Introduction
Are you a young driver who has less than three years of license? Do you want to insure your child? Finding car insurance can be tedious when you’re a young driver. Indeed, urban legend or not, this profile of insured has the reputation of being the most exposed to claims generating bodily injury or material damage. Connected car insurance is made for you! It rewards drivers for their good driving via a discount on their contribution. It can be up to 40% of the amount of your premium.
How does connected car insurance work?
The evolution of technology and digital makes it possible to do wonders. For several years, car insurance has evolved: some companies offer connected car insurance contracts. Compensation and guarantees work in the same way. Still, the driver’s driving can be assessed using a connected box installed in the vehicle, allowing him to obtain price reductions on his premium thanks to the analysis of data from conduct. Safe drivers can therefore be rewarded with this connected service, recommended by brokers.
What is Connected Car Insurance?
Connected car insurance is a recent revolution in the insurance world. This system, called Pay How You Drive, allows policyholders to pay less by proving to their insurers that they are driving carefully, thanks to a small connected box installed in the car. In addition to reduced insurance contributions in the event of good conduct, the bonus-malus can also be positively impacted. A winning combo for drivers and their cars!
It is sometimes difficult for insurers to know if their drivers are serious or taking risks behind the wheel. And when disaster strikes, it’s too late. The connected box can also be replaced by an application installed on a smartphone to collect data. These two systems allow sending driving data back to the insurer. Many companies today use connected insurance because these offers have many advantages. Young drivers, leaving automatically with a high car insurance premium, can use this service to reduce costs.
How does connected car insurance work?
When subscribing to connected car insurance, the first step is installing the box in your car by yourself or a mechanic. If your connected insurance works through an app, you need to download it.
The system will analyze the following data while driving:
- The number of kilometers traveled with your vehicle
- Your speed during turns with your car
- Fluctuating the speed of your car
This can also allow you to subscribe to a “small driver “option if you demonstrate to your insurer that you cover a few kilometers with your vehicle.
Why choose connected car insurance?
The advantage of connected car insurance is the promise of a reduction in your insurance premium. Some insurers advertise up to 50% savings on your insurance premiums. What motivates drivers to judge their safe driving?
As we mentioned earlier, this connected car insurance is often considered by young drivers and drivers who have not driven for a long time to compensate for the higher premium that insurers systematically impose on them.
Moreover, since the driving score obtained is accessible to the driver, he can consult it to learn more about his driving habits and, if necessary, adapt/improve his driving. Some insurers even offer advice on their application.
Finally, for people concerned about the use made of their data, be aware that the information collected by the box or the mobile application is protected by the CNIL and cannot be transmitted to third parties or used for commercial purposes. After several months, the data will be anonymous before being permanently deleted.
The benefits and disadvantages of connected car insurance
Like all insurance contracts, connected car insurance offers have advantages and disadvantages.
The benefits of connected car insurance
The first advantage is proof of your exemplary driving, which can help you lower the amount of your premium. Some companies advertise up to 50% savings on annual driver contract fees. It can also be a good way to encourage drivers to drive carefully. Even if the driving score is bad, the penalty will not be affected, and the driver will not pay more for his car insurance premium. This system can, therefore, only be positive for motorists.
Connected car insurance offers are a real advantage for drivers who need to lower the amount of their car insurance premium. In addition, the driver’s detailed score is also accessible, enabling him to improve on the weak points of his driving. Some even offer an application allowing the driver to benefit from improvement advice based on the data collected by the device.
Data protection obliges; the CNIL protects all the information collected. They cannot be passed on to third parties or used commercially.
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The disadvantages of connected car insurance
The connected insurance system is relatively recent and is not necessarily ready to analyze driving perfectly. For example, it is difficult to know whether sudden braking is a bad reflex or a good driving action to avoid a collision. Moreover, the driver cannot justify his actions because there is no camera in the vehicle. It is, therefore, difficult to discern the truth from the false.
For some drivers, analyzing their every move can be very disturbing and cause stress, negatively impacting driving. A shame for this system which aims to reward safe driving!
How much does connected car insurance cost?
Your car insurance will depend on the type of contract you wish to have: third-party insurance or all-risks. Most insurers offer the box free: this system does not cost more than conventional insurance. On the other hand, you can save up to 50% on your insurance premium, which is not negligible.
