UBI in 2022: Rate hikes drive an upswing in adoption

September 27, 2022 5:59 AM

Over the past decade, auto insurers have introduced and continuously refined usage-based insurance programs. Powered by telematics technology, which transmits data in real-time (or close to it), UBI promises policyholders some more control over their insurance price in exchange for that data.

As inflation took hold in the post-pandemic era, insurance rates rose along with everything from gas prices to homes to food. That spurred a noticeable amount of interest in, and adoption of, UBI programs. In December of 2021, Nationwide released the results of a survey from summer of that year indicating that as many as half of drivers were interested in UBI. citing costs and safety as their main drivers. However, that same month, only about a third of customers reported that they had been presented with a UBI offer, according to Transunion.

But there was a turnaround. In the company's first quarter earnings call May 3, 2022, Progressive CEO Tricia Griffith said that the company noticed "a pretty big increase" in take-up of the company's long-standing Snapshot product. Later, she added that "some consumers are trying to figure out [if] can they change their coverages or do things differently or add Snapshot … to reduce their prices."

And in August, Transunion and J.D. Power's co-reported "Loyalty Indicator and Shopping Trends" study found that in Q1 of 2022, UBI adoption was up by a third, "particularly among those in the lower self-reported credit tiers," as rates jumped 11.8% overall.

So while economic conditions challenge many aspects of the insurance business, for auto insurers, usage-based products remain a high priority for customer acquisition and retention in a tight market. That leads us to this year's check-in on where the top auto insurers, by U.S. market share as reported by the NAIC, stand in terms of product availability and size of their program.

State Farm

U.S. auto insurance market share: 15.93%

Name of primary UBI program: Drive Safe & Save
Year launched: 2009
States available: 47 (Mobile)
Total users: Declined to say
Technology partners: Cambridge Mobile Telematics
Technology platform: Mobile app, connected-car integration
What it measures: Miles driven, acceleration, braking, cornering, speeding, and phone distraction

Progressive

U.S. auto insurance market share: 13.7%

John Quinn/Bloomberg News

Name of primary program: Snapshot
Year launched: 2008
Total enrolled customers: 8 million (Reported to Digital Insurance in 2021. Progressive declined to update this number when asked this year.)
States available: 49 and Washington, D.C.
Technology partners: Cambridge Mobile Telematics, Sensata (for OBD devices)
Technology platform: Connected car, OBD-II device and mobile app
What it measures: Time of day, speed changes, drive time, and phone use

Allstate

U.S. auto insurance market share: 10.41%

Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg

Name of program: Drivewise (behavior-based), Milewise (mileage-based)
Year launched: 2010, 2016
Total enrolled customers: Over 2 million (Allstate told Digital Insurance 2 million in 2021, and said the number has increased this year)
Technology platform: Connected car and mobile app
Technology partners: Arity
States available: Drivewise: All 50 states and Washington, D.C. (Allstate says that Drivewise is only available as a trial program in Calif.)
Milewise: 21 states and Washington, D.C.

Read about Allstate's usage-based insurance partnership with John Hancock

Farmers

U.S. auto insurance market share: 4.76%

Name of primary program: Signal
Year launched: 2017
States available: 39
Total enrolled customers: Not given
Technology partners: TrueMotion (now Cambridge Mobile Telematics)
Technology platform: Mobile app
What it measures: Focused driving, hard brakes, excessive speed, time of day, and total mileage driven.

Editor's Note: When contacted for comment, Farmers said its information had not changed since last year.

Nationwide

U.S. auto insurance market share: 2.13%

Name of programs: SmartRide (behavior-based), SmartMiles (mileage-based)
Year launched: 2012, 2019
States available: 48 (SmartRide), 46 (SmartMiles). Both programs are available in Washington. D.C.
Total enrolled users: Nationwide says that one-fifth of its auto customers have participated in one of these telematics programs.
Technology partners: Nationwide says it has direct partnerships with Ford and Toyota, and also works with Verisk. Nationwide also announced this year it was working with Cambridge Mobile Telematics to incorporate messaging into its telematics apps.

American Family

U.S. auto insurance market share: 2.1%

Name of primary program: KnowYourDrive
Year launched: 2017
Total enrolled customers: Not given, but AmFam says its household penetration is 10% and about half of new customers opt for KnowYourDrive.
States available: 19
Technology partners: TrueMotion (now Cambridge Mobile Telematics)
Technology platform: Mobile app
What it measures: Trip and event data around speeding, time of day, braking, and distracted driving.

Editor's Note: When contacted for comment, AmFamsaid its information had not changed since last year.

Travelers

U.S. auto insurance market share: 2.04%

Name of primary program: IntelliDrive
Year launched: 2017

Total enrolled customers: Not given. Travelers says signups are up 50% since January 2020

States available: 42 and Washington, D.C.

Technology partners: Cambridge Mobile Telematics

Technology platform: Mobile app

What it measures: Trip and event data around speeding, time of day, braking, and distracted driving

Other notes: Travelers launched IntelliDrivePlus in November 2021, which adds miles driven to the calculation of an insured's premium (allowing lower-volume drivers more savings if eligible). It is currently available in three states. Travelers also considers IntelliDrive for Connected Vehicles, launched in 2022, to be a distinct program. It's available in two states and is powered by LexisNexis technology.