Hartford TrueLane Review: How It Works & What You Should Know

The Hartford’s TrueLane telematics program can help you save on your car insurance bill if you practice safe driving habits. The safest drivers can save as much as 25% on their premiums, but privacy concerns and an occasionally buggy app mean it’s not necessarily the best fit for all drivers.

Keep reading to see if TrueLane by The Hartford is the right driving program for you.

What is Hartford TrueLane?

TrueLane is a usage-based car insurance program that can help you save on your premiums when you practice safe driving habits. You can immediately save 12% on car insurance for the first six months by signing up for TrueLane. At renewal, your savings can go up or down depending on your driving habits, with a the maximum amount of 25%.

Telematics have become a popular way for insurers to gather additional driving information from their policyholders, allowing them to more intelligently calculate rates. Nearly all the big-name insurers have a program of their own, and The Hartford is no different.

Other well-known telematics programs include:

• Allstate Drivewise
• Progressive Snapshot
• SafeCo and Liberty Mutual RightTrack
• State Farm Drive Safe & Save
• Travelers IntelliDrive

How Does TrueLane Work?

Most companies calculate car insurance premiums based on numerous factors like age, gender, and ZIP code. Telematics programs like TrueLane provide insurers with additional information about your driving habits, and they typically reward you with discounts based on how you drive.

To take advantage of TrueLane’s discounts, download the mobile app available for iOS and Android devices. After signing up, you’ll automatically receive a 12% discount. The app tracks your driving, and, based on your performance, you can save up to 25% on your policy when you renew. The TrueLane app also provides helpful tips to help you earn more discounts and stay safe on the road.

For TrueLane to collect your driving data, you’ll need to remember to bring your smartphone in the car every time you drive. While drivers using previous versions of TrueLane used a plug-in

device to monitor customers driving, the current version only uses the smartphone app, which runs automatically in the background.

Let’s take a closer look at the things TrueLane tracks and how it knows who’s driving.

What does TrueLane track?

To determine your driving habits, performance, and overall discount, TrueLane tracks the following metrics:

• Acceleration: How quickly you accelerate from a stop, such as at a traffic light or stop sign.
• Braking: How hard and how quickly you come to a stop. This includes any hard braking or other potentially dangerous braking habits.
• Cornering: How fast you’re moving around turns — whether on twisty roads, on-ramps, or simply turning from one street onto another.
• Phone distraction: How often you use your phone while behind the wheel. This includes hands-free calling, texting, or using mobile apps while the vehicle is in motion.
• Speed: How fast you drive and how often you disobey the posted speed limit.

How does TrueLane know who’s driving?

TrueLane uses your smartphone to detect when you’re in your vehicle. The TrueLane app works in the background using sensors in your phone to monitor your driving behaviors. This way, it doesn’t distract you while you’re driving.

When you’re not driving, customers report that you have to go into the TrueLane app to mark yourself as the passenger. For instance, if someone else is driving and TrueLane assigns you points for the trip, you can use the “Edit My Trips” button on your account dashboard to change your trip status to “passenger.” This way, you won’t get points taken off of your driving score if you weren’t the one driving. And if you have trouble editing your trip, you can reach out to a customer service agent.

How Much Can You Save With Hartford TrueLane?

You can immediately save 12% on your car insurance by signing up for TrueLane. And based on how you drive, you can save up to 25% when you renew your policy. If you have multiple people on your policy, this provides more potential to save. Average savings amounts will vary between drivers.

If you decide you no longer want to use TrueLane, you can stop using the app at any time, but keep in mind that you’ll lose your discount.

Hartford TrueLane vs. the competition

Telematics programs have become incredibly popular among auto insurers, and many throughout the industry expect them to become more commonplace in the coming years. This technology benefits insurers by helping them make more data-driven predictions. It also helps drivers identify bad habits and make improvements.

With so many options, you’re probably wondering how The Hartford stacks up to similar programs.

The table below provides discount information for some of the most popular telematics programs available.

While Hartford’s TrueLane offers one of the largest initial discounts, at 12%, other insurers offer higher maximum discounts of 30%–40%. If your goal is to find the biggest discount possible, you might consider other car insurance companies.

How to maximize your TrueLane discount

If you’re aiming for the maximum discount with TrueLane, focus on driving as safely as possible. Use these tips to improve your score and maximize your savings:

• Avoid fast accelerations: Ease on the accelerator when leaving a stop sign or traffic light and speed up gradually instead.
• Don’t slam on your brakes: Stay focused and be aware of when cars in front of you are slowing down. And when you approach a traffic light or stop sign, don’t wait until the last minute to apply the brakes.
• Make safe, slow turns: Watch your speed around curves, on-ramps, and when turning onto another road.
• Follow the posted speed limit: Avoid speeding as much as possible. Even if other drivers are speeding, driving over the posted speed limit could hurt your overall score and negatively affect your savings.
• Don’t use your phone while driving: Distracted driving isn’t only dangerous, but it could put a big hamper on your potential savings. Avoid hands-free calling, texting, or using mobile apps when you’re behind the wheel if you want to maximize your discount.

