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Erin Gobler is a personal finance writer and journalist who has been writing for Compare.com since 2023. With more than five years of experience personal finance experience, Erin has covered topics such as investing, credit cards, mortgages, insurance, and more.
Her work has been featured in major publications like Business Insider, Fox Business, and Time.
Erin received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in 2013, studying journalism and political science. She also received a certificate of financial planning from Boston University in 2022.
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Lequita Westbrooks is an insurance editor at Compare.com. Her writing and editing experiences span several industries, including insurance, personal finance, higher education, and more. She excels at explaining complex topics like auto insurance in simple, easy-to-understand language and is passionate about helping readers save money. Lequita graduated from the University of South Florida, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in English.
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IntelliDrive is a safe driver discount program offered by Travelers Insurance. The program tracks your driving behavior (and of other drivers on your policy) and offers a potential discount on your auto premiums. You could earn up to 30% savings on your premiums, but the amount you can save depends on your tracked driving habits.
IntelliDrive is just one of many usage-based discount programs in the auto insurance industry. If you’re an existing Travelers customer or are considering getting an insurance policy through Travelers, it may be worth signing up for IntelliDrive to lower your auto premiums.
We’ll cover everything you need to know about the Intellidrive program, including how it works and how much you can save on your auto insurance policy.
IntelliDrive is a telematics program offered by Travelers that records data about your driving habits, reports that information back to Travelers, and rewards you for driving safely. Car insurance companies use telematics data to determine your risk level. The safer your driving habits, the lower your premium.
The Travelers IntelliDrive program monitors and scores your driving habits through its mobile app. Each driver on your policy must download the app when they sign up for the program to have their driving tracked. Ultimately, each driver’s savings will depend on their driving habits during the program.
IntelliDrive works similarly to other car insurance telematics programs, including State Farm’s Drive Safe & Save, Progressive’s Snapshot, and Allstate’s Drivewise. But IntelliDrive differs from other programs because it monitors your driving behavior for 90 days.
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Travelers’ IntelliDrive collects data about your driving habits and sends that data to your insurance company. The app automatically detects when you get into your vehicle and start driving.
Throughout your trip, the app tracks certain driving habits, including your speed, acceleration, and braking. After 90 days, IntelliDrive uses the data it has collected about you and the other drivers on your policy to rate your overall driving performance.
The better your performance (and the performance of other drivers on your policy), the more you can save on your auto insurance policy. The price adjustment will apply to your next policy for as long as you have it.
IntelliDrive tracks five habits to determine whether you qualify for a discount:
Time of day
Speed
Acceleration
Braking
Phone use
The IntelliDrive app tracks if you’re driving during more risky hours of the day, such as at night, and if you’re practicing safe driving habits, like driving the speed limit, smoothly accelerating, and avoiding hard braking. It can also tell whether you’re distracted by using your phone while driving.
IntelliDrive collects other data but doesn’t use it to calculate your premiums. For instance, the program requires you to drive at least 500 miles during the 90-day monitoring period to qualify for a discount. But it only tracks your mileage to ensure it collects enough data about your driving habits.
The IntelliDrive app also collects your location, but that information isn’t used when determining your premium discount or increase.
IntelliDrive can usually tell whether you’re the driver or passenger in the vehicle. It only records your driving habits when it determines you’re the driver. But it’s not 100% accurate.
If the app records the passenger as the driver, Travelers allows you to correct this information within 10 days in the app.
Drivers in most states can save up to 30% on their premiums with IntelliDrive. But Nevada drivers can save up to 40%, and drivers in North Carolina and New Jersey can save up to 25%.
Keep in mind that not everyone who joins the program will qualify for the 30% discount, since it depends on your driving habits. The absolute safest drivers may qualify for the maximum discount, while others may qualify for more modest savings.
But what do real-life users have to say? The App Store reviewer below wasn’t happy with the discount given and was shocked to still receive a premium increase at the end of their policy.
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It’s worth noting that there’s no guarantee you’ll save money at all by using IntelliDrive. In fact, if you have poor driving habits, your premiums could actually increase.
And if you have multiple participating drivers on your policy, your savings are based on everyone’s driving habits. If not all drivers on your policy participate in the program, that could also affect your potential savings.
Many top auto insurance companies offer usage-based telematics programs to help customers save on insurance costs. But, again, your discount eligibility depends on your insurer and your driving habits.
The table below highlights some of the most popular programs offered by insurance companies, along with the initial and maximum discounts offered to customers.
Program | Initial Discount | Maximum Discount |
|---|---|---|
| Travelers IntelliDrive | 10% | 30% (Up to 40% in Nevada) |
| Allstate Drivewise | Varies by state | Varies by state |
| American Family KnowYourDrive | 10% | 20% |
| Chubb SafeLane | 10% | 20% |
| Direct Auto DynamicDrive | 10% | Not disclosed |
| Farmers Signal | 5% | 15% |
| Liberty Mutual RightTrack | 10% | 30% |
| Nationwide SmartRide | 10% | 40% |
| Progressive Snapshot | Varies by state Average discount of $94 | Varies by state Average discount of $231 |
| Safeco RightTrack | 10% | 30% |
| State Farm Drive Safe & Save | 5% | 30% (May exceed 30% in some states) |
| The Hartford TrueLane | 12% | 25% |
| USAA SafePilot | 10% | 30% |
IntelliDrive offers one of the best discounts of any telematics program, second only to Nationwide’s SmartRide program (and tied with several others).
