I Work From Home: How Often Do I Need to Drive?

Are you one of the lucky 70 million Americans who work from home, your vehicle may not be getting as much use as it once did. Below, you can learn about how often you may need to drive if you work from home and how your driving frequency can affect your auto insurance rates.

How Often You Drive Can Affect Your Auto Insurance Rates

Did you know that someone who only drives 10,000 miles per year may not need to pay as much in auto insurance as someone who drives 100,000 miles per year?  This is because the less time you spend on the road, the less likely you are to be a part of an accident or another event for which your insurance provider will have to pay.

The way that an auto insurance provider calculates your average mileage per year may vary. For example, some will want to know your estimated annual mileage. Others may prefer to learn about the length of your commute. If you work from home, an insurance provider may be impressed with a zero-mileage daily commute because of your remote-work status.

Even if you don’t anticipate driving your vehicle as much as your buddy who has a 30-minute commute each way five days a week, you can still take precautions to maintain your vehicle. Schedule maintenance with our service center at Mazda of Orange so you can keep your vehicle in tip-top condition.

Track Your Mileage

Tracking your mileage is the most accurate method you can use to assess your current driving habits. If you want a quick estimate, you can set your odometer to zero and track your mileage for one week. At the end of this period, multiply the final number by 52 to account for the 52 weeks that are in a year.

You may also set your odometer to zero and track your mileage for one month. If you choose this method, you can multiply the final number by 12 at the end of the one-month period. This also gives you an estimate of how many miles you may drive over a one-year period.

Note that this method for tracking your mileage is especially helpful if your driving habits have recently changed. For example, your yearly mileage may be on track to decrease if you recently started working from home on a full-time or even part-time basis. Instead of using your car’s history, you can use your current driving habits to predict your future annual mileage. Once you collect your anticipated yearly mileage, you can contact your auto insurance provider to negotiate a lower premium.

Note that a weekly or monthly record of your driving may not be entirely accurate. If you didn’t go on any vacations during this period but you plan to during the year, note that your true annual mileage may be slightly higher than your prediction. Your true annual mileage might also be higher due to unexpected trips to see family or attend a child’s out-of-state sports championship.

Compare Records From Your Mechanic

If you’d like an immediate estimate of your annual mileage and don’t want to wait a week or month to collect data, you can compare records from your mechanic. Begin by looking for these records, which you may stow in your vehicle’s glove department or in another designated spot. For this method to be effective, you should have records of at least two service appointments that are one year apart.

Look at your vehicle’s mileage for the earlier and later appointments and subtract the lower number from the higher number. This number indicates how many miles you drove over a one-year period. While this figure will give you an accurate account of how many miles you drove in a previous year, it may not reflect future mileage accurately.

For example, imagine that you used to work full-time at an office but you now work from home permanently. If this is the case, you can’t rely on your mechanic’s records. Instead, you can track your mileage for a more accurate prediction of future mileage.

Does the Number of Miles on My Vehicle Affect My Auto Insurance Rate?

No, the starting number of miles on your vehicle doesn’t usually affect your auto insurance rate. While auto insurance providers may consider the age of your vehicle when determining an insurance rate, they don’t typically care about the number on your odometer. This means that you can purchase a car with 25,000, 50,000, 75,000, 100,000 miles, and beyond without worrying about how it’ll impact your starting insurance rate.

Other Factors That May Affect Auto Insurance Rates

While how many miles you drive per year can affect your auto insurance because of the increased risk exposure that comes with driving more miles, this number isn’t the sole determinant of the rate you pay. For example, your gender can affect how much you pay. Women tend to have lower car insurance rates than men because auto insurance providers deem them less likely to partake in risky driving behavior. However, this gender disparity may become insignificant as drivers approach a certain age.

Another factor that can affect your auto insurance rate is your age. Drivers who are under the age of 25 have less experience than older drivers, so their rates may be higher. Once you turn 25, your auto insurance rates may begin to decrease. Drivers may once again experience an increase in their rates when they turn 75, as older drivers may have vision problems or slower reaction times.

Your driving record may also affect your insurance rate. If you have a clean driving record with no history of driving infractions or vehicular accidents, you may be a less risky candidate for an auto insurance provider to insure. Other factors that may affect auto insurance include the prevalence of public transit in your area or low crime rates in your area.

If you work from home and are in the market for a new vehicle you can use to take you on weekend adventures, feel free to contact our team at Mazda of Orange. You can begin your car-shopping journey by browsing our inventory online. If you’d prefer, you can visit our dealership first to get a better idea of the vehicles we have in person. You’ll have complete freedom to admire their interiors, get a feel for their features, and test drive any vehicle that catches your attention.

2015 Mazda 3 XD Astina – First Drive by The NRMA is licensed with CC BY 2.0