2022 Allstate Drivewise Review | SmartFinancial

Drivewise is an optional program by Allstate that collects data about driving behavior. Allstate incentivizes safe driving behaviors by rewarding good drivers with policy discounts, gift cards and other rewards. Your driving data is collected by downloading the Allstate mobile app on your smartphone but some drivers have received a device, which plugs directly into a vehicle's OBD port.

Anyone can sign up for Allstate Drivewise — even if you are not an existing Allstate customer. Keep reading to learn all about Allstate Drivewise and its pros and cons.

What Is Allstate's Drivewise Program?

The Allstate Drivewise program encourages safe driving by pulling data about driving behavior, including when you drive, how hard you brake and how fast you drive. When you exhibit good driving behaviors, Allstate can apply a discount towards your Allstate car insurance premium. You also earn points, which can be redeemed on gift cards, merchandise and other rewards.

For most drivers, signing up is easy and you only need to download the Allstate mobile app to get started. However, drivers in the past have been mailed a device that plugs directly into their vehicle's OBD port.

Drivewise discount example

Say you're an existing Allstate customer and sign up for the Drivewise program. Immediately after enrolling in Drivewise, you qualify for a 10% discount on your car insurance premium. After following through the steps, including completing safe driving challenges (e.g., drive three days without speeding), you qualify for an additional 5% discount.

Let's say your Allstate car insurance premium prior to signing up was $1,400. After demonstrating safe driving and applying your 15% discount, your next premium would cost only $1,190.

The Allstate Drivewise app pulls data about driving behaviors, including when you drive, how hard you brake and how fast you drive.

How Allstate Drivewise Works

Drivewise uses telematics technology through the Allstate mobile app to measure your driving behavior. The mobile app collects all kinds of data but Drivewise weighs the follow three factors most heavily:

Time of day: Whether you drive in clear, optimal driving conditions or at night with reduced visibility.
Extreme braking: Sudden braking may suggest that you're speeding and need to brake abruptly to compensate.
Speeding: Speeding is a traffic violation and increases your risk of getting into an accident (and injuring another driver or pedestrian).

Other driving behaviors are analyzed as well, including your start and end location and the duration of your drives.

Note: Allstate is phasing out the plug-in telematics devices in favor of the mobile app.

Allstate Drivewise Benefits

To qualify for a discount on your Allstate car insurance premium, you will need to take at least 50 trips within the six-month evaluation period. Your performance is re-evaluated every six months, which means you have to continue driving safely if you want to maintain your savings. For this reason, car insurance rates for an Allstate policyholder that participates in Drivewise are not fixed and can vary based on driving behavior.

Keep in mind the discount that other household members can affect your discount if they're listed in your policy. If you're the picture-perfect driver, a bad driver in your household can compromise your potential savings.

Beyond a discount towards your premium, Drivewise participants can earn points that can be redeemed in the Allstate Rewards program. Rewards include local offers, gift cards, merchandise and other rewards. Allstate Rewards points never expire.

Crash detection is another feature built into the mobile app and available to Drivewise participants. If the data collected signals that you just experienced a car crash, you will receive an immediate notification with options for further assistance, including calling 911 and requesting roadside assistance. You also receive a notification to start a claim and begin the recovery process with Allstate.

What Does Allstate Drivewise Monitor?

When you sign up for Allstate Drivewise, you agree to surrender data regarding your GPS trail, braking events, acceleration events and high-speed events. Specifically, Allstate will have information for the following:

Timestamps for when your trip starts and ends
Latitude and longitude locations for when where your trip starts and ends
Distance and duration of trips
Average speed
Maximum speed
Idle time
Mileage and duration for each trip
Certain braking occurrences (e.g., slowing down 10 or more miles per hour over a 1 second time interval)
Certain accelerating occurrences (e.g., increasing vehicle speed to greater than 8 mph per second)
Speeding occurrences vehicle exceeds 80 miles per hour
Excessive speed changes
Reasons for trip termination (e.g., low battery, app closed)

Car insurance rates for an Allstate policyholder that participates in Drivewise are not fixed and can vary based on driving behavior.

Can Allstate Drivewise Lower My Rates?

Allstate customers get an automatic 10% discount when they enroll in Drivewise and can expect to gain even more discounts if they continue to exhibit safe driving habits.

Average Six-Month Cost	10% Savings	New Six-Month Cost
$1,422	$142.20	$1,279.80

Your driving performance is evaluated every six months and you will need to continue demonstrating good driving habits if you wish to maintain your discount.

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Allstate Drivewise vs. Milewise

Allstate Drivewise and Milewise both measure data but they are functionally different. Drivewise is a rewards program that provides certain rewards, including a discount if you exhibit safe driving behaviors. Milewise is an actual type of insurance policy that offers savings to low-mileage drivers.

A Milewise insurance policy provides standard auto insurance with a rate based on how little you drive. Drivewise is a rewards program, which offers auto insurance discounts and other incentives, based on safe driving. Even non-Allstate customers can sign up for Drivewise and qualify for certain rewards.

