Since a large portion of the U.S. workforce has shifted to working from home in the last few weeks, several auto insurance companies have decided to offer discounts on premiums or refunds in the form of checks / account credit. Here’s a full list of the auto insurance companies on this list and what they are offering.

Auto Insurance companies offering discounts:

• 21st Century Insurance: 25% reduction on April premiums (automatic, no customer action required). -> LINK
• Allstate: 15% refund of April & May premiums (automatic credit to user accounts or deposit in user accounts). -> LINK
• American Family: A $50 relief payment per insured vehicle (paper checks will be sent to insurer’s address). -> LINK
• Farmer’s Insurance: 25% reduction on April premiums (automatic, no customer action required). -> LINK
• Geico: 15% credit on all policies that come up for renewal now through October 7, 2020 (automatic reduction, estimates $150 per automobile policy) -> LINK
• Liberty Mutual: 15% refund of April & May premiums (automatic credit to user accounts or deposit in user accounts). -> LINK
• Nationwide: A $50 relief payment per policy that was active on or before March 31, 2020. -> LINK
• Progressive: 20% reduction on April & May premiums (automatic, no customer action required). -> LINK
• State Farm: 25% policy credit on premiums due from March 20 through May 31 (about $20 a month for each vehicle insured) -> LINK
• USAA: 20% reduction on April & May premiums (automatic, no customer action required). -> LINK

Here’s all the auto insurance companies offering discounts / refunds due to coronavirus

Technology has improved cars significantly over the last twenty years, with a heavy emphasis on mobile technology that’s absolutely exploded in the last decade. Technology like rear view cameras, touch-screen dash panels, Wi-Fi hot spots, mobile device charging and proximity sensors have invaded cars at all price points.

Of course, if you are still driving a reliable car that’s a decade old (which is glorious for those who hate car payments), then you may be missing out on these new technological features. Here are several aftermarket upgrades you can buy to give your car a boost in smarts.

Apple CarPlay / Android Auto Receiver: Pioneer AVH-2300NEX

Featuring a 7″ WVGA touchscreen display, the Pioneer AVH-2300NEX receiver offers a multitude of options for both iOS and Android users. You can make phones calls, listen to voicemails, view text messages, connect to Apple / Google Maps or listen to music.

It also has Bluetooth connectivity, works with Spotify and Pandora as well as SiriusXM if you have a subscription. It also has a port if you want to connect up a back-up camera, utilizing the 800 x 480 video screen for that. 

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Roadside Assistance / Vehicle Diagnostics: HUM X

If you are looking for a service similar to OnStar, check out the HUM vehicle diagnostic tool made be Verizon. The HUM tool plugs into your vehicle diagnostic port on your car and scans your car for issues each time the car is started.

The HUM X includes a speaker/microphone unit that attaches to your car’s visor. It provides access to hands-free calls, 24/7 roadside assistance & a direct connection to a mechanic. It also has automatic crash response (which will notify emergency services) and will act as a Wi-Fi hotspot for up to 10 connections in your car.

The initial cost of the hardware is $70 + a $40 activation fee + a monthly subscription of $15 to the 4G LTE data connection for a minimum of 2 years. If you are looking for a cheaper option , check out Automatic. It provides lots of information about your vehicle along with automatic crash response & 5 years of 3G service (but without the OnStar-like functionality).

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Back-Up Camera: Accele RVCLPMBS

If you are looking for a simple solution for a backup camera (and you have a video panel installed already), check out the Accele RVCLPMBS backup camera. It screws into your license plate and is wired directly though your car (23-foot cable) to a video panel. It has a 170° wide viewing angle and works well in low-light conditions.

If you are looking for an inexpensive display for a wired connection, check out the Esky 4.3-inch display as well as the 7-inch model. You can also connect those panels to other video equipment in the car.

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Mobile Charging: RAVPower Car Charger

Many new cars come with USB ports built into the design for charging your mobile devices. Of course, you can have the same functionality using your car’s cigarette lighter port and the RAVPower car charger.