Can your rates go up with Hartford TrueLane?

It’s not clear if The Hartford will increase your car insurance rates if you don’t practice safe driving, but the company says your discount can fluctuate over time based on how you drive. When you sign up for Hartford TrueLane, you get a 12% discount on your car insurance rate for the first six months. When you go to renew, your discount can go up or down depending on your driving history. The minimum amount you can save ranges from 0% up to 25% for excellent driving patterns.

For instance, you can expect your discount to drop at renewal if you get a speeding ticket or are in a car accident.

But if you practice safe driving behaviors, you might get the best deal at 20% or 25%, resulting in lower rates.

Is TrueLane Worth It? What Real Customers Are Saying

Whether TrueLane is worth it depends on what you expect from the program (or those like it). Looking at online customer reviews from real TrueLane users, some customers think it’s a great app and use the feedback to correct bad habits and become safer drivers.

Other customer reviews claim the TrueLane app penalizes them for things that are out of their control, such as braking for another car. Several customers — like the one in the below review — also appear frustrated by the app’s functionality.

Some even complain that the app mistakes rides on public transportation for their driving trips. For example, the users featured in the two reviews below claim the app tracks their driving when they’re a passenger in another vehicle — even when they’re on a train.

Finally, some customers were concerned with their privacy. They felt the app required them to turn on more permissions on their phone than necessary, including requesting access to their location and photo gallery.

How to Sign Up for Hartford TrueLane

If you’re interested in signing up for The Hartford’s TrueLane, you’ll need to complete the following steps:

1. Get an auto insurance quote with The Hartford

As a new Hartford customer, you can speak with a customer service representative to get a car insurance quote or request one online. If you want to move forward, you’ll have to sign up for an insurance policy that includes TrueLane.

As soon as you sign up, you can take advantage of an automatic 12% discount.

2. Download the TrueLane mobile app

After signing up, you’ll receive a text with a link to download the free TrueLane app for either Apple IOS or Android.

3. Complete the registration process

The app will ask you to fill in some information and enable permissions on your phone in order to begin tracking your driving behavior.

4. Drive safely

Now you can take a drive with your smartphone in the car. The TrueLane app will note your driving behaviors throughout the monitoring period.

To get the largest discount on renewal, avoid behaviors like hard braking, fast acceleration, and using your phone while driving.

5. Monitor your progress

Using the TrueLane dashboard, you can view your driving performance and score. Your score indicates how safely you drive that day — the higher you score, the more you can save.

6. Collect your discount

You’ll receive an initial 12% discount for participating in Hartford’s TrueLane program, and if you achieve high ratings for good driving behaviors, you can get an additional discount on renewal (after your six-month policy term ends).

Depending on where you live, you could save as much as 25% on your policy.

Hartford TrueLane FAQs

Still have a question about the TrueLane telemetrics program? Check out the following answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about Hartford TrueLane to learn more.

Is Hartford TrueLane worth it?

It depends. Some drivers find Hartford’s TrueLane telematics program easy to use, helpful for improving their driving behaviors, and worth it for the discount. Others feel the app still has some functional issues and have chosen to stop using Hartford TrueLane.

What data does Hartford TrueLane collect?

Hartford TrueLane uses your phone to collect data related to how hard you brake, how fast you accelerate, how safely you turn, how fast you drive, and how often you use your phone while driving.

How much is the TrueLane discount?

It depends. TrueLane offers auto insurance policyholders an initial 12% discount for signing up for the program. You can also earn a discount of up to 25% when you renew your insurance, based on your driving habits and where you live (total discount varies by state).

Is The Hartford a good insurance company?

Yes. If you’re an AARP member who values a long company history and access to a variety of insurance products — including auto, small business, and home insurance — you may find The Hartford to be a good fit for your specific needs.

The Hartford has high customer satisfaction ratings — specifically in the Northwest region, according to J.D. Power — and an AM Best financial strength rating of A+ (Superior).

Data Methodology:

Data scientists at Compare.com analyzed more than 50 million real-time auto insurance quotes from more than 75 partner insurers in order to compile the rates and statistics seen in this article. Compare.com’s auto insurance data includes coverage analysis and details on drivers’ vehicles, driving records, insurance histories, and demographic information.

All the rates listed in this article have been collected from a combination of real Compare.com quotes and external insurance rate data gathered in collaboration with Quadrant Information Services. Compare.com uses these observations to provide readers with insights into how auto insurance companies determine their premiums.

Sources:

1. Google Play Store, “TrueLane by the Hartford,” accessed April 4, 2024.
2. Insurance Business, “How telematics is “reshaping” the insurance industry,” accessed April 4, 2024.
3. J.D. Power, “Auto insurance customer satisfaction plummets as rates continue to surge,” accessed April 5, 2024.
4. AM Best, “AM Best affirms credit ratings of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries,” accessed April 5, 2024.