Farmers Signal Review 2025

Farmers Signal is a telematics program that awards discounts based on your driving habits. You get 5 percent off once you sign up, and your final discount will depend on factors such as speeding, mileage and phone use while driving. Once your policy renews, you’ll receive your discount based on your driving score from the previous policy period (six months).

As a former Farmers customer and current senior writer for AutoInsurance.com, I did a deep dive into Signal to see how it works and how it compares to competing usage-based discount programs.

Is Farmers Signal worth it? I’ll break down the finer details of the telematics program, what real customers say about it, and who it’s best for.

Farmers Signal is a telematics-based insurance discount program. While you’re on the road, it measures these behaviors:

• Focused driving: Avoid distractions, including unlocking your device, touching the screen while driving, making phone calls, texting, and adjusting your navigation.
• Braking: Slow down sooner and at lower speeds.
• Speed: Drive within the posted speed limit.
• Time of day: Avoid driving during peak traffic times, like early morning, rush hour and late at night.
• Total mileage: Drive fewer than 8,000 miles in a year.

On the Farmers Signal app, you can update the trip type (driver or passenger). After a while, the app will use its algorithm to distinguish between trips when you’re driving and those when you’re a passenger. Because the app may not always be accurate, however, you’ll also be able to see a list of your tracked trips and change them accordingly.

Keep in mind that Signal can raise your rates if you display risky driving behaviors. This may vary by state, so contact your agent for details.

Farmers Signal is available in all states except California, Florida, Hawaii, New York, and South Carolina.

In California (where I live), you can technically download the Signal app and use the program, but you won’t get a discount. You’ll get feedback on your driving and can use the Crash Assist feature. But given that you won’t actually save money, I don’t recommend enrolling if you’re in California.

Although Farmers doesn’t advertise the exact discount, customers report a 5 percent enrollment discount and up to 25 percent off at renewal.

To maximize your discount, you’ll need to have all drivers on your policy sign up for Signal. The highest reported discount is not as large as those from competitors like Nationwide (40 percent) or USAA (30 percent). However, Signal offers unique discounts and perks that may make it worth it for certain households. I’ll go into more depth about that below.

Youthful Driver Discount

Drivers between 15 and 24 years old on a household policy can earn an extra discount with Signal. Farmers lists this as the Youthful Driver component of the Signal program. To qualify, the youthful driver must be enrolled and active in Signal.

If there are multiple young drivers on your policy, this discount will apply to the youngest eligible driver. Depending on your state, you can earn up to 10 percent in additional savings. For families with teens, Signal may be worth considering, especially since State Farm is the only other major provider with a telematics discount aimed at young drivers (Steer Clear).

Farmers gives an initial discount once you enroll in Signal and complete 10 trips. As long as each driver completes more than 10 trips during each six-month policy period, you get a discount at renewal. That means Farmers Signal has a lower trip threshold than Allstate Drivewise, which requires at least 50 trips every six months.

This model is also different from Nationwide SmartRide, which holds a four- to six-month trial period (instead of a minimum trip requirement) to calculate the discount you’ll receive at every renewal.

I took a deep dive into Farmers Signal to see what you can expect from the program. Here are some of the most important details to know.

Enrollment

To enroll in the Farmers Signal program, you’ll need to contact your agent. Once you’ve successfully enrolled, download the app and create your Farmers Signal account. Follow the on-screen steps to enable location and motion permissions. Signal runs in the background, so you won’t need to manually start or stop tracking each trip. If you want the highest discount possible, have every eligible driver on your policy enroll in Signal.

Trip Tracking

Farmers Signal relies solely on your smartphone’s sensors. The app automatically records your driving habits, including your phone use, speed and braking, as well as the time of day you’re on the road.

One potential drawback of this app-only setup is that Farmers Signal may track trips even when you’re a passenger. The app uses algorithms to determine whether you were driving or riding, but if it gets it wrong, you can update the trip in the app to keep an accurate driving score. If you forget to correct these entries, however, they could affect your potential discount.

Still, for most drivers, Signal’s seamless setup and app-only design make it one of the easier telematics programs to use.

Data Privacy

To use Farmers Signal, you must grant the app access to your location and motion data. According to Farmers’ privacy policy, this information may be used to evaluate your driving behavior and may be shared with trusted third-party service providers involved in the program’s management and analytics. Farmers emphasizes that it does not sell your personal data, but drivers who are cautious about continuous location tracking may want to weigh the trade-offs before enrolling.

