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We love getting customer feedback, and this particular note made us smile. Chloe, who lives in Los Angeles, said, “I think it’s amazing how you can see your exact mileage at any point. As my friend, another Metromile customer, said, ‘I actually think twice about driving because I can see the mileage.’ I’d say that’s probably the case for a large amount of customers, so rounded up you guys are helping to decrease drivers’ carbon footprints. Pretty awesome.”

With Earth Day passing yesterday, you too might be considering how your driving habits can be a positive step toward getting greener. If so, by choosing Metromile you’ve already made a step in the right direction.

The true definition of a carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases you produce from your activities over a given period of time. Greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere, and too much of that heat is what’s behind our global warming crisis. If you’re wondering what contributes to your carbon footprint and subsequently impacts damage all over the world, it’s just about everything from how much water you use to how much meat you’re eating to — yup, you guessed it — how much you’re driving.

So, driving less reduces your carbon footprint and helps the environment — it’s that simple. And because Metromile’s pay-per-mile model encourages you to drive less and save more, it’s a natural fit for anyone looking for a way to give some extra love to the planet.

We’ve also designed our app to be an easy-to-read dashboard displaying your current mileage at all times. It takes just a quick glance at your stats to see how your miles (and dollars) are stacking up each month. If you’re noticing a higher bill than you’d like to budget for, you can take immediate action and cut back on your behind-the-wheel time. If you’re trying to make a conscious effort to reduce your carbon footprint, sneak a peek at your dashboard and set a goal to keep your driving miles low each month. Mother Earth will thank you (and so will we).

We hope that’s a bit of extra motivation to be mindful of your miles. Be green, save green.

Spring is finally here! It’s time to pack away the thick sweaters, open up the windows, and clean the corners of our houses that haven’t seen the light of day all winter.

Are you familiar with the KonMari Method of tidying up? For those who aren’t familiar, the KonMari Method states that any item that doesn’t “spark joy” should be thanked and discarded. Founded by Marie Kondo, the KonMari Method has helped thousands of people across the world find deeper happiness and sense of calm by eliminating those items that no longer “spark joy.”

Personally, I’ve had great success with the KonMari Method. By eliminating items that no longer sparked joy I found that my home stayed tidy, felt less cluttered, and gave me a sense of peace. It also helped tremendously with my own mental clarity, which got me thinking: are there other areas of my life that could be KonMari’d?

The idea excited me, and I dove into other ways I could KonMari my life. My digital life needed cleaning up, so I purged my laptop of all the old and useless files and organized only the ones still important to me. Apps on my phone got organized into folders based on their function, and ones that no longer served me were deleted. I cleaned up my online presence as well, by removing old website login info (bye Myspace!) and embarrassing Instagram pics from 2013.

The last piece of the puzzle was figuring out what to do with my financial life. While combing through my bank statements and credit card transactions, it occurred to me: I’m paying for things that don’t spark joy but are a necessity (like electricity, my cell phone bill, etc.). How am I supposed to KonMari those things? This made me step back and think – how can I bring more joy into my life with these necessities?

The first step in this process was to sit down and figure out what I was paying for out of necessity. Was I getting what I paid for? Do these companies and services have my best interests at heart, or do I only hear from them when my bill is late? What are my other options? Many of these services didn’t pass the KonMari Method test (looking at you, Internet provider), so I started to sniff out what other companies offered the same services.

Spoiler alert: most of the necessities that I was paying for didn’t pass the KonMari test. In fact, only one did: my Metromile car insurance. To most people, their car insurance provider doesn’t exactly light a fire within them, but mine does.

If I’ve forgotten where I parked my car, the Metromile app tells me exactly where it is (this happens a lot). The Metromile app also tells me how much gas I have left in my tank and helps decode warning lights that pop up on my dashboard from time to time. As a low-mileage driver, I never feel like I’m paying for something I don’t use because, quite simply, I’m not.

My favorite feature, however, is the trip tracking feature. As a freelance writer, I’m frequently driving to various client meetings. The mileage that I put on my car for those business meetings is a deductible expense which I can claim on my taxes at the end of the year. With Metromile, I can see every single trip I’ve ever taken and the exact mileage incurred, which makes bookkeeping for my small business an absolute breeze.

While I still might be struggling to find other options for the services that don’t spark joy, I know one thing for damn sure: my car insurance sparks joy. Does yours?

