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At Metromile, we believe that car insurance should never be a hassle. We even go the extra mile to make car ownership simple and seamless, with an app that has helpful features like street sweeping alerts and a car locator. Now, we are introducing a totally redesigned dashboard that makes it easier than ever to access the information you care about the most.

Get a quick snapshot of your balance and trips.

If you are currently a Metromile customer, just log-in and your new dashboard will be waiting for you. At first glance, you’ll see your current balance, miles driven and overview of miles per day. If you have a bill that is due, you’ll also see that information, as well as a button that allows you to pay with one click. It’s never fun to pay bills, so we wanted to make it as painless as possible! Scroll down and you can view your car’s location and recent trips. If you have multiple cars on your policy, you will see information broken down by vehicle.

Better understand your bill.

Want to get more detailed? Head to the new “billing” section, where you will see a graph that correlates daily mileage with your bill. You’ll also see a list of the trips you’ve taken in your billing cycle. Click on a date and an interactive map will appear, giving a visual snapshot of a day’s worth of driving. Again, if you have multiple vehicles on your policy, you can easily toggle between them to view detailed information for each. Now, you can see how each trip affects how much you pay. You might even be inspired to make adjustments to your commute to save more money!

Easily access policy information.

In the “policy” section, you’ll see an overview of all of your insurance information. This has everything you could ever want to know about your policy and is also where you can access policy documents and your proof of insurance card. We wanted to add some fun to typically stagnant insurance information, so you’ll see a customizable avatar and illustration of your car (you can even pick the color).

The best part is that we’re only getting started. We have a lot of exciting updates in the coming months, so if you aren’t yet a Metromile customer, make sure to get a quote now so you can take advantage of everything we have in store!

You probably already know that driving a car is not great for the environment. In fact, the EPA estimates that transportation is the second largest emitter of greenhouse gas. But for many of us, driving is a necessity and the most convenient way to get around. We totally get it, and luckily there are a few things you can do to reduce your car’s carbon footprint tire marks.

Follow the rules
Maintaining a steady speed doesn’t just help you avoid speeding tickets, it also helps you save on gas. Avoid sudden acceleration or deceleration, and use cruise control on the highway to keep your speed constant. Make sure to turn off your vehicle whenever you are parked — idling can waste a quarter to a half gallon of fuel per hour.

Keep your car healthy
This is something you’ll already want to do to maintain the value of your car and avoid any unnecessary repairs, but keeping your car healthy also helps reduce carbon emissions. Keep your tires properly inflated to improve your gas mileage by up to 3%. Make sure your engine is tuned, as some maintenance fixes (like fixing faulty oxygen sensors) can increase fuel efficiency by up to 40%.

Try a hybrid
If you are in the market for a new car, consider buying a hybrid or fuel-efficient vehicle. Even better, purchase a used fuel-efficient vehicle. These eco-friendly alternatives will not only save you money on gas, but also emit fewer carbon emissions. Here’s a list of what Kelly Blue Book considers the best fuel-efficient cars for under $25k.

Find a carpool
Did you know that a solo drive to work costs an average of $5,000 a year and that many people spend 250 hours alone in a car? Carpooling can be a great way to save thousands on tolls and gas, and also reduces your carbon footprint. Check out some of our favorite tips for finding a work carpool.

Switch to pay-per-mile insurance
If you find yourself driving less and carpooling/biking/taking the bus more, you could save a lot of money by switching to pay-per-mile insurance. We found that after customers switch to per-mile insurance, they reduce their driving by 6%. Not only does this mean a reduced bill, but if everyone reduced their driving by this amount, there would be 60 million metric tons less of carbon emissions emitted. Try getting a quick quote to see how much you could save!

April showers may bring May flowers…but it’s not easy driving in a rainstorm. Decreased visibility, slippery pavement and inclement weather create a dangerous environment for driving. Here are some tips to prepare you for smart driving on rainy days.

Keep your car weather-ready: Be prepared for the rain by keeping your car in good condition with your regular check-up with a mechanic. They’ll make sure your tire tread is long enough for tough driving conditions and that your windshield wipers are ready for the weather.

