How Does Mercury RealDrive Work? Does it Save You Money?

Last Updated on November 14, 2023

If you’re a savvy consumer and love finding ways to save money, you’ll always be on the lookout for ways to keep your car insurance affordable without sacrificing coverage and customer service.  While most insurers offer discounts to entice new customers and keep old ones, Mercury Insurance offers a little something extra that can save you more of your hard-earned cash.

Mercury, based in Los Angeles, offers auto insurance coverage in California, Nevada, Arizona, Florida, Texas, Illinois, Georgia, New York, Oklahoma, Virginia, and New Jersey. Mercury RealDrive is a program that drivers can sign up for to reduce their insurance costs.

What is RealDrive?

In a nutshell, RealDrive is a program where you are offered a substantial discount simply by verifying how many miles you drive. In other words, it’s a pay-per-mile insurance option. Your rate is determined by distance driven.

Sign-up Discount

What makes RealDrive even more enticing for vehicle owners is the fact that you get a 5% discount right off the bat when you sign up. You then keep that 5% discount for the time you remain in the program.

If you’re not driving that much, RealDrive makes Mercury a solid auto insurance choice compared to other insurance companies that don’t offer pay-per-mile coverage.

How Does it Work?

Fortunately, RealDrive is easy for drivers. All you need to do is sign up and verify your mileage before your renewal. To sign up, you’ll need to get a quote online and then buy your policy online, or you can speak with an agent if you have questions, and he or she will get you set up.  The agent will take care of all the details for you.

When it comes time to renew your policy, you might be asked to verify your mileage. Mercury will send you a renewal reminder so that you won’t forget.  In short, as the Mercury website says, the procedure is simple: quote and enroll, then verify. That’s it!

Verify mileage

But how do you confirm your total mileage? While a Mercury agent will be able to tell you which method they prefer, you can easily keep track of your mileage in a couple of different ways.

Yearly inspection

If you get your car inspected yearly, as required in some areas, you use the mileage written down on the report as your starting point. Subtract that from the mileage on your odometer at the time of verification.

Odometer reading

You can also calculate miles driven by writing down the number on the odometer on your windshield the day your insurance policy comes into effect. You then subtract that number from the odometer’s reading when it’s time to renew.

Driving log

You can also keep a log of how many miles you drive each time you take out your car, and add up the miles at renewal time.

Telematics

Another way to keep track of your mileage is through telematics. This is where your insurance company installs a small black box on your car which will monitor how far you drive. You’ll need to contact a Mercury agent to see if this verification method is used. However, in lieu of a black box, you can always download an app to your phone to track your driving. You can keep this information to yourself or can arrange to have it relayed to your insurance company. Again, you’ll need to speak with an agent for specific details.

The important thing to remember is to keep track of how much you drive. Never guess because you can end up paying too much. Even worse, if you severely underestimate your mileage, you might see a claim refused or your coverage canceled.

Does RealDrive Save You Money?

Simply put, yes. Just for signing up, you save 5%, and as mentioned above, you keep that discount for as long as you are enrolled in the RealDrive program. The agents will work out the rate reduction based on the mileage you provide. The less you drive, the lower your rate, so the amount you save is really up to you and your driving habits.

With that being said, don’t forget that Mercury allows several discounts at once, which other insurers might not do. This means that your yearly insurance bill can be hundreds of dollars cheaper with Mercury than with other providers. This is definitely something to keep in mind. If you’re wondering which discounts you can apply for along with RealDrive, visit Mercury’s website or speak with an agent.  Remember that you can only get a discount if you ask for it!

Mercury RealDrive – Our Takeaway

If you are a driver who is serious about saving money without sacrificing coverage, you might want to have a look at ReadDrive, Mercury’s pay-per-mile option. You’ll need to keep good records, have a device installed, or download a mileage tracking app on your phone. Your agent will tell you what you need to do when you call to get a quote. A good sign is that the website claims the procedure is easy: you sign up, verify your mileage at the time of renewal, and save money.

Along with the other discounts on offer at Mercury which can be applied at the same time as the RealDrive program, you can save a huge amount of money. So if you don’t drive that much, this could be an insurance policy that is tailor-made to suit your specific needs.