Even though COVID-19 kept U.S. drivers from commuting to work, they were unlikely to see significant savings.
As American cities implemented controversial lockdowns, employers moved to remote work and consumers shopped on Amazon amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, drivers in America started using their cars less — a lot less. That raised the question: If people are driving less, shouldn’t they be saving money on their car insurance?
New research from The Zebra looked into how mileage affects car insurance and found that:
- Most COVID-related insurance refund and rebate programs have already ended.
- Even though Americans drove 14% less in 2020 than in 2019, drivers only saved up to 6.2% on their car insurance.
- Other rating factors have always had a greater impact on car insurance rates and savings than annual mileage.
- Usage-based insurance can save some drivers up to 9% — and more insurance companies are offering it.
COVID-related insurance refund and rebate programs have mostly ended
In the spring of 2020, many insurance companies created refund and rebate programs for their customers. It was an acknowledgment that lockdowns and social distancing had decreased how much people in America were driving. To be precise, the Federal Highway Administration saw a 19.3% decrease in vehicle miles traveled between February and March 2020, and a further 27.2% decrease in vehicle miles traveled between March and April 2020.
Consumers who took advantage of these rebate programs got 15-25% back on their policies. But the programs were meant to be temporary. Most insurance companies offered partial refunds only for a few months between March and June.
Critics like the Consumer Federation of America called for greater and longer-term savings, citing drastic drops — a 70% decrease — in vehicle miles traveled between January 2020 and April 2020. Lower mileage, they argued, meant lower exposure to risk, and should lead to greater savings for customers. It seemed like temporary 15-25% discounts were inadequate.
However, in the following months, drivers got back on the road. By fall 2020, the most recent month for which the FHWA has mileage data, miles traveled were down just 13% from January 2020 compared to April’s 70%. Overall, mileage is down 14% from 2019 to 2020.
It also turned out that clearer roads aren’t necessarily safer roads. Nine states had more fatal accidents in 2020 than in 2019 despite drivers traveling less. Across America, the rate of traffic fatalities per 100 million miles traveled increased from an average of 1.18 from January to October 2019 to an average of 1.46 for the same period in 2020 — a 24.2% increase. In other words, clearer roads in the COVID era increased drivers’ exposure to risk, likely because more drivers were speeding.