Drivers of cars from General Motors, Ford, Honda and other popular brands say their premiums have increased because the companies have sent data about their driving behavior to issuers without their knowledge.
Ken Dahl, 65, is a Seattle-area businessman. Who told the New York Times The cost of his auto insurance rose 21% in 2022 after GM’s OnStar Smart Driver computer system in his Chevrolet Bolt collected information about the details of his driving habits.
Dahl said she was told by her insurance agent that the price increase was based on data collected by LexisNexis. LexisNexis compiled a report that tracked him and his wife every time they drove their Chevrolet Bolt over a six-month period.
Dahl said the 258-page report includes information about his trip’s start and end times, distance covered, and other data detailing possible instances of speeding, hard braking, and sudden acceleration. It is said that it was included.
The report included information about a specific 18-minute, 11.33-mile trip that took place in June.
LexisNexis reports two instances of sudden acceleration and two instances of sudden braking during the same trip.
The LexisNexis report said the details compiled by the company were gathered from OnStar Smart Driver, a GM-owned subscription service that records driver information such as total mileage, hard braking incidents, and other aspects of driver behavior. It was shown that it is a thing.
According to the company’s website, OnStar Smart Driver “offers driving insights on how to become a smarter, safer driver,” while also allowing users to “earn badges by completing challenges and participate in various driving Build up habit-specific streaks and view all your data in an intuitive dashboard.”
“I felt betrayed,” Dahl said. “They’re taking information that I didn’t think would be shared and ruining our insurance.”
It’s not just electric car owners who are dissatisfied.
A Cadillac driver based in Palm Beach County, Florida, told the Times he is considering a lawsuit against GM after seven companies denied him car insurance in December.
He said he plans to sell his Cadillac and will never buy a GM car again.
The decision was based on a LexisNexis report detailing his driving behavior over a six-month period, including numerous instances of hard braking, sudden acceleration and speeding.
“I don’t know the definition of hard braking. The passenger’s head is not hitting the dashboard,” an anonymous Cadillac driver who, like Dahl, was subscribed to the OnStar Smart Driver subscription service told the Times.
“Acceleration is similar. It’s not peeling. I don’t know how the car defines it. I don’t feel like I’m driving aggressively or dangerously.”
GM, whose portfolio of brands includes Chevrolet, GMC, Cadillac and Buick, is not the only auto company collecting data through internet connections and providing it to insurance companies.
Subaru, Mitsubishi, Honda, Kia and Hyundai also offer the option to turn on similar features without drivers knowing their data is being sold to brokers like LexisNexis.
Verisk said it had accessed driver data for millions of vehicles, including those made by Ford, Honda and Hyundai.
A Ford spokesperson told the Times that the company “does not send any connected vehicle data to either partner” (see Verisk and LexisNexis).
Ford will only share driver behavioral data with insurance companies if the driver explicitly consents through the in-vehicle touchscreen.
Kia, Mitsubishi, Hyundai, Honda, and Acura allow drivers to turn off data collection about their on-road behavior in their apps.
But Honda requires drivers to agree to a 2,000-word “Terms of Use” screen on the app that specifies that the company will share data with Verisk.
The paper has contacted Honda for comment.
“GM’s OnStar Smart Driver service is an option for customers who consent three times before limited data is shared with insurance companies through third parties,” a GM spokesperson told the Post.
“Customer benefits include learning more about their safe driving behavior and vehicle performance, which, with consent, can be used to obtain insurance quotes,” the spokesperson said. Customers can also unsubscribe from Smart Driver at any time.”
A LexisNexis spokesperson told the Times that the information the company obtains from OnStar is “for insurers to use as one of many elements to create more personalized insurance coverage.” He said there is.