Does your car insurance spark joy? If not, it might be time to switch to Metromile. Click here to grab a free quote and Spring clean your car insurance provider! Already part of the Metromile fam? Share the love and make some cash! Click here to take advantage of our friends and family referral program. Be safe out there and see you on the roads!

The COVID-19 pandemic has many drivers rethinking car insurance.

After a year of quarantine and shelter-in-place orders, many drivers wonder why they should pay so much for car insurance they barely use anymore.

While you explore your options, Metromile is here to help.

You might have heard that Metromile’s pay-per-mile insurance policies can save low-mileage drivers money. But what you might not have realized is that our innovative technology also makes it easier to file claims.

So let’s take a look at three of the biggest myths you might have heard about the traditional car insurance claims process and what Metromile can do about it.

Myth #1: My insurer won’t believe me if I get into a hit-and-run accident.

If you’re a Metromile customer, you won’t have to worry about this. We’ll look into your auto insurance claim fairly.

Unlike traditional auto insurance companies that are forced to play catch up after a car accident, Metromile already knows what happened because our Pulse device can serve as a “virtual witness” and confirm the details of your report.

Metromile’s AI claims assistant, known as AVA, can verify where and when an accident occurred and even how hard the impact was. AVA collects details to help you file your claim quickly, and in some cases, can even ensure quick payment and help schedule needed vehicle repairs. 

Hit and runs are bad enough without having to prove your role as the victim.

Myth #2: With car accidents and insurance claims, it’s always a “my word against theirs” situation

As a virtual witness, AVA can help confirm your side of the story, even if the other driver tells the police a different version of events. AVA can even help reconstruct an accident scene, thanks to sensor data from the Metromile Pulse, our device that plugs into your car’s OBD-II port.

Our data scientists created AVA to utilize machine learning and improve the customer experience.

Myth #3: Filing a claim is complicated and takes forever.

With traditional auto insurance companies, that might be true. But Metromile seeks to make filing claims stress-free.

You probably already use your phone to network, order food, and maybe find the love of your life. Wouldn’t it be awesome if you could also file a claim, locate a repair shop, book a rental car, and get paid all with a few swipes? 

You absolutely can with the Metromile app. Unlike other insurance companies that might make it difficult to file a claim or continue the process online, Metromile customers can work through most claims from their mobile phones. Some claims can even be resolved in as little as a few hours without you ever leaving your couch. 

The bottom line

You don’t have to sacrifice coverage or good service with Metromile. Metromile customers can save by switching to pay-per-mile auto insurance and benefit from the latest technology, including artificial intelligence, which can help you get on your feet quickly after a claim.

You can see if Metromile is right for you with Ride Along™. Download the Metromile app to get started with Ride Along. You’ll get a free auto insurance quote and drive as you typically would for about two weeks. (You’ll keep your current coverage, as Ride Along isn’t an insurance policy.) Then, we’ll show you how much you could save with an accurate rate based on your actual driving. 

We think this will help you understand if you can save money before you switch insurers.

Distracted driving is such a deadly crisis that there’s an entire month dedicated to preventing it. Every April, the National Safety Council and other orgs participate in educating people on ways to recognize and eliminate preventable deaths from distracted driving — so let’s all do our part, too.

According to a nationwide census of fatal motor vehicle traffic crashes, more than 65,000 people were killed in car crashes in a two-year period. Of those, one in ten involved at least one distracted driver.

“Distracted” driving means the person behind the wheel is engaging in some kind of activity that diverts their attention from the road, and experts believe about 12% of distracted drivers are focusing on their phones at the time of deadly accidents. But if just a sliver of drivers are suspected of talking, listening, texting, or dialing at the time of a crash, what else is messing with drivers’ focus?

Research shows that everything from in-dash navigation and music apps to food choices and even your imagination can threaten to derail your attention. The good news is, knowing the common concentration traps can help you sharpen your focus behind the wheel.

Added bonus: being a safe driver can help your insurance rates. Distracted driving not only puts your safety and the safety of others at risk, it also has the potential to drive up your insurance rates. According to The Zebra’s 2018 Distracted Driving Report, being ticketed for texting or using your cell phone while driving can raise your rates by 16% — about $226 — per year.

