How Does Esurance DriveSense Work?

Are you looking to save money on your car insurance? Esurance DriveSense is a driver tracking program that uses telematics technology to track driving habits and offer you a discount based on your driving. Drivers who are considered to be safe drivers according to the device’s thresholds can earn a higher discount, with the average savings for enrolling in Drivesense reported at $100. If your question is; How Does Esurance DriveSense Work? Continue reading below.

Esurance is a modern insurance company that utilizes technology to offer customers an easily accessible way to buy and access insurance. Car insurance from this company is available in 43 states across the United States. In addition to car insurance, it also offers many other types of insurance including homeowners, renters, and motorcycle insurance.

Esurance DriveSense is run by an affiliate called Arity. Arity and Esurance are both owned by Allstate. Arity is a technology company that tracks driver behavior to help make transportation safer and smarter. Be aware that your driving data collected for DriveSense may be collected by this company as well. Check Arity’s privacy policy to make sure you know how your data could be used.

How Does Esurance DriveSense Work?

This device monitors certain driving behaviors using real-time driving data and offers you the ability to get a personalized discount based on your driving. Originally, Esurance DriveSense required drivers to use Esurance’s plug-in device that plugs into your car’s OBD-II port, but now they are transitioning to DriveSense Mobile. This app is available in many states, but the company is working to make it available in more areas as it transitions the program. Keep in mind, the app is free but there may be a charge from your mobile phone carrier for downloading it because it will use your cellular data (Connecting to WiFi will solve this issue).

The DriveSense app works on smartphones (iPhone 5s with iOS 10 or newer and Android 6.0 or above). The app runs in the background of your phone and automatically wakes up when it detects the motion of driving without you having to open the app every time you drive. If you’re a passenger in a car or on some other form of transportation, such as public transportation, the app may still record the trip from time to time. However, you can delete any trips you weren’t the driver for in the app.

DriveSense monitors your driving, draws a map of your driving patterns and behaviors, and gives you weekly recaps of your trips and driving habits. It offers drivers helpful driving tips, whether the driving behavior is good or bad, to help people become safer drivers and save more money.

When you enroll in the program, you receive an automatic discount on your policy premiums. Then when you renew your policy, you’ll receive a discount that is customized according to your personalized driving info that was tracked by the app. This discount may change depending on your driving behavior; you can see this information by looking at your Driving Wellness Meter. You can also use the app to view tips to improve your personal driving wellness. To receive the discount for each policy term, you must log at least 50 trips per term.

To take advantage of this discount, you can enroll in the program online, by speaking to your agent or by calling customer service at 1-800-378-7262. You will need to download the DriveSense app. You can enroll all drivers who are on your policy in the discount program to save even more money. If you aren’t an Esurance policyholder, you can still use DriveSense for free to receive weekly recaps of your driving behavior. Just download the DriveSense app to begin.

The DriveSense program is designed to save you money on your auto insurance policy. Unlike some other driver tracking programs, DriveSense will not cause your car insurance rates to increase no matter what your driving behavior is like. You can cancel the program at any time. Just be aware that you will lose your discount if you stop participating.

What driving habits does Esurance DriveSense monitor?

When you enroll in the DriveSense program, you allow your insurance provider to monitor your driving behavior through a mobile app. The app collects your data using your cell phone carrier’s network and then sends a trip report to Esurance once per trip. A trip begins once you reach DriveSense’s speed threshold for detecting a trip, and it ends 20 minutes after no motion is sensed.

To offer you a discount, DriveSense monitors your driving behaviors and offers you a discount amount that is based on your habits. The following driving habits are tracked by Esurance and affect your discount.

1. Speed: DriveSense monitors your speed and measures the number of miles you drive at or above 80 mph. Anything at or above 80 mph is considered a high-speed event by DriveSense. Driving faster than 80 mph can hurt your DriveSense discount.

2. Time of day you drive: Some times of day are considered safer to drive than others. Late-night driving is considered risky driving, the same as with very early morning trips. DriveSense measures the number of miles you drive during each time range as specified in the app. If you tend to drive at unsafe hours, your DriveSense discount could decrease.

3. Hard braking: DriveSense considers hard braking to be an unsafe driving behavior. DriveSense defines hard braking events as slowing down between 8 mph and 10 mph over a one-second time interval. Extreme braking events are defined as slowing down 10 mph or more in one second. Your DriveSense discount could be negatively affected if you have hard braking or extreme braking events.

Esurance is transparent about all of the data the app collects from you. It collects more information than outlined above, but any additional information it collects does not affect your customized discount. Other information collected includes your trip start and end locations, your maximum and average speeds, the distance you drive, idle time, and more. You can see the full list of all the driving details DriveSense collects by visiting the Esurance DriveSense website.

Where is DriveSense available?

Esurance is currently moving away from using a plug-in device to track your driving and is transitioning the DriveSense program to a mobile app. As of August 2019, the mobile app is available in Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Washington.

If you live in a state that isn’t on that list but you were participating in the program with the plug-in device before the app was developed, you can still participate using the device until the app is available in your state.

Is DriveSense worth it?

You may be intrigued to try anything that has the potential to lower your car insurance rates. While you can earn a discount by enrolling, is it worth it to enroll in the program? A few Esurance policyholders discussed the program and the discount they received in Esurance car insurance reviews. Two are highlighted below.

One Esurance review said, “The agent I eventually talked to over the phone was very helpful and explained everything I was getting. She also explained the app Drive Sense for checking your driving habits. It is relatively easy to install and you can monitor everything that is being seen by Esurance.” This driver is working towards a 3 percent discount on their Esurance car insurance by using DriveSense.

Much like that review, this review also discussed how easy it is to use DriveSense. “I’ve had Esurance since January and so far so good! I like that I can earn a discount with the DriveSense app and automatic payments. The DriveSense app and the Esurance app are VERY user friendly.”

Regardless of the discount that you end up receiving, DriveSense is a valuable tool in helping you learn about your driving habits and how you can improve. It’s easy to sign up for it, and it can help you become a safer driver. You can learn more about Esurance and consumers’ experience with the company by reading Esurance reviews on Clearsurance.

Do you use DriveSense from Esurance? Let us know what you think of the program and how much money you were able to save by leaving a comment at the bottom of this blog!