USAA SafePilot Review: Pros, Cons, & Alternatives (2023)

Discover the USAA SafePilot program, an affordable usage-based auto insurance program that allows you to save on your premiums based on your driving habits. By practicing safe driving habits, you can earn substantial savings on your auto insurance. Compare quotes from multiple companies to ensure you're getting the best coverage at the most affordable price.

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Home » Companies » Best Car Insurance » USAA SafePilot Review: Pros, Cons, & Alternatives (2023)

Written by:

Chris Tepedino

Insurance Feature Writer

Chris Tepedino is a feature writer that has written extensively about home, life, and car insurance for numerous websites. He has a college degree in communication from the University of Tennessee and has experience reporting, researching investigative pieces, and crafting detailed, data-driven features. His works have been featured on CB Blog Nation, Flow Words, Healing Law, WIBW Kansas, and C...

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Written by Chris Tepedino

Insurance Feature Writer

Reviewed by:

Laura Walker

Former Licensed Agent

Laura Walker graduated college with a BS in Criminal Justice with a minor in Political Science. She married her husband and began working in the family insurance business in 2005. She became a licensed agent and wrote P&C business focusing on personal lines insurance for 10 years. Laura serviced existing business and wrote new business. She now uses her insurance background to help educate...

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Reviewed by Laura Walker

Former Licensed Agent

UPDATED: May 19, 2023

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Company Details
Address: 9800 FREDERICKSBURG ROAD
City: SAN ANTONIO
State: TX
ZIP Code: 78288
Phone Number: 210-498-5430
Year Founded: 1898
AM Best Rating: A++
4.72 (6,421 reviews)

Things to Remember

  • Everyone gets a 5 percent discount just for trying out SafePilot
  • Only members of the military, veterans, and their immediate family members can get auto insurance from USAA
  • Discounts of up to 20 percent are possible depending on your driving habits

Discover the comprehensive guide to the USAA SafePilot program, an innovative usage-based auto insurance solution. Explore its features, pros, cons, and alternative options for making well-informed decisions. Gain a clear understanding of how SafePilot functions, the driving behavior-based discounts it offers, and its advantages over other telematics programs.

Take the first step towards finding the best insurance rates for your needs by entering your zip code below. By comparing quotes from top insurance providers, you can ensure that you get the most competitive rates available. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to save on your auto insurance premiums. Start comparing quotes now and make a smart financial decision today.

What is the USAA SafePilot program?

SafePilot is an app offered by USAA insurance to promote safe driving habits resulting in up to a 20 percent discount on your next six-month policy renewal. The app determines whether you’re a certain type of bad driver or whether your safe driving habits warrant a discount.

Read More: Best Car Insurance

Several of the top auto insurance companies collect your driving information for only 90 days, and you get only one chance to try for a discount.

SafePilot is different.

SafePilot continually records your driving habits and adjusts your discount to be used on your next six-month policy period. The discount can vary from policy period to policy period.

You can use your USAA login to view each of your trips. SafePilot records the following driving habits:

  • Your vehicle location
  • Whether you are driving during the day or night
  • Hard braking
  • Any hands-free calls you make
  • How often and for how long you handle your phone
  • If you are the driver or the passenger

USAA believes safe driving is important and uses SafePilot to decrease the number of those that are distracted drivers. Also, many fatal accidents happen late at night.

USAA is committed to this belief. In 2018, more than 2,800 people were killed, and 400,000 were injured through some form of distracted driving, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports.

SafePilot especially encourages teen driver safety. If the entire family participates in these efforts to reduce distracted driving, you will have for sure earned your discount.

One downside, however, is that SafePilot is always collecting data in the background, no matter if the app is open or not on your smartphone. This can cause your phone battery to deplete, or you could use all of your data plan.

If you choose to use SafePilot, be sure to keep a phone charger in the car and consider an unlimited data plan with your cell service provider.

USAA keeps your data private and safe and uses it only for further research. Telematics is just beginning. In fact, USAA is adding features to SafePilot to collect data when you are in an accident.

For more on USAA insurance, take a look at some of our USAA home and car insurance reviews & ratings.

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Is SafePilot worth it?

SafePilot is valuable when it comes to making you improve your driving habits and helping to prevent distracted driving. It is free and simple to use, and it can help you save money.

USAA customers that use SafePilot offer good reviews. Even though the app is supposed to understand whether you are a driver or a passenger, users report this is one weakness of their app.

If you would like to test-drive other usage-based auto insurance programs, most companies will have a trial period for any potential new customers.

Most companies openly state some of the U.S. military and veteran resources, which include discounts, on their websites. Stacking a military discount with a usage-based program discount could mean big savings for the entire family.

That’s why it’s important to get multiple auto insurance quotes from multiple auto insurance companies before choosing USAA and signing up for SafePilot. Enter your ZIP code to compare quotes today.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is USAA SafePilot?

USAA SafePilot is a telematics-based program offered by USAA Insurance that uses a mobile app and a device plugged into your car to monitor your driving behavior and reward safe driving habits with potential discounts on your auto insurance premiums.

