Metromile Insurance Review
- With 4/5 stars in 2023, Metromile is a good insurance company.
- Read Metromile reviews, complaints and prices before you buy.
Metromile at a glance
Metromile, a San Francisco-based insurance company, offers usage-based auto insurance policies. The company employs telematics technology to build your car insurance pricing profile based on your driving behavior, reducing the weight given to non-driving factors. Metromile originally relied on National General Insurance to underwrite its policies and service claims. User reviews were not great, so in 2016 Metromile acquired another insurance carrier to bring everything in-house. Now, it handles policies and the claims process internally.
The first usage-based insurance programs started roughly a decade ago when mainstream providers began offering discounts based on an individual’s driving habits. Since then, new companies, such as Metromile and Root, adopted the model as the core of their business. These newcomers offer insurance policies tailored to individual driver behavior, rather than relying on aggregate driver data.
For drivers with low mileage and safe driving habits, usage-based insurance can be a more cost-efficient option than traditional auto insurance policies. Those who need specialized coverage options or rack up a lot of miles each year may find that Metromile isn't the best option. Below, you'll find our Metromile car insurance review that looks at the coverage options, customer satisfaction and a general overview of how it works.
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Metromile car insurance review
Overall, motorists who don't drive all that much — and who are alright with their driving habits being tracked — could find Metromile insurance beneficial. It offers many of the standard coverage options available from other auto insurance companies, such as liability (bodily injury and property damage), collision, comprehensive, under/uninsured motorist, and medical payments. They even offer additional coverages such as roadside assistance and rental reimbursement. Have a look at our full review below.Â
- J.D. Power — Not rated
- Financial Strength — Not rated by AM Best
- NAIC Rating — Poor: Metromile Insurance received substantially more customer complaints than average in 2020, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).
Where is Metromile car insurance available?
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Metromile is currently active in eight states
Metromile offers auto insurance policies in the following states:Â
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Metromile car insurance coverage options
The company provides the standard coverage options offered by most car insurance companies, but not much beyond this. Customers with special coverage needs may find some of these options limiting. However, drivers who only need standard coverage should find Metromile car insurance options sufficient for most needs. Available coverages include the following:
Liability coverage
Liability is a standard coverage option that is required in nearly all states. Your individual state will have minimum coverage limits, but you can — and probably should — set your limits higher to add further protection in the event that you are responsible for causing an accident. Metromile's liability coverage is divided into the following two coverage types:
- Bodily injury liability: This covers costs related to injuries or deaths caused by the accident.Â
- Property damage liability: Covers damages to another driver's car or any other property you damage in an accident.Â
Vehicle coverage
- Collision: Covers physical damage your car sustains in a collision.Â
- Comprehensive: Covers non-collision physical damage to your vehicle. When paired with collision, it is often referred to as full coverage.
- Underinsured motorist coverage (property damage): Covers your vehicle if you are hit by a driver who isn't carrying sufficient coverage (not available in all states).Â
- Roadside assistance: Helps if you need a tow, jump start, tire change or locksmith.
- Collision deductible waiver: This coverage waives your deductible should you be in an accident with an uninsured driver (availability is limited and stipulations apply).
Medical coverage
- Uninsured/underinsured motorist (bodily injury): Covers injuries, lost wages, funeral expenses and pain and suffering you sustain in an accident which is caused by a driver with no — or insufficient — insurance coverage.
- Medical payments to others (Medpay): Typically an optional coverage, this goes toward paying for health costs associated with those in your vehicle during an accident.
- Personal injury protection: Not available in every state, this coverage goes toward paying your medical expenses regardless of who is at fault in the accident.
Metromile insurance discountsÂ
Metromile doesn't offer many insurance discount options. The company claims to offer you the best rate that it can after your initial ride-along. This is done by measuring a driver's habits through the initial test drive as well as the mileage. As such, the only real discounts drivers should expect include the following:Â
Adding a second vehicle to your policy can lead to savings on a per-car basis.
You can save up to 15% off your initial quote by driving safely.
Other coverage types
At this time, Metromile does not other any coverage or insurance types other than personal auto policies. Furthermore, drivers needing commercial auto or rideshare coverage are not eligible for Metromile insurance.
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How Metromile works
You pay a base rate + pennies on the mile
Metromile applies a usage-based insurance formula based on how many miles you drove the previous month. The company starts with a base rate determined by traditional data such as what kind of car you drive, your age and driving history and credit score. But Metromile then adds their special sauce: your actual mileage multiplied by a cost-per-mile fee. The result is simple: if you drive less, you pay less.