Here are strategies for combating three of the biggest concentration-hijacking culprits so you can stay safe on the road:  

The distraction: Daydreaming. This one’s hard to stomach, but it’s true — according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 62% of distracted drivers “were generally distracted, inattentive, or ‘lost in thought,’” otherwise known as “daydreaming.”

The solution: While there’s certainly no way to turn your mind off (thankfully), there are ways you can keep your brain alert, even on the most monotonous routes. A few ideas from Popular Mechanics: keep your eyes moving every few seconds to avoid mind wandering, chew some gum or find some crunchy snacks to keep you in the present moment, and stay on your toes by imagining “what-if” scenarios (i.e. what you would do if an oncoming car unexpectedly crossed into your lane, etc.). Another way to avoid boredom-induced mind-wandering: experiment with different routes to stay engaged.

The distraction: Sleepiness. We can’t really control our mind’s natural inclination to wander, but we can control how much rest we’re getting. Drowsy driving is no joke —  sleep deprivation can have similar effects on the body as alcohol. And you don’t have to be clocking zero hours to qualify as “sleep deprived” — research shows that getting less than five hours is the same as driving drunk.

The solution: Do your best to get some sleep before you get behind the wheel. Sometimes it can be hard to gauge just how tired you are when you’re in the middle of a long drive, but there are telltale signs that you need to remove yourself from the road, such as trouble focusing, heavy eyelids, an inability to remember the last bit of road you drove. constant yawning, drifting lanes, and/or bobbing your head.

So what do you do if you’re en route and start to feel sleepy? If you’re driving solo and don’t have a passenger to take over, find the nearest safe spot to take a break and get rejuvenated — even if it’s just to hit a coffee shop or make a gas stop. Need a longer break? Try an app like DayUse to find a discounted nap destination.

The distraction: Eating, drinking, or smoking. According to the same research, a percentage of distracted drivers were paying more attention to their food, drinks, cigarettes, or other similar non-driving-related items when they should have been fully focused on the road.

The solution: The easy fix is to eliminate all these activities in the car. Yes, we mentioned that crunchy snacks might help you stay alert, and hydration is important (can’t speak on how essential that smoking habit is, though). But chowing down on a full meal or futzing with a beverage while navigating the road is another story. Do your best to eat meals outside of the car, and limit non-driving related actions that require even some hand-eye coordination.

Looking for more ways to stay safe behind the wheel? Visit our blog or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

During my senior year of college, I spent a lot of time behind the wheel. My school was about 90 minutes from home, and about the same distance from my boyfriend’s house. Seeing as how this was long before the days of streaming music services, a bright-eyed, just-turned-twenty-one-year-old in the early-aughts had just one option: to play Ashlee Simpson’s “Autobiography” CD on repeat.

Okay, maybe that wasn’t the only option available, but I sincerely loved that album and blasting it through the speakers of my slowly deteriorating Ford Taurus made my time on the road fly by. Maybe saccharine sweet pop posing as punk rock was never your cup of tea, but it’s safe to assume most drivers rely on their radios or digital devices to supply on-the-road motivation in the form of music. The question is whether lip-synching to our favorite tunes is actually making us tune out behind the wheel.

What Science Has to Say

The truth is, there’s a lot of conflicting evidence on the effects of music in the car. According to a study that involved teenage drivers, researchers found that the ones who were asked to play their own music on a 40-minute drive did so at a much louder volume than those who were given soothing instrumental soundtracks designed to encourage safer driving. And while the teens who supplied their own music reported feeling happier than their counterparts, they also made significantly more driving errors, including engaging in dangerous behaviors like speeding and weaving.

But a different study involving drivers in their 20s and 30s found that drivers performed equally well in a driving simulation whether they drove while listening to their own playlists or without any music at all. In fact, drivers were better at following another vehicle when they listened to music as compared to driving in silence, even though heart rate monitors indicated that listening to loud music increased drivers’ level of arousal.

To add to the confusion, a Dutch study found that music had no effect found that music had no effect on drivers’ ability to follow the car ahead of them, and it actually even improved their response to changes in the leading car’s speed compared to drivers who drove in silence (and the music seemed to improve their energy and alertness, though the study authors caution that the effects may have been different under stressful conditions).

What About Podcasts, Audio Books, News, Sports, etc.?