Obviously, there are a ton of options in this category. We like the RAVPower car charger for a few reasons. It’s more compact than most models, it includes LED lights on both ports for finding it in the dark, and it includes 2.4A  fast charging for your new mobile devices. If you simply need more ports, take a look at the 6-port charger.

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Parking Sensor: Striker Garage Parking Sensor

Basically the technologically advanced version of the tennis ball attached to your garage ceiling, the Striker garage parking sensor uses a sensor and a visual light panel to give you an indication how close your car is to the wall. Adjustable to distances between 6 inches and 6 feet, the light changes from green to yellow to red to indicate how close you are when parking.

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Smart Assistant: Echo Auto

If you are an Amazon Echo user already, adding Alexa to your car is probably a no brainier. The Echo Auto connects to Alexa through your smartphone and uses your car’s audio system. It’s specifically designed to hear voice commands over road noise and other sounds your car makes.

Similar to the voice assistant on your smartphone, it effectively offers up voice control for making calls, playing music, checking the news, asking questions or even opening your garage door (if you have smart tech installed in your garage).  It also supports apps like Waze if you need to find the best route to your destination. The Echo Auto retails for $50, usually goes on sale around $25.

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DashCam: Vantrue N2 Pro Dual Dash Cam

If you want to protect your insurance rates in case of an accident, a dashcam is a great way to record the incident. Vantrue N2 Pro dashcam offers two camera angles, one 170° front facing camera and one 140° inside passenger cabin recording at 1920×1080 at 30 framers per second.

It also include a night vision sensor for recording in the dark and a parking monitor motion sensor. The camera supports up to a 256GB microSD card, which will allow you to record a significant amount of video.

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Wireless Smartphone Charger: Scosche Dash Mount

If you need a windshield mount for your smartphone, you might as well get one with QI-wireless charging to keep your phone fully charged. The Scosche WDQM-ST1 dash mount has a 360* adjustable mount for your smartphone display as well as a stickGRIP suction base  for your windshield.

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Turn a Dumb Car into a Smart(er) Car with these Upgrades

There are tons of dashcams on the market, but there aren’t a ton of dashcams that use 4G LTE to offer a live view at any time.

BlackVue is one company that offers those type of Dashcams, but at an expensive cost. Instead, check out the $349 Owl Car Cam, a device that records up to 14 days of video stored in the cloud (24 hours while car is parked).

Due to the 4G LTE conneciton, the Owl cam will always be in contact with the owner via notifications. For instance, if someone backs into your car while it’s parked, you will receive a notification about the incident and be able to save a clip of the accident. Saved clips can be sent to your insurance company.

There’s a secondary camera on the opposite of the Owl Cam that records what’s happening inside the cabin. This is another potentially useful video feed that could be used to prove you weren’t distracted when pulled over by a police officer or in the middle of an accident. It can also continue recording during a traffic stop so you can have an accurate representation of your interaction with a police officer.

Using a smartphone or tablet, an Owl Cam owner can also tap into a live feed at any time to check on their car. Using voice recognition, you can tell the Owl to capture specific moments as well. For instance, if you captured another accident occurring in front of you on the road, you can quickly save a clip for your reference.

The Owl Car Cam comes with 1 year of service and each additional year costs $99 (or $10 a month if you prefer monthly payments). You can read more details here or check out the video below:

Shut Up and Take My Money: Owl Car Cam

Welcome to the very first entry in our very first travel blog series! My name is Kristin, but if you’ve been around Ben’s at all, you might know me better as AgentK. For the last five years or so, I’ve spent a lot of time finding and posting deals for Ben’s, and by this point, I like to think I’ve gotten pretty good at saving money online. But when we decided to hit the road for 15 days, and head for California with our three kids (5, 3, 10 months…yes we’re a little insane), I knew I was going to have to try and take my “bargain hunting” skills to a whole new level.

To clarify: this is not going to be a trip where “cheap” means picking a 4 star hotel over a 5 star, or going with Subway over Jimmy Johns for lunch. We’re talking let’s spend as close to $0 as possible each day, until we get to our destination. Basically, we can’t afford this trip. But because I believe you can’t put a price tag on making memories, we’re going to do it anyway…and just be really, really cheap about it.