Metromile’s pricing is directly linked to mileage driven
Users pay a monthly base rate plus a per-mile rate. Metromile tracks your mileage using a wireless device that plugs into your car's diagnostic port.
Metromile does not monitor a driver’s behavior (aside from miles driven) to calculate his or her rate. So if you’re inclined to hard braking and swift turns, Metromile may be a better option for you than Root, which takes those actions into consideration.
How to sign up for Metromile
The first step is to request an insurance quote. Rest assured that checking your rate won’t affect your credit score. You’ll be asked to enter personal information, like your address and date of birth. Then you’ll need to enter basic information on the vehicle you want to insure, such as the year, make, model and ownership status.
Next, you’ll be prompted to estimate your monthly mileage. With pay-per-mile insurance, it’s important to provide an accurate estimate. It may not be worth switching from a traditional plan if you’re clocking a lot of miles in your daily commute. Don’t stress over the occasional road trip — Metromile maxes out daily mileage at 250 miles (or 150 miles for folks in New Jersey). Now you’ll need to enter the details for the primary insured and any secondary drivers.
Similar to a traditional insurance plan, you’ll need to select a level of coverage. If you’re confused or need more information, hover over the tooltips next to each field. Metromile offers three tiers of coverage to choose from: basic, extra and plus. Each can be customized in the level of coverage and you also have the option to select add-ons, such as comprehensive insurance, rental car reimbursement and roadside assistance.
At this point, you'll be provided with an estimated monthly cost for Metromile, and you can compare your current plan with Metromile’s quote. It’s a quick way to determine if you’ll actually save money on the company's plan. You’ll also see your estimated base rate and the per-mile rate.
How to install the Metromile Pulse
If you opt to proceed with Metromile, you’ll be prompted to review your plan and enter your payment details. You’ll also be asked for your address so the company can ship you its mileage tracking device, the Metromile Pulse. Your device should arrive within five to seven business days. A nice perk is that you’re not charged for mileage during this period.
Once the package arrives, you’ll find a quick start guide and the Pulse device.
The guide provides a helpful diagram of possible locations for your onboard diagnostics port (OBD-II). You’ve got a 10-day grace period (seven days in California) to install the device; from then on, Metromile requires you to keep it connected with a few short-term exceptions, such as car maintenance (careful on this one as you can be charged for up to 250 miles per day for every day it’s disconnected).
Once you find the OBD-II port, the installation is simple. A small red light goes on to let you know it’s connected. You’ll have to make a short trip to calibrate the device’s GPS, and then you should be good to go.
How does the Metromile Pulse work?
Making the most of your car's data
Metromile Pulse is powered by telematics technology, which uses your GPS location to record your daily mileage, decode Check Engine Light readings and act as a locator device if you forget where you park.
You keep it plugged in all the time, but there's no reason to worry about it draining your battery — it doesn't have that kind of power. And if you're concerned about the GPS tracking part, you can disable that in your account settings.
As the last step, you may want to download the Metromile app for easy mobile access to your account. The app has some handy features, such as up-to-date billing information, a car locator for those of us who can’t remember where we parked and a street sweeping notification. The Pulse is GPS-enabled, but you can opt to disable the storage of location-based data if that sort of thing makes you uncomfortable. Just note that you won’t be able to use app features that rely on location-based data.
You can complete the whole process without ever picking up the phone, so it's straightforward and painless. If you do have questions, we found Metromile's customer service to be quick and responsive.
Using artificial intelligence to automate your claims
Metromile introduced AVA, a service within its mobile app that uses artificial intelligence to collect details and issue payments when you file a claim. Using data from the Metromile Pulse sensor that's plugged into your dashboard, AVA can determine if the details of the claim are accurate, guide you through submitting photos as proof of damage, and help get your payment as soon as possible. If there's a snag, AVA connects you to Metromile's in-house claims team.
Is Metromile right for you?
While Metromile auto insurance is an intriguing interruption of the car insurance industry, that doesn't necessarily mean that it will always offer the best rates. If you need extra coverage options and prefer to bundle multiple policies, or if you're not a low mileage driver, Metromile may not be the best choice for you. However, it does come with some positives, like a streamlined tech-forward customer experience that can save you time and money.
When trying to find affordable insurance rates, it can pay off to compare premiums from many different auto insurance companies. The Zebra allows you to get insurance quotes from lots of car insurance companies at once, giving you the chance to find the best car insurance policy for your needs.
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About The Zebra
The Zebra is not an insurance company. We publish data-backed, expert-reviewed resources to help consumers make more informed insurance decisions.
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