Whenever you get car insurance, you are frequently offered the opportunity to track your driving habits and have a discount applied to your premium. In this post, we will review two of the most common programmes offered in Canada.

But first...

...let's talk about whether you should sign up with them in the first place. While the discounts are very attractive ("up to 25%" is often advertised), there is always the question of how much tolerance you have for cooperations constantly having your location and monitoring your travelling habits. If you don't mind your data being monitored, calculated, and stored, then you could probably sign up for these programmes. Just be aware that the average discount reported by users is 10-12%, which can be quite sizeable, especially if you are a new driver.

Ajusto™

This is a programme offered by Desjardins, and several of its partners and associates. This is a phone application you download and it tracks you at all times and records you whenever you are moving at a speed faster than would be expected from a brisk run.

The advantages of this programme are:

• User-friendly application,
• Allows you to see how you did on every single trip,
• Provides feedback on the individual components of the trip,
• Allows you to see how your score corresponds to the savings you can have,
• You have more control on how it runs, although you should --in theory-- have it running whenever you drive,
• You can remove trips where you are not driving.

The cons:

• Drains your phone battery gradually,
• Does not record trips when you do not have your phone with you,
• Requires constant monitoring to remove trips where you did not drive.

Automerit™

This is a programme offered by Belairdirect, and several of its partners and associates. The tracking can be accomplished through your phone or a telematics device, which connects directly to the car. The idea is the same as above, with saving calculated based on your driving habits and applied at the time of renewal.

The advantages of this programme are:

• Plugs into your car, so you don't have to worry about making sure you have your phone with you,
• Always runs in the background; no need to charge your phone,
• A hidden security feature that allows your car to be tracked, in case it stolen or lost.

Cons:

• Does not allow you to remove trips when you are not driving the car,
• Ambiguous on how your scores are calculated and how your savings are calculated.

Ultimately, the choice to have a tracking device depends a lot on your personal preferences and how much you value your privacy versus that average 10% savings on auto insurance. Let us know about your experience with either of the programmes above or other ones you have tried in the comments below.

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