Save cruise control for another day. You’ll want to have control to let off the speed immediately if you start to hydroplane.

Remember what you learned in driver’s ed? Keep both hands in a firm grip on the wheel to have stronger control.

Take it slow. No need to rush home in this weather. Give the vehicle in front of you some extra space, and slow your speed down to keep the vehicle in your control.

Stay away from road puddles. Even after the rain, avoid those large puddles – you can’t be sure how deep they are or how slippery the pavement is.

Hide distractions: There’s never a good time to check your phone while driving, but you definitely don’t want to have any temptations near you on a rainy trip. Stow your phone in your bag and put it in the back seat where you can’t access it. (More tips on combating distracting driving here)

Skip the rain boots: Keep a sensible pair of shoes in the car for driving. Stiff boots can make it more difficult to move and press down quickly on the pedals.

If you feel uneasy about driving in the rain, listen to your gut. Take a raincheck from your plans and stay home. Many drivers choose to stay off the roads during a snowstorm, but they often don’t see the danger of driving in a downpour. Can we recommend the Gene Kelly classic movie “Singing in the Rain” for your night in?

New technology has made it easier (and cheaper) to tackle chores and daily pains – from a long commute to work to splitting a check between 10 people at dinner. Below are some of our favorite modern conveniences.

• Spring Cleaning: Is your laundry piling up? Try Washio or Rinse to have your laundry picked up, cleaned and delivered without a second thought. And if you need a deep clean or your furniture assembled, book a cleaner or handyman instantly with Handy.
• Transportation: Not only can you request a car to your door via Uber or Lyft, you can also access personal driving data and trends from your phone! For pay-per-mile car insurance customers, Metromile has a free app that gives drivers access to their data such as trips and trends, fuel level, car location and car health. We even issue street sweeping alerts in select markets.
• Pets: If you have a dog in a city, chances are you’ll need a walker to let your dog out during the day. Wag! Has dog walkers on-demand ready to walk your pup, and they’ll even deliver a free lockbox to your apartment.
• Payment: With mobile payment apps such as Venmo and Apple Pay, you can pay or charge people with the click of the button. You can even pay for your groceries with your phone!
• Meals: Options for food delivery are no longer limited to pizza and pad thai from the store next door, you can now have a fresh meal delivered to your door! If you’d like to cook the meal yourself, try Blue Apron who delivers recipes and exact amounts of ingredients to your door. But if you’d like a warm home-cooked meal at your door, check out Munchery.

If you find yourself using a ride-share to get to work, or putting more miles on your bike than car, pay-per-mile insurance might be the right modern convenience for you! Not only will you have access to your trip data, but you can view your bill in real time on the app. Learn more about Metromile’s pay-per-mile insurance offering here.

Did you know that April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month? There is a time and place for Snapchatting your friends, but it’s not when you’re behind the wheel. With new and exciting technology, it has become more and more tempting to take your eyes off the road.

While distracted driving comes in many forms, cell phone use is at the top. The below tips will help you keep your eyes on the road.

1. Get clear on where you are going before you depart. Don’t wait until you are halfway down the block to set your destination address. Waze, a navigation app, can detect motion and confirms if the driver or passenger is the one using the phone.
2. Put your phone in the backseat where you can’t reach it. If you think you’ll still be tempted to reach around, turn off your sound and notifications so you won’t feel the digital pull. Even better, turn your phone off!
3. Download DriveMode from AT&T. When enabled, you can customize an auto-reply that will respond to all incoming messages.
4. Ask passengers to respond to any texts you’re worried about missing.
5. Don’t rely on Bluetooth and voice commands. These commands can still be distracting and take your attention off the road.

Drivers aren’t just “texting and driving anymore,” they are distracted by every smart aspect of their phone. Don’t put yourself in danger either – speak up if you’re in the car with someone who is distracted while driving. Safe travels!