Below, we highlight key differences between Allstate Drivewise and Milewise:

	Drivewise	Milewise
Description	An optional rewards program that rewards safe drivers with discounts and other monetary prizes.	An auto insurance policy with the same coverage as a regular policy but pricing is heavily based on the number of miles you drive.
Product type	Usage-based rewards program.	Insurance policy.
Availability	Available in most states (double-check with your Allstate insurance agent).	Arizona, District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin
Best for	Allstate customers that want a discount on their auto insurance premium in exchange for following safe driving habits.	Low-mileage drivers who need a cheaper alternative to traditional auto insurance.

Non-Allstate customers can sign up for Drivewise and qualify for certain rewards.

How To Enroll in Allstate Drivewise

To sign up for Allstate Drivewise, you can speak with an Allstate agent or apply through the Drivewise mobile application. The mobile app is compatible with iPhone iOS 13.0 or higher and Android 8.0 or higher.

After accepting the terms of service, you will need to have location services enabled on your phone. The Drivewise application will continue running in the background and will record data while you are driving. Do recall that at least 50 trips are required during each six-month evaluation period to qualify for and maintain a discount on your Allstate auto insurance policy.

If you want to use crash detection, you will need to manually activate it with the following steps:

Access the Allstate app on your mobile device.
Go to the Drivewise dashboard.
Go to settings.
Turn on crash detection.

Ending participation in Drivewise

You are not locked into using Drivewise for a fixed period after enrolling in Drivewise. You can cancel your participation at any time by consulting your Allstate agent. You are also allowed to enroll in Drivewise again in the future if you change your mind.

Allstate Drivewise Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Automatic 10% discount	Telematics can compromise privacy
Earn discounts and other rewards	May not be useful for infrequent drivers
Crash detection
Incentivize safe driving
Available to non-Allstate customers

Pros explained

Automatic 10% discount: Earn a 10% discount against your auto insurance policy just by signing up for Drivewise.
Earn discounts and other rewards: Safe drivers can qualify for a discount on their Allstate auto insurance policy and keep a low rate if they maintain good driving habits. Participants can also earn points that can be redeemed on local offers, gift cards, merchandise and other rewards.
Crash detection: Crash detection can help you quickly call for help, arrange for roadside assistance and file a car insurance claim following a car accident.
Incentivize safe driving: Good driving techniques keeps yourself, your passengers, pedestrians and other drivers on the road safe.
Available to non-Allstate customers: If you're not a current Allstate customer, you can still sign up and earn points to redeem certain rewards. Discounts towards your car insurance policy would not apply to non-Allstate policies.

Cons explained

Telematics can invade your privacy: Allstate Drivewise tracks your whereabouts, driving behaviors and other data. If you're uncomfortable with surrendering this information, then you may not want to enroll in Drivewise.
May not be useful for infrequent drivers: Drivers are required to make 50 trips during each six-month evaluation period, which may not be a good fit if you drive your car just once or twice a week.

Is Allstate Drivewise worth it?

With a 10% discount automatically applied when you sign up for Drivewise, you will see a decrease in your auto insurance premium. You may then qualify for a higher discount if you exhibit and maintain good driving behaviors. On top of your policy discount, you can also earn points to redeem on rewards, like gift cards and merchandise — rewards available even to non-Allstate customers.

The core issue of whether Drivewise is worth it will boil down to privacy concerns. To participate in Drivewise, you will need the mobile app, which will track tons of data about how you drive, where you're driving and more. Many feel the benefits outweigh the privacy cost but it will vary by individual.

Allstate Drivewise will not raise your rates, even if you exhibit less ideal driving behaviors.

Allstate Drivewise FAQs

Does Allstate use telematics?

Yes, Allstate Drivewise uses telematics technology to collect data about your GPS trail and driving behaviors (e.g., braking, acceleration and speeding events). Data is typically collected through the Allstate mobile app but some drivers have received devices, which plug directly into your vehicle's OBD port.

Can Allstate Drivewise raise your rates?

No, Allstate Drivewise will not raise your rates, even if you exhibit less ideal driving behaviors, according to Allstate.

What happens if you unplug Drivewise?

Unplugging the Drivewise device from your vehicle's OBD port may eliminate your ability to earn Allstate rewards — although, Allstate does allow you to remove the device without penalty if your vehicle is being inspected by a mechanic. If your data is being tracked via mobile app instead of the plug-in device and the app stops functioning, the reason why the trip terminated will be recorded (e.g., low battery, you closed the app).

How does Allstate Drivewise know I'm driving?

Allstate Drivewise knows you're driving through its mobile app, which runs in the background when you enable location services. The app allows Allstate to collect data about your driving behavior, like braking, speeding and more.

A Better Way To Save on Car Insurance

Safe drivers can earn discounts on their Allstate car insurance premiums, and even non-Allstate drivers can earn rewards using the Allstate app. However, telematics are not for everyone, and you can also save money by shopping around for affordable car insurance coverage.

With SmartFinancial, you can leverage a network of 200+ insurance companies to find the best value out there. Just enter your zip code below and answer a few questions to receive your free car insurance quotes.

Allstate Drivewise Reviews

Dan Marticio

Fran Majidi

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