OnStar has announced that it will offer customers the opportunity to sign up for a new service that can tell them how well they drive and provide some customers an opportunity to seek discounts from Progressive Insurance.
OnStar customers will have a chance to enroll in a program that provides a detailed driving assessment at the end of a 90-day evaluation period. The assessment will reveal how the customer performed in important driving metrics, comparing that customer against an aggregate of other anonymous enrolled customers. Driving tips will be provided based on a customer’s individual assessment characteristics.
Customers can then choose to share their driving data and evaluation information with Progressive through its Snapshot program, potentially leading to discounted insurance offers. This information sharing will be entirely voluntary.
“The driver assessment is meant to help people better understand how they drive and give them feedback on how to be better, smarter drivers,” said Greg Ross, director of business development and alliances, global connected consumer experience at General Motors. “This is the first time we can use actual driving behavior to deliver valuable feedback to customers who want this information. This new service truly shows the power of the connected car.”
Progressive Insurance is the first insurance company that will use OnStar data to evaluate actual driving behavior, subject to explicit customer consent, to offer driving-based insurance discounts.
“Providing drivers with feedback benefits consumers by making them more aware of their driving behavior, saving them money and keeping the roads safer,” said Dave Pratt, general manager of usage-based insurance at Progressive. “This program makes it easier than ever for consumers to take advantage of the latest in-car technology and the leading usage-based insurance program.”
The smart driver assessment program is expected to be available for all 2016 GM models, most 2015 models, and select 2013 and 2014 models, starting this summer. The program is only expected to be available for U.S. drivers at this time.