Spring is here! We’re enjoying the newly blossomed flowers and fresh air, but we’ve got some important tasks to complete at home. It’s time for spring cleaning, and that includes car maintenance.

Keeping your car clean will not only keep it looking great, it will also help the car maintain its value. Don’t want to spend the big bucks to have it cleaned at a car wash? We’ve sourced some of the best household items you can clean your car with from across the interwebs.* We recommend testing these in a small spot on your car before cleaning the full area. Check them out:

• Use a hair conditioner that includes lanolin to wash your car and give it a freshly waxed shine.
• After it rains, pour a cola over the windshield to get rid of streaks and blotches, then wash off with water. Be sure to put a towel along the bottom of the windshield to protect hood paint.
• Spray shaving foam on your mirrors and wipe to see more clearly.
• After your dust your dashboard, add more shine by rubbing a little olive oil in with a clean cloth.
• If you have leather seats, use a damp cloth and neutral detergent to clean, then dry with soft washcloth. For fabric seats, spray water mixed with a neutral detergent and wipe down with a damp cloth, then a dry cloth. Leave your windows open to allow your car to dry completely.
• Lost the new car smell? Cut a lemon in half and leave it in the car for 24 hours to freshen up your car’s scent.
• Don’t air dry after washing your car: use a soft terrycloth and a squeegee to soak up any excess water and avoid streaking.

Mechanic Matt also recommends you keep your car in tip-top shape to keep it healthy and reliable. Check out his tips here. Metromile is dedicated to keeping your car in its’ best possible condition, and even offers an “Ask a Mechanic” tool through our app to help decode check engine lights. Sound interesting? Learn more about Metromile’s pay-per-mile insurance offering here.

*These suggestions are ideas found from different blog posts and news sites across the internet, and have not been tested or endorsed by Metromile. Be sure to test (or ask your dealer) what works best on your car before trying these at-home remedies.

Research has shown that our signature pay-per-mile car insurance offering has customers ditching their cars, many for their own two feet. Today, we’ve announced a new insurance offering to cover you from the disasters you could potentially face on foot: walking insurance.

Metromile’s walking insurance functions through its new smart walking app: the Metromile Pace. Several factors will be considered when creating your unique per-step rate, including broken bone history, clumsiness score and type of walking shoes.

Customers who sign up for the Metromile Pace will be covered in the event of:

• Being caught in an unexpected rainstorm
• Losing footing, tripping or falling
• Worn out socks and shoes
• Emergency walk-side assistance
• And more!

It’s time to toss your pedometers! Users will see increased benefits with the walking insurance feature, including tracking number of steps, miles logged, shoe health and more. We’re especially excited about the “Walk Much?” feature that is able to gauge fall severity based on impact and immediately alerts emergency operators.

We’re offering a safe-walker discount for walkers who commit to not walk-and-text, use the handrail when available, and follow the safe route recommended by their Metromile Pace. There is also a bonus offer for adding a foot care package to your walking insurance, which includes a monthly pedicure and new pair of socks.

April Fools’! While we don’t actually offer pay-per-step walking insurance, we do offer pay-per-mile car insurance for low-mileage drivers. Get a free quote here.

The seasons are changing and flowers are blooming, which means it’s about that time to start planning summer road trips. You might be eyeing a newer vehicle to take on those trips, and if you decide to go the route of buying used, it’s important to understand how to avoid a lemon. Buying a used vehicle can be like rolling the dice on a craps table. Many people do not sell or trade in their vehicle unless they are having some sort of issue with it. There are plenty of good buys out there, however, and typically if the vehicle runs good and looks decent, it’s a keeper. Following a few simple rules will make your used vehicle purchase a safer one.

The best purchases are typically from a private party who purchased the vehicle new and have properly maintained the vehicle. The general rule of thumb is that the fewer owners, the better. Ask for all of the maintenance records and repair history, because proper maintenance from day one is a great way to keep that vehicle reliable for the remainder of its life. Be cautious of buying a used car from a car dealer – many of those vehicles were purchased at an auction house and may have underlying issues that even the dealer is not aware of. If you do end up negotiating a deal through a dealership, insist that you get a warranty so that if something does come up within a reasonable time period, they are responsible for it. Some problems don’t present themselves right away.

