Modern vehicles frequently collect and monetize driver information, prompting regulators to slap General Motors with a five-year prohibition against transferring consumer records to data brokers. Addressing these privacy vulnerabilities, former Wink executives Matt McGovren and Kit Klein—who also possess background experience at Amazon, Ring, Blink, and Ubiquiti—have unveiled the Miles Plug. Available at mileslabs.com for $99 plus subscription fees starting at $11 monthly, this compact hardware connects directly to a vehicle’s OBD-II diagnostic outlet. Compatibilities encompass most petroleum and hybrid automobiles manufactured since 2008 alongside select electric options. The cofounders designed the system so household members can maintain personal accounts without hiding details from one another. McGovren noted in a press release, “We built Miles to support teens and parents together, and keep them on the same team,” adding, “Parents and teens see the same trips and the same alerts with nothing hidden, building trust instead of suspicion.”
Unlike built-in automaker software, the platform promises never to profit off location tracking or trip records, operating completely free of advertisements. McGovren emphasized the core philosophy by stating, “You’re the customer, you’re not the product. Your data is not the product.” He further explained, “All the vehicle and trip data is encrypted,” and noted that “the most sensitive data is end-to-end encrypted.” Furthermore, position tracking links specifically to the automobile rather than a mobile handset, terminating once the motorist steps away. To provide complete user control, the companion software allows subscribers to download records, stop geographical monitoring, or wipe their profile entirely.
This recurring revenue approach directly addresses past market failures, such as the startup Automatic, which debuted an OBD-II gadget for $130 in 2016 using 3G networks before shutting down entirely by 2020 due to its lack of recurring membership fees. Having experienced Wink’s operational disruptions, bankruptcy, and eventual acquisition by will.i.am’s firm, the leadership team brought considerable “scar tissue from the smart home,” especially regarding ventures that “thought they could make money later.” Consequently, upfront subscription billing is intended to keep the “well capitalized” company sustainable, backed by a 60-day refund guarantee for buyers. Power consumption is another common flaw with diagnostic plugins, but McGovren claims their unit avoids draining vehicle power during extended inactivity. Clarifying its operation, he explained, “It goes to sleep when your car is not driving or not on,” adding, “We use a little bit of data to wake up and sync, but [that] doesn’t have a material impact on the battery.”
Practical evaluation on a 2014 Toyota Highlander dubbed Tanya demonstrated a remarkably straightforward installation process. After reading the vehicle identification number and recognizing the SUV model correctly, the software logged precise driving metrics including routes, distances, timestamps, and abrupt deceleration occurrences. A central dashboard displays vital information such as remaining fuel percentage, battery voltage at 13.5V, engine status, and current mileage readings. Financial value becomes evident when consolidating disparate services, as McGovren observed during an interview with The Verge, “You could piece together a roadside service, a family tracking service … and then you’re looking at $30, $40 a month,” whereas Miles packages accident detection, roadside support, and cellular tracking together.
Beyond simple position reporting, the app incorporates an intelligent assistant named Miles Mechanic to clarify dashboard warning alerts and estimate fix expenses in clear language. When asked about upcoming service requirements, the conversational interface accurately outlined scheduled maintenance, specifying a cabin air filter replacement at roughly 140,000 miles, followed by oil changing and tire rotating at 142,500 miles. Looking ahead, developers are testing a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server designed to deliver “all of this information … to your AI of choice, your home assistant of choice,” according to McGovren. He noted, “And now the car becomes part of this bigger ecosystem. We aren’t just trying to tie you into our app.” In this vision, drivers can query Alexa, Google, or Siri with questions like “When’s my next oil change?” or “How much gas is in my car?”
The hardware offers a non-intrusive alternative for parents monitoring novice drivers, providing crash detection and risky driving notifications without requiring constant mobile phone surveillance. Previously, testing hardware like the now-defunct Ring Car Cam proved frustrating when teen drivers resisted intrusive dual cameras. Consequently, this screenless dongle excels not only for families with newly licensed adolescents, but also for drivers seeking secure vehicle insights without submitting to insurer surveillance. Subscriptions cost $279 for one year, including hardware, or $396 prepaid for three years ($11 per month equivalent). With strong initial testing performance, the device provides an effective, privacy-focused portal into connected vehicular diagnostics for older automobiles.
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