Affiliate Disclosure: Automoblog and its partners may earn a commission if you purchase a plan from the car insurance providers outlined here. These commissions come to us at no additional cost to you. Our research team has carefully vetted dozens of car insurance providers. See our Privacy Policy to learn more.
- For a car to have a rebuilt title, it means that it was salvaged and later restored to a working condition.
- It may be cheaper to get a car with a rebuilt title, but there are various risks involved that you’ll need to keep in mind.
- GEICO and State Farm are two other reputable insurers to consider along with Progressive insurance for a rebuilt title.
Cars with rebuilt titles can be significantly cheaper than new or used cars. If you’re thinking about buying a car with a rebuilt title or already own one, you may wonder about the insurance options available to you.
Progressive provides certain car insurance options for vehicles with rebuilt titles. However, the process may be different depending on where you live in the U.S. In this article, we’ll cover Progressive insurance for rebuilt title cars, and the pros and cons of having them. Our team of experts has also extensively reviewed the best car insurance companies in the U.S. with the goal of finding you the most competitive rates.
What Is a Rebuilt Title?
For a car to have a rebuilt title, it must have a salvage title first. If you have a car that gets stolen, vandalized or severely damaged from a road collision or natural disaster, your insurance provider may register your vehicle as “a total loss.” Insurers reach this stage when they determine that repairing a car would be more expensive than getting rid of it.
The provider may then choose to buy back the totaled car by reaching a settlement with you. In a bid to recover some of its losses, the insurer will then sell your car to a garage or professional car restoration business. This is when most states provide the vehicle with a “salvage title.”
A rebuilt title is the new title status given to a salvage title car that has been repaired or restored to working condition. This informs the car’s new buyer of its history. In some states, cars need to pass multiple safety inspections to receive the rebuilt title. On the other hand, a few U.S. states do not require rebuilt title car sellers to notify future buyers of the car’s history.
Rebuilt Title Car Insurance
Car insurance policies for rebuilt title cars usually have roughly the same coverages as new or used (clean title) cars, except for collision and comprehensive coverage. According to Progressive, all policies across the few companies that offer coverage for rebuilt title cars should have any insurance coverage legally necessary for your state.
These coverages could be:
- Liability coverage: Covers medical bills and property damages for the other driver and their passengers in an accident you’re legally at fault for.
- Uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage: Covers your vehicle and bodily injuries after an accident with an at-fault driver who has very little or no car insurance.
- Medical payments coverage (MedPay): Covers you and your passengers’ injuries after an accident, regardless of who is at fault.
- Personal injury protection (PIP): Covers you and your passengers’ medical bills and lost wages after a car accident.
All states except for Virginia and New Hampshire require a minimum amount of liability coverage, so most rebuilt title policies will have it. Many car insurance companies will not allow drivers to get comprehensive or collision insurance on their rebuilt title cars.
This is because rebuilt title cars could still have pre-existing damages or issues from when they originally became totaled, making it difficult for providers to tell new damages from old ones.
Rebuilt Title Car Insurance: Costs & Inspections
If you own a rebuilt title car, it will need to be inspected by a certified technician or mechanic to determine if it can run safely. After your motor vehicle has passed the inspection, you will have only a handful of insurance providers to choose from.
Buying auto insurance coverage for your rebuilt title car can be more expensive than insuring a clean title car, unfortunately. By some estimates, premiums for rebuilt title cars can be around 20% higher than normal car insurance rates, because insurance companies consider owners of rebuilt title vehicles to be much more likely to file claims in the future.
Also, since there aren’t many insurance providers that insure rebuilt title cars, those that do are free to bump up the prices with the lack of competition.
Is Progressive Right for Rebuilt Title Car Insurance?
On top of being one of the leading names in the car insurance business, Progressive provides extensive insurance plans for cars that were salvaged and rebuilt. The company even offers full-coverage plans for some car types, which is rare. If your rebuilt vehicle isn’t eligible for full coverage, you can always apply for minimum liability coverage insurance.
Pros of Progressive Insurance
Progressive has a long history of insuring drivers with DUIs, multiple speeding tickets, recent at-fault accidents and other traffic violations. Progressive also offers several savings opportunities, such as its Snapshot program, a usage-based insurance that monitors the driving habits of policyholders. If drivers do well in the Snapshot program, they can receive massive discounts on their premiums.