If you are buying from a private party or a car dealer, always insist on a test drive. The drive should be long enough to get a good feel for how the vehicle runs, handles, rides, brakes and accelerates. If something doesn’t feel right, sound right or smell right, walk away from the deal before it is too late. Here are the basic checks you should do:

• Open the hood and look for obvious problems such as oil or coolant leaks.
• Check the oil level on the dipstick – if the oil level is low, the engine may be burning or leaking oil. If the oil is very dark and thick, it might have been awhile since the last change.
• Pull out the transmission dipstick. The fluid should be a pink or red color. If it is dark brown or has a burned smell, the transmission may have problems.
• Look at the tires. Uneven wear usually means worn suspension parts that could be expensive to replace.
• Turn everything on and off to see if it works. This includes the lights, turn signals, wipers, heater, defroster, air conditioner, power windows (front and rear), power seats, radio, power door locks, etc. Anything that doesn’t work should help you negotiate a lower price.

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We all know the basic rules of the road: stop at stop signs, slow down at a yellow light, pedestrians have the right of way, and so on.

While traffic laws are here to protect us and regulate the roads, we’ve uncovered some strange (and likely unknown) road rules.

You can get a ticket if…
…your car runs out of gas in Youngstown, Ohio.

…you drive through playgrounds in Dublin, Georgia or don’t yield to pedestrians when driving on a sidewalk in Oregon. Stay the course, friends!

…you plant rutabagas in roadways in Chico, California. But, planting one of your other favorite vegetables is fair game, apparently.

…you frown at a police officer in New Jersey. Turn that frown upside down, or you could find yourself with a ticket.

…you swear from a vehicle in Rockville, Maryland. Reign in your road rage til you get out of town.

…you screech your tires while driving in Derby, Kansas. This could land you 30 days in jail so keep it down.

…you operate a car with a gorilla in the backseat in Massachusetts. You’ll have to find another way to transport your gorilla friends to dinner.

…you read comic books while driving in Oklahoma. Save the Batman comics for public transit.

…you do any “fancy riding” on a bicycle in Galesburg, Illinois.

If you’re like us, you might be asking what “fancy riding is.” Apparently you won’t be yelling “look ma, no hands!” on your bike in Galesburg. But, if you find yourself biking more often than driving, pay-per-mile insurance could be a good fit for you! Learn more about pay-per-mile insurance here.

We’re really making moves at Metromile and are excited to announce that Raquel Rozas is joining us as Head of Brand and Product Marketing. As we amplify our endeavors of disrupting the car insurance industry, Raquel will oversee all aspects of the Metromile brand, ensuring that the concept of affordable insurance for low-mileage drivers becomes synonymous with the Metromile name. A former Procter & Gamble executive, Raquel brings more than 10 years of brand experience from senior marketing roles, working with brands including Secret® and Tide®. We’re confident that this is exactly what we need to elevate the Metromile brand, and we’re also confident that Raquel’s answers to the questions below prove she will fit in perfectly with the Metromile team!

What excites you the most about joining Metromile? The opportunity to provide consumers with a more transparent and fair pricing option for car insurance, while at the same time providing them with excellent service be it with claims, help in finding parking or car diagnostics.

How do you commute to work? I just moved to the Bay area, so I’m in the process of exploring all the options. There are so many choices: train, bus, carpooling or ferry! Tomorrow I’m going to try out the bus system. The idea of a guaranteed seat and free Wifi sounds appealing to me.

Where are you excited to road trip to? Oh my….so many things I’m excited about. I already have a girls trip planned to Napa, but I’m also excited about Tahoe, Yosemite, Half Moon Bay, Highway 1 and San Luis Obispo… truly the options feel endless.

Which Metromile app feature is most helpful to you and why? The street sweeping alert is definitely one of the coolest features, but for someone who constantly forgets where they parked, the car locator will definitely come in handy.