Metromile Auto Insurance Review: Should you buy in 2024?

What You Should Know About metromile

The benefits of Metromile car insurance include fair rates, 24-hour claims processing, and various ways of contacting customer service. Drivers who see less than 10,000 miles a year will save more than someone who spends more time on the road. 

As a pay-per-mile auto insurance company, Metromile will keep track of a driver’s mileage by using the Metromile Pulse. The device uses telematics to send driving data to Metromile, which is then used to determine what you pay.

The Pulse does come with GPS, but this can be disabled if you don’t want your location tracked in addition to how far you drive.

How does Metromile track miles?

Metromile sends drivers a telematics device called Metromile Pulse to track miles and charge pay-per-mile car insurance rates. It’s a wireless device that plugs into a vehicle’s diagnostic port, then uses telematics to track mileage. 

Your Metromile auto insurance rates will vary depending on the driving behavior in certain states. If you live in Arizona, Illinois, Oregon, and Virginia, your rates are calculated using the following: 

• The average speed of the vehicle 
• The time of day the vehicle is driven
• The days of the week the vehicle is driven

Some benefits come with installing Pulse since it can help you in certain situations. For example, the Pulse can help locate your vehicle if it’s been stolen or you’ve forgotten where you parked. It can also monitor and keep track of your driving routes and provide information on your car’s fuel economy and other issues that might spring up. 

metromile Insurance Coverage Options

What you get depends on the type of policy you purchase. For example, if you opt for a policy that includes collision car insurance coverage, Metromile will immediately include $1,000 of pet injury coverage, something not often offered by other companies.

However, this is excluded in the states of WA and VA. It should also be noted that Metromile’s pet injury coverage is only for cats and dogs, and is in no way the same as pet insurance.

Policyholders can also waive your comprehensive insurance deductible if anything happens to your windshield or window. However, the glass has to be able to be repaired rather than replaced. 

Below are a few more coverage options from Metromile:

• 24/7 roadside assistance service
• Bodily injury liability
• Collision and comprehensive coverage
• Medical payments (MedPay)
• Personal injury protection (PIP)
• Property damage liability
• Rental car reimbursement
• Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage

Many of these optional coverages can come in handy in emergencies. There are other options available for an additional cost, including a collision deductible waiver. With this add-on, Metromile will waive your deductible if you get into an accident caused by an uninsured driver. 

What other types of insurance are offered by Metromile? 

While Metromile only offers auto insurance, it offers a variety of add-ons with the provided coverage for an additional charge.

For example, Metromile roadside assistance is an add-on drivers can pay for, which provides services such as flat tire and locksmith services. 

Does Metromile cover rental cars? 

A Metromile policy would transfer to a rental depending on the type of coverage purchased. 

metromile Insurance Rates Breakdown

Metromile, a pay-per-mile company, allows drivers to pay depending on how much they drive. Rates will vary just as much as mileage in this case. Drivers on the road for a longer period are more likely to get into an accident and are seen as a larger liability to most car insurance companies.

This means that if you drive less, you can take advantage of cheaper rates and you are often eligible for low-mileage auto insurance discounts. Other factors are taken into consideration, such as age, driving history, where you live, the coverage you want, and even the type of vehicle you drive.

How much does Metromile charge per mile?

Metromile charges a flat rate in addition to the per-mile charge. So, if you drive 450 miles in one month and pay a flat rate of $29 each month, plus six cents for each mile you drive, your bill for that month would end up being $56.

Based on Metromile car insurance reviews, these affordable auto insurance prices take priority over handling claims in a timely fashion.

How much will you pay for Metromile’s minimum coverage vs. full coverage?

Always check to see what you need in terms of coverage because the minimum auto insurance required by state varies. Doing so before only purchasing the minimum amount of coverage from Metromile will save you any legal trouble down the road.

When it comes to minimum coverage, Metromile still averages higher than most companies, at nearly 22% more. This is the equivalent of double what a driver would pay for USAA auto insurance and almost $700 more than GEICO auto insurance minimum coverage. Full coverage car insurance will be the most expensive option, but it will net you the most coverage possible.

Always check the minimum insurance requirements because coverage varies by state. For example, if you live in a no-fault state like New Jersey or Pennsylvania, you more than likely have larger out-of-pocket expenses in the event of an accident when you take the cheapest option.

Therefore, these states may require certain collision levels to compensate for this fact, which will raise your Metromile minimum coverage rates.

With full coverage, Metromile will be over 25% higher than the national average, which is twice as much as a driver's pay with USAA. GEICO also has cheaper rates for full coverage, around $800 less than a Metromile full coverage policy.

However, AAA and Allstate have more expensive full coverage options, depending on which companies you compare.

