You may have seen Flo from Progressive Insurance telling you to install their Snapshot plug-in device (there is also a mobile app, but it’s not available in all states). When I was looking for car insurance, I got several quotes from different carriers through A and H Insurance and Progressive came back the cheapest, while still giving me excellent coverage. The rate was great, but I decided to see how much lower I could get it and signed up to get a Snapshot device.
How To Sign Up
Once you log into your Progressive account, click on Auto Policy > Discounts (upper-right corner) > Snapshot (on the left) > Sign Up for Snapshot (button near bottom). Follow the prompts and accept the terms and conditions to get the device mailed to you. The website says you should receive the device in 7 to 10 days. It took 9 days for my Snapshot to arrive and I plugged it into the diagnostic port underneath my dash. Upon plugging it in, it lit up, but it didn’t give me the 3 beeping noises indicating it was working until my second time driving it.
Driving Experience
After a while, you don’t even notice the 3 beeps it does when it starts, since it becomes so normal. It was actually weird when I was finished with the program and I didn’t hear the familiar beeping. One thing you will definitely not get used to is the 2 beeps it makes when you hard brake. I always had a sinking feeling in my chest every time I got reprimanded by the device.
I found myself being hyper aware of my driving and cars around me. I’ve made a conscious effort to not follow other cars as closely and drive less aggressively in general. One pitfall that may ding your record is yellow lights. Be aware of when the light may turn yellow. Otherwise, you’ll need to run the light to look safer or slam on your brakes to stop in for the light, at which point the device will beep at you telling you that you made a “hard brake”. I can certainly say I ran some yellow lights I normally wouldn’t. If you log into your Progressive account, you can track your progress and any “dings” you have to your driving record.
Tips for Getting a Great Snapshot Discount
- Drive less aggressively – Don’t have a lead foot on your gas or slam your breaks, keep a safe following distance from other cars, and drive the speed limit.
- Don’t drive between the hours of 12-4 AM – These hours are considered to be higher risk driving hours and Snapshot will ding you for driving during them.
- Stay off your phone – If you use their mobile app, it’ll ding you for phone activity done while driving. But this is just good advice to follow anyway.
- Utilize low gears – This is a trick I figured out that Progressive probably doesn’t want you to know. When I was in a situation such as an abrupt yellow light, I would shift into a lower gear (might say 3, 2, or L on your vehicle) on my automatic transmission car. This would allow engine braking to slow down my car a bit, so I could go easier on the brake pedal.
- Don’t drive as often – Progressive takes into account how much you drive, so whenever possible get errands done in a single trip, or opt to use a family member’s car more often.
- Avoid problematic roads – Some roads and highways are prone to stop and go traffic that will cause you to have a hard brake. Some roads have very fast speeds but also have stoplights (McCarran Blvd if you’re from Reno). These types of roads can give you issues and caused me to get several hard brake penalties.
- Make regular trips – Progressive likes to see some regularity in your trips, where you drive for the same length of time at the same time of day. For example, if you have a set schedule at your job, your daily commute to and from work would qualify for this.
Overall Impression
I had Progressive Snapshot installed on my car for 5 months (they might track you for more or less time). I returned the Snapshot with the box and label they initially sent me with it (they charge you $50 if you don’t), but they also sent me another return box a week later. They say users will get a 0% to 20% discount, and if your driving is awful, you may see a rate increase. I received a 15% discount, which isn’t too shabby. I ended up with 8 hard brakes and 1 fast acceleration. Snapshot is an imperfect program, but it lets Progressive know who huge insurance risks are. So if you fancy yourself a decent driver and are willing to put up with some temporary annoyance to save some money, then definitely give Snapshot a try.
Progressive is one of the insurance providers we quote through at A and H Insurance and often can offer great prices and excellent coverage. Fill out the quote request form on the right of this page, or give us a call to get auto insurance quotes from multiple providers.
Some other carriers we quote through that have programs similar to Snapshot:
- Nationwide – SmartRide
- National General – Low mileage discount (through OnStar)
- Safeco – Rewind
- The Hartford – TrueLane
- Travelers – Intellidrive
How was your Progressive Snapshot experience and what kind of discount did you get? Let us know on Facebook.
