The state of auto insurance looks a bit different in 2020, as companies work to deliver more personalized options to drivers. Noblr, an insurance company based on telematics, was built on a simple mission statement: “Saving you money is noble. Empowering you to drive your monthly rate is Noblr.”
Does Noblr live up to that mission statement?
What’s inside the Noblr app
The Noblr app transforms your phone into your “all-in-one insurance copilot.” You can manage your account, view insurance cards, submit claims and contact the Member Concierge, Noblr’s support staff.
Your driving is measured entirely through the sensors and technology of your smartphone. There are no devices to attach or dongles to connect. You also won’t need to go through a test drive or trial run before you can start using Noblr. You’ll simply need to buy a policy, download the app and drive.
That onboarding process means your initial rate will be calculated by the typical factors traditional insurance companies use, including your age, gender, location and vehicle.
Noblr uses that information to set your fixed monthly rate. When you’re using the app, it serves as a telematics device and calculates your monthly variable rate. That portion of your premium will change from month to month.
Noblr uses a scoring system to determine the monthly variable rate. Here’s what it considers for your Driver Score:
- Smoothness: How hard you accelerate and brake. Limiting the number of times you slam on the gas or brakes will give you a better score.
- Focus: How often you handle your phone while driving. Avoiding phone usage gives you a better score.
- Road choice: Whether you drive on highways or city streets. Choosing smoother routes, like a straight highway, will give you a better score. This factor is considered in every state where you can use Noblr, except Pennsylvania.
- Time of day: When you drive. Driving late at night on a weekend is generally more dangerous than a weekday afternoon and can impact your score.
- Mileage: How much you drive. Driving less can reduce your overall premium.
Types of coverage Noblr offers
Noblr breaks down its insurance coverage into three main categories: humans, cars and money. Here’s an overview of each type of coverage.
Humans
- Medical payments: Payment toward your medical bills if you sustain an injury during an accident, regardless of who’s at fault.
- Personal injury protection: Payment toward medical bills, and in certain states, lost wages and additional services if you sustain an injury in an accident.
- Uninsured bodily injury protection: Payment toward your medical bills if you’re hit by a driver who is uninsured or underinsured.
Cars
- Comprehensive coverage: Pays for repairs if your car gets damaged when you’re not using it. This coverage kicks in during situations like theft, vandalism, fire or hail.
- Collision coverage: Pays for repairs if your car is damaged in a collision or rolls over.
- Uninsured property damage protection: Pays for damage to your car if it’s caused by another driver who is uninsured or underinsured.
- Rental car coverage: If your car is damaged by a covered loss—like an accident, vandalism or theft—Noblr will pay for a rental car.
- Roadside assistance: Noblr policies include roadside assistance coverage, offering a tow or jump if you ever need it.
Money
- Bodily injury coverage: Pays for medical costs for another person and can help with legal damages incurred if someone sues you over an accident.
- Property damage coverage: Pays for repair costs and legal fees if your car damages someone else’s property, like a fence, guard rail, or phone line.
In addition, Noblr and insurance company RLI offer a personal umbrella policy. This type of policy may make sense if you own a home and car and want to protect your future earnings.
Some coverage options aren’t available in every state. Check the state you live in to see what Noblr will and will not cover for you.
How Noblr affects your phone and privacy
Noblr is available on iOS and Android phones and uses smartphone technology to measure your driving. Features like a smartphone’s accelerometer, gyroscope, GPS and even the clock are consulted as Noblr calculates your Driver Score.
You’ll have to set your location and motion settings to “Always Allow” so Noblr can accurately log your trips. If you have an iPhone, you’ll also need to enable iOS Motion & Fitness.
You don’t need to be logged into the Noblr app to log your trips, but since the app uses location and motion settings, it drains your battery at around the same rate as other GPS-enabled apps, like Waze, Apple Maps or Google Maps.
Because Noblr is tracking your location, they do use your information in some capacity. However, Noblr states the company only uses the data they collect to “maintain, protect, optimize and improve” services and to “enhance and personalize your user experience.” It may also share your data with third-party apps, like social media sites, for additional authentication purposes.
Noblr may contact you via phone, email, push notification and in-app promotions. You can opt out of those notifications by contacting the company directly. Read Noblr’s privacy policy if you have specific questions around how they use your data.
Noblr’s impact on your premium
Will you save money with Noblr? That depends on how safely and often you drive, as well as where you live.
Since the app tracks your driving habits, you may find your variable rate goes down after a month of safe and limited driving. However, the opposite can also happen — if you had to take a few trips to a faraway area that had a lot of bumpy traffic, you might see your premium increase the following month.
Noblr offers rewards for buying a policy, paying the fixed part of your premium in full and renewing your policy at the end of your six-month term. There’s also a referral program; you’ll get a customized link to share with other drivers. For each eligible referral that clicks the link and completes a quote, you’ll get a $25 Amazon gift card, and can keep earning until you’ve scored $1,000 in gift cards.
Currently, Noblr is available in Arizona, Colorado, Louisiana, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas, and coming soon to Indiana, Maryland, Missouri, Nevada, Virginia and Wisconsin.
The final word
Whether you find Noblr worthwhile will vary, though it largely depends on your driving frequency and safe driving habits.
Some reviewers enjoy the rewards element and the ease of using the app. However, others complain that the claim-filing process is difficult and it’s hard to get hold of customer service, particularly on the weekends.
You may also prefer to pay a flat monthly rate and not worry if your premium will go up or down every month. If that’s the case, you might want to explore other options.
In the end, it’s your decision. Whether you sign up with Noblr or not, it's a good idea to reassess your car insurance situation once every six months. Enter your ZIP code below to see what you could save.