If you spend more of your on-the-road time tuning into podcasts or other spoken content, then you might be wondering if these options are any more or less dangerous for drivers. The answer again: researchers aren’t sure. One study found that soccer fans who listened to a broadcast of a game began to drive erratically when the match got exciting (non-fans didn’t change their behavior when the action heated up). According to other scientists, listening to speech while behind the wheel shouldn’t negatively impact your ability to drive, but content that’s heavily visual (like that sports example) could actually cause you to lose focus.

The Bottom Line

While the research isn’t definitive, what we do know is that there are a few ways you can minimize your risk of distraction, even when you’re rocking out:

• Get your playlist ready before you start the car — avoid fumbling with dials, buttons, or controls on your phone or stereo at all costs during your drive.
• Keep the volume at a reasonable level — you don’t want to block out surrounding traffic sounds, so avoid the temptation to bump your tunes too loud.
• Consider something soothing. While the research hasn’t been done on driving specifically, studies have found that classical music may improve mood and productivity when it comes to reading, so maybe getting your Baroque on could potentially enhance your focus on the road? It’s worth a try and you might just impress your passengers.
• If you’re going to listen to podcasts or other forms of speech, consider avoiding sports broadcasts or other kinds of content that force you to recruit the visual parts of your brain or that have the potential to get you too fired up.  
• Just say no to headphones, earbuds, AirPods, etc, which can block out the sounds of sirens and other surrounding traffic noises. It’s so unsafe that driving with these accessories is even illegal in some states.  Keep your ears free and clear and keep your speaker volume at a low-to-medium level.

Good car insurance is another way to keep your travels safe and happy. See you on the road!

Metromile VP Sathish Koteshwar recently spoke at Gartner’s Data and Analytics conference in Orlando. With several insurance-focused tracks and more than 4000 attendees, he came back even more pumped about what we’re doing at Metromile and our opportunity ahead. He shared some highlights with us.

What piqued your interest at the conference?

SK: For starters, I’d say Gartner’s own research struck the biggest chord. For example, Gartner predicts that by 2025 AI will become a requirement, not a competitive advantage. It made me realize we have a huge leg up at Metromile.

Gartner described the “Intelligent Insurer” as having four fundamental requirements:

1) A clear and innovative vision for the organization  

2) A strong data and analytics foundation

3) Industry leading leadership/people/culture

4) Cutting-edge technology and platform.

It’s exciting to be so far ahead on these fundamentals when others are just getting started.

Why are other insurers lagging?  

SK: The concept of telematics is new for many insurance providers and they are still figuring out how to incorporate it in their business models. It’s harder for insurers to pivot – given the size of their organizations, their complex hybrid infrastructure and lack of driving data around their policy holders. Their model is so different than ours, since we’ve built the very core of its business model around telematics.

What was the biggest takeaway on the claims front?

SK: I learned that many other insurers are just starting to implement some form of automated claims. They realize there are cost benefits and the fantastic customer experience it creates, in doing so, and want to drive those efficiencies for their organization. Yet, they’re very much in the early innings compared to where we’re at at Metromile with AVA, our AI driven claims system.”

How about in the area of fraud?

SK: Insurers are spending a lot of money on fraud detection — but they’re doing it with an army of humans trying to manually track it down, because they don’t have big, high quality data sets. Hearing that gave me an even greater appreciation for the fact that thanks our Pulse device we have 100% continuous telematics across all of our policy holders. This data — a 100% footprint of driving / behavior data — prevents so much fraud from happening in the first place; and if it does occur, we’re able to quickly root it out. This further enables us to pass these savings to our customers and offer really competitive pricing on auto insurance.

Were there many insurers like us, who are 100% in the cloud?

SK: Many still have a hybrid implementations within their organizations. They have some systems running on premise and some running in the cloud, and slowly moving more to the cloud. I think it would be really tough to do what we do if we weren’t 100% natively in the cloud. It means we can be so nimble and move really fast, and be that much further ahead of the competitive curve.”

What are the data and analytics themes that emerged for 2019?

SK: According to Gartner, the six key themes are:

1. Focus on intelligent processing
2. Maximize customer segmentation through life event/style modeling
3. Enhance the customer experience through personalization and automation
4. Build quality algorithms through improved data science.
5. Build strength through more / better  data (eg, IoT).
6. Augment humans through machines

Given our work at Metromile, I wasn’t surprised by these themes, but they reinforced for me that we’re focused in all of the right areas.