Because technology is cool (and again, we’re on a major budget here), I will be working my regular hours for Ben’s the whole time we’re on the road. This will be my second long trip working remotely (we did a two week long trip to New Orleans last fall), and I have a lot of good tips to share on how to make it work, thanks to a lot of trial and error.

Anyway, I’m super excited to get out and see some parts of the country we haven’t seen before, and I hope you’ll follow along!

Our itinerary:
We’re leaving from Minneapolis, going as far as Southern California (Disney! LEGOLand!), and then heading back home again. Because we have small children with even smaller attention spans, we don’t plan on driving more than 6 hours total on any given day. Places we’ll be spending time along the way include Denver, Southern Utah, Las Vegas, and then on the way home we’ll hit the Grand Canyon, Albuquerque, and Kansas City.

Our car setup:
When we bought our minivan a couple years ago (I know, so lame, but have a few kids and you’ll get one too I promise), we purposefully didn’t get one with a built-in DVD/Blu-ray player because I knew as soon as we went there, I’d never talk to my children in the car again. But I am definitely not above keeping them entertained with movies on longer trips! So we have this super fancy setup for our vacation: a portable DVD player we found for $7 at Goodwill, mounted on top of a cooler (when I say I’m cheap, I’m not kidding!).

For sound, we have the DVD player plugged into the aux port of our car, and adjust the fade so that the sound only comes out of the back speakers (next to the kids). Up front, we have this Altec Lansing Solo Bluetooth Speaker ($15 in the pink color), mounted to the console with velcro 3M Command Strips. Allows us to listen to our own music or podcasts while the kids get their movies in the back.

Most of the movies we have at home are Blu-rays/digital copies, so we had fun picking out DVDs the kids hadn’t seen before at Goodwill in the weeks leading up to our trip (they’re $1.99 each there).

Food: We’re planning on eating sandwiches for lunch each day, so we brought loaves of bread, lunch meat, cheese, peanut butter and jelly, etc in a cooler and will picnic it up at rest stops or random parks along the way. We also made a huge batch of cold press coffee ahead of time and put it in an empty 2-liter soda bottle. As much as I’d like to hit up Starbucks drive throughs, this is much cheaper and probably tastes better!

Accommodations: We’re doing a mix of hotels, camping, staying with friends/family, and maybe even just sleeping in the van. Because we don’t know exactly when we’ll want to be done driving for the night (depends on how crazy the kids are being), we don’t book any hotels until like an hour before we arrive. More on this on another post, but we use Priceline Express to get cheap (under $75/night) rooms last-minute, and we also have a Priceline credit card that earns us points toward free stays. For me, half the fun of a road trip is not having solid plans and playing it by ear. It’s an adventure and I absolutely love it.

So day #1 is complete and we made it past the most boring part of the journey: through Iowa and part of Nebraska. Our stops included a rest area and, wait for it, Fleet Farm. Thrilling! Tomorrow we’ll get into Colorado and things should start to look a little more interesting.

Off to swim with the kids…check back tomorrow for a post about my “work from the car” setup, and more!

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Ben’s on the Road: Day 1

The summer movie season is upon us, providing a great excuse to sit in an air conditioned room and avoid that brutal summer sun. However, even the best summer movie only lasts a couple of hours, three tops.

When you’re looking for another excuse to stay indoors for a few hours, why not consider our list of the best LEGO sets for summer movies? You can stay inside the air conditioned comfort of your home while completing these LEGO sets, all while reliving the fun of the summer movie blockbuster you just saw. For instance, the Silent Mary (as seen above) from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

These LEGO sets work as collectibles that’ll appeal to fans of different super heroes and different movie subjects several years into the future. You also can have fun now putting them together, following the directions inside the box … or ignore the directions and follow your own creative and artistic aim. Sure, the box says ages 7-14, but you don’t have to have kids to enjoy these fun LEGO sets.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 opened in April in Japan and opened May 5 in the United States to a blockbuster start, having grossed more than $650 million by mid-May. If you’ve seen the movie, we have a couple of LEGO sets that you’re going to enjoy. (And if you haven’t seen the movie, what are you waiting for? Groot isn’t going to get any cuter, after all.)

