Head to head
Progressive vs The General in Florida
Updated August 2026
This is the comparison Florida drivers with a complicated record actually face. Progressive is a mainstream giant that built its early business on non-standard auto and remains one of the names most associated with SR-22 and FR-44 filings. The General is a pure non-standard specialist — part of the American Family Insurance group since 2012 — whose core business is exactly the drivers other companies decline: lapses, violations, filings.
The instinct is to assume the specialist wins on a rough record and the giant wins on a clean one. Florida quoting doesn't work that neatly. Non-standard profiles see the widest quote spreads in the market, and which company prices your specific history better changes driver to driver and year to year. Here's how the two are built — then your quote decides.
| Progressive | The General | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1937 | 1963 (as Permanent General) |
| Ownership | Publicly traded (NYSE: PGR) | Part of the American Family Insurance group since 2012 |
| AM Best rating | A+ (Superior) | A (Excellent) |
| How it sells | Direct online/phone plus independent agents | Direct and online, backed by heavy advertising |
| Telematics program | Snapshot | Not a marquee feature — The General competes on acceptance, not usage scoring |
| SR-22 / FR-44 appetite | Strong mainstream appetite; non-standard roots show in its filing business | Core business — SR-22 and FR-44 filings are the specialty |
| Eligibility notes | Broad appetite, from preferred profiles to non-standard | Built for drivers the standard market declines — lapses, violations, filings |
Source: Company disclosures and AM Best public ratings
A giant with non-standard roots vs a pure specialist
Progressive serves the whole spectrum: preferred drivers, average drivers, and non-standard profiles all sit in one book, sold direct or through independent agents who can re-shop the policy at renewal. The General serves one end of the spectrum on purpose. Its underwriting, its paperwork and its famous advertising are all tuned for drivers who need coverage accepted quickly despite a record — often with a filing attached.
That focus is the trade. A specialist rarely turns your profile away and is built to issue proof of insurance fast; a giant with broader appetite may price a lightly blemished record more like a standard risk. Neither posture tells you the number you'll see.
SR-22s and Florida's FR-44
Florida uses two financial-responsibility filings. The SR-22 follows violations like driving without insurance, and the filing fee itself is small — typically around $15–25. The FR-44 is the heavier one: required after DUI-related convictions, it mandates 100/300/50 liability limits, far above Florida's usual minimums of $10,000 PIP and $10,000 property damage liability. Only Florida and Virginia use the FR-44 at all.
Both Progressive and The General handle these filings routinely — it's core business for The General and a long-standing strength for Progressive. Because an FR-44 forces high limits, the premium differences between carriers on a DUI profile are magnified, which is exactly why this matchup deserves two real quotes rather than an assumption.
Which kinds of drivers each tends to fit
Progressive tends to fit drivers whose record has a blemish but whose profile is otherwise ordinary — one violation, a filing requirement, but steady coverage history — and drivers who want an independent agent or Snapshot's usage-based discount in the mix. The General tends to fit drivers coming off a coverage lapse, drivers declined elsewhere, and anyone who needs a policy with a filing issued fast.
These are tendencies about structure, not verdicts about price. On non-standard profiles the spread between quotes is typically the widest in all of auto insurance, so the ten minutes it takes to run both companies — ideally alongside another specialist or two — is the highest-leverage step. Your quote decides.
Frequently asked questions
Is The General only for high-risk drivers?+
Non-standard drivers are its specialty and its core business — coverage lapses, violations, SR-22 and FR-44 filings. Drivers with clean records can get quotes too, but the company's underwriting and pricing are tuned for the non-standard market, which is why clean-record shoppers usually compare it against mainstream carriers rather than defaulting to it.
Which is cheaper for an SR-22 in Florida — Progressive or The General?+
There's no categorical answer. Filing profiles see the widest quote spreads in auto insurance, and which company likes your specific history changes case by case. The filing fee itself is minor — typically around $15–25 — so the real money is in the premium. Quote both, on identical coverage, and add another specialist for pressure.
What's the difference between an SR-22 and an FR-44 in Florida?+
Both are proof-of-financial-responsibility filings your insurer submits to the state. The SR-22 follows violations like driving uninsured. The FR-44 follows DUI-related convictions and requires 100/300/50 liability limits — far above the state's usual minimums. Florida and Virginia are the only states that use the FR-44.
Is The General a real, rated insurer?+
Yes. Behind the advertising, The General's companies trace to Permanent General, founded in 1963, and have been part of the American Family Insurance group since 2012. AM Best rates it A (Excellent). The brand is loud; the paper behind it is an established, rated group.
ShowMyRates is an independent comparison service, not affiliated with either company. Marks belong to their owners; details reflect public disclosures and can change. This page compares product structure — the only way to compare prices is a quote for your own profile.
Progressive or The General? Your quote decides
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