Metromile Auto Insurance Rates by Age

As with most car insurance companies, your age will be a significant factor in how much you pay for coverage. A teen driver is going to see higher rates than most other drivers because they’re new to the road and will have less driving experience, making them more of a liability in the eyes of a car insurance company.

Metromile, against the national average, has the second-highest rate for auto insurance for teenage drivers. Premiums are shown to be 35% higher for female teenage drivers than the national average, with almost 27% higher rates for male teenage drivers.

Metromile, when compared to USAA, has almost double the rates for teens.

Auto Insurance Rates for Teen Drivers

The numbers will decrease as you get older since a more mature driver is going to understand the rules of the road and be seen as less of a hazard.

For young adult drivers, Metromile is more expensive than the national average.

Auto Insurance Rates for Adult Drivers

Female young adult drivers have 6% higher rates, while young male adults have a 5% higher average. While these numbers typically decrease with age, adults have still been shown to have a higher rate with Metromile than the national average as well.

Overall, Metromile has rates that are 7% higher for female drivers than the national average, with male drivers seeing 5% higher prices. As with the teenage prices from USAA, these numbers are still double the cheapest rates. Generally, prices still decrease until the saturation point when drivers are considered seniors.

Auto Insurance Rates for Senior Drivers

Once a driver is determined to be a senior, prices can begin to increase again for auto insurance for older adults.

Metromile has higher average rates for senior drivers than the national average, with 9% higher quotes for older males. Compared to GEICO, Metromile rates are more than $600 higher, with GEICO having the second lowest prices for seniors.

Metromile Auto Insurance Rates by Driving Record

Age may be one factor used, but your driving record can also affect what you pay. This is one reason why keeping your driving record clean is important.

Auto Insurance Rates After a Speeding Ticket

Speeding tickets will affect what you would pay for Metromile car insurance. Rates for a driver with a speeding ticket will be around $500 more than the national average.

This would be higher than rates with both State Farm and USAA. In fact, AAA would be the only company with much more expensive rates.

Auto Insurance Rates after an Accident

An accident on your driving record will also result in elevated rates for car insurance. With a Metromile policy, car insurance rates after an accident are around 28% higher than the national average.

As with speeding tickets, Metromile rates are higher than USAA and State Farm. Allstate joins AAA in being more expensive in this scenario.

Auto Insurance Rates after a DUI

As with speeding tickets and accidents, a DUI will increase what you pay for auto insurance. Metromile only charges a small percentage above the national average, but it still comes to almost $1000 more than State Farm for auto insurance after a DUI.

However, Metromile still has lower rates than AAA, Allstate, GEICO, and Nationwide when it comes to a driver having a DUI on their record.

Auto Insurance Rates with Poor Credit

Your credit score is another piece of information that car insurance companies will look into when determining what rates you will pay for coverage.

When it comes to auto insurance for drivers with bad credit, Metromile will be around 7% higher than the national average.

This factors out to be over $1,000 higher than what GEICO would pay, but AAA, Allstate, and State Farm are all more expensive than Metromile in this case.

metromile Discounts Available

Car insurance discounts help customers lower what they pay on their car insurance policy. Often these discounts depend on factors such as where you live, what type of vehicle you drive, and what other insurance coverage you may need. 

Below are some of the discounts you may be eligible for: 

• Anti-theft. Having alarms on your vehicle or methods of vehicle recovery makes your car is going less likely to be targeted by a potential thief. 
• No at-fault accidents. Keeping your driving record clean is a great way to qualify for this safe driver insurance discount, but it also means that if you do get into an accident and it wasn’t your fault, you still qualify. 
• Continuous coverage. In order to obtain this discount, you would not be able to have a lapse in your car insurance coverage history. 
• Mature driver. Drivers over a certain age often qualify for discounts because a more mature driver is considered less of an insurance risk.
• Safety equipment in vehicle. Airbags, anti-lock breaks, and newer accident prevention systems can net you a discount on your car insurance.
• No points on your license. Maintaining a clean driving record is often rewarded in the insurance community. 
• Multi-car coverage. If you need coverage on more than one vehicle, ask for a multi-car discount.
• Getting an online quote. Online traffic is important to most companies, and many offer discounts to customers who get Metromile insurance quotes online. 
• Going paperless. Paperless billing has become increasingly popular, with most drivers enjoying the discount.

Metromile also offers Ride Along, which is a trial program that allows you to see what you would pay for a Metromile policy after 17 days.

Download the Metromile app to monitor your driving habits, and it will base what you pay on those patterns. Ride Along promotes safe driving behavior, with savings up to 15% in Arizona and 40% if you’re in Oregon.