The LEGO Guardians of the Galaxy Ayesha’s Revenge has been one of the top selling LEGO toys on Amazon in May. It has some fun options, including Yondu, Star-Lord, Ayesha, and Groot figures, along with a laser drill spaceship.

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The 460-piece LEGO Guardians of the Galaxy The Milano vs. The Abilisk kit is an impressive one. The Milano cockpit has room for four minifigures along with a Groot figure. The kit includes figures for Groot, Star-Lord, Gamora, Nebula, and Drax.

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Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

The fifth Pirates of the Caribbean movie, Dead Men Tell No Tales, will appear in U.S. theaters May 26, once again featuring Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow. Captain Sparrow battles a Spanish Navy ghost crew while attempting to find the Trident of Poseidon.

A cool new set of LEGO toys for the Dead Men Tell No Tales movie are the BrickHeadz toys for Captain Sparrow and Captain Armando Salazar. You can follow the directions to create individual characters or combine the two sets for a crazy character mashup.

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Another option for a more traditional LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean set is The Mill, which features 365 pieces, along with a Jack Sparrow figure and a Dead Man’s Chest.

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Wonder Woman

The Wonder Woman movie, set for a June 2 release in the United States, will explore the origins of Wonder Woman, as she leaves Themyscira to try to bring an early end to World War I.

The LEGO Super Heroes DC Wonder Woman Warrior Battle set generated quite a bit of buzz in late March, as its release gave fans a look at the villain Ares for the Wonder Woman movie. No information had been released about Ares up to that point. Beyond Wonder Woman, Steve Trevor, and Ares figures, this LEGO set features a biplane too.

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Another option at a lower price point for a Wonder Woman LEGO set is the Girls Wonder Woman Dorm, which features a mini Wonder Woman figure, a Golden Lasso, and an invisible bike.

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Disney’s Cars 3

The Disney Cars animated franchise will release its third movie on June 16 in the United States. It’s especially popular with young boys … and maybe a few adult boys too. All of the favorite characters are back for Cars 3, including Mater, Sally Carrera, and Lightning McQueen, who must recover from a serious crash in this movie to try to regain his racing abilities.

We’re waiting for specific Cars 3 LEGO sets to appear, but the most comprehensive LEGO set available for the Cars franchise currently is the Ultimate Race Set. It has a big price tag, but it includes two car launchers as well as Lightning McQueen, Max Schnell, and Raoul CaRoule cars.

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Plenty of the Cars LEGO sets are LEGO Juniors, aimed at ages 4-7. One of the best is the Thunder Hollow Crazy 8 Race kit, which includes Lightning McQueen and Cruz Ramirez cars, along with a Miss Fritter road sign and movable barriers and floodlights.

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Transformers: The Last Knight

The latest film in the Transformers franchise — Transformers: The Last Knight — opens June 21 in the United States. It will feature the beginning of a war between the human race and the Transformers. Although LEGO toys aren’t offered for the Transformers franchise, you can purchase Kre-O toys, which are plastic brick toys similar to LEGOs. Kre-Os are manufactured in South Korea, and Hasbro markets these toys.

If you’re looking for a good introductory Transformers Kre-O toy, the Kre-O Transformers Galvatron Factory Battle playset is a nice option. It offers 388 pieces and allows for creation of a few different robots, including Bumblebee and Optimus Prime.

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The 560-piece Kre-O Transformers Destruction Site Devastator Set provides you with plenty of flexibility, as you can create one large robot, any of four vehicles, or any of four average sized robots.

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Spider-Man: Homecoming

Spider-Man: Homecoming, which will have a July 7 release in the United States, introduces us to Peter Parker’s attempts to balance his life as a high school student, while also fighting crime as Spider-Man. We haven’t seen any new LEGO sets for Homecoming yet, but there are still plenty of cool sets featuring the webslinger.

