State Farm Drive Safe & Save Review

Drive Safe & Save is State Farm’s telematics insurance program. This and other usage-based insurance systems, which are offered by most major providers, use location services and other GPS-enabled technology to monitor driving habits and adjust policyholders’ rates accordingly.

How Does Drive Safe & Save Work?

State Farm Drive Safe & Save works by tracking how you drive, how much you drive and other actions you take while operating your vehicle. With recent developments in technology, there are multiple ways that Drive Safe & Save can attain diagnostics on your driving behaviors.

Track With a Smartphone

The most common way to use the program is through the Drive Safe & Save mobile app, which is available for iOS and Android devices. Once activated, this app tracks not only your driving habits but also instances when you pick up your phone while behind the wheel or engage in other unsafe behaviors.

Track With a Connected Car

Drivers of 2020 or newer Ford and Lincoln vehicles don’t need an app to use Drive Safe & Save. Technology built into these cars allows them to connect to the program on their own without the need for an app on your iPhone or Android device. Instead, these cars can deliver telematics data through either your FordPass^® or Lincoln Way^® account, if you have one.

Track With OnStar^®

People who have an active OnStar account can also connect to State Farm Drive Safe & Save without use of the mobile app. An OnStar account can report data to the program to make adjustments to your State Farm auto insurance premiums.

What Does Drive Safe & Save Monitor?

There are a number of practices that can make you more or less likely to get into an accident. In general, State Farm Drive Safe & Save monitors the habits that have the biggest impact on your risk of an accident, including:

• Accelerating: Slamming the accelerator rather than getting to speed more gradually can increase your risk of an accident. Drive Safe & Save penalizes drivers who frequently accelerate too hard by increasing their rates.
• Braking: Hard stops are sometimes unavoidable, but a sizable number of them could indicate that a driver isn’t paying attention. With State Farm Drive Safe & Save, you’ll get lower rates if you practice stopping gradually before the need becomes immediate.
• Cornering: The safest way to take a corner is to slow down going into it and to accelerate gradually as you come out of it. Your State Farm rates will likely go up if you regularly take corners too hard or too fast.
• Miles driven: Your annual mileage is a major factor in your rates because the fewer miles you drive, the less chance you have of getting into an accident. Keeping the mileage on your odometer down could earn you a big auto insurance discount.
• Speeding: Speed is one of the major determining factors in the likelihood of an accident. Maintaining a safe speed on the road can lower your rates with Drive Safe & Save.
• Timing: Certain times of day, such as rush hour and late at night, carry higher accident risks than others. Avoiding driving during these times could lead to lower insurance premiums.
• Phone usage: Distracted driving is one of the main causes of car accidents. The Drive Safe & Save app penalizes you for picking up your phone while operating a vehicle.

Enrolling in Drive Safe & Save only takes a few steps and won’t require the help of a State Farm agent. Most motorists should do the following when setting up the service:

1. Get the app: You can download the State Farm Drive Safe & Save app from either Google Play or from the Apple App Store. You can also text “SAVE” to the number 42407 to get a download link.
2. Set up your account: Follow the instructions in the app to get your account ready to go.
3. Connect your car: State Farm will send you a Bluetooth beacon to install on your vehicle along with instructions on how to set it up. Once you’ve installed this Drive Safe & Save transmitter, you’re ready to start out with the program.

How To Set Up the Drive Safe & Save Beacon

In addition to the mobile app, State Farm Drive Safe & Save uses a Bluetooth beacon to track your driving behavior. Getting it set up is extremely simple and takes just a few minutes.

1. Get your beacon: Once you register for the Drive Safe & Save insurance program, State Farm will mail you a beacon.
2. Pair your beacon: Open your Drive Safe & Save app and tap “Complete Setup.” Then, press and hold the button on your beacon until it lights up. Go back to the app and tap the ID that matches the one printed on the side of your beacon.
3. Mount your beacon: Once you get a message on the app that says your transmitter has been paired, remove the sticker on the back of the beacon and mount it. Choose a place that doesn’t obstruct your vision and won’t shake your beacon loose while driving.

By practicing good driving habits, you can lower your rates significantly through State Farm Drive Safe & Save. Here are a few steps you can take to find cheap car insurance:

• Slow down
• Brake gently
• Ease into corners
• Put down the phone
• Avoid rush hour and late nights
• Drive less

Can Your Rates Go Up With Drive Safe & Save?

Drivers can save as much as 30% with a Drive Safe & Save account according to StateFarm.com. However, these potential savings are far from guaranteed. While being a safe driver can significantly lower your rates, unsafe driving habits will make them go up. If it would be tough for you to break bad driving characteristics, State Farm Drive Safe & Save could end up costing you more in the end.

Who Is Drive Safe & Save Good For?

State Farm Drive Safe & Save can be a good option for many motorists, including:

• High-risk drivers: If you have trouble finding affordable insurance due to a less-than-perfect driving record, Drive Safe & Save could help you to bring those rates down. However, this is only a possibility if you avoid irresponsible behaviors on the road.
• Young drivers: Teenage drivers and other young drivers typically get saddled with the highest insurance rates regardless of their driving records. A telematics program can help to make coverage somewhat more affordable.
• Drivers with bad credit: A poor or even an average credit score can cause you to pay higher premiums, making a telematics program a good way to bring rates down.
• Good drivers: People who already practice safe driving habits can use Drive Safe & Save to let State Farm know, saving considerable money in the process.

With State Farm Drive Safe & Save, motorists have an opportunity to lower their auto insurance costs based on driving habits. This can be especially useful for people who may otherwise face high premiums due to any number of factors.

However, it’s important to be realistic about your own driving behaviors before signing up for the program. Drive Safe & Save could cause your rates to spike if you aren’t a cautious driver.

State Farm Drive Safe & Save: Recommended Alternatives

State Farm Drive Safe & Save isn’t the only program of its type, as most major car insurance providers have their own telematics programs. While rates vary under each plan, they do so based on your initial quote. Shopping around to compare car insurance quotes will help you find the lowest initial premiums.

Nationwide: Best Usage-Based Insurance

Nationwide’s answer to Drive Safe & Save is SmartRide. The program works in much the same way, giving you a report card that outlines your safe and unsafe driving practices. Drivers can save up to 40% with Nationwide for maintaining safe driving habits. 

Keep reading: Nationwide insurance review

Geico: Best for Budget-Conscious Drivers

Geico is widely known for maintaining consistently low rates throughout the United States. Their DriveEasy program helps drivers stay safe on the road and get discounted rates. Between low initial rates and the DriveEasy program, most drivers find affordable coverage from Geico.

Keep reading: Geico insurance review

Because consumers rely on us to provide objective and accurate information, we created a comprehensive rating system to formulate our rankings of the best car insurance companies. We collected data on dozens of auto insurance providers to grade the companies on a wide range of ranking factors. The end result was an overall rating for each provider, with the insurers that scored the most points topping the list.

Here are the factors our ratings take into account:

• Cost: Auto insurance rate estimates generated by Quadrant Information Services and discount opportunities were both taken into consideration.
• Coverage: Companies that offer a variety of choices for insurance coverage are more likely to meet consumer needs.
• Reputation and experience: Our research team considered market share, ratings from industry experts and years in business when giving this score.
• Availability: Auto insurance companies with greater state availability and few eligibility requirements scored highest in this category.
• Customer experience: This score is based on volume of complaints reported by the NAIC and customer satisfaction ratings reported by J.D. Power. We also considered the responsiveness, friendliness and helpfulness of each insurance company’s customer service team based on our own shopper analysis.

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• 800 hours researched
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*Data accurate at time of publication.