Are safe driving apps worth it? They cost time, money, and your attention. The answer is subjective, based on your personal experience and preferences.
Here at Einsurance.com, we believe that many safe driving apps are helpful. They can help you avoid heavy traffic associated with road work or accidents, track your mileage for insurance discounts or tax purposes, and keep an eye on teenage driving behavior.
All these things can help you save money on your auto insurance.
However, safe driving apps can be a hassle and distraction. Some people prefer not to hear navigation or speed advice from apps when driving. And there is some proof that insurers might use tracking apps to raise insurance rates for drivers thought unsafe.
Furthermore, some consumers feel safe driving apps could invade one’s privacy.
If you’re wondering if safe driving apps are worth it, read on. We’ll begin with a look at how safe driving apps work and explore ways they are connected to your car insurance bills. We’ll also explore telematics car insurance pros and cons, and car insurance discounts for tracking devices.
How Do Safe Driving Apps Work?
Most safe driving apps are downloaded into smart phones. There are versions available for both Apple and Android phones.
Using data from your phone collected while you drive, they might track your:
- Location
- Acceleration & deceleration
- Hard stops
- Speed
- Drive times and driving behaviors
That data is logged. The apps can provide feedback, and if you’re using a safe driving app to save on car insurance, that data is shared with your insurer.
Of course, these safe driving apps all require that a driver has their cell phone with them in the vehicle. One could miss out on discounts by leaving the phone at home.
Popular Safe Driving Apps Provided by Insurers
Some of the most popular safe driving apps used by insurers include:
But there are hundreds of other safe driving apps which do not communicate to insurance companies. (Or, they don’t admit to doing so.)
Do Safe Driving Apps Cost Anything?
The safe driving apps provided by insurance companies seem to be free, at least initially.
This makes sense, because insurers want to collect data about their customers. Armed with this data, underwriters (and increasingly, AI tools) can place customers into the right risk groups to charge a fair premium.
In a perfect world, safer drivers will pay less for their insurance than drivers who often speed, slam on their brakes, or weave through traffic during the wee hours.
Therefore, in the sense of cost, safe driving apps are worth it if you are a mindful driver who obeys traffic laws and speed limits. The chances are good that you will see a discount on your insurance bill.
What About Other Safe Driving Apps?
Other safe driving apps do cost money, usually just a few dollars per month for a monthly subscription.
Examples include:
- Life Saver – marketed to parents of teens, to prevent phone and social media use while driving.
- DriveWell
- And Safe 2 Save
But there are hundreds more on the market.
Features of Common Safe Driving Apps
Most safe driving apps record driving habits and offer advice. Some help drivers prepare for heavy traffic, bad weather or roadwork, and provide alternate suggestions for routes.
Are Safe Driving Apps Worth It?
Back to the big question, “Are safe driving apps worth it?” This is such a personal question; we scoured the internet for reviews, especially looking at sources like Reddit.
We found that many consumers who drove carefully using apps were happy to see significant discounts on their car insurance. One Reddit user claims they get 10% to 15% off their monthly insurance bill.
Others received no discounts, and some even endured rate increases after using the apps.
Which Safe Driving Apps Offer the Best Discounts?
Among all reviews, we noticed many of the best are associated with USAA DriveSafe. One user even claimed to get 30% off her premium! That is a significant savings, just for following the rules of the road.
Still, we must point out that this research is unscientific. We are only reading reviews left by people who actively voiced their opinions. There are likely tens of thousands more consumers out there quietly accepting their discounts or increases without discussing them online.
Safe Driving App Complaints
To know if safe driving apps are worth it, one must consider the complaints, too.
If you’re wondering, “Can insurance tracking devices raise rates?” The answer is yes!
Some safe driving app reviews were deeply negative. A few drivers even complained they were incorrectly attributed fault for accidents. Ultimately, their car insurance rates increased after these accidents, and they felt they were not at fault in any way.
One reviewer even claimed that their insurer denied an accident claim, because they had swerved erratically to avoid rear-ending a sudden stopper.
What is the Most Common Safe Driving App Complaint?
The most common complaint we read was that the driving history gets “dinged” for hard stops. If a child runs in front of your car and you slam on the brakes, you lose points towards your safe driving goal. This prevents you from getting that discount and can be really frustrating.
Another common complaint is that drivers forget their phones or leave them at home to charge. They are going about their driving, hoping to earn points towards good driving discounts, and nothing gets logged.
So, if you do not cling to your phone constantly, this might be a hassle.
There is also a potential dark side to driving apps and tracking devices. We’re talking about hackers.
Data Misuse Concerns
First, let’s note that insurers often share data with other insurers, and many sell data to third parties.
