Want Cheaper Car Insurance? Take A Snapshot, Pay As You Go

By Antony Ingram

Antony Ingram

Contributing Writer BIO

Antony is an automotive obsessive: Whether it drives, sits there looking pretty or intrigues from afar, he'll talk and write about it. Automotive... More

LATEST ARTICLE
Land Rover Defender LXV: Luxury Model Celebrates 65 Years
Land Rover's history may not stretch as far back as that of Jeep, but for many it's an equally... Read More

• #6LEADERBOARD RANK
• 1812ARTICLES CONTRIBUTED
• 4COMMENTS POSTED

1,248 views May 24, 2011

Follow Antony

Snapshot car insurance tracking device

Enlarge Photo

If you don't actually drive that much though, and when you do you're a picture of perfection, it seems a little unfair to pay over the odds for your lower-risk lifestyle. That's where Snapshot from Progressive comes in.

Snapshot is a Pay As You Go program that allows Progressive to calculate your insurance premium based on how, and how often you drive. Progressive claims that customers can save up to 30 percent on their insurance based on their driving habits, and drivers using Snapshot are currently saving an average of $150 per year.

How do they assess your driving habits then? That's what the Snapshot device is for. It arrives in the mail, and you plug it into your car's on-board diagnostic (OBD) port, usually located somewhere under the dashboard.

The device records 30 days of data, after which time Progressive uses the data as a basis for your insurance. If your car sits on your driveway for half the month and you only use it to visit the local mall during off-peak times of the day for the other 15 days then you could be in-line for a discount. Commute during rush hour every day and drive like Jimmie Johnson and you probably won't see any savings.

After six months your policy is reviewed to determine the renewal discount, and your data is occasionally checked to make sure you're not taking liberties and driving in a completely different manner.

Think you might be paying too much to insure your car? Maybe it's time to give Snapshot a try.

[SunHerald.com]