Plenty of new vehicles are connected to the cloud to send and receive data for emergency and convenience purposes, as well as to keep tabs on car maintenance, mileage, and other performance aspects. But you don't have to spend $20,000 or more on a new car to get these features, since any vehicle made after 1996 has an Onboard Diagnostic (ODB-II) port that can supply some of the very same data. You'll need to purchase one of several ODB-II dongles now on the market, and typically pay a fee to keep data flowing from the dongle to the cloud. One new service, Verizon's Hum, doesn't offer the convenience features of a more comprehensive, concierge-like service like OnStar, but it's a useful maintenance and service tool. 

Pricing, Design, and Features
Verizon Hum consists of an ODB-II dongle, a Bluetooth-enabled speaker/control unit that clips to your car's sun visor, a USB charging cable for the speaker with a cigarette lighter adapter, and a companion Android and iOS smartphone app. Hum costs $14.99 per month, and if you sign up for a two-year subscription you get the first month free. The equipment comes at no extra cost with the service, and additional vehicles cost $12.99 each per month.

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For this monthly fee you get roadside assistance up to four times a year by pressing a button on the control unit labeled with an operator symbol (or via the smartphone app). You can also press another button with a cross symbol to get emergency assistance via a 911 call. The system automatically detects when a crash has occurred and an airbag has deployed, and will immediately call the driver to assess the situation. If the driver doesn't respond, Hum will call 911 for emergency assistance, relay your location, and stay on the line until help arrives. If your car is stolen, Hum can send its location to local law enforcement once you file a police report

If you're not in need of immediate assistance, Hum offers other features, mainly through the smartphone app, but also via a Web portal. Using data collected from your car through the ODB-II port, the app keeps tabs on fuel economy, battery charge level, transmission coolant temperature, and engine diagnostic error codes, and will notify you of any issues. If your car generates an error code, the app explains what it means, recommend repairs, and even provide an estimate for what it will cost.