What’s next for you?

SK: Getting back to work! I’m even more excited about our future here at Metromile. Our big head start is a huge competitive advantage, and it’s definitely going to help us win market share.

The Gartner conference helped drive a new level of understanding and purpose in my team’s work, our strategy, and how we will help Metromile revolutionize insurance.

This week, Paw Andersen, a true technologist with 20+ years of engineering leadership experience, joined Metromile as CTO. He was most notably a senior leader of engineering in Uber’s Advanced Technology group, where he grew his team from 27 to 700. Beyond ride sharing and autonomous vehicles, he’s been on the front lines of technical challenges in several sectors, including GIS, FinTech and E-commerce, ranging from small startups to large, established companies. Originally from Denmark, he now lives in the Bay Area with his family.

Paw Andersen, Metromile CTO

According to Paw, there’s a thread that runs through his career. “What’s been constant is my passion for enabling teams to effectively build software, while also empowering them to enjoy their biggest personal growth,” he said.

As CTO, Paw is responsible for leading, coaching, motivating, and growing a world-class engineering team in our San Francisco and Boston offices. He’s also a member of executive leadership, working closely with CEO Dan Preston, Chief Product Officer Shaun Clowes, and many others.

“We’re hyper-focused on reimagining insurance for consumers and carriers alike. What struck me about Paw is that he has a huge passion for creating products that directly help customers,” said Dan. “Paw has a bird’s eye view of the future of mobility, and I’m confident he’ll be instrumental in bringing our ‘invent the future’ value to life. He’s equally passionate on building a positive culture internally, and an environment that enables Metromilers to do their best work. Having been Metromile’s CTO in our earliest days, I’m excited for Paw’s leadership and welcome him to the team.”

In talking with Paw, he shared a bit about what attracted him to Metromile. Here’s what he had to say.

“I’m very excited to join the Metromile team. For me, there are three things that matter most:

1. I’m an engineer at heart. I like to build things that are challenging to build, and have a lot of data-driven problems to solve.
2. I want to build things that matter to people in real life. Something that makes people want to part with their money, that makes their life better. That matters to me a lot.
3. I want to work with really smart people who have fun together.

“Metromile checks all three of these boxes and more. That’s because I very much believe in Metromile’s future. Working at Uber, I became immersed in mobility and learned how that landscape is continuing to evolve. When I think about the future of mobility, I see Metromile as a key player in expanding individual freedom.”

Interested in working with Paw and the rest of our engineering team? We’re hiring tech talent in our Boston and San Francisco offices.  

Toyota drivers, rejoice! Your patience is being rewarded. Earlier this year, we shared a personalized maintenance checklist for Honda drivers, but today it is all about you. We’re excited to share a personalized maintenance checklist. According to our research, Toyota Corolla, Camry, and Prius are among the top five cars owned by Metromilers.  

Since 1957, these reliable, Japanese-made cars have been cruising American roads. In fact, did you know that 80% of Toyotas sold twenty years ago are still on the roads today? That’s a sign that Toyotas are pretty reliable vehicles if you ask us. Toyota makes a vehicle for everyone. Let’s dive into some of our best car care tips for all you Toyota drivers.

How To Keep Your Toyota Running Like New

For all Toyota models, performing regular maintenance according to the factory-recommended maintenance schedule is the best way to keep your vehicle running in optimal condition. Take care of your Toyota now and it can be part of the 80% still on the roads twenty years from now.

If you drive a Toyota Prius:
A Toyota Prius is the ultimate commuter car. Great on gas, reliable, and easy-to-drive, the Prius is one of Toyota’s top-sellers. Maintenance schedules for the Toyota Prius can either be calculated with miles or months, depending on which you reach first. If you’re a consistent commuter, you’ll want to schedule your maintenance around a mileage system; if you don’t drive the car as often, you’ll want to follow the month system.

