Telematics drives me nuts in winter. I get dinged for “hard braking” every time a moose pops out or the road turns into an ice rink.
Yeah, those telematics apps just don’t get what driving up here is like. I’ve had the same issue—winter driving kills my “safe driver” score every year. Have you tried raising your deductibles to drop the premium? Not ideal, but it saved me more than bundling ever did. Curious if anyone’s actually found a local insurer that’s worth switching to, because I haven’t yet.
Raising deductibles helped a bit, but honestly, after two fender benders last year, my rates shot up anyway. Telematics just makes it worse—like, what am I supposed to do, not brake for a moose? Tried a couple local places and the quotes were even higher. At this point I just expect to get gouged every winter...
I hear you on the telematics—mine kept dinging me for “hard braking” last winter, but what else are you supposed to do when a moose decides to cross at the worst possible moment? I’ve got a ’72 Chevelle that I only drive in the summer, and oddly enough, classic car insurance is way cheaper than my daily driver. Not exactly practical for winter, but it’s something. I did find that bundling with my home insurance shaved off a bit, though it’s still not cheap. Alaska winters just seem to come with a surcharge...
Bundling definitely helped me too, but yeah, it barely puts a dent in those Alaska premiums. I’ve had the same issue with telematics—like, they want you to drive like a robot, but how do you plan for a caribou sprinting out of nowhere? The “hard braking” dings get old fast. I tried switching to a different company that doesn’t use telematics, but honestly, the rates weren’t much better.
Funny thing, my neighbor has an old Bronco he only insures for summer, and his classic policy is way less than mine for my ten-year-old Subaru. Doesn’t make much sense, but I guess they figure you’re not driving the classics enough to be risky.
The only other thing that’s saved me some cash was raising my deductible (risky, but I don’t drive far), and dropping some optional coverages in the winter when I’m mostly just commuting. Not ideal, but every little bit helps. Alaska insurance just hits different, I swear...
Raising your deductible is gutsy but honestly, it’s one of the few things that made a real difference for me too. I totally get what you mean about telematics—
That sums it up. I once got dinged for “hard braking” because a moose just appeared on the Glenn. No algorithm’s gonna understand that. I’ve noticed classic car policies are weirdly cheap too, even if the car’s worth more than my daily driver. Alaska insurance math just doesn’t add up sometimes... but yeah, every little tweak helps.“they want you to drive like a robot, but how do you plan for a caribou sprinting out of nowhere?”
