Allstate Drivewise: Is It Worth It?

Just about anyone can earn rewards with Allstate’s Drivewise program and you’ll get an instant discount just for signing up.
Written by Jessica Barrett
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
Allstate’s Drivewise is a usage-based telematics program for
car insurance
savings and other rewards. Unlike some programs that track your driving, Drivewise won’t raise your insurance rate, making it a low-risk way to practice safe driving and save money.
  • Drivewise uses the Allstate mobile app to track your driving habits and reward safe driving behaviors.
  • Policyholders receive an instant discount of 3% for signing up and safe drivers could save up to 40% or more on their premium upon renewal.
  • Allstate will not use the data collected from Drivewise to increase your insurance premium.

How does Allstate Drivewise work?

The Allstate Drivewise program uses the Allstate mobile app on your smartphone (or, in
Arkansas
and
New York
, a plug-in telematics device) to track your driving habits.
Drivewise will track your driving in real time and collect data to use for discounting purposes. Safe drivers who log trips without any hard stops or excessive speeds can complete safe driving challenges, earn Drivewise rewards, and get a discounted rate when their Allstate policy is up for renewal.
Drivewise also has some other great features:
  • Crash detection: Triggers an option to call 911,
    start an insurance claim
    , or summon
    roadside assistance
    if it senses a collision over 25 mph
  • Parking reminders: Records where you parked and gives you a nudge if you need to feed the meter
  • Gas Finder: Helps locate gas stations near you 
  • Good Hands Rescue: Call for roadside assistance at any time
  • QuickFoto: Allows you to take photos at an accident scene to begin an insurance claim

What does Drivewise track?

Drivewise records a lot of information about your driving habits, from where you drove and at what time of day to your speed and phone use.
Only three pieces of information will affect your Allstate auto insurance rate:
  • Speed: If you keep your speed under 80 mph, you’ll improve your discount. Drivewise doesn’t pay attention to your speed relative to the speed limit—so you won’t get dinged for going 50 mph in a 20 zone (not by the app, anyway).
  • Time of day: Avoid driving late at night to get a discount. Drivewise considers any time between 11pm and 4am (11pm and 5am on weekends) to be late-night driving. 
  • Hard braking: A “fast stop” is a reduction in speed of 8 mph or more per second. Maximize your discount by coming to a gradual stop and avoiding sudden braking.
Note that location services information isn’t available to the Allstate agents calculating your rates.
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How much can you save with Drivewise?

Allstate claims that good drivers can save 40% or more on their insurance premiums by using Drivewise:
  • You’ll get an instant discount of 3% just for signing up (5% in New Jersey and 7% in Florida)
  • Renewal discounts are based on your safe driving habits
Allstate doesn’t make the way Drivewise discounts are calculated public, so it’s not possible to calculate your exact potential savings. That said, the average cost of an Allstate auto insurance policy is about $1,880 per year and the average Drivewise customer’s premium is $996 per year—a reduction of close to 50%.
Allstate will not use the information that Drivewise collects to increase your car insurance premium, so you don’t have to worry about poor driving habits raising your rate.
You’ll also be eligible for other Allstate rewards, including gift cards and sweepstakes.

How to use Drivewise

It’s easy to start using the Drivewise app:
  • Enroll in the program
  • Set your location services to “Always On”
  • Ensure your device has at least 25% battery charge while you’re driving
Drivers in Arkansas and New York can opt to receive a small device that plugs into their vehicle’s OBD-II port instead of using their phones. In addition to working with the Drivewise app to calculate insurance discounts, the device can run diagnostics on your vehicle and alert you if you need to schedule a maintenance appointment.

Drivewise vs. other usage-based insurance programs

Let’s put Drivewise up against similar telematics rewards programs from other leading auto insurance companies.
Program
What it tracks
Advertised discount
Can it raise your rate?
Apple App Store rating
Allstate Drivewise®
High speeds, hard braking, and time of day
40% or more
No
4.8 stars
Time of day, braking, cornering, distracted driving, smoothness, distance, weather
Up to 25%
Yes
3.3 stars
Braking, acceleration, time of day, phone use, time on road
$156 per year (average)
Yes
4.5 stars
Acceleration, braking, cornering, speeding, distracted driving
Up to 30%
Yes
4.6 stars
Mileage, braking, acceleration, time of day
Up to 40%
No
4.5 stars
Location, time of day, phone use, braking, annual mileage
Up to 30%
No
4.4 stars

The bottom line: is Drivewise worth it?

Not every Allstate customer will qualify for a discount through Drivewise—but it’s still worth enrolling in the program.
You’ll get an instant discount when you sign up. If you can maintain safe speeds and avoid sudden braking and late-night driving, you’ve got a good chance of adding to that discount when your policy period renews.
Even if you don’t get a discounted rate, you can still practice better driving habits, earn perks by completing challenges, and use other app features like crash detection and parking reminders. 
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Jerry
helped me cut my rate almost in half by switching me to Allstate for the same coverage. I highly recommend this app to anyone.” —Drew E.
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