Usage-based insurance can be tricky
Despite efforts, a full discount proves elusive
Ajusto is a usage-based discount auto insurance program from Desjardins Insurance. But is its advertised 25-per-cent discount actually attainable? I put it to the test.
Savings are based on mileage, time of day you drive and avoiding fast acceleration and hard braking, all as measured by the firm’s plug-in device.
In three years, I’ve rated 18-, 21and now a 24-per-cent discount. But this is for a seldom-used, second vehicle driven less than 2,000 kilometres annually (the limit for the full mileage discount).
Realistically, most Ajusto users score a 10- to 15-per-cent discount. No driver, at last check, has achieved the full 25-per-cent maximum discount.
Despite flawless driving the past five months, I’m still losing 1 per cent for fast acceleration/sudden braking, which Desjardins explains is because it’s a weighted average of events versus mileage over the past year. The combined total must be below 0.75/100km for a full discount. My current score is 0.78/ 100km.
My painstaking secret to avoiding demerits is to accelerate gently through the first 20 km/h from a stop, where it’s easiest to trigger a penalty, then I accelerate normally.
Conversely, to stop quickly, I brake hard initially, then let up through the last 20 km/h — provided I have sufficient leeway to safely do this, of course.
I’m concerned that Ajusto faulting drivers for hard braking might indirectly encourage some to run amber lights rather than stopping as required by law.
Also, I once had to brake full-on to avoid a crash with a left-turn driver. I was penalized by Ajusto’s theoretical model for preventing a realworld collision.
“We don’t encourage running amber lights,” answers Alex Veilleux of Desjardins. “In normal situations, we believe one can safely stop without hard braking, and the program tolerates a minimal number of events to account for exceptional situations.”
Ajusto now offers an iPhone or Android phone app that eliminates the need for its device. It’s free to try to see how your driving rates. However, in addition to the parameters cited above, app users are also monitored for hard cornering and speeding (although 10 to 15 km/h over is tolerated, according to the posted limit).
If these extra parameters are problematic for you, stick with the plugin device, or none. Ultimately, it’s your choice to be monitored or to forgo the discount offered.
Email your non-mechanical questions to Eric Lai at wheels@thestar.ca. Due to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided. Freelance writer Eric Lai’s Auto Know column appears each Saturday in Toronto Star Wheels. For more Toronto Star Wheels stories, go to thestar.com/autos. To reach Wheels Editor Norris McDonald: nmcdonald@thestar.ca