The LEGO Spider-Man Web Warriors Ultimate Bridge Building Kit is a detailed LEGO set featuring Spider-Man’s web prison inside a bridge with a movable roadway and a trap door. This set has more than 1,000 pieces.

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If you’re looking for a LEGO set for a younger child, the LEGO Juniors Spider-Man Hideout includes Spider-Man’s helicopter and Green Goblin’s air glider.

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12 Awesome LEGO Sets for 2017 Summer Movies

Ideal for anyone that lives in a large city with primarily street parking, the FenSens wireless parking sensor is a license plate frame that works with your smartphone to alert you to the distance to another car behind you.

Installed identically to a standard license plate frame, you simply pair your smartphone to the plate as well as download the accompanying mobile app on your iOS or Android phone.

When you are backing into a parking space, the app will offer feedback in the form of audio beeps and vibration feedback as well as a visual display. The closer you get to an object behind the car, the faster the beeps will play on your smartphone.

According to the creator, the battery will last approximately five months before needing to be recharged. The plate detects objects within 10 feet away and beeps to guide you within 1 foot of another vehicle or another obstacle.

The MSRP of the FenSens will eventually be $150, but early backers can pick up the plate for a $100 price point. While that may sound expensive for a smart license plate frame, purchasing that upgrade from a dealer when buying a car can cost between $500 to $2,000. Of course, you will have to pair the mobile device for each driver of the vehicle rather than having it integrated into the car’s dashboard.

You can check out a video of the FenSens below:

Shut Up and Take My Money: FenSens Parking Sensor

Designed to help you keep your eyes on the road and away from your smartphone, the Nadvy is a small gadget that projects a heads-up display on your windshield while you are driving.

By default, the image will show off your current speed, but can also perform functions like real-time driving directions, notifications for calls or texts, music playback information and sending tweets.

The Nadvy connects to your iOS or Android smartphone over low-power Bluetooth to accomplish these tasks and includes a camera to detect hand gestures. For instance, you can use a hand gesture to answer or hang up a call. There’s also a microphone included for voice commands and dictation of text messages. All phone notifications will be sent to the display, ideal for all types of mobile applications.

At the moment, the Nadvy isn’t available at retail. Expected to ship during early 2015, consumers can preorder the device for 40 percent off ($299) the eventual retail price of $499. Be aware that this is a crowdfunded project similar to service like Kickstarter. It’s possible that the delivery date could be delayed due to unforeseen manufacturing issues, just like many Kickstarter projects.

To learn more about the Nadvy, you can check out the video below as well as the additional images:

Additional Nadvy Photos

Shut Up and Take My Money: Nadvy Heads-Up Display

So many Ferrari models over the years, but there are a select few that stand out as the fastest models ever created by the Italian auto manufacturer. We have scoured through all the Ferrarri models to bring you the fastest models ranked by top speed.

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Good luck! And, of course, here are our top 10 picks for the fastest Ferarris of all time (ranked by top speed):

1. Ferrari Enzo ZXX Evolution Edo Competition

Top speed: 245 mph / 0-60 mph: 3.1 seconds

2. Ferrari Enzo XX Evolution Edo Competition

Top speed: 242mph / 0-60 mph: 3.2 seconds

3. Ferrari FXX Evolution

Top speed: 240 mph / 0-60 mph: 2.5 seconds

4. Ferrari F50 GT

Top speed: 235 mph / 0-60 mph: 2.9 seconds

Ferrari 288 GTO Evoluzione

Top speed: 230 mph / 0-60 mph: 4.1 seconds

Ferrari FXX

Top speed: 230 mph / 0-60 mph: 2.6 seconds

Ferrari F40 LM

Top speed: 229 mph / 0-60 mph: 3.1 seconds

Ferrari F430 Scuderia Novitec Rosso 747 Edition

Top speed: 218 mph / 0-60 mph: 3.4 seconds

2011 Ferrari Enzo

Top speed: 217 mph / 0-60 mph: 3.65 seconds

Ferrari Enzo Gemballa MIG-U1

Top speed: 217 mph / 0-60 mph: 3.5 seconds

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Speed Racer! Top 10 Fastest Ferraris of all Time

Ah, the Ferrari. The quintessential symbol of speed, luxury and wealth in the world of automobiles. The company has been around for the last 85 years and has continued to make a name on the racing circuit, specifically Formula 1 racing. So many gearheads love them, but few will ever drive one.

