What drivers want from driving scores — and what it means for insurers

Key takeaways

Drivers want context, but patterns over time can provide a fuller picture. 
66% say the circumstances surrounding driving behavior should factor into a score at least somewhat, creating an opportunity for carriers to explain how looking across many trips can provide a more meaningful view of driving behavior than any single event.

Drivers want to understand why a score changes and what’s driving it. 
34% say they would mistrust a score that changed significantly without a clear explanation, highlighting why giving drivers visibility into what influences their score can help carriers make the experience easier to understand.

For most drivers, sharing driving data is a value exchange. 
Nearly nine in 10 (89%) say savings or other benefits could make sharing their driving data with an insurer feel worthwhile, and the detailed findings give carriers a clearer picture of what can make the value exchange feel worth it.

Drivers value different benefits from their driving data. 
Younger drivers are more likely to value feedback that helps them improve, while older drivers place more value on faster roadside assistance, suggesting telematics benefits may resonate differently across age groups.

Introduction

For carriers looking to drive participation in telematics and safe-driving programs, driver trust is essential.

Arity’s August 2026 survey of 1,000 U.S. drivers suggests carriers have an encouraging foundation to build on. Nearly half (44%) selected current driving habits, such as speeding or hard braking, as one of the factors that should have the greatest influence on auto insurance price — ahead of years of driving experience, mileage, location, or credit history.

Drivers also see value in the insights driving scores can provide. More than eight in 10 (83%) said a driving score would be at least somewhat helpful in identifying patterns in their driving they may not notice themselves, including more than half (56%) who said it would be very or extremely helpful.

Whether drivers are willing to share the data behind those scores is a separate consideration, and may depend on whether the value exchange seems worthwhile.

For insurers, the findings point to two distinct questions:

• Do drivers trust how the score works?
• Do they see enough value in sharing their data?

Answering those questions can help insurers design telematics programs that build trust, make the benefits of participation clear, and give drivers better reasons to opt in.

Trust starts with explaining what goes into a driving score

Drivers have different levels of familiarity with driving scores. The survey findings highlight where understanding is more developed and where additional explanation may be useful.

• 27% say they know what driving scores are. Another 46% have heard the term but aren’t sure what it means, and 28% have never heard of them.
• 89% correctly believe that a driving score is based on patterns across many trips over time.
• At the same time, 65% also believe just one bad trip or isolated behavior can significantly change a score, highlighting an opportunity to build understanding around how scores are calculated over time.

Drivers also want to understand not just what their score is, but what it reflects and why it may change.

• Two-thirds (66%) say the circumstances surrounding driving behavior should factor into a score at least somewhat, and 34% say they would mistrust a score if it didn’t account for why a behavior occurred.
• Another 34% say they would mistrust a score if it changed significantly without a clear explanation, and 30% say the same if one unusual trip or isolated event had a major effect on their score.

What drivers consider relevant context varies by situation. For example, 45% say context should matter at least moderately when a driver briefly uses their phone for navigation during an unexpected road closure, compared with 32% for braking hard once to avoid a crash and 30% for briefly speeding to merge safely into traffic.[Text Wrapping Break]

These findings point to an opportunity to make driving-score experiences easier for consumers to understand. While drivers may want the circumstances around individual events to matter, looking at driving behavior across many trips can provide a fuller picture than any single trip or isolated behavior.

For carriers, clearly explaining what a score reflects, how patterns factor in over time, and how driving information may be used in the insurance process can help consumers better understand the role their driving behavior data plays and build confidence in the experience.

Importantly, consumers also want transparency into why their score changes and what behaviors influence it.

A stronger value exchange can support participation

Beyond understanding and trust, drivers also need to see clear value in sharing their data. Nearly nine in 10 (89%) say savings or other benefits could make sharing their driving data with an auto insurer worthwhile.

For many, that starts with price. The survey found 62% would need to potentially save at least $100 per year to make sharing worthwhile. Rewards and discounts also matter, with 39% of drivers saying they would value them for safer driving.

Minimum annual savings drivers say they would need to make sharing their driving data feel worthwhile:

• 10% — No savings needed if other benefits were enough
• 4% — Less than $50
• 13% — $50–$99
• 28% — $100–$249
• 19% — $250–$499
• 15% — $500 or more
• 11% — No amount of potential savings would make sharing worthwhile

But the value exchange doesn’t have to stop there. Drivers also point to benefits beyond price. More than a third (38%) selected recommendations for safer routes based on road, traffic, or weather conditions as valuable, while 29% said the same about insights that could help them identify risky driving habits and improve over time.

The findings suggest that savings may be a clear entry point, but different drivers may find value in different combinations of benefits. For carriers, that creates an opportunity to define the value of driving behavior data more broadly — pairing a clear insurance benefit with useful feedback and experiences that can remain relevant after enrollment.

What different age groups value most

Age can also shape which benefits stand out.

When asked which uses of driving data they would find most valuable, 38% of drivers ages 18-29 selected insights that could help them identify risky driving habits. That compares with just 24% of drivers ages 62–80.

Older drivers, meanwhile, were more likely to select faster roadside assistance. Nearly one-quarter (23%) of drivers ages 62–80 selected using driving data to help roadside assistance reach them faster, compared with just 8% of drivers ages 18–29.

For carriers, these differences suggest that a mix of benefits can help make telematics participation more appealing to different groups of customers.

Drivers believe driving behavior should play a meaningful role in insurance pricing

Drivers are clear about one thing: They want what happens on the road to play a meaningful role in what they pay for insurance.

When asked to choose up to three factors that should have the greatest influence on auto insurance price, drivers prioritized factors tied directly to driving history and behavior:

• 71% selected history of accidents and insurance claims.
• 63% selected history of traffic violations.
• 44% selected current driving habits, such as speeding or hard braking.

Current driving habits ranked ahead of years of driving experience (38%), how much and how often someone drives (25%), where they live and typically drive (15%), and credit and financial history (6%).

That doesn’t mean drivers expect their current behavior to be the only factor that determines what they pay. But the findings suggest drivers see a meaningful place for real-world driving behavior alongside traditional measures of risk.

Turning consumer understanding into a new-business opportunity

When consumers understand what their driving data shows and how it may be used, it can create a more transparent customer experience and make them more comfortable sharing that data during the shopping process.

That is what Arity and Experian are working to enable. Eligible consumers can access an ​​Arity Driving Report through Experian, reviewing the behaviors in their educational Arity Driving Score, and decide whether to use eligible driving information while shopping for insurance.

If they choose to proceed and provide the required consent, participating carriers can request their licensed Arity IQ score or selected driving attributes during the quote process. The information available to a carrier may differ from the educational score or information displayed in the consumer’s Arity Driving Report.

For carriers, this creates an opportunity to gain additional visibility into driving risk before a policy is written and evaluate the information within their approved underwriting and pricing processes.

The bigger takeaway is simple: trust and a clearer consumer value exchange can help make driving intelligence more accessible, more understandable and more actionable at new business.

About the survey

Arity survey results reflect self-reported survey responses and consumer opinions and may not be representative of all drivers. References to driving scores, savings, pricing, driving improvement or safety outcomes reflect survey responses and do not guarantee individual results. Actual results vary.