How does USAA SafePilot work?

To enroll in USAA SafePilot, you need to download the SafePilot app and plug the device provided by USAA into your car’s OBD-II port. The app uses the device to collect data on your driving behavior, such as speed, acceleration, braking, and time of day. Based on this data, USAA assigns you a driving score, and you may be eligible for discounts on your auto insurance premiums if you score high enough.

What are the benefits of using USAA SafePilot?

Some potential benefits of using USAA SafePilot include:

  • Discounts on your auto insurance premiums based on your driving score
  • The ability to track your driving behavior and potentially improve your habits
  • Automatic accident detection and emergency response services
  • Customized feedback and coaching to help you become a safer driver

Are there any downsides to USAA SafePilot?

One downside of USAA SafePilot is that it requires you to allow the app to track your driving behavior, which some people may not be comfortable with. Additionally, if you drive aggressively or have poor driving habits, you may not be eligible for a discount.

What are some alternatives to USAA SafePilot?

Some alternatives to USAA SafePilot include other telematics programs offered by insurance companies such as State Farm’s Drive Safe & Save, Allstate’s Drivewise, and Progressive’s Snapshot.

How much money can you save with USAA SafePilot?

The amount of money you can save with USAA SafePilot varies based on your driving habits and location. On average, USAA SafePilot participants can save up to 30% on their auto insurance premiums.

Reviews
for USAA

4.72 (6,421 reviews)
1
May 4, 2023

Cvinny10_

Do NOT get this insurance

Worst experience. I got hit by someone with this insurance and it took them 7 weeks to total my car. We came upon an agreement for the amount I would be paid so I signed the title over and a week later they said they could no longer pay that amount. Please do yourself and the rest of us Americans a favor and do NOT get this insurance
1
February 25, 2023

CGN_Demandante

Damaged Rental Van Payoff

I returned a perfectly good rental van to Budget Rental during the summer, but they damaged it sometime afterwards. It was not even a small damage: there were dents all along the driver side door, the sliding door panel, and the trunk door. It was something that would not have been missed, if I returned the van in that condition. However, Budget Rental then filed a claim with USAA in 10/2022, a full 6 months later. It was blatantly fraudulent...
I returned a perfectly good rental van to Budget Rental during the summer, but they damaged it sometime afterwards. It was not even a small damage: there were dents all along the driver side door, the sliding door panel, and the trunk door. It was something that would not have been missed, if I returned the van in that condition. However, Budget Rental then filed a claim with USAA in 10/2022, a full 6 months later. It was blatantly fraudulent. After what I consider useless perfunctory online investigating, USAA just decided to just pay them off, and I am stuck with a higher insurance premium. USAA is a totally different insurance company from when I joined 40 years ago. Pretty disappointing.
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1
October 7, 2022

JesseM

Surprisingly Awful

Outside of the mobile app being frustrating to use, I didn't have any issues with USAA, until I had a windshield claim. Was easy at the start, they use Safelite for all windshield claims, only the first installation resulted in pieces of my car flying off on the freeway. 2nd visit resulted in fixing missing molding from windshield, but the multifunction camera on the windshield kept malfunctioning because of the install being off center. This ...
Outside of the mobile app being frustrating to use, I didn't have any issues with USAA, until I had a windshield claim. Was easy at the start, they use Safelite for all windshield claims, only the first installation resulted in pieces of my car flying off on the freeway. 2nd visit resulted in fixing missing molding from windshield, but the multifunction camera on the windshield kept malfunctioning because of the install being off center. This is where everything got bad. I was unable to reopen the claim with USAA, and they have a circular help system that will make sure you can never actually get through to anyone about an existing claim. Their chatbot is especially diabolical. It wasn't until I left a review on BBB, that I received a call from a special team that deals with BBB complaints. After the 4th windshield was installed and 4 months, I finally have a working car again, but there is no way I'm risking another claim with USAA.
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1
July 1, 2022

tWaLPiM7HrUwr9U

#1 worse company

I was shopping price and I told them what I was paying from GEICO and they beat that price when I insured both vehicles and my home. BUT, their good price they quoted me only lasted one month then the price went up to about $60 more a month that what was quoted. When I called them I was told "The cost of everything is going up". So, I canceled them and went with American Family and then USAA continued to try to pull money from my credit card m...
I was shopping price and I told them what I was paying from GEICO and they beat that price when I insured both vehicles and my home. BUT, their good price they quoted me only lasted one month then the price went up to about $60 more a month that what was quoted. When I called them I was told "The cost of everything is going up". So, I canceled them and went with American Family and then USAA continued to try to pull money from my credit card month after month. I had to cancel my credit card to get them to stop. Never had this bad of experience from any company before. As I'm 65 I've had a lot of different companies in the past. I will never do business with them again.
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1
June 9, 2022