Here’s a quick list of maintenance items for your new Toyota Prius:

• Every 5,000 miles/6 months: Check installation of driver’s floor mat, inspect and adjust all fluid levels, inspect wiper blades, rotate tires, visually inspect brake linings/drums and brake pads/discs
• 10,000 miles/12 months: Check installation of driver’s floor mat, inspect and adjust all fluid levels, inspect wiper blades, replace engine oil and oil filter, rotate tires, visually inspect brake linings/drums and brake pads/discs
• 15,000 miles/18 months: Check installation of driver’s floor mat, inspect and adjust all fluid levels, inspect wiper blades, rotate tires, visually inspect brake linings/drums and brake pads/discs, and inspect the following parts: ball joints and dust covers, brake lines and hoses, cabin air filter, drive shaft boots, engine/inverter coolant, exhaust pipes and mountings, radiator, condenser and intercooler, steering gear, steering linkage and boots
• 20,000 miles/24 months: Check installation of driver’s floor mat, inspect and adjust all fluid levels, inspect wiper blades, replace engine oil and oil filter, rotate tires, visually inspect brake linings/drums and brake pads/discs
• 60,000 miles/48 months: Check installation of driver’s floor mat, inspect and adjust all fluid levels, inspect wiper blades, rotate tires, visually inspect brake linings/drums and brake pads/discs, replace cabin air filter, replace engine air filter, replace engine oil and oil filter
• 100,000 miles/120 months: Check installation of driver’s floor mat, inspect and adjust all fluid levels, inspect wiper blades, rotate tires, visually inspect brake linings/drums and brake pads/discs, replace cabin air filter, replace engine oil and oil filter, replace engine coolant

If you drive a Toyota Camry:
The Toyota Camry is an incredibly reliable vehicle, and if well-taken-care-of, can stay on the road for decades. Toyota recommends a routine service appointment about every 5,000 miles for your Toyota Camry. You should also schedule additional special services at other mile intervals as well.

Below is a breakdown of all of the services your Camry needs and when they need to be performed:

• Every 5,000 miles: Change oil and filter, check tire pressure and tread, inspect, top off fluid levels, inspect brakes and exterior light bulbs, check wiper blades and replace if needed
• Every 15,000 miles: Check brake fluid, brake lines, and hoses, inspect steering and suspension components, check cooling system, check air filter, inspect exhaust system, rotate tires
• Every 30,000 miles: Replace air filter (including cabin air filter), check distributor cap and ignition wires
• Every 45,000 miles: Replace coolant and brake fluid
• Every 90,000 miles: Change transmission fluid

It’s important to note that each service appointment should involve an oil change to promote the longevity of your engine.

General Toyota Maintenance Checklist

Low oil levels can have a disastrous effect on your Toyota’s engine, so you’ll need to check that level the most often. Following the guidelines below of items to check (but not necessarily change), you can rest assured that you have all of your bases covered:

• Check the engine oil and coolant levels every time you fill the fuel tank
• Check the transmission and brake fluid levels about once a month
• Check your tire pressure every month, since the pressure inside the tire can change when the air temperature outside the car changes
• Every month, check to make sure all of your lights are working properly

Periodic Maintenance Items By Mileage

• Every 5,000 Miles
• Check installation of driver’s floor mat
  • Inspect and adjust all fluid levels
  • Inspect wiper blades
  • Rotate tires
  • Visually inspect brake linings/drums and brake pads/discs

The following mileage marks are when you should have these items changed, replaced or checked. Take care of these maintenance items when this mileage shows up on your Toyota’s odometer.

• 30,000 Miles
  • Inspect valve clearance
  • Replace spark plugs
  • Replace air filter
  • Inspect or replace drive belts 
• 45,000 Miles
  • Replace engine coolant
  • Replace brake fluid
• 60,000 Miles
  • Replace spark plugs
  • Inspect or replace drive belts
• 75,000 Miles
  • Replace engine coolant
• 90,000 Miles
  • Change brake fluid
  • Replace air filter
  • Replace spark plugs
  • Replace drive belts
  • Change transmission fluid

While it initially may seem like a lot, staying on top of these vehicle maintenance guidelines will keep your Toyota in tip-top shape for years to come.

Admit it… Have you been with your insurer longer than you’d like? Do you find yourself thinking that the relationship might not be working? Have you considered… breaking up? We’ve all been there. No matter the circumstance, breaking up is hard to do.

Before I switched to Metromile, I was in the same boat. My first experience with car insurance was with a company that my parents used, and since I didn’t know any better, I signed up with them, too. My rate was expensive (even though I had a clean driving record) and since I usually took public transportation during my weekly commute, it felt like I was paying for something I hardly used. That all changed when I spotted a cleverly-worded Metromile ad on the train and grabbed a free quote.

