I tried Progressive’s Snapshot and it dinged me every time I swerved to avoid a squirrel or pothole. It’s like the system wants you to drive like a robot, not a real person. The discount was okay, but the feedback was kinda useless.
Mileage-based car insurance: who’s using it and which company do you like?
Totally get what you mean about Snapshot. Here’s my take after trying a couple of these programs:
- Progressive’s Snapshot definitely feels a bit too sensitive. I got dinged for “hard braking” when a deer ran out in front of me. Not sure what they expect—just plow through?
- The feedback is mostly graphs and “events,” but it doesn’t really help you improve unless you’re driving in a straight line at 25 mph all day. Real life just isn’t like that.
- The discount was okay, but honestly, it didn’t offset the stress of feeling like I was being watched every second.
I switched to Allstate’s Drivewise after that. It still tracks braking and acceleration, but it seemed a little more forgiving about swerves and quick stops. Plus, their app actually gives you tips that make sense, like avoiding late-night drives or heavy traffic if you want to maximize your discount.
A few other thoughts:
- If you drive mostly in the city, these trackers can be brutal. You’re just going to have more “events” because of traffic, pedestrians, and random stuff popping up.
- For folks with long highway commutes, the discounts might be better since there’s less stop-and-go.
- Privacy is another thing—these apps track location and sometimes even phone usage while driving. Not everyone’s comfortable with that.
I do think mileage-based insurance makes sense for people who barely drive or have super predictable routes. But for anyone dealing with city chaos or wildlife (squirrels included), the tech just isn’t there yet.
Curious if anyone’s tried Metromile or Nationwide SmartRide? I’ve heard mixed things but haven’t taken the plunge myself...
That’s interesting about Allstate being a little less harsh—I’ve only tried Progressive and had the same “hard braking” issue. I get that they want safer driving, but sometimes you just have to react fast (like, I’d rather brake hard than hit a cyclist). I do worry about the privacy side too, especially with location tracking. Has anyone actually noticed their rates go up after using these programs, or is it mostly just smaller discounts? I’m curious if it can ever backfire for careful drivers who just live in busy areas.
I get that they want safer driving, but sometimes you just have to react fast (like, I’d rather brake hard than hit a cyclist).
Couldn’t agree more—dodging the neighborhood squirrel shouldn’t mean my rates go up. I’ve actually seen my “discount” shrink after a few months with Progressive, even though I’m usually pretty cautious. Busy city traffic just doesn’t play nice with those apps. The privacy thing bugs me too... feels like they know when I’m sneaking out for late-night snacks.
Yeah, those apps really don’t account for real-world driving. I tried Allstate’s Drivewise and it dinged me for “hard braking” every time someone cut me off. Honestly, city driving just isn’t predictable. The privacy stuff is weird too… feels a bit Big Brother-y.
