They already do the opposite. Usage-based insurance gives you per-day/per-trip insurance in exchange for tracking (Milewise) or to drive discounts off your existing rates. (RightTrack)

Mile Auto claims to do it with snapshots of your odometer instead of requiring a spy device. Unfortunately, they don't offer insurance in my area.

The telsa insurance already does this.

remember, the dark pattern of this is to raise the price, then discount for access.

Why would they triple your rates? Insurance regulators do not let insurers increase premiums unless they have evidence showing the new data indicates a higher risk factor.

So if you are getting your rates tripled, then you were being subsidized by safer drivers before, which seems like something that should be fixed.

Dash cams have already probably given insurers a better idea on who is a riskier driver and who is not since collisions can now be more accurately attributed to the at fault party.

They'll probably increase my rates because if I refuse the telemetry, they have to assume I'm a terrible driver.

The fact that I am the most tight-assed speed-limit-obeyer I've ever known, with a dashcam, means nothing to them since it's my hardware and not theirs.

Oops, I misread the comment I replied to as tripling rates because they had access to real time driving data.

I had to go this route already. As a new driver, my rates were quite high - and the best option for lowering that was letting them track my driving through an app on my phone.

I don't particularly like it, but it's something I'll just have to live with.

What if you buy a second phone that you always leave at home?

I think the insurance company would get very suspicious if you never used your car. Also with no data, you'd get no benefit for showing you're a safe driver.

In theory, you could maybe reduce your rate by only taking this second phone with you only sometimes on a regular, but lesser schedule than you actually drive.

(So they see regular, consistent usage, but not nothing, and not as much as you actually drive)

And avoid taking that second phone when you're doing more risky driving, like night driving.

But that's honestly a major pain for likely very little monetary gain. And if you screw up, they could just straight up blacklist you, or skyrocket your rates. It's just not worth it.

>you'd get no benefit for showing you're a safe driver.

But is that actually how it works or are they discounting for the absence of evidence of being an unsafe driver?

They look at how you drive. How far you drive, how often you drive, when you drive, how quickly you brake/accelerate, how often you're on your phone, etc. Based on all those factors - they give you a discount relative to what they'd charge normally.

I can say that's true because their rate was already less than competitors, so it's not like they were charging a higher rate and then 'discounting' back to normal.

It... would have no driving data on it in that case.

The actual solution is to tape it to an Amazon truck. I hear they've got some pretty serious monitoring tech in there to keep their drivers on the up-and-up.

>It... would have no driving data on it in that case

Well, yes. But whether that matters depends on how the program works. Do they discount you as long as they have a location history that doesn't seem to show unsafe driving patterns or only if you have one that sends to show same driving? Do they attempt to tie it to your car at all (it'd suck if being a passenger in a poorly driven car could increase your own rates)? Do they jack up your rates and/or drop you if your tracking is suspicious?

>The actual solution is to tape it to an Amazon truck.

Or root it and simulate taping it to an especially well-behaved Amazon truck.

Don't repair shops like to record mileage? I'd imagine there'd be questions if something happened and that was wildly off from what your ~~ankle monitor~~ phone app says it should be.

I don't think they bother to do this comparison, because after all you can drive other people's cars too. That counts towards your driving record with the insurance company, but wouldn't reflect in your cars odometer.