To find the right insurer, you might feel like you’re kissing a lot of frogs. For me, it actually felt a lot like finding that particular person worthy of a love letter, the one who makes your heart skip a beat. I switched my insurance to Metromile nearly four years ago, and I’ve never looked back.

If you’ve experienced any of the following signs, chances are it’s time to move on. Bonus: you don’t have to wait for the end of your insurance renewal to switch. With Metromile, you can switch and sign up anytime. Beyond likely saving money, you’ll get to know a different kind of car insurer.

3 Signs It’s Time to Break-Up With Traditional Auto Insurance

The relationship feels one-sided

With traditional auto insurance, paying a flat rate regardless of how much you drive just doesn’t seem fair. With Metromile, you are always charged fairly based on how much you drive. Did you know that low-mileage drivers can potentially cut their bill in half with Metromile? Every human on this earth hates paying for things they don’t use. If you drive less than 10k miles a year like me, I bet you’re spending too much with your current insurer.

You don’t want to worry about someone stealing your car (‘s heart)

Cars are pricey, and many times they can carry the same sentimental weight as a family member. Having the peace-of-mind of knowing where your vehicle is at all times is priceless. With the Metromile Pulse, a device you plug into your car’s OBD-II port, and the accompanying app, you’ll always know where your car is located. Can your current car insurance company say that? Also, did you know that the Pulse helps recover stolen vehicles? In fact, the company has recovered 94% of stolen vehicle claims – the national average is less than 60%.

Communication has broken down

Dealing with a car insurance claim can be stressful and time consuming; the customer service helplines alone can make you feel like you’re taking a number at the DMV. I’ve found that Metromile does things differently. Not only do they have s US-based claims team, but they also have AVA, a virtual claims assistant. AVA can help with car rentals, auto body recommendations, and even provide payouts in some situations.

Be safe and see you on the road!

Still Have Questions?

We’re here to help. Contact us!

Hey, Metromilers! It’s Julianne! Some of you may know me from my blog, The Wink, or from my side hustle, writing here for the Metromile blog. What you may not know is that I’ve been a loyal customer of Metromile for four years! What started as a trial run has turned into what I hope will be a lifelong commitment.

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, here’s a little love letter I penned to my one-and-only, my love, and the best car insurance I’ve ever had – Metromile.

Dear Metromile,

I was thinking today about how very much I love you, and how I really don’t tell you that enough. So I wanted to sit down and let you know how you’ve truly changed my life in the best ways possible.

Nearly four years ago, I saw your ad on the train:

Roses are red
Pay-per-mile car insurance
Could cut your bill in half
Ta-da

Were you talking to me? It felt like kismet. I was in an unhappy relationship with my current car insurance company and needed to get out; you were writing romantic poems and plastering them all over train cars. Was it meant to be? Were you looking for me, too?

I needed to meet you, so I got a free quote online. The rest, as they say, is history.

Although it’s been a few years since we met, every day with you feels like a new adventure. It’s a feeling of safety; a feeling of knowing that someone always has my back. Your unwavering support has carried me through some challenging moments in my life.

Remember the time my windshield cracked? I didn’t know what to do, but you held my hand and told me that it would be okay. You even came and fixed it the very same day. I’ve never known commitment like this before, but what I do know is that I’m all in.

Before you, I only felt frustration. I thought car insurance was a lost cause – something you’re required to have and pay out the nose for. I had a few car insurance companies before we met, but none ever really felt like “the one.” When you meet “the one,” you forget everything that came before and you never look back. That’s how I feel about you, Metromile. You’re my bae – before anything else. We’ve been going strong for almost half a decade and I’ve never once questioned my decision to switch. When you know, you know.

You never forget to remind me when I’m parked in a street sweeping zone. You always help me find my car when I forget where I parked. You help me keep my car healthy and decode problems right away. Your loyalty and dedication are what it means to be a good friend.

You truly complete me. These last few years have been the happiest of my life. I can’t tell you how lucky I feel to always have my best friend by my side (and in my pocket).

I can’t wait to grow old with you, because I know you’ll be there supporting me throughout my golden years. Long after the hustle and bustle of life have subsided, we’ll still be going strong together.

I can’t wait to see what our future holds. Happy Valentine’s Day, Metromile.

All my love,

Julianne