Yes, you can get car insurance without telematics or a tracking app. These programs are opt-in, not required, so every major insurer still sells standard policies that price you on the usual factors instead of a driving app. You may give up a participation discount that often runs 10 to 30 percent, but you also avoid the privacy trade-off and the chance that a low driving score raises your rate. To keep a no-tracking policy affordable, compare several carriers, claim the discounts that do not need an app, and turn off any data sharing built into your connected car.
Telematics programs reward you for letting an app or a plug-in device watch how you drive. Many drivers decline for good reasons: privacy, the risk of a surcharge, or distrust after reports that some car data gets sold without clear consent. Refusing the app does not lock you out of coverage.
A 2024 Consumer Reports survey of more than 40,000 policyholders found that only 14 percent used telematics with their current insurer, and just 28 percent even knew their company offered it. The standard, untracked policy remains the default for most American drivers.
This guide explains how to buy and price a policy without telematics, what the choice costs you, how to lower your rate through other discounts, and how to stop your own car from quietly sharing your driving data. The rules and savings differ by state, so confirm the details with a licensed insurer before you decide.
Can you get car insurance without telematics or an app?
Yes. Telematics is a voluntary program you choose to join, not a condition of coverage. You can buy a standard policy from any major carrier and never install an app or a device.
Insurers that offer programs like Snapshot, Drivewise, SmartRide, and Drive Safe and Save also sell traditional policies side by side. Skipping the program simply means the company prices you the way it always has, using the rating factors listed on your application.
Some carriers give a small discount just for enrolling, then adjust your rate later based on your score. Declining means you forgo that enrollment bonus, but you also avoid any later increase. For a clear picture of how these programs work before you opt out, see this overview of telematics car insurance.
You can also shop with less personal exposure up front. If you want to gather prices before sharing full details, this guide to an anonymous car insurance quote shows how to compare without handing over everything at once.
What does a telematics program actually track?
Knowing what the app records helps you decide whether the trade is worth it. A program reads far more than your speed.
Most telematics apps and plug-in devices log the following:
- Hard braking and rapid acceleration events.
- Speed and whether you pass set thresholds.
- Time of day, with late-night trips often flagged as riskier.
- Total mileage and the number of trips you take.
- Phone handling and screen use while the car moves.
- Location and routes, on many but not all programs.
The data lacks context, which is the part drivers dislike most. A hard brake to avoid a child who runs into the road counts the same as careless braking. A late shift home from work reads as risky night driving. The app records the event, not the reason, and your score reflects the raw number.
Some programs feed that score back to you with coaching tips, and research from the Insurance Research Council found that 80 percent of drivers changed their habits while monitored. That feedback helps some people. Others simply do not want a company scoring every trip they take.
Why do some drivers refuse telematics?
Three concerns drive most of the refusals, and each one is reasonable.
Privacy comes first. A telematics app or device records your speed, braking, acceleration, time of day, phone use, and often your location. Many drivers prefer not to share a minute-by-minute log of where they go and how they get there.
Surcharge risk comes second. Not every program only rewards you. Some can raise your premium if your score looks risky. Bankrate’s 2024 analysis found that roughly 1 in 5 Progressive Snapshot users pays more after enrolling. A few hard brakes on a busy road can read as risky even when you drove safely.
Data sharing comes third. A 2024 New York Times investigation reported that automakers including GM, Honda, Kia, and Hyundai shared connected-car driving data with brokers such as LexisNexis and Verisk, who sold it to insurers, often without clear consent. GM ended its OnStar Smart Driver program in April 2024 after the reports. Drivers who refuse telematics often want to shut down every channel that feeds their habits to an insurer.
Does skipping telematics cost you more?
Sometimes, but the gap is smaller than the ads suggest. A telematics discount is a possible reward, not a guaranteed price cut. You only earn it if your score stays high, and a poor score can erase it.
Consumer Reports found the median telematics saver kept about $120 a year, with younger drivers saving closer to $245. Discounts can reach 30 to 40 percent at the top end, but those numbers describe best-case scores, not the average driver.
A no-tracking policy trades that possible discount for predictability and privacy. You know your price up front, and no app can move it mid-term. The table below lays out the trade.
Feature | Telematics policy | No-tracking policy |
Data collected | Speed, braking, location, phone use | Standard application only |
Possible discount | 10 to 40 percent for high scores | Set by traditional factors |
Risk of a surcharge | Yes, at some carriers | No |
Price predictability | Changes with your score | Fixed for the term |
Privacy exposure | High | Low |
The right choice depends on your priorities. A safe, low-mileage driver who values savings may welcome an app. A driver who values privacy or fears a surcharge usually comes out ahead with a standard policy and the right discounts.
How do you lower your rate without telematics?
Plenty of discounts have nothing to do with an app. Stack the ones you qualify for, and a no-tracking policy can match or beat a tracked one. Insurers weigh many factors beyond driving apps, and you can review the full set in this breakdown of factors that affect car insurance rates.
Start with the savings that need no monitoring at all:
- Bundle your auto and home or renters policies with one carrier.
- Raise your deductible if you can cover the higher out-of-pocket cost.
- Ask for the multi-vehicle discount when you insure more than one car.
- Claim the good-student or defensive-driving course discount where offered.
- Pay the full term up front or set paperless billing for a small cut.
- Keep your credit healthy in states that allow credit-based pricing.
Low-mileage drivers have another path that does not require behavior tracking. A flat low-mileage policy prices you on how little you drive rather than how you drive, which suits remote workers and retirees. This guide to low-mileage car insurance explains who benefits most.
