I’ve wondered the same thing, honestly. The idea of a little black box judging my every lane change just rubs me the wrong way. I’m not out here doing donuts in parking lots, but sometimes you gotta hit the gas to merge or take a curve with a little spirit—especially on those mountain roads. I tried one of those plug-in trackers for a few months and it started dinging me for “aggressive” driving just because I had to brake hard when a deer jumped out. Like, what was I supposed to do, just keep going?
As for mileage-only tracking, it’s not totally extinct yet, but it’s getting harder to find. A couple of companies still offer pay-per-mile policies where you just snap a photo of your odometer every month or let them check it at inspection time. Metromile comes to mind, though I think they’re only in certain states. Nationwide has something called SmartMiles that’s pretty much just mileage-based, but I haven’t tried it myself. The catch is, if you do a lot of road trips, the savings might not be as big as you’d hope—since you’re racking up more miles than the average commuter.
It’s wild how quickly the industry shifted from “prove you drive less” to “prove you drive like a robot.” I get that they want to reward safe driving, but sometimes it feels like they’re just looking for reasons to bump your rates. I’d be all for a middle ground—like, let me show you my odometer and call it good. But the tech seems to be moving in the other direction.
If you find an insurer that still does old-school mileage checks without all the extra data, let me know. Until then, I guess I’ll just keep rolling the dice with traditional insurance and hope my weekend adventures don’t cost me too much.
Yeah, those trackers can be a pain. I’ve seen claims where someone had to swerve or brake hard for wildlife or a rogue tire, and the device flagged it as “unsafe”—even though it probably prevented an accident. The tech doesn’t always get the context, you know? I’m curious, have you noticed if your regular insurer even asks about your annual mileage anymore, or do they just use the average for your area? I’ve seen both, but it seems like the personal touch is fading.
Honestly, I’ve had clients swear up and down they drive less than 5k a year, but when I ask for proof, they just shrug. Most companies now just slap on the regional average unless you push back hard. The days of chatting with your agent about your commute are pretty much gone... everything’s automated. Had one guy try to argue his case with gas receipts—didn’t fly.
Honestly, I feel this. I tried to get my insurance lowered last year because I barely drive—like, my car’s basically a driveway decoration at this point. They wanted “proof” but what am I supposed to do, send them a selfie with my odometer every week? The gas receipt thing made me laugh though. I thought about doing that too but then realized I’d just look like a weirdo with a stack of crumpled receipts and no real way to connect them to actual miles driven.
It’s wild how everything’s automated now. I remember my parents talking about how they used to just call their agent and chat about their new job or whatever, and it’d actually change their rate. Now it feels like you’re arguing with a robot that’s programmed to say “no” unless you have a spreadsheet and a notarized letter from your car.
I do get why they want proof, but it’s not like everyone has a dashcam running 24/7 or some fancy tracking app. Some companies have those plug-in trackers, but I’m not sure I want Big Brother watching every time I hit the drive-thru at 2am, you know?
Hang in there though. Maybe one day they’ll invent an app that just senses how bored your car is sitting in the driveway and gives you a discount for it... until then, guess we’re stuck with the “regional average.” At least you’re not alone in the struggle.
Now it feels like you’re arguing with a robot that’s programmed to say “no” unless you have a spreadsheet and a notarized letter from your car.
That line cracked me up because it’s just too real. I went through something similar last year after my cross-country road trips slowed down and the car basically became a storage unit for beach chairs. My insurance company did offer one of those plug-in trackers, but honestly, I wasn’t jazzed about sharing my every turn and hard brake just to save a few bucks. Felt a bit too much like inviting a nosy neighbor into the passenger seat.
What finally worked for me—though it was a bit of a pain—was taking a photo of my odometer at the start and end of the policy period. Not every company accepts it, but mine did after I kept emailing them the pics (not weekly, just at renewal time). It wasn’t perfect, but it was better than nothing. I agree, though, the whole process feels way less personal than it used to.
The “regional average” thing is frustrating, especially when your car’s collecting more dust than miles... Wouldn’t mind an app that just reads the cobwebs and gives us a break.