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Good luck! And, of course, here are our top 5 picks of Ferrari automobiles featured on film:

Scent of a Woman

Who could forget Pacino’s performance as a blind war veteran in Scent of a Woman? Especially when he’s behind the wheel of a 1989 Ferrari Mondial t Cabriolet! Navigating only by the directions of a petrified Chris O’Donnell, Pacino tore through the streets of New York City at ridiculous speeds. Interestingly, this film also featured the recently departed Philip Seymour Hoffman as O’Donnell’s schoolmate.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

Definitely one of the more iconic movies that defined the 1980s, the 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California was driven by the most rebellious and crafty fictional teenager in Chicago. Interestingly, John Hughes, the director, had a number of replicas made, but used a real model for the closeup shots. One of the replicas was also destroyed towards of the end of the movie as well.

The Rock

Racing through the streets of San Fransisco, Nicolas Cage attempts to chase down Sean Connery while driving a yellow Ferrari F355 Spider. Of course, the Ferrari ends up getting destoroyed, but at least Cage gets to steal a kid’s motorcycle.

The Wolf of Wall Street

Featured briefly as a testament to ridiculous wealth, the 1986 white Ferrari Testarossa was seen in Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street. Definitely representative of car design in the ’80s, the sharp lines of the Testarossa are hard to miss.

National Lampoon’s Vacation

Another iconic scene from the 1980s, who could forget the Ferrari 308 GTS being driven by Christie Brinkley during a scene in National Lampoon’s Vacation? Racing against Chevy Chase’s horrible station wagon, Chase and Brinkley flirt for a moment, only to end in a wild, out-of-control spin that gets Chase into hot water with his wife.

Extra Credit: Cars

Featured briefly at the end of the movie Cars, a Ferrari F430 (voiced by Michael Schumacher) enters Luigi’s Tire Store and delights Luigi (voiced by Tony Shalhoub). It’s a cute scene that caps off the better of the two Cars films.

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Need for Speed: Top 5 Ferraris Featured in Film

What’s the future of video games? 3D? Virtual Reality? Nope, the future of video games has even more advanced technology… electric racing tracks from 20 years ago.

The cars are real. The track is a 3.5 x 8.5 feet mat. The controller is your iDevice. But this is far from the old-school electric racing experience of watching your car travel around a fixed track for twenty minutes until you get bored.  Anki DRIVE adds something… new.

AI drivers. Virtual weapons. Experience points. Anki DRIVE blurs the line between videos games and just plain games. Right away the experience starts with a personal feel:  the first thing you do is choose your car from the different classes, each with their own stats like Speed, Acceleration, and Agility. That customizable strategy option us gamers love so much just gets better, though – the more the drive, the more points you acquire, and the better your car gets! We don’t remember that from those clunky ’80s slot cars.

We know what you’re thinking: how similar to a video game could it be without any violence? In our modern times, we’ve grown accustomed to hurling deadly projectiles at the people in front of us… isn’t that what racing is about? Well, fret not road ragers, Anki’s got that covered… sort of. The game features a multitude of virtual weapons to make sure you’re in first, or else. Unfortunately, the technology isn’t advanced enough to include real lasers or tiny rockets (or blue turtle shells with wings); the weapon system exists, but it’s invisible. You fire the laser from your controller, and if the enemy is in the line of fire, it will spin out. If you don’t think that sounds gratifying… try it.

Up to 4 cars can race at one time, but only 2 come with the starter kit. If you can’t drag your friends over to your basement, you can still play against AI drivers (who will probably give you more of a challenge anyway).  Have we piqued your interest? Check out the video below to learn more.

Shut Up and Take My Money: Anki DRIVE Starter Kit