What is Fair Use of Your Personal Data?
Some of those activities are fair. For instance, if a driver has a DUI, all insurers will share this information. This is fair because high-risk drivers should pay high-risk premiums for their insurance. Equally, safe drivers should pay less.
However, your data might be sold for marketing purposes. This becomes an ethical question.
For instance, if your insurer knows you drive an older, used Challenger, is it fair for them to sell your name, number and email address to the local Dodge dealership?
Does your insurer need to ask your permission to do so?
Furthermore, let’s remember that all databases are hackable. Given enough time and motivation, hackers can get into any server where data is stored.
Consumer Data is Always at Risk
The insurance industry is a tremendous and constant target for hackers. Unsavory individuals are out there every day and night trying to hack into insurance servers.
They are looking for:
- Personal information
- Financial data
- Vehicle information
Just last year, Farmers Insurance was hacked, and 1.1 million customers’ personal data was leaked.
Aflac got hacked, too. That even exposed 22.6 million customers’ health information. If it can happen to them, it can happen to any insurer.
While auto insurance is a must-have, everyone should recognize that no personal data is truly private anymore. That’s just a fact of life in 2026.
When deciding if safe driving apps are worth it, the question becomes, “Are you comfortable with a hacker knowing your driving habits?” For many, like this author, knowledge of driving habits is probably harmless.
Think of it this way, of all the information a hacker could learn or expose to the public, our personal driving habits (like daily commute time and route) don’t pose much of a threat. We are more concerned about our financial and credit data.
However, we can see how celebrities, influencers and politicians would be very concerned about this data going public.
We imagine that someone driving a $300,000 Bentley hybrid convertible would want their driving habits kept secret.
Parents Should Think About Safe Driving Apps
Parents might be concerned as well. No one wants their teenagers to face increased risks of bullying or even abduction because a stranger knows their daily path to school, address, license plate number, etc.
However, safe driving apps might also provide good, teachable information, plus tracking in emergencies.
It all boils down to risk management. If you are comfortable sharing your driving habits (and those of your children), you might be comfortable using a safe driving app.
While you ponder those privacy concerns, let’s move to our next points:
- Telematics in insurance pros and cons
- And usage-based care insurance
We’ll start by discussing telematics.
The Pros and Cons of Telematics in Insurance
The term telematics describes the integration of technology, communications, and data.
The Pros
In the realm of insurance, we can imagine many pros associated with telematics.
For instance, a driver who often speeds, blows through stop signs, or “does doughnuts” in empty parking lots is likely an unsafe driver. They put everyone else on the road at risk with bad behavior.
Behavior like this should lead to higher premiums.
And if the knowledge that their behavior is being tracked makes an unsafe driver act more responsibly, that’s another huge benefit for every other driver.
It’s also a benefit when truly safe drivers save money, thanks to their good habits.
The Cons
We’ve illustrated some of the cons already. Some drivers feel like their insurance gets “dinged” after a hard, but needed, stop. They pay more after not hitting a kid who ran out onto the road.
But the biggest con we can see is that privacy is a huge concern for many people.
While it’s vague and hard to describe, many people do not want every detail about their life stored in a database. Whether this information can be weaponized, or even used for marketing, it doesn’t matter. People like their privacy. And if you’re a private person, you probably don’t want a safe driving app tracking your every move.
You might still be able to save some money with usage-based car insurance.
Is Usage Based Car Insurance Worth It?
Most major insurers now offer usage-based auto insurance. And yes, we believe usage-based car insurance is worth it.
In a nutshell, these policies cost less for folks who drive less. After all, less time on the road equals less risk of an accident. Therefore, premiums are lower.
Rather than using a tracking device or a safe driving app, these policies require the insured to report their mileage, usually once or twice a year. Occasionally, they will require third-party verification.
If you use a garage to get an oil change or tire alignment, keep those documents as they prove odometer readings.
Usage-based car insurance policies are great for individuals who drive less than other drivers. So, if you typically drive well under the average 12,500 miles per year, this sort of policy might work well.
Try Einsurance.com to Save on Your Car Insurance
If you’re reading this piece because you’re wondering if safe driving apps are worth it, and if they will save you money on your auto insurance, we invite you to try Einsurance.com.
Our website is easy to use. Just enter your details and we will have car insurance companies chasing you for business.
These insurers all have an appetite for your driving style and history. Whether you’re a senior driver, a teenage driver, or someone who needs to bundle a bunch of policies, we can help you reach an insurer who will compete for your business.
Try it today and see how much you can save on auto insurance (without the hassles and risks of a tracking device).
