2023 Esurance DriveSense Review

Your Esurance rate could have gone up for many reasons, such as a recent claim or a new driver being added to the policy. Other factors that could cause Esurance to raise your rate include getting into an accident, being convicted of a moving violation, and adding coverage to your policy. Esurance may also raise your premiums for reasons that are beyond your control, such as recent natural disasters, increasing repair and healthcare costs, and crime trends.

Top Reasons Why Esurance Raises Rates 

• Recent claims
• New driver or car added to a policy
• Moving violations
• At-fault accidents
• Increased coverage
• Lower deductible
• Recent switch to an expensive car
• Relocation to a high-risk zip code
• Decline in creditworthiness

How to Lower Your Esurance Insurance

If you're struggling to afford your Esurance premium, there are a few steps that you can take to lower your rate. You can start by looking for Esurance discounts that you can qualify for, such as the Renters Plus or DriveSense discount. You can also make changes to your policy, including raising your deductible and reducing your coverage.

Another option is to switch insurance companies. Each insurer calculates rates differently, so you may be able to get the same amount of coverage elsewhere at a lower price. As a general rule, you should get quotes from at least three different companies every 6-12 months to make sure that you're still getting the best deal. 

Yes, Esurance uses telematics through DriveSense, a program that tracks a customer's driving habits using the mobile app. Customers can sign-up for DriveSense and receive a discount if they consistently practice safe driving.

What Esurance Telematics Tracks

• Miles driven
• Speed
• The time of day that you drive
• Braking

In order to use DriveSense, drivers need to enroll in the program and install the mobile app, which will automatically log a trip when it detects driving activity. After you've logged at least 50 trips, the discount will be applied when you renew your policy. You will be able to keep the discount as long as you continue using the program. If you practice bad driving habits while using DriveSense, Esurance will not raise your base premium. But you probably won't get much of a discount, if any. Currently, DriveSense is available in 35 states.

To learn more, check out WalletHub's guide to usage-based insurance.

No, Esurance does not offer a specific low mileage discount. Esurance premiums do take mileage into account, however, as rates are an average of 16% lower for customers who drive 7,500 miles annually than for customers who drive 15,000 miles annually, according to WalletHub data.

Low mileage drivers usually save on their Esurance premium because less time on the road means a smaller chance of filing a claim. Besides offering lower premiums for low mileage drivers, Esurance offers renters plus discount, among others.

To learn more, check out WalletHub's guide to Esurance discounts.

Yes, Esurance offers a type of pay-per-mile insurance called DriveSense. This is technically usage-based insurance, which is similar to pay-per-mile coverage because it factors mileage into premium calculations, but it also considers driving habits such as braking and acceleration.

DriveSense Considers:

• Miles driven
• Speed
• The time of day that you drive
• Braking

It's important to note that these factors collectively affect a customer's insurance premium, so DriveSense is not strictly pay-per-mile. However, it's still a good option for safe, low-mileage drivers who don't mind being tracked for insurance purposes. For more information, check out WalletHub's guide to usage-based insurance.

You can lower your Esurance car insurance costs by taking advantage of Esurance discounts, opting for a higher deductible, and reducing your coverage, among other things. Esurance considers a variety of factors when calculating your premium, though some – like your age and location – are out of your control. Fortunately, you can take steps to influence other factors in order to lower your rate.

How to Lower the Cost of Car Insurance from Esurance

Use Esurance's auto insurance discounts

Esurance offers a wide variety of discounts that can help you lower your overall car insurance bill. For example, drivers can get a discount equal to 30% of their renters insurance premium if they purchase renters insurance in addition to their auto policy.

Raise your car insurance deductible

Opting for a higher deductible on any of your insurance policies from Esurance can lower your premium. But if you decide to go this route, it's important that you choose a deductible amount that you can still afford if you suddenly need to file a claim. Otherwise, you might not be able to use the coverage that you have.

Reduce your car insurance coverage

Most states require a certain amount of bodily injury liability and property damage liability coverage. But there are other coverage options (like comprehensive, collision, personal injury protection, and uninsured motorist) that you may not have to purchase, depending on your state. Less coverage usually means lower premiums, but it could also lead to higher costs in the long run, so it's important to approach coverage decisions with caution.

Improve your driving record

Practicing safe driving habits and avoiding moving violations can help you qualify for lower Esurance insurance rates long-term. You may also be able to attend traffic school in order to remove a violation or points from your record, depending on your state.

Build and improve your credit

Because your credit history is correlated with your likelihood of filing an insurance claim, Esurance uses your credit data to calculate your premium in states where it is legal. As a result, having good credit makes you less of an insurance risk, which will reduce your rates over time.

Drive less

Whether you can shorten your commute to work, use more public transportation, or even ride a bicycle more, driving fewer miles each year could lower your Esurance premium.

