Drive Safe & Save is State Farm’s usage-based program. The State Farm app and a small Bluetooth beacon in your car record your trips, and State Farm adjusts your premium at each renewal based on your mileage and driving. You get an initial discount for enrolling, and State Farm says safe drivers can save up to 30%.
The adjustment can move in either direction, though. State Farm says it “may increase or decrease at each renewal.” The program isn’t available in California or Rhode Island, and most of State Farm’s pages list Massachusetts too.
Key Takeaways
- Drive Safe & Save uses the State Farm app plus a Bluetooth beacon you keep in your car. State Farm lists the cost of the service as $0.
- You get an initial discount for enrolling and completing setup. After that, State Farm says safe drivers can save up to 30%, and discounts can exceed 30% in some states.
- Your adjustment is recalculated at each renewal, typically every six months, and it can go up or down. Driving more than your estimated low mileage can also raise your premium.
- It isn’t available in California or Rhode Island, and most State Farm pages also exclude Massachusetts. In New York, the discount is capped at 30%.
Who Can Use Drive Safe & Save
The program is optional, and you decide car by car. State Farm says most private passenger vehicles are eligible, including cars, trucks, SUVs and minivans. Antique or classic cars, motorcycles, RVs and golf carts aren’t. You also need a smartphone that can run the State Farm app with Bluetooth, location services and motion sensors turned on. If you’re insuring a young driver, State Farm’s Steer Clear program is a separate discount option for drivers under 25.
How Drive Safe & Save Works, Step by Step
- Enroll. State Farm says you can text SAVE to 42407 to get a link to the State Farm app and check whether your phone is eligible. In certain states, you finish enrolling in the app by accepting the consent to participate, verifying your email address and confirming where to mail your beacon.
- Get your beacon. In most states, State Farm mails the Bluetooth beacon automatically when you enroll. In some states, you order it in the app. State Farm says it typically arrives within 10 days.
- Finish setup. Take the beacon to your car, connect it in the app and enter your odometer reading. Every driver on the policy should download the app, log in and turn on the required permissions.
- Drive. Trips are recorded automatically when your phone connects to the beacon, and the app shows feedback and trip maps.
- See your adjustment at renewal. State Farm says your adjustment “is calculated at each policy renewal (typically every six months) using driving information from up to the prior 12 months when available.”
What Drive Safe & Save Tracks
State Farm says your premium adjustment is based on “your annual mileage and driving characteristics.” Along with your miles, the app gives you feedback on these driving events:
| Driving event | What the app flags |
|---|---|
| Acceleration | Speeding up faster than is generally considered safe |
| Braking | Fast, hard stops |
| Cornering | Quick, sharp turns |
| Phone distraction | The car is moving, the phone recording the trip is moving within the car and the screen is on |
| Speed | Going 8 miles per hour or more over the speed limit |
State Farm notes that “not everything the app shows you impacts your discount,” but it doesn’t say which events count toward the price. The beacon itself has no GPS. Your phone’s location and sensors measure speed, turns, braking and miles driven.
How Much Can You Save?
State Farm’s Drive Safe & Save page lists a “10% initial participation decrease” for enrolling and a discount of “up to 30%.” The fine print says discounts “may exceed 30% and vary state-to-state,” with New York capped at 30%. Because amounts vary by state, ask your agent what the initial discount is where you live.
Mileage doesn’t count everywhere. State Farm says mileage and odometer readings are excluded from the adjustment on certain policies in some states.
Can Drive Safe & Save Raise Your Premium?
It can change in either direction. State Farm says, “Changes in your driving will be reflected in your adjusted amount, so it may increase or decrease at each renewal.” Mileage is one specific risk: if you get a lower rate for estimating low annual mileage (under 7,500 miles a year for personal use) and you drive more, State Farm says “your premium may increase at a future policy renewal to reflect your actual mileage.”
Mistakes That Can Cost You the Discount
- Missing the setup window. State Farm’s Drive Safe & Save FAQ says, “If your required steps are not completed before the setup window expires, your discount will be removed back to the date it was added.”
- Deleting the app. State Farm warns that if you uninstall it, it can’t collect complete data for all trips, which can affect your premium adjustment.
- Skipping the odometer reading. In some states, you have to provide one before each renewal.
- Forgetting a replacement car. If you replace your car, State Farm says setup must be completed in the new vehicle to stay in the program.
Where Drive Safe & Save Isn’t Available
State Farm says the program isn’t available in California or Rhode Island, and most of its pages add Massachusetts. In North Carolina, State Farm says a discount “may not be available” depending on individual facts and circumstances. Drive Safe & Save is also different from pay-per-mile insurance, which State Farm says it “does not currently offer.”
How to Stop Using Drive Safe & Save
State Farm’s FAQ says you can choose to stop participating and to “Contact your agent to talk about your options.” It doesn’t publish self-service steps or say exactly what happens to your discount afterward, so ask your agent before you quit. If you remove the beacon, State Farm says to twist it off the windshield and recycle it anywhere that accepts electronics or lithium-ion batteries.
How It Compares With Other Insurers’ Programs
Most large insurers run similar programs with their own rules. Progressive’s Snapshot program lets you choose between an app and a plug-in device and can add a surcharge for risky driving in some states. GEICO’s DriveEasy program works through the GEICO app. If you’re weighing a switch, you can compare car insurance quotes to see how each company prices your driving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Drive Safe & Save Beacon Track My Location?
The beacon doesn’t have GPS. State Farm says your phone’s location is used with its other sensors to measure things like speed, turning, braking, acceleration and miles driven.
What Happens When Several People Drive the Same Car?
State Farm says only one phone records a trip, the first one to connect to the beacon. If you’re listed as the driver on a trip you didn’t drive, you can reclassify it in the app.
Do I Have to Stick the Beacon on My Windshield?
No. State Farm says mounting it on the windshield isn’t required but is strongly recommended.
Does State Farm Offer Pay-Per-Mile Insurance?
Not currently. State Farm says Drive Safe & Save is a usage-based discount program and that pay-per-mile insurance uses a different pricing model.