If you drive a Tesla and live in Arizona, you’re eligible to get Tesla Insurance to protect your vehicle. Among its benefits, Tesla Insurance can be cheaper than auto insurance through other major companies, especially if you’re a safe driver. Review this guide to learn about the cost of Tesla Insurance in Arizona, factors affecting your insurance rate, and ways you can improve your driving habits to lower your premium.
How Much Is Tesla Insurance? Arizona Costs
Tesla currently offers its in-house Tesla Insurance to drivers in eight states, including Arizona. According to Forbes, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has vowed the company’s insurance will “cost less and be better” than traditional car insurance. The company estimates its insurance can help drivers save between 20% and 40% on their premiums — and even more if they’re safe drivers. Tesla bases insurance costs on a driver’s Safety Score, which evaluates their driving risk.
While Tesla Insurance prices can vary widely based on a driver’s Safety Score, a recent ValuePenguin survey found Tesla drivers with a Tesla Insurance policy pay an average of $2,030 per year for all-new models. The consumer spending website estimates the average cost of Tesla Insurance is 49% less than the average rate among all available insurers.
What Impacts the Cost of Tesla Insurance? Arizona Safety Factors
Tesla uses real-time driving behavior to calculate the cost of your insurance premium. Based on your driving habits, you get a monthly Safety Score, which determines the price of your insurance. When you sign up for Tesla Insurance, you’ll get a default Safety Score of 90. After that, your premium can change monthly based on your Safety Score. The higher your score, the lower your premium for that month. In Arizona, Tesla will determine your Safety Score based on five factors, which include:
Forward Collision Warnings Per 1,000 Miles
Your Tesla provides forward collision warnings, which are audible or visual alerts, whenever it senses a possible collision with another vehicle or object in front of your car. These warnings factor into your monthly Safety Score at a rate per 1,000 miles. Tesla caps the highest value at 101.9 per 1,000 miles in your Safety Score.
Hard Braking
When you brake suddenly, your Tesla will measure the force of the backward acceleration, known as hard braking. Hard braking at speeds greater than 6.7 mph in one second will count against your Safety Score. Your vehicle measures the percentage of manual braking with excessive force when you’re driving and not using Autopilot. It caps this value at 7.4% in your Safety Score.
Aggressive Turning
Similar to hard braking, your Tesla vehicle measures the speed of your turns. Any increase in the car’s speed to the left or right over 8.9 mph in one second will count as an aggressive turn. The vehicle measures the percentage of aggressive turning when you’re driving and not using Autopilot. Tesla caps this value at 17.1% in your Safety Score.
Unsafe Following
As you drive, your Tesla measures the speed of the vehicle, the speed of the vehicle in front of you, and the distance between the two. Using those measurements, it can determine how many seconds it would require for you to react if the vehicle in front of you stopped suddenly. Tesla measures your unsafe following score as a percentage and caps it at 60% in your Safety Score.
Forced Autopilot Disengagement
The final factor of your Safety Score measures whether the vehicle has to disengage the Autopilot system due to inattentive driving. This system disengages whenever you receive three audio and visual warnings that you’ve become inattentive. If the system disengages during a trip, you receive a value of 1. If the system doesn’t disengage, your value is 0.
How Can You Lower Your Tesla Insurance? Arizona Tips
Unlike other car insurers, Tesla will not consider additional factors, such as credit, age, or gender, to determine your insurance rate. The only way you can lower your monthly premium is by improving your Safety Score. Use these tips to increase your Safety Score and lower your premium:
- Leave enough space. When you’re following another vehicle on the road, make sure you leave enough space in front of you. Drive slower in heavy traffic so you have more time to stop.
- Brake slowly. Any time you need to slow down or stop, avoid using excessive force. Pay attention so you can brake slowly and roll to a stop.
- Make gradual turns. Avoid shifting suddenly during any turn, whether you’re taking a corner or changing lanes. Make gradual turns by reducing your speed and then accelerating again slowly as you complete the turn.
- Don’t tailgate. Don’t drive too close behind other vehicles. When driving on slick roads, slow down and leave more distance between vehicles so you can react safely.
- Keep your hands on the wheel. Whenever you’re using Autopilot, keep your hands on the wheel so the system doesn’t disengage. Review the owner’s manual to learn more about using the Autopilot system safely.
How Can You Purchase Tesla Insurance in Arizona?
If you’re an Arizona resident who drives a Tesla, you’re eligible to purchase Tesla Insurance. It only takes a few minutes to sign up and insure your vehicle through Tesla. Follow these steps to get Tesla Insurance in Arizona:
- Current Tesla owners. If you already own a Tesla and you want to switch to Tesla Insurance, log into the app to purchase a policy. Tap your profile picture in the upper right corner, choose “Get Tesla Insurance,” and follow the prompts.
- New Tesla owners. If you’re buying a new Tesla, you can buy a Tesla Insurance policy once you have the vehicle identification number in your account. Use the app and follow the above steps to get a Tesla Insurance policy for your new vehicle.
- Tesla owners with other vehicles. If you’re a Tesla owner with other non-Tesla vehicles you want to insure, you can add those cars to your Tesla Insurance policy. Existing policyholders should contact Tesla directly to add other vehicles to their policy.
If you’re a Tesla driver in Arizona, you may want to consider Tesla Insurance to keep your vehicle safe. In many cases, you can save money by insuring your vehicle directly through Tesla. Practice safe driving habits to lower your monthly premium even further, putting money back into your wallet.
At FIXD, our mission is to make car ownership as simple, easy, and affordable as possible. Our research team utilizes the latest automotive data and insights to create tools and resources that help drivers get peace of mind and save money over the life of their car.
