Fuel levels sit at 63 percent and battery voltage reads 13.5 volts on the new $99 Miles device, which tracks trips, monitors car health, and provides roadside assistance without selling driver data after launching in October 2026.
Connecting to the OBD-II Port
The device connects directly to a vehicle’s OBD-II port, reading the vehicle identification number and recognizing the car upon initial installation. The accompanying application organizes daily driving records into a clean interface, registering route paths, total distance, travel time, and individual driver initials. Practical testing in a 2014 Toyota Highlander showed the system promptly delivered arrival and departure alerts while flagging aggressive maneuvers like hard acceleration and rapid braking events.
The home interface displays a complete vehicle health summary. Users can view engine status, fuel levels at 63 percent, a battery voltage reading of 13.5 volts, and current odometer totals. An integrated conversational tool named the Miles Mechanic answers maintenance questions in plain English, projecting service schedules such as cabin air filter replacements at 140,000 miles and oil changes near 142,500 miles.
Membership Fees Protect Customer Data from Commercial Exploitation
The hardware retails for $99, accompanied by a required membership model designed to avoid relying on advertising or third-party data monetization. A standard annual subscription costs $180, bringing the first-year total to $279 or $15 monthly. A three-year commitment bundles the plug for $396, averaging $11 per month. All tiers require upfront payment with no automatic renewal features.
McGovren emphasized that customer information remains protected against commercial exploitation, setting the product apart from automakers that face regulatory scrutiny for collecting and selling driver telemetry.
You’re the customer, you’re not the product. Your data is not the product.
All vehicle and trip information undergoes encryption, with the most sensitive logs receiving end-to-end protection. Location tracking ties strictly to the vehicle rather than an individual smartphone, causing location monitoring to cease the moment a driver walks away from the car. Users retain full control through app controls that permit data downloads, location collection pauses, and complete account erasure.
Learning From Past Device Failures
The product draws inspiration from earlier OBD-II accessories like the 2016 Automatic Pro, which retailed for $130 before shutting down its crash-monitoring and mileage-tracking service in 2020. Automatic relied on an unsustainable business model without initial recurring fees, while the new platform charges regular membership dues upfront. Founders draw on previous operational experience dealing with the collapse of the Wink smart home ecosystem to secure stable capitalization.
Developers have a Model Context Protocol server in beta testing to route vehicle telemetry into third-party artificial intelligence assistants and smart home hubs.
