchased directly from Progressive or through
independent agencies. To find an agent or to get a quote, go to
www.progressive.com.

The Common Shares of The Progressive Corporation, the Mayfield
Village, Ohio-based holding company, are publicly traded at
(NYSE:PGR).

Progressive PR
Cristy Cote, 440-395-0135

Copyright Business Wire 2008