rhorelus

In a DEPLORABLE Decline

We have been members of USAA for over 37 years and have watched the service deplorably decline in the last two. Recently, our daughter was involved in a hit and run. She had the license plate and make of the other vehicle, and a police report was filed. Without our continuous involvement, little would have been done by USAA to pursue the other driver’s insurance. Once PROGRESSIVE got involved, we found them so much easier to work with and so...
We have been members of USAA for over 37 years and have watched the service deplorably decline in the last two. Recently, our daughter was involved in a hit and run. She had the license plate and make of the other vehicle, and a police report was filed. Without our continuous involvement, little would have been done by USAA to pursue the other driver’s insurance. Once PROGRESSIVE got involved, we found them so much easier to work with and so much more attentive. As the vehicle went in for repairs, we got a sudden notice from USAA they were declaring the vehicle a total loss without any discussion. Once we found out how low they were valuing the vehicle, we provide them over $3,000 in recent repairs and comps that were near exact matches and twice the price they were quoting us. Both should have improved the valuation and kept the vehicle from being a total loss. After paying USAA $100s of thousands in premiums for nearly 4 decades, we are now becoming PROGRESSIVE clients. Run from USAA TODAY!
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1
March 4, 2022

Josh_B

Zero faith or trust in USAA

I have zero faith or trust in USAA taking care of me as a customer. I was in an auto accident that was caused by the other party's drive shaft coming off on the highway in front of me. I took pictures of the party's truck along with a picture showing that his drive shaft was missing and had my passenger as a witness of what happened. USAA took this matter and did an arbitration with the other party's insurance. The outcome was that the other part...
I have zero faith or trust in USAA taking care of me as a customer. I was in an auto accident that was caused by the other party's drive shaft coming off on the highway in front of me. I took pictures of the party's truck along with a picture showing that his drive shaft was missing and had my passenger as a witness of what happened. USAA took this matter and did an arbitration with the other party's insurance. The outcome was that the other party was not at fault. I requested documentation regarding the arbitration and was told "The decision is considered work product and we are unable to release this documentation." How can I trust that USAA has my back if they will not release this info to me? [REDACTED]
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1
January 3, 2022

Rich_A

USAA has lost its way

As a 52 year CUSTOMER (legitimately there are NO members!), my first 25 years ranged from excellent to good. After that period of time, customer service, pricing, employee credibility and product offering deteriorated to a barely acceptable level, at best, and made USAA indistinguishable from the other big insurance companies. It is my firm belief USAA in the past 20 years has operated solely for the betterment and welfare of its upper managem...
As a 52 year CUSTOMER (legitimately there are NO members!), my first 25 years ranged from excellent to good. After that period of time, customer service, pricing, employee credibility and product offering deteriorated to a barely acceptable level, at best, and made USAA indistinguishable from the other big insurance companies. It is my firm belief USAA in the past 20 years has operated solely for the betterment and welfare of its upper management. The primary corporate focus is the ever increasing of the customer base to increase management bonuses and salary levels. USAA has truly has lost its original purpose, focus and direction it had in its early years. Too bad. I remember what it was when I joined in 1970. Would I recommend USAA to those "eligible", absolutely not!
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1
October 4, 2021

djsnyder79_gmail_com

Crap insurance stay away

These people lie to get your money. They absolutely don't care about customers and will cover their own [REDACTED WORD] in order do whatever they want. Might as well go with someone else.
1
July 25, 2021

K_c

This insurance company sucks

They have absolutely no communication skills and dont even let you know when they pay out claims. They dont care about their drivers at all and pay people to shut them up which makes your own rates sky rocket. They paid multiple claims without even a single email to let me know about it so I could fight them. I feel violated by the company I was paying to have my back. Do yourself a favor and choose elsewhere or they will screw you over too.
1
May 14, 2021

CDawn

Awful Customer Service and Incompetence

USAA touts itself as an insurance company for families of Military and Veterans. They are not. First, they could not even do their job and submit the right forms to my state when I had an accident causing my license to be suspended. A form that should have been submitted first thing after the accident. Through an odd circumstance, I found out I had been driving on a suspended license and had no clue! This was 4 months after the accident and I was...
USAA touts itself as an insurance company for families of Military and Veterans. They are not. First, they could not even do their job and submit the right forms to my state when I had an accident causing my license to be suspended. A form that should have been submitted first thing after the accident. Through an odd circumstance, I found out I had been driving on a suspended license and had no clue! This was 4 months after the accident and I was now having to follow up with them because of their incompetence! Not only that but it took them 4 months to get a check issued for the vehicle in the accident and I was stuck dealing with the lender! Also, they dropped my family when my husband got in trouble with the law and had to do time. I might understand not servicing my husband any longer...even though he is an Army Veteran who put his life on the line for our country... However, to drop a whole family while they are already dealing with something this life-changing I believe is unacceptable! They are already dealing with so much, even beyond the loss of a father and now being a single-parent home. I would have expected a little support from a company that touts themselves as being for families, specifically military and veteran families. I would not recommend them and will not do business with them again.
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