Millions of drivers enrolled in General Motors’ Smart Driver program between 2016 and 2024 expecting safety feedback.
Attorneys general from 35 states and the District of Columbia say GM then sold the driving data to brokers, who passed it to insurers that used it to set, and sometimes raise, premium rates.
GM agreed to pay $220 million to settle the claims in late October.
A similar file exists outside GM. A data company called LexisNexis keeps claims histories that insurers use for pricing, and for some drivers it also holds driving behavior data. Federal regulators say you can see yours for free.
What the file can hold
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says LexisNexis’ C.L.U.E. reports collect auto, home and personal property claims going back up to seven years, and that the company also gathers driving behavior data for auto insurance pricing.
A claim you filed years ago can follow you from insurer to insurer. So can a claim that was never yours.
How to request your copy
LexisNexis provides one free report every 12 months if you ask. You can request it at consumer.risk.lexisnexis.com or by phone at 866-897-8126, or mail a request to LexisNexis Risk Solutions Consumer Center, P.O. Box 105108, Atlanta, GA 30348-5108.
Companies required to provide free annual reports must respond within 15 days of your request.
When it arrives, check each claim against your own records, including dates, amounts, vehicles and names. Look for losses on cars you never owned and for driving events you do not recognize.
You can dispute errors with both LexisNexis and the company that supplied the information, and the company must investigate free of charge. If the information is wrong, the provider must correct it and notify the agencies it sent the error to.
Ask your carmaker for its copy
The Federal Trade Commission’s final order against GM and OnStar, announced in January 2026, bars the company from giving geolocation and driver behavior data to consumer reporting agencies for five years.
For 20 years, GM must get affirmative express consent before collecting or sharing connected vehicle data. It must also give U.S. consumers a way to request a copy of their data and ask for its deletion.
That order covers GM only. Drivers of other brands can look in the vehicle’s settings menu, the companion app and the maker’s privacy page for data-sharing and opt-out choices.
Insurer-run telematics programs, where you agree to monitoring in exchange for a discount, are a separate matter.
When a premium jumps, the insurer owes you a name
An insurer that raises premiums based partly or completely on a consumer report must send an adverse action notice, according to the FTC. Even a small role for the report triggers it.
The notice has to include the reporting agency’s contact information, your right to dispute what it holds, and your right to a free copy of your report if you ask within 60 days.
A renewal that rises with no clear reason is worth a call. Ask whether a consumer report played any part, and if so, which agency supplied it.
Then price the policy again
A corrected file does not guarantee a lower rate, but it removes one reason to pay more.
Comparing quotes is the quickest way to learn whether your current insurer is charging more than others, and price walking can mean longtime customers pay more than new ones. Money's car insurance page is one place to start comparing rates.
Keep the C.L.U.E. report, any adverse action notice and your renewal paperwork together. If the numbers disagree, that stack is your paper trail for a dispute.
Add a Comment