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USAA SafePilot® driving scores and discounts

Learn how we calculate your driving score and discount.

What determines my discount?

Your discount is based on a driving score and whether all eligible drivers on your policy are participating in USAA SafePilot.

Driving score

Your driving score shows how safe you’re driving, with 100 being the best. The USAA DriveSafe™ App automatically tracks your trips, mileage and infractions to calculate your score.

If multiple drivers are participating, everyone’s scores are averaged together to calculate a discount.

Eligible drivers

To earn the maximum 30% discount, all eligible drivers on your policy must participate.

For example, If only 1 driver participates on a policy with 2 eligible drivers, the maximum discount is 15% instead of 30%.

Things that affect your driving score

Meeting driving requirements, when your policy renews and your estimated hours of driving time can all affect your score. Infractions play a big part, too. The USAA DriveSafe App automatically captures distracted and unsafe driving infractions, which can lower your score.

But don’t worry — your score is based on trends over hundreds of miles, so one infraction shouldn’t dramatically affect it.

Score requirement

Each participant needs to drive at least 325 miles and 16 hours before the lock period starts. This is when we process your discount before renewal.

The lock period varies by state and starts approximately 60 to 90 days before your policy renews.

Phone handling infractions

This includes any time you touch the screen, send a text, use your phone for apps, music, directions, or make calls—whether handheld or hands-free using your speaker or Bluetooth®. Even if a passenger uses your phone, it will show as phone handling.

Harsh braking infractions

This is a sharp decrease in speed over a short distance. Slowing down too quickly or going over speed bumps or potholes can force you to brake harshly.  It’s common and sometimes out of your control.

Annualized hours driven

This is a projection of how much you’d drive in a year based on your current policy term.

Policy renewal

Your driving score resets to 100 at the start of each new auto policy period.

Tips for improving your score

Your score updates after most trips within a few minutes, but it can take up to a day to reflect changes.

Secure your phone.

Your phone can move around in a cup holder or glove box and trigger phone handling. Put it where it won’t shift and set up apps like Apple CarPlay or Android Auto before you start driving.

Put your phone on do-not-disturb mode.

Some things may require you to answer a call, but keep them to a minimum to get the highest possible driving score.

Try to avoid harsh braking.

Slow down earlier and over a longer distance. Leave more space between you and the other cars. Going over speed bumps or potholes too fast can also show as harsh braking.

Drive less when you can.

In general, driving less could help increase your score, but don’t worry if you can’t do that.

Change your trip status if the app got it wrong.

If you were a passenger but the app thought you were driving, you may find infractions that could affect your score. Check your trips and correct them if needed within 14 days in the app’s Trip History.

SafePilot driving scores and discounts FAQ

After you enroll in the USAA SafePilot program, we’ll apply a participation discount of up to 10% to your auto insurance policy.

If you’re new to the program, you must have driven at least 325 miles and 16 hours before your first score and discount will show in the app.

We’ll apply the earned discount from qualified drivers to your policy’s next term at renewal and remove their participation discount. You can find the policy term’s effective date in the USAA DriveSafe App on the Policy Discount tab.

No. Your driving score won’t have any negative impact on your auto insurance rate. We’ll only use it to calculate your discount.

Your rate could change based on other things not related to your participation in USAA SafePilot.

It could be. Your discount depends on 2 factors:

  1. The number of eligible drivers on your policy who are enrolled in the USAA SafePilot program. If eligible drivers aren’t enrolled, your participation discount will reflect that.
  2. The scores of the drivers enrolled in the SafePilot program. If you add an eligible driver, we’ll factor their driving score into the overall score.

Participation discount:

  • You can get a discount just by enrolling and participating in the program.
  • IIf everyone on your policy joins, you get the full discount.
  • If some drivers don’t join, the discount is less.
  • This discount lasts for 365 days or until we gather enough info to calculate your earned discount, whichever comes first. 

Earned discount: 

  • With the USAA SafePilot program, you can earn up to a 30% total policy discount.
  • A few weeks before your policy renews, we lock your score to calculate the earned discount for the next policy period.
  • We start this process early to meet state requirements.
  • To get the largest possible earned discount, each participating driver needs to have driven at least 325 miles and 16 hours by the score lock date.

If you don’t meet the minimum driving requirements for the earned discount but haven’t been in the program for 365 days, you still get the participation discount.

View all USAA SafePilot FAQ

More information

USAA Safe Driving Programs

  • USAA DriveSafe App setup guide
  • Getting started with the USAA DriveSafe App
  • Learn about the USAA SafePilot Program

USAA Auto Insurance

  • Review auto coverage options
  • Find other auto discounts
  • Go to my auto policy
  • Learn about USAA Auto Insurance

Need more help?

A USAA representative can guide you.

Call 800-531-USAA (8722)

For TTY devices, dial 711

Related footnotes:

  1. The USAA SafePilot® program is an optional discount program available with USAA Auto Insurance. Member must have an active USAA Auto Insurance policy and enroll in  USAA SafePilot to receive discount. This program is only available in select states. Program availability and state restrictions apply. Smartphone and download of the USAA DriveSafe™ App required.

    Participation discount expires at first renewal in which the earned driving discount is applied, not to exceed 365 days. Earned driving discount is offered at renewal and is based on driving behavior of all the rated drivers on the policy. Discount may vary by state and over the life of the policy.

    Review the Program Terms and Conditions (Opens in New Window) for more information.

  2. Auto Insurance underwritten by United Services Automobile Association (USAA), USAA Casualty Insurance Company, USAA General Indemnity Company, Garrison Property and Casualty Insurance Company, based in San Antonio, Texas; USAA S.A. (Europe), and USAA S.A. UK Branch (United Kingdom), and is available only to persons eligible for P&C group membership. Each company has sole financial responsibility for its own products. Coverages subject to the terms and conditions of the policy.

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