[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"/blog/car-driving-data-insurance":3},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"body":7,"category":270,"ctaLabel":271,"dateModified":272,"datePublished":272,"description":273,"draft":274,"extension":275,"featured":274,"image":271,"meta":276,"navigation":277,"path":278,"readingTime":279,"seo":280,"stem":281,"tags":282,"__hash__":289},"blog/blog/car-driving-data-insurance.md","Is Your Car Telling Your Insurer How You Drive?","Premier Auto Savings",{"type":8,"value":9,"toc":261},"minimark",[10,20,23,28,31,34,79,82,85,108,116,120,123,144,147,151,154,185,198,202,228,232,235,252,255],[11,12,13,14,19],"p",{},"Programs like Progressive's Snapshot and State Farm's Drive Safe & Save are telematics you choose: you install the app or plug in the device, you know it's watching, and you get a discount for it. Our ",[15,16,18],"a",{"href":17},"/blog/snapshot-vs-driveeasy-vs-drive-safe-and-save","comparison of the big programs"," covers which ones can raise your rate and which can't. This post is about the other kind: driving data that left your car without most drivers knowing, passed through data brokers, and showed up when an insurer priced a policy.",[11,21,22],{},"It's not hypothetical. The Federal Trade Commission's complaint against General Motors said the company collected hard-braking, speeding and late-night driving data from more than a million vehicles and sold it to two consumer reporting agencies that supply insurers; GM settled. One driver's premium jumped 80% after hundreds of records from her car were shared. Here's what happened, what changed in 2026, and how to find out what's in your own file.",[24,25,27],"h2",{"id":26},"what-happened","What Happened",[11,29,30],{},"In March 2024, The New York Times reported that GM was passing driving behavior collected through its OnStar Smart Driver feature to LexisNexis Risk Solutions and Verisk, two companies that sell reports to auto insurers. GM ended Smart Driver and cut off the brokers that spring.",[11,32,33],{},"GM wasn't alone in sharing data, though it drew the heaviest action. A July 2024 letter from Senators Ron Wyden and Ed Markey to the Federal Trade Commission laid out what other automakers had told Wyden's office:",[35,36,37,53],"table",{},[38,39,40],"thead",{},[41,42,43,47,50],"tr",{},[44,45,46],"th",{},"Automaker",[44,48,49],{},"Vehicles' data shared with Verisk",[44,51,52],{},"What Verisk paid",[54,55,56,68],"tbody",{},[41,57,58,62,65],{},[59,60,61],"td",{},"Hyundai (2018–2024)",[59,63,64],{},"1.7 million",[59,66,67],{},"$1,043,315.69, about 61 cents per car",[41,69,70,73,76],{},[59,71,72],{},"Honda (2020–2024)",[59,74,75],{},"97,000",[59,77,78],{},"$25,920, about 26 cents per car",[11,80,81],{},"Source: Wyden–Markey letter to the FTC, July 26, 2024. Both automakers said customers had to opt in before identifiable data reached an insurer, and Hyundai said the letter mischaracterized its policies.",[11,83,84],{},"Then the enforcement arrived:",[86,87,88,96,102],"ul",{},[89,90,91,95],"li",{},[92,93,94],"strong",{},"January 14, 2026:"," The FTC finalized its order against GM and OnStar. GM is barred for five years from sharing drivers' location and driving-behavior data with consumer reporting agencies. For 20 years it must get drivers' affirmative consent before collecting or sharing connected-vehicle data, and it must let drivers request deletion and turn off collection.",[89,97,98,101],{},[92,99,100],{},"April 22, 2026:"," A federal judge in Atlanta let the core claims in the nationwide class action against GM, OnStar, LexisNexis and Verisk move forward.",[89,103,104,107],{},[92,105,106],{},"May 8, 2026:"," California's attorney general announced a $12.75 million settlement with GM, subject to court approval, the largest ever under the state's privacy law. The state said GM made about $20 million selling the data, and the settlement requires GM to ask LexisNexis and Verisk to delete what it sold them.",[11,109,110,111,115],{},"One detail from the California case is worth knowing. California drivers weren't charged more because of GM's data sales, because California law doesn't let insurers use that kind of driving data to set rates. Our ",[15,112,114],{"href":113},"/cheap-car-insurance-california-2026","California guide"," covers the rating rules that came out of Proposition 103.",[24,117,119],{"id":118},"how-driving-data-reaches-insurers-now","How Driving Data Reaches Insurers Now",[11,121,122],{},"The GM pipeline is shut, but the plumbing still exists, and there are three main routes:",[124,125,126,132,138],"ol",{},[89,127,128,131],{},[92,129,130],{},"Programs you sign up for."," Snapshot, DriveEasy, Drive Safe & Save, Drivewise and the rest. You agree to them, and the rules are in the program terms.",[89,133,134,137],{},[92,135,136],{},"Connected-car data exchanges."," LexisNexis runs an exchange it calls Telematics OnDemand that connects automakers' data with insurers, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau lists it alongside LexisNexis's claims-history database as a consumer reporting service. Data is supposed to move through it with the driver's consent, but the GM case showed how easily consent can become a checkbox buried in a connected-services sign-up.",[89,139,140,143],{},[92,141,142],{},"Phone apps."," In January 2025, the Texas attorney general sued Allstate and its data subsidiary Arity, alleging they gathered driving data on more than 45 million people through software embedded in third-party phone apps such as Life360 and GasBuddy. Allstate denies the allegations, and the case was still pending as of its latest annual report. Either way, it's a reminder that the app tracking your trips may not be the one you think.",[11,145,146],{},"The data in play is the same in every route: hard braking, rapid acceleration, speeding, time of day, miles driven. Insurers treat it