That said, potential savings can vary significantly from one company to the next. That’s why it’s important to look at the average discount in addition to the maximum discount. While Travelers has a higher maximum discount than many other programs, its average discount is on par with its competitors.
A key benefit of the Travelers IntelliDrive program is that it tells you exactly what your potential discount could be and what you can do to save more money. Here are a few pointers to help you maximize your IntelliDrive discount, based on tips straight from Travelers:
Avoid nighttime driving: IntelliDrive will give you a better score for limiting your driving to daytime hours, since night driving is considered riskier.
Don’t speed: IntelliDrive will track your driving speed compared to the posted speed limit. Staying at or below the speed limit will improve your score.
Accelerate smoothly: Not only does smooth acceleration improve your IntelliDrive score, but it’s also better for your car, saving you money in the long run.
Avoid hard braking: IntelliDrive will give you a higher score when you avoid hard braking and following other cars too closely.
Limit distractions: You can improve your score by staying off your phone while driving, which includes avoiding handheld calls and texts.
Yes, your rates can increase with IntelliDrive. If you engage in high-risk driving habits, your premiums could increase. For example, your rates may increase if you consistently drive over the speed limit, drive a lot at night, or frequently use your phone while driving.
Unlike other telematics programs, that increased rate will apply for as long as you have a policy with Travelers.
If you’re curious about how IntelliDrive works or whether it can actually save you money, there’s plenty of feedback from current and past customers online.
On social media platforms like Reddit, people have shared their experience with the program and answered questions, including everything from what hours count as night driving to the best place to store your phone in your vehicle for the best score.
Overall, you’ll find mixed reviews online about whether the program is really worth it. Some customers, like the two below, feel they didn’t save as much as they hoped, while others feel even small savings make it worth it.
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Other users — like the customer below — felt the app was glitchy and wouldn’t recommend the program because of it.
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Signing up for the IntelliDrive program is relatively simple. Here’s how to get started:
If you aren’t already a Travelers customer, you’ll need to get an auto insurance policy through the company to opt into IntelliDrive. New customers get a 10% discount just for signing up for the program. Existing customers don’t qualify for this initial discount.
Once you become a Travelers customer, you can sign up for the IntelliDrive program on the company’s website. You agree to enroll by requesting a text message with a link to download the smartphone app. Existing Travelers customers can join the program at any time.
Enrolling in the program requires downloading the Travelers IntelliDrive app. By opting into the program, you agree to download the app and allow it to track your driving data.
You’ll have to keep your mobile phone on you when you drive to ensure it can track your trips. If you have multiple enrolled drivers on your policy, each one must have the app downloaded on their phone.
IntelliDrive can help you save money on car insurance, but only if you drive safely. If you sign up for the program, prioritize safe driving, especially during the 90 days of enrollment. Habits like smooth braking and acceleration, driving the speed limit, limiting night driving, and avoiding distracted driving are all considered safe driving in the program.
Once enrolled in the IntelliDrive program, you can open the app anytime to see your progress. You can see your overall driving performance, your driving performance on each trip, and even your streaks, which allows you to see how many days you’ve gone without distracted driving.
Once you’ve completed the 90-day program, Travelers will apply any discount you qualify for to your next policy premium. The discount — or price increase — will remain on your premium for the life of your Travelers car insurance policy.
If you’re considering signing up for Travelers IntelliDrive, read these answers to some frequently asked questions about the program.
It depends. IntelliDrive can be worth it if you’re a good driver and can take advantage of the discount. But if you have unsafe driving habits, the program can actually result in higher premiums.
If you decide to enroll, make sure to commit to safe driving to make it worth it.
IntelliDrive collects data about five key driving factors: time of day, speed, acceleration, braking, and distraction.
It’s possible. IntelliDrive can lower your insurance premium by up to 30%, though the average savings is significantly lower.
But you’ll only save money on your bill if you drive safely. Riskier driving habits can result in a premium increase.
The IntelliDrive program only monitors your driving habits for 90 days. Once that 90-day period passes, the company will apply your discount to your new premium at your policy renewal.
Sources
Reddit, “How does Intellidrive track usage? (Travelers Insurance),” Accessed March 11, 2024.
Reddit, “Car insurance trackers, worth it or will it bite me in the you know what in the future?,” Accessed March 11, 2024.
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Erin Gobler is a personal finance writer and journalist who has been writing for Compare.com since 2023. With more than five years of experience personal finance experience, Erin has covered topics such as investing, credit cards, mortgages, insurance, and more.
Her work has been featured in major publications like Business Insider, Fox Business, and Time.
Erin received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in 2013, studying journalism and political science. She also received a certificate of financial planning from Boston University in 2022.
Lequita Westbrooks is an insurance editor at Compare.com. Her writing and editing experiences span several industries, including insurance, personal finance, higher education, and more. She excels at explaining complex topics like auto insurance in simple, easy-to-understand language and is passionate about helping readers save money. Lequita graduated from the University of South Florida, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in English.
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