Discount | What it rewards | App required? |
Multi-policy bundle | Home plus auto with one insurer | No |
Multi-vehicle | Two or more cars on one policy | No |
Higher deductible | More risk you accept yourself | No |
Good student | Strong grades for young drivers | No |
Paid in full | One upfront payment | No |
Defensive driving | Completing an approved course | No |
Comparing several carriers matters most for a no-tracking driver. Each insurer weighs the standard factors differently, so the same profile can swing by hundreds of dollars between companies. Get at least three quotes before you buy.
How do you stop your car from sharing your driving data?
Refusing the insurer’s app is only half the job. A modern connected car can collect and share driving data on its own, separate from any insurance program.
Check your automaker’s connected-car app and settings first. Look for any safe-driving or driver-score feature and turn it off. Review the data privacy section and opt out of sharing with third parties where the option exists. The fine print is where most drivers unknowingly agreed to share.
Next, pull your own file from the data brokers. LexisNexis Risk Solutions and Verisk both let you request a consumer disclosure report that shows what driving data they hold on you. The Fair Credit Reporting Act gives you the right to see it and dispute errors.
Watch for a surprise on your insurance file too. Some drivers learned their rate rose because an insurer pulled a broker report built from connected-car data they never knew was shared. If a quote comes back higher than expected, ask the insurer which report it used and review that report for entries that do not belong to you.
Work through these steps to shut the data channel down:
- Open your automaker’s app and find the driver-score or safe-driving feature, then switch it off.
- Read the privacy menu and decline sharing with third parties and marketing partners.
- Request your consumer file from LexisNexis and Verisk to see what driving data they hold.
- Dispute any entry you can prove is wrong under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
- Check your settings again after a software update, since some updates reset privacy choices.
A class action filed in 2024 against GM and LexisNexis, plus a push from U.S. senators urging the Federal Trade Commission to act, shows how seriously regulators now treat this issue. Until the rules tighten, the safest move is to turn the sharing off yourself.
Which states limit telematics pricing?
State rules shape how much telematics can affect your price, and a few states protect drivers who decline.
California prohibits telematics-based pricing, so programs there stay limited. North Carolina and New York allow telematics to lower a premium but not to raise one, which removes the surcharge risk in those states. Other states are weighing similar limits, and Louisiana introduced a bill to bar insurers from using telematic data without the owner’s express consent.
State | Telematics pricing rule |
California | Telematics-based pricing prohibited |
New York | Discounts allowed, no surcharges |
North Carolina | Discounts allowed, no surcharges |
Most other states | Discounts and surcharges both allowed |
Rules change, so confirm the current law with your state insurance department before you assume a program can or cannot raise your rate.
Who should keep a standard policy without tracking?
A no-tracking policy fits some drivers better than others. You likely come out ahead without an app if any of these describe you.
Privacy-minded drivers gain the most, since a standard policy collects nothing beyond your application. Drivers with longer commutes or frequent highway driving often score poorly on braking and speed metrics, so they risk a surcharge rather than a discount. People who drive at night for work face the same problem, because late trips read as higher risk regardless of how carefully they drive.
A driver with a clean record and good credit, in states that allow credit-based pricing, already earns a strong traditional rate and gains little from an app. For these groups, stacking standard discounts and comparing carriers beats handing over a driving log.
Trust matters: rules and savings vary by state
Telematics availability, discount sizes, and pricing limits all differ across the United States. Three states ban or restrict telematics surcharges, while most allow them. Credit-based pricing, another factor that affects your rate, is banned in some states and permitted in others.
Confirm your options with a licensed insurer and your state insurance department before you choose a policy. Read any connected-car privacy notice before you activate a feature. A short review now prevents a data surprise later, and comparing several carriers protects both your wallet and your privacy.
Frequently asked questions
No. Telematics is an optional program you choose to join. Every major insurer still sells standard policies that price you on traditional factors, with no app or device. You can decline telematics and keep full coverage.
Maybe a little, since you skip the participation discount, which often runs 10 to 30 percent for high scorers. The median telematics saver kept about $120 a year per Consumer Reports. You can usually close that gap by bundling, raising your deductible, and comparing several carriers.
Not through its own app unless you enroll. A separate risk exists with connected cars, where the automaker may share driving data with brokers like LexisNexis. Turn off driver-score features in your car’s app and opt out of third-party data sharing to block that channel.
It will not lower a rate on its own, but it can prevent a future increase. If a broker holds connected-car data that paints you as risky, an insurer could price you higher. Stopping the data flow removes that risk going forward.
Yes, in most states. Some programs only reward safe driving, but others can raise your rate for a low score. Bankrate found about 1 in 5 Progressive Snapshot users pays more after enrolling. New York, North Carolina, and California limit or bar these increases.
Compare at least three carriers, since each weighs standard factors differently. Stack discounts that need no tracking, such as bundling, multi-vehicle, good-student, and paid-in-full. Keep your record clean and your credit healthy where state law allows credit-based pricing.
Putting it all together
Refusing telematics does not shut you out of car insurance. The programs are optional, so you can buy a standard policy anywhere and price it on the usual factors. You trade a possible app discount for privacy and a fixed price, then close the gap with discounts that need no tracking. Protect your data by turning off connected-car sharing and checking your broker reports for errors. If you want to compare quotes from several licensed carriers in one place without committing to any tracking program, Alias Insurance lets you check options side by side at no cost so you keep your privacy and a fair rate.
This article is for general information only and is not legal or insurance advice. Insurance rules, discounts, and telematics laws vary by state. Confirm your options with a licensed insurer and your state insurance department before choosing a policy. Reviewed by the Alias Insurance editorial team.