Crash Detection

Farmers Signal uses crash detection technology, which can sense when your vehicle experiences a significant impact. If the app detects a potential crash, it can alert emergency services and notify your listed emergency contacts. Although this feature isn’t meant to replace emergency assistance, it adds the peace of mind that help can be dispatched automatically when needed.

Because I’m not a Farmers customer, I got a better sense of the Farmers Signal app experience from reviews in the Apple App Store and the Google Play store, as well as through third-party ratings services such as J.D. Power.

App Store and Google Play Reviews

Based on the reviews, you’ll likely get a better experience with iOS than with Android.

Rating (out of 5)

Users also frequently mentioned these complaints:

• Oversensitivity to certain factors, including the time of day and mileage
• Inaccurate logging of trips and distracted phone use
• Occasional glitches (like frozen screens)

On the other hand, customers said the app is easy to use and provides a big discount as long as you leave your phone alone while driving.

J.D. Power Score

I also got a better sense of Farmers Signal through J.D. Power’s Auto Insurance Study, which measures customer satisfaction among auto insurers. Farmers placed second in the usage-based-insurance category, ranking only behind Nationwide.¹

Here’s a look at how Farmers Signal compares with other providers’ telematics discount programs:

There are other ways to save with Farmers if you’re not sure about enrolling in Signal. Farmers offers multiple ways to get car insurance discounts:

• Bundling: Save on your policy by pairing your car insurance with home or renters insurance.
• Loyalty: Enjoy a discount for continuous coverage with Farmers and a history of few at-fault accidents.
• Payment: Get a discount for choosing auto-pay, having no late payments, or paying your premium up front.
• Affinity: This discount applies to those who belong to certain organizations or professions, or those who have military status.
• Safe driver: You can save on car insurance if you’ve had a clean driving record for the past three years.
• Accident-free: If your household has had no at-fault accidents in the past five years, you qualify for a discount.
• Vehicle equipment: Get a discount on your policy for car safety features such as vehicle tracking systems, anti-theft devices, airbags and locking systems.

Farmers Signal can be a great way for safe, consistent drivers to earn discounts and rewards, but it’s not a guaranteed win for everyone. If you already pay attention to your speed, avoid hard braking, don’t use your phone behind the wheel, and drive mostly in lower-risk settings (daytime, familiar routes), Signal gives you a chance to convert those good habits into savings.

In states where Signal is available, the size of the discount also varies. Some drivers may see modest reductions, while others (like those with safe driving habits) could see more meaningful savings. But if you’re likely to trigger too many driving-score penalties, your premium could increase instead.

If you’re already a cautious, low-mileage driver who doesn’t mind some oversight, Farmers Signal could be worth it. The program is also great for encouraging young drivers to drive safely, as it offers extra discounts while providing real-time feedback.

Farmers Signal is ideal if you:

• Drive safely and usually avoid speeding, hard braking and phone use on the road.
• Want to practice safe driving habits and earn a discount.
• Live in a state where Farmers Signal offers higher discounts.
• Have a teen driver and want to save on your policy.

Farmers Signal is not ideal if you:

• Regularly drive during rush hour or busy traffic times.
• Drive more than 8,000 miles per year.
• Want to keep your driving data private.
• Live in Florida, Hawaii, New York, South Carolina or California.

Our evaluations of usage-based insurance programs, including Farmers Signal, follow a clear and consistent approach designed to help drivers understand what to expect.

Tracked Behaviors and Data

We start by looking at what data each program collects to calculate discounts. Most track behaviors such as braking, acceleration, cornering, speed, total mileage, phone use while driving, and driving times. We favor programs that automatically detect trips for convenience and accuracy. Crash detection is a nice bonus, but it’s not essential. Additionally, we look for insurers that encrypt driving data and refrain from sharing it with third parties for marketing purposes.

Availability

Because not all telematics programs are offered nationwide, we review where each one is available and how savings may vary by state. Programs that maintain consistent availability and discount potential across multiple regions rank higher in our evaluations.

Telematics Technology

Whether a program runs on a mobile app, a plug-in device or both, the technology affects the user experience. Mobile apps are easier to set up, but they may drain your battery or misclassify rides as driving trips. Plug-in and Bluetooth devices tend to be more accurate. When an app is used, we check its performance and customer ratings in the Google Play store and the Apple App Store.

Rates

We analyze the potential savings each program offers. Top programs provide discounts of 30 percent or more and often include an initial enrollment bonus. We favor programs that reward safe driving without raising your rates for riskier behavior.