Progressive also has other discounts that many can qualify for, such as a:
- Good student discount
- Teen driver discount
- Multi-policy discount
- Distant student discount
- Homeowner discount
- Sign online discount
- Pay-in-full discount
Cons of Progressive Insurance
While Progressive is known for offering fair rates for high-risk motorists, its standard car insurance coverage for drivers with clean driving records is not as cheap as other top providers like GEICO and State Farm. Progressive’s average cost for full coverage car insurance is $1,611 per year, while GEICO’s is $1,308 and State Farm’s is $1,481.
Progressive also doesn’t have the strongest customer satisfaction record among providers. On the Better Business Bureau (BBB) site, Progressive received a rating of 1.1 out of 5.0 stars by customers. In the reviews, customers commonly complained about long claims processes, a lack of communication from insurance agents and higher-than-average rates.
Pros & Cons of Getting a Rebuilt Title Car
While it has its own set of risks, purchasing a car that was salvaged and rebuilt has some few key advantages.
| Pros of Rebuilt Cars | Cons of Rebuilt Cars |
| Rebuilt cars can be cheaper. Since rebuilt cars have been through severe damages, they’re often more affordable to buy, especially when compared to new or pre-owned cars. Kelley Blue Book states that salvage title vehicles are often up to 40% cheaper than new cars, which makes them an easy choice for consumers on a budget, especially when they get rebuilt titles. | It can be harder to sell rebuilt cars. Since a rebuilt title car has usually gone through a lot of damage in its past, it can be harder to sell later. There’s no guarantee on how long rebuilt title cars can last, so it’s important to take good care of them. |
| The DMV can give you a rebuilt car’s history. While most auto dealerships will be transparent about the rebuilt salvage car’s full history, some won’t be, which can be a big red flag. It’s always possible the seller may be hiding important information. Luckily, you can run a quick check about the car’s history by heading over to your local DMV or using an online service like AutoCheck. | Inspections don’t reveal everything. Almost every car with a rebuilt title is required to pass the checks and inspections as mandated by the state, but this doesn’t mean you should get the car right away. Instead, get a second or even third professional opinion on the car to understand if it has any flaws that could become serious problems a few years later. |
Our Recommendations for Auto Insurance
If rebuilt title insurance from Progressive is not for you, we also recommend GEICO and State Farm. Find the right price and coverage options for your budget by comparing free auto insurance quotes with our comparison tool below.
GEICO: Best Discount Selection
GEICO ranks high in our review, with 4.6 out of 5.0 points for its discounts and record of excellent customer service. Drivers eligible for GEICO’s discounts are military members, seniors and federal employees. Those who buy new cars, bundle policies and remain accident-free for five years can also receive discounts.
GEICO also holds an A+ rating on the BBB site, and was above the industry average in most regions of the U.S. for the J.D. Power 2022 U.S. Auto Insurance Study.
Keep reading: GEICO auto insurance review
State Farm: Best Overall
State Farm offers a wide array of competitive benefits for policyholders, such as its Drive Safe & Save™ mobile app that keeps track of driving habits. This opens up numerous discount opportunities for safe drivers.
State Farm is also known for offering the best student discount in the country, where those going to college or high school can knock off 25% from their premiums. State Farm’s extensive network of certified nationwide agents is also another reason the provider gets an overall rating of 4.7 out of 5.0 from our experts.
Keep reading: State Farm auto insurance review
Our Methodology
Our expert review team takes satisfaction in providing accurate and unbiased information. We identified the following rating categories based on consumer survey data and conducted extensive research to formulate rankings of the best car insurance providers.
- Affordability: A variety of factors influence cost, so it can be difficult to compare quotes between providers. Our team considers auto insurance rate estimates generated by Quadrant Information Services and discount opportunities when giving this score.
- Coverage: Because each consumer has unique needs, it’s essential that a car insurance company offers an array of coverage options. We take into account types of insurance available, maximum coverage limits, and add-on policies.
- Industry Standing: Our team considers Better Business Bureau (BBB) ratings, financial strength, and years in business when giving this score.
- Availability: Auto insurers with greater state availability and few eligibility requirements are more likely to meet consumer needs.
- Customer Service: Reputable car insurance providers operate with a certain degree of care for consumers. We consider complaints filed with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), J.D. Power claims servicing scores, and customer feedback.
- Online Experience: Insurers with easy-to-use websites and highly rated mobile apps scored best in this category.
