Metromile

Known from bringing The Pulse beating proud and strong, to keep their drivers, and their cars, safe.

Overview

Founded in 2011 in Redwood, CA Metromile was designed for drivers who need cheap insurance and don't spend much time behind the wheel. In 2013 the company moved to San Francisco, CA. Two years later the company expanded out of California to Boston, MA and Tempe, AZ. Metromile is a pay-per-mile system that incorporates actual miles driven with traditional insurance coverage. It utilizes a plug-in device called Pulse that plugs into the vehicles diagnostic system and tallies the number of miles driven. The Pulse device is used in conjunction with a mobile app that informs the driver of the car's operations and can be used as a GPS device in the event of theft. There are plans to expand Metromile's use of technology to include onboard AI. Today it operates all over the country in Oregon, Washington, Illinois, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. The Massachusetts office was dropped at some point.

Metromile Pros and Cons

Pros

• Intuitive web presence allows for great ease of use.
• It can save money for those drivers who don't drive a lot.
• It is sleek and tech savvy with new technology being utilized as they expand.
• Metromile offers pet injury protection.

Cons

• Customers pay more than average if you drive more than 12,000 miles per year.
• It's only available in seven states.
• There isn't a fixed price available for services
• It tracks all your driving

Metromile Insurance Coverage

Metromile isn't your average insurance company but they do offer some unique add-ons along with more traditional coverage options. The add-ons below may not be available in all locations and you may need to take a look at their website to get more detail about coverage state by state

• Rental Reimbursement is an add-on offered with collision and comprehensive insurance policies. Metromile pays $30/day for up to 30 days for rental vehicles.
• Roadside Assistance offers towing, flat tire, or lockout issues.
• Pet Injury Protection pays up to $1,000 if your pet is injured in an accident. This add-on is only available with a collision or comprehensive policy and isn't available in Illinois or Virginia.
• No-deductible Glass Repair so long as the glass doesn't need to be replaced entirely this is an available add-on with a comprehensive policy.

Here are some of the standard coverage options available through Metromile. As stated before, insurance and coverage available can change state to state depending on the laws.

Standard Coverage Offered

• Bodily Injury Property
• Damage Liability
• Optional Uninsured Motorist Insurance
• Personal Injury Protection
• Medical Payments
• Collision and Comprehensive

Car Insurance Rates

Metromile rates are comprised of a base rate plus a pay-per-mile rate as well as how much each customer drives. If a Metromile policy holder drove 500 miles in a month and their base rate was $40 dollars they would pay $40+(500 x $0.05/mile) = $65 for that month. Metromile doesn't have fixed rates which can mean savings but if customers drive more than 12,000 miles per year they will likely pay a higher annual rate than other agencies. The base rate correlates to the per mile rate so $60 base rate would correlate to $0.10 per mile. Metromile's website lists their pricing as starting at $29/month plus $0.06 per mile so the above is a hypothetical, and actual rates may vary. Pay-per-mile is capped at 250 miles in states, where Metromile operates and capped at 150 miles in New Jersey. What this means, is that an occasional road trip won't result in an astronomical bill.

Car Insurance Discounts

Metromile does have discounts for policy holders with multiple vehicles, but there were no other discounts noted. Their website is fairly user-friendly and if you live in a state that has Metromile you can look up discount information on that site. It is possible that they do not offer discounts due to the low base rate and the potential for savings with their business model.

Metromile Vs. Competitors

Metromile is a newer concept in insurance but it is worthwhile to compare them to other Insurance agencies. It has been noted in researching this company that they have more complaints than other companies of the same size on average. Their interface is user friendly and very intuitive but their customer service and actual services may still be going through growing pains. Below we will compare Metromile with two other major insurance companies. The rates noted are averages and may vary state by state. It is best to speak with an agent, or check out these company’s websites for more accurate quotes in accordance with your locale.

Metromile Vs Progressive: This may sound like a repeat of the above comparison but Progressive is popular internet savvy company with more perks available than Metromile. Metromile is good for city drivers who don't travel far from home. In terms of price comparison however Metromile is considerably cheaper even at higher mileage rates. The average annual rate for Progressive customer who drive over 18,000 miles is $2,384 versus $1,908. Metromile only offers car insurance, but this bare-bones approach may give them some advantage over Progressive for customers who don't need a lot of coverage and just need something cheap and absent of bells and whistles. If a customer requires more versatility then Progressive is the way to go, because they have everything that Metromile has in spades, including accident forgiveness, which Metromile doesn't have at present.