as a strong predictor of claims, which is why it's worth money to them.",[24,148,150],{"id":149},"how-to-see-whats-in-your-file","How to See What's in Your File",[11,152,153],{},"You have a legal right to see it, and it's free.",[124,155,156,162,173,179],{},[89,157,158,161],{},[92,159,160],{},"Request your LexisNexis consumer disclosure report."," Go to consumer.risk.lexisnexis.com/request, or call 866-897-8126. You're entitled to one free copy every 12 months. LexisNexis verifies your identity and mails you a letter with instructions for viewing the report online, so allow a couple of weeks.",[89,163,164,167,168,172],{},[92,165,166],{},"Read the claims history while you're there."," The same company's C.L.U.E. database holds up to seven years of auto claims. Insurers pull it when you apply, and errors in it, like a claim that wasn't yours or a not-at-fault claim coded as at-fault, cost real money. Our ",[15,169,171],{"href":170},"/blog/does-not-at-fault-accident-raise-rates","not-at-fault accident explainer"," covers how insurers read those entries.",[89,174,175,178],{},[92,176,177],{},"Dispute anything wrong."," The Fair Credit Reporting Act lets you dispute inaccurate information, and the agency has to investigate. If an insurer charges you more or turns you down based on a report like this, it has to tell you, and you're entitled to a free copy of the report it used.",[89,180,181,184],{},[92,182,183],{},"Check the other agencies."," The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau keeps a list of specialty consumer reporting companies, including the ones insurers use, with instructions for requesting each file.",[11,186,187,188,192,193,197],{},"If your premium jumped at a renewal with no ticket or claim to explain it, this is one of the places to look. Our ",[15,189,191],{"href":190},"/blog/rate-went-up-no-accident-7-reasons","rate-went-up explainer"," covers the other usual suspects. Your credit-based insurance score is built from a similar kind of file, and our ",[15,194,196],{"href":195},"/guide/credit-score","credit-score guide"," covers how to improve it.",[24,199,201],{"id":200},"how-to-turn-it-off","How to Turn It Off",[86,203,204,210,216,222],{},[89,205,206,209],{},[92,207,208],{},"Open your car's connected-services app or account"," (OnStar, Hyundai Bluelink, HondaLink, FordPass, Toyota's app and so on) and look for \"driving score,\" \"driver feedback,\" \"smart driver\" or \"data sharing.\" Turn off anything that shares driving behavior with third parties.",[89,211,212,215],{},[92,213,214],{},"If you drive a GM vehicle,"," the FTC order requires GM to let you request a copy of your data, ask for it to be deleted and turn off location and driving data collection.",[89,217,218,221],{},[92,219,220],{},"Read the consent screen"," the next time a car, app or insurer offers a \"safe driving discount.\" If the deal is worth it, take it on purpose. If not, decline.",[89,223,224,227],{},[92,225,226],{},"Audit your phone."," Check which apps have \"always\" location access and motion data, and revoke what you don't need.",[24,229,231],{"id":230},"should-you-ever-share-driving-data-on-purpose","Should You Ever Share Driving Data on Purpose?",[11,233,234],{},"Often, yes. A careful driver who enrolls in a telematics program openly can save real money, and some programs can only lower your rate, never raise it. The problem in the GM case wasn't telematics; it was data leaving the car without informed consent and being priced against drivers who never knew. Share on your terms, through a program whose rules you've read.",[11,236,237,238,242,243,247,248,251],{},"Then make sure the price you're getting reflects your actual record: ",[15,239,241],{"href":240},"/","compare quotes for your profile",", and if your current insurer's price doesn't match how you drive, our ",[15,244,246],{"href":245},"/guide/comparison-shopping","comparison-shopping guide"," covers how to compare like for like before you ",[15,249,250],{"href":240},"switch",".",[253,254],"hr",{},[11,256,257],{},[258,259,260],"em",{},"FTC order against General Motors and OnStar finalized January 14, 2026, per the FTC and coverage by TechCrunch and Hintze Law; the 80% premium example as reported by GM Authority and The Auto Wire. Automaker data-sharing figures per Senators Wyden and Markey's July 26, 2024 letter to the FTC and Wyden's press release, with automakers' responses as reported by Insurance Journal. The April 22, 2026 ruling in In re Consumer Vehicle Driving Data Tracking Litigation per Verisk's Form 10-Q and plaintiffs' counsel. California's May 8, 2026 settlement per the California Attorney General as reported by TechCrunch, Spectrum News and Hunton Andrews Kurth. Texas v. Allstate and Arity per the Texas Attorney General's January 13, 2025 announcement as reported by Insurance Journal and The Record, with its status per Allstate's Form 10-K for 2025. LexisNexis C.L.U.E. and Telematics OnDemand descriptions and request process per LexisNexis Risk Solutions and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Your rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act are summarized, not exhaustive; this post isn't legal advice.",{"title":262,"searchDepth":263,"depth":263,"links":264},"",2,[265,266,267,268,269],{"id":26,"depth":263,"text":27},{"id":118,"depth":263,"text":119},{"id":149,"depth":263,"text":150},{"id":200,"depth":263,"text":201},{"id":230,"depth":263,"text":231},"analysis",null,"2026-10-09","GM sold drivers' braking and speeding data to brokers that sell to insurers. What happened, what regulators did in 2026, and how to see and stop your file.",false,"md",{},true,"/blog/car-driving-data-insurance","7",{"title":5,"description":273},"blog/car-driving-data-insurance",[283,284,285,286,287,288],"driving data","telematics","connected cars","lexisnexis","privacy","auto insurance score","vByrvue8vOiiOnx7I772H0zCDK-C7BsP0ri94zZ3-uI"]