Drive an insurance-friendly car

Expensive cars, sports cars, and cars with high rates of theft are considered to be riskier to insure than cheaper, more practical vehicles. Before you buy a new car, get a new quote from Esurance to see how it will affect your rate. If the cost is out of your budget, then you should probably choose a different car.

Sign up for DriveSense

DriveSense, the Esurance telematics program rewards you for good driving with a discounted premium. Specifically, DriveSense tracks miles driven, speed, the time of day that you drive, and braking. By using DriveSense, drivers can save 5% initially on their rate.

Finally, if you're still struggling to afford your Esurance policy, you should consider switching insurers. Even if you're not actively looking for a new policy, it's generally a good idea to compare quotes from three different companies every 6-12 months. To learn more, check out WalletHub's guide to switching car insurance companies.

Yes, Esurance offers a defensive driving course discount, but only in states that legally mandate it. Thirty-four states and the District of Columbia require insurance companies to provide a defensive driving discount to eligible drivers, though exact discount amounts and requirements vary.

If Esurance does not offer a defensive driving discount in your state, you should still consider taking a course. By going to traffic school, you can learn how to better avoid at-fault accidents and moving violations, which would increase your Esurance premium. In some states, defensive driving courses can even reduce points on your license or prevent a moving violation from going on your record.

To learn more, check out WalletHub's guide to Esurance discounts.

Yes, Esurance DriveSense tracks location for things like underwriting purposes, helping to speed up claims processes, and to give you accurate details of your trips. Your location information does not directly determine your premium or discounts, though.

Additionally, your location information is not accessed in real-time except to provide emergency services in the event of an accident. To understand how Esurance collects, stores, and uses your data, be sure to read the privacy policy in the DriveSense app or contact Esurance directly.

Why Esurance DriveSense Tracks Location

• DriveSense tracks your location using a smartphone app to measure speed, hard braking, and the time of day you typically drive more accurately.
• Location information can be used to determine how far you travel on each trip, as well as your average speed.
• Stored location data may be used during the claims process to better analyze the details of the incident, such as speed and location layout.
• DriveSense saves maps of your trips using your GPS location data so you can review areas where you may need to improve your driving habits.

To learn more, check out WalletHub's review of Esurance DriveSense.

Yes, Esurance DriveSense does track speed using a smartphone app. Esurance DriveSense does not raise car insurance premiums for poor driving, however, so even drivers who have a habit of speeding can try DriveSense virtually risk-free. Still, drivers who tend to speed should remember that they won't be able to get all the discounts from Esurance DriveSense that safer drivers receive.

What Esurance DriveSense Tracks

• Speed
• Hard braking
• Time of day you typically drive
• Mileage

Even though you won't see rate increases just from using DriveSense, Esurance itself will raise rates for things like speeding tickets, at-fault accidents and moving violations since these go on your driving record and can classify you as high-risk. As a result, practicing safe driving is the best way to keep your premiums low.

To learn more, check out WalletHub's full review of Esurance DriveSense.

Esurance DriveSense works by tracking your driving habits through a a smartphone app and rewarding safe driving with lower rates. Esurance DriveSense monitors things like speed and hard braking, and Esurance will not raise your rates for poor driving habits.

Key Things to Know About Esurance DriveSense

• Esurance DriveSense monitors your speed, hard braking, and the time of day you typically drive.
• In addition to speeding and hard braking, things like driving late at night or being in heavy traffic often may reduce the likelihood of a discount.
• Esurance DriveSense has a 4/5 rating from WalletHub's editors.
• Customer reviews for the Esurance DriveSense app average 3.8/5.
• DriveSense is only available in AL, AR, CO, CT, GA, IA, ID, IL, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, NJ, NM, NV, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA and WV.

To learn more, check out WalletHub's full review of Esurance DriveSense.

No, Esurance DriveSense will not raise your rates for poor driving habits. Esurance DriveSense users will not see any rate increases for things like speed or hard braking, good drivers can save a lot on their premiums every year when using DriveSense.

Key Things to Know About Esurance DriveSense

• Esurance DriveSense tracks things like speed, hard braking and the time of day that you drive
• Drivers can use the DriveSense app to track their habits
• Esurance DriveSense has a 4/5 rating from WalletHub's editors
• Not available in CA, DE, FL. HI. IN, MA, MS, MT, NH, NY, NC, VT, WI & WY
• Customer reviews of the app average 3.8 out of 5
• Minimum coverage from Esurance costs an average of $60 per month without DriveSense

Remember that poor driving while using DriveSense will not lead to as many discounts in the program as safe driving would. Additionally, regardless of whether you use DriveSense, Esurance itself can raise your rates for things like at-fault accidents, speeding tickets, and other moving violations. Esurance learns of such things from your driving record and CLUE report, rather than through DriveSense.

To learn more, check out WalletHub's full review of Esurance DriveSense.