State Farm Drive Safe & Save Review

Lindsay Bishop
by
Verified
Reviewed by licensed agent Brandy Law
Updated

Safe drivers can save up to 30% with State Farm Drive Safe & Save. That could be an excellent deal given State Farm's affordable rates.

Find Cheap Auto Insurance Quotes in Your Area

Currently insured?
icon
It's free, simple and secure.

Pros and cons of Drive Safe and Save

Pros

Large maximum discount

Rates won't go up because of bad driving habits

State Farm typically has cheap rates before any discounts

Cons

You must let State Farm track your driving as long as you want the discount

Not available in California, Massachusetts and Rhode Island

What is State Farm Drive Safe and Save?

Drive Safe and Save with State Farm is a program that offers car insurance discounts to customers who practice safe driving habits.

It uses an app or software built into your car to track and score your driving behavior. The safer you drive, the bigger your discount.

ValuePenguin analyzed usage-based discount programs from eight national insurance companies. Our experts compared savings, privacy concerns and other key factors to determine if State Farm Drive Safe and Save will fit your needs.

How does Drive Safe and Save work?

State Farm Drive Safe & Save rewards safe drivers with a discount by tracking their driving habits. This can be referred to as a telematics or usage-based program.

Most drivers use the Drive Safe and Save app paired with a Bluetooth device called a beacon.

You must download the app and set your location preferences to "always allow" to do this. That way, State Farm can record your trips, even when the app isn't open.

Next, you must place a State Farm tracking device in your car. This device, called a beacon, will ensure State Farm only records trips taken in your car. It won't record trips when you're a passenger in another car or on public transportation.

Drivers with Ford or Lincoln cars built after 2020 can use Drive Save and Save Connected Car. The program is available via your FordPass or Lincoln Way account.

What does Drive Safe and Save track?

State Farm Drive Safe & Save tracks a few key behaviors via the State Farm Drive Safe & Save app or your connected car.

  • Quick acceleration and braking
  • Making sharp turns
  • Handheld phone usage
  • Speeding
  • How far you drive

You also have to provide an odometer reading at each policy renewal. State Farm will use this to factor your annual mileage into the discount.

Drive Safe & Save follows the car rather than the driver. That means you can decide whether to include all the vehicles and drivers on your policy or just one.

However, State Farm says having multiple drivers sign up can increase your discount. So, if you share a policy with other drivers and trust them to drive well, you should add them to the program.

If multiple drivers are in the car for the same ride, the first phone that connects to the Bluetooth beacon will record the trip.

Is State Farm Drive Safe and Save worth it?

The Drive Safe & Save program is worth it for most State Farm customers. The program is free, and State Farm won't raise your rates for bad driving behaviors.

State Farm Drive Safe & Save is worth it if:

You're looking for the cheapest possible car insurance

State Farm has some of the cheapest car insurance quotes across the country. In addition, Drive Safe & Save offers safe drivers the chance to save up to 30% or, in some states, up to 50% on car insurance.

Only Allstate and Nationwide offer a potentially larger usage-based discount. However, both companies are typically much more expensive than State Farm before discounts.

You're unsure about your driving habits

Drive Safe & Save could be worth it if you're unsure about your driving habits but want to try to get a discount. That's because State Farm won't raise your rates if Drive Safe & Save determines you have bad driving habits. You can also use the feedback you get from the program to improve your driving to earn a future discount.

However, you could lose a low-mileage discount with State Farm if the app shows you drive more than 7,500 miles per year. It would help if you knew how many miles you drive before signing up.

You want to enroll just one car on your policy

Some programs require you to enroll all the vehicles and drivers included in your policy. Drive Safe and Safe does not, though your discount will increase if you do.

Drive Safe & Save is not a good option if:

You want your discount to stay consistent

  • Why?: State Farm adjusts your discount each policy period based on your performance. So, your discount could change from term to term.

    If you'd prefer a little more consistency, pick a program that only monitors your habits for a limited period.

  • Consider: Liberty Mutual Right Track or Travelers IntelliDrive

You regularly use your phone in the car

  • Why?: Handheld phone usage impacts your discount with Drive Safe & Save. That could include making a handheld phone call or picking up your phone to put an address into your GPS.

    Another program may be a better choice if you rely on your phone while driving.

  • Consider: Allstate DriveWise or Nationwide SmartRide

You drive often

Find Cheap Auto Insurance Quotes in Your Area

Currently insured?
icon
It's free, simple and secure.

How to sign up for State Farm Drive Safe & Save

State Farm Drive Safe and Save differs slightly depending on whether you use the mobile app or the Connected Car version.

State Farm Drive Safe & Save Mobile

You can get started with the State Farm Drive Safe and Save mobile app in five steps.

  1. Download the Drive Safe and Save app via the Google Play app store for Android or the Apple app store for iOS. Or, you can text "save" to 42407, and State Farm will send you a link to download the app.

    Set the location sharing permissions to "always allow" so State Farm can track your driving, even when the app is closed.

  2. Enter your driver's license information or statefarm.com username and password into the Drive Safe & Save mobile app. After completing the signup process, you'll get your participation discount.

  3. Install the State Farm Drive Safe and Save Bluetooth beacon when it arrives in the mail, usually within five days. State Farm says the best placement for it is on your windshield.

    Then, pair the State Farm beacon with the Drive Safe & Save app. When State Farm sends you the beacon, it also sends detailed instructions on how to pair the Drive Safe and Save app with the beacon.

  4. Provide an odometer reading to State Farm via the app, statefarm.com or your State Farm agent.

  5. Drive and review your performance in the app. It grades your driving habits over the past few weeks and shows an overall score and data on individual trips.

At the end of your six-month policy term, State Farm will apply whatever discount you've earned to your next policy.

State Farm Drive Safe and Save setup for connected cars

People who drive a 2020 or newer Ford or Lincoln vehicle can use the Drive Safe & Save connected car program. You can do this with your FordPass or Lincoln Way account.

You must contact your State Farm agent to sign up for this version of the program. The next time you turn on your car, you'll see an agreement on your car's screen that you'll need to accept.

Once you start driving, your car automatically sends your driving behaviors and mileage to State Farm.

State Farm Drive Safe and Save FAQ

Is there a State Farm Drive Safe and Save cheat?

You shouldn't try to cheat Drive Safe and Save by uninstalling the app. State Farm explicitly says that you could lose your discount by doing this.

If you don't like the idea of constantly sharing location data with State Farm, you can temporarily turn off Bluetooth and location services when you're not driving.

Does Drive Safe and Save really save money?

Yes, State Farm offers safe drivers a discount of up to 30% for using the Drive Safe &

Does Drive Safe and Save track speed?

Yes, State Farm Drive Safe &

How does Drive Safe and Save know who's driving?

When you sign up for Drive Safe and Save, State Farm sends you a Bluetooth beacon to install in your car. When your phone pairs with the beacon in your car, the Drive Safe &

How does Drive Safe and Save track phone use?

State Farm Drive Safe and Save will only penalize you for phone use when three things are happening at the same time: your car is moving, your phone screen is on, and your phone is moving within the car.

Editorial Note: The content of this article is based on the author's opinions and recommendations alone. It has not been previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any of our network partners.