Is OnStar a Good Use of Your Money?

A large percentage of people who have OnStar on their vehicles don’t even know what their service provides them.  Here is a break down of what the OnStar services provide, to help you determine if it’s worth the fee once your free trial year ends (most GMAC vehicles give you one year of OnStar for free when you purchase a new vehicle).

Safe and Sound Plan: (approximately $19 per month or $199 paid a year in advance)

Emergency Response – special accident detectors located all around the car will notify OnStar operators if you are in a crash, even if your airbags do not deploy. They get a live connection into your vehicle to talk to you and will dispatch emergency vehicles to your exact location. Even if you are unable to call for help or talk when the operators use your OnStar system to talk with you, GPS will determine your location, and details about the crash are relayed to the OnStar operators screen, including where the impact of the accident took place, whether the airbags deployed or not, how fast the vehicle was going during impact, and if the car rolled over or not.

Emergency Services – there is a button in your car that allows you to connect with emergency operators. You can notify the operators if you see someone else in an accident or broke down, get assistance if you become lost, or if you need medical, police or fire assistance. And OnStar can notify authorities of lost children under AmberAlert.

Roadside Assistance – if you run out of gas, your tire goes flat, or your car stops running, you can use your blue OnStar button to talk to an advisor. The GPS will help locate you even if you don’t know where you are exactly. A nearby service provider can be contacted and dispatched to help you.

Crisis Assist – before, during and after a crisis event (severe weather, natural disasters, etc) – the onstar operators can help you find evacuation routes to get out of harms way, or provide you with the nearest fueling station if you’re running out of gas.  If you are in need of food, water, medical assistance or a hospital, OnStar can direct you to the nearest source, as well as help you find accommodations or shelter if needed.

Stolen Vehicle Slowdown – if your car is stolen, you can use any phone to dial into OnStar’s stolen vehicle assistance toll free line.  Onstar’s GPS locating system will find your vehicles exact location and provide the information to local authorities. The police will get  the vehicle in their line of sight and then request that OnStar slow the vehicle down. OnStar can then use a remote signal that will slow the vehicle down gradually, making it impossible for the thief to get away.

Remote Door Unlock and Remote Horn & Lights – If you lock your keys in your vehicle, you can call OnStar toll free from any telephone, verify who you are, and then OnStar can unlock the car remotely. You won’t need to call a locksmith to help you out or pay any fees for the service. If you forget where you park, you can call the toll free customer service number at Onstar and after identifying yourself, the advisor can flash your exterior lights and make your horn go off, helping you locate your vehicle.

If you would like to receive turn-by-turn navigation services, you can upgrade to the directions and connections plan, which includes everything under the Safe and Sound plan, and adds the ability to push your blue OnStar button and ask for directions. The directions to your destination are sent to your vehicle; and the vehicle will tell you when to turn and which exits to take until you reach your destination. This plan is approximately $29 a month.

If you are a subscriber to either OnStar plan, you are also able to participate in the Onstar Vehicle Diagnostics Report at no additional charge. Each month, OnStar will perform a remote diagnostic and maintenance check on the vehicle’s key operating systems and email you a report of the findings. If your oil is low, you’ll know. If your tire’s air pressure is incorrect, you’ll know. You can check your key systems while driving – if your check engine light comes on, just push the blue button and a real-time diagnostic check is performed and an advisor will let you know if you need to get service right away or if it can wait until you reach your destination.

Most cars with Onstar also feature hands-free calling, which lets you call through your OnStar system, voice activated, so you don’t need to take your eyes off the road. You do need to purchase minutes for the car phone, or enroll in Verizon’s nationwide plan to share the minutes between your Verizon cell phone and your car.

Is Onstar worth the monthly expense?

I suppose it depends on a number of factors, but for me, $19 a month is a small price to pay for the additional safety features the service provides my car (or $199 per year, paid in advance). I have two small children who are almost always in the vehicle with me, and I like knowing if we’re in an accident and I’m unable to call for help – they’re going to send help for me right away.

Another option for OnStar subscribers is the possibility of getting lower insurance rates. If you drive less than 15,000 miles per year, you could qualify for mileage discounts with GMAC insurance – since they can use your OnStar to track the miles driven. The insurance provider indicates that many people who switch to GMAC insurance with their OnStar service save an average of 25% on the cost of their insurance with the low mileage discount.  Additional discounts apply for individuals who finance their vehicles through GMAC or have other GM products.