Connected insurance is, therefore, a win-win situation: insurers have a better view of their policyholders’ driving, who are encouraged to drive more safely. Policyholders can pay less thanks to the connection box, which reports their driving actions.
Indicators that vary the cost of connected car insurance
- Excessive acceleration
- Heavy braking
- High speed turns
- The distance traveled
- Speed according to road traffic
Are there solutions other than connected car insurance or Pay How You Drive?
If you think a connected insurance system is not for you, there are other options to save on your contract:
For young drivers, accompanied driving before the license can reduce the cost of the first car insurance by two.
Connected car insurance (Pay As You Drive): This consists of paying your auto insurance premium based on the kilometers you travel. This type of car insurance is adequate for small riders.
Check his contract and the guarantees that are subscribed to it. An unnecessary guarantee can make you pay much more unnecessarily!
How to pay less for car insurance?
As you will understand, the only advantage of connected car insurance is the promised reduction. However, if this offer does not suit you, there are other solutions to reduce the price of car insurance.
The first is to play on guarantees. In France, the only compulsory auto insurance is third-party insurance. You then subscribe to the civil liability guarantee. If you are responsible for an accident, your insurance compensates the third party.
This inexpensive insurance is preferred unless your car is valuable. Indeed, you will not be compensated yourself in the event of a responsible accident. However, you will pay more by taking out an additional third-party or comprehensive insurance. Playing on the guarantees to reduce your car insurance premium is, therefore, suitable if you have an old vehicle with little value.
The second solution is to choose early learning to drive. As mentioned above, a young driver is subject to a significant additional premium. However, if he has chosen this option, the additional premium is reduced by half.
Years of experience Increase in the young driver car insurance premium with early learning to drive
1st year 50%
2nd year without at-fault claim 25%
Finally, of course, using a comparator is essential to reduce the price of your car insurance. Of course, as with connected car insurance, there will be no question of hoping for a 50% discount. However, this time, without any constraint, it is possible to reduce the price of your insurance by more than 30%.
It’s simple, and you must make a car insurance comparison according to your criteria and choose the company that offers you the best value for money. Thus, you preserve your budget and freedom and benefit from guarantees adapted to your needs.
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Connected insurance: a success?
No, connected car insurance has not met with the expected success. We have discussed the advantages and disadvantages connected car insurance or Pay How You Drive, and it is clear that the disadvantages are more numerous.
Only a few tens of thousands of policyholders have chosen this option. Certainly, some were seduced by the financial offer, but many gave up because of the constraints linked to this practice.
How to install your “connected car insurance box?”
Your box plugs into your vehicle’s “OBD “socket. All diesel and petrol vehicles marketed after 2004 have one. This box contains a GPS chip and an accelerometer that will record the events during your journeys. The analysis of these events is then carried out.
Install the box in your vehicle in minutes.
Its proper installation is essential for the taking effect of your car insurance contract. Indeed, the box collects the driving behavior data necessary to estimate your monthly discount.
View your driving score
Follow the evolution of your driving score after each trip from the Novys application.
Advice is even given to you to improve your score and save more on your car insurance.
Save money
Enjoy a monthly discount of up to 40% on your insurance premium
If you drive well, the savings can exceed several hundred euros at the end of the year.
What are alternatives to connected car insurance (Pay How You Drive)?
Are you not convinced by the connected car insurance system but still want to save money on your car insurance premium? Don’t worry; other options exist:
Young drivers, we recommend that you drive accompanied. Your additional premium will thus be half that of a young driver who has not done accompanied driving.
Consider (connected car insurance) Pay As You Drive: Rather than paying an insurance premium based on the quality of your driving, you pay for your auto insurance based on the number of miles driven. An option to consider for drivers traveling a few kilometers.
Conclusion
Connected car insurance is a product that uses telematics to track and monitor driving behavior. This information is then used to price insurance premiums based on risk.
Telematics is the technology that allows for the collection and transmission of data from a vehicle to a remote location. This data can include everything from location and speed to braking and acceleration.
Connected car insurance is still a relatively new product and is not yet available from all insurers. However, many major insurers are beginning to offer it, and it is expected to become more widely available.
Finally, we recommend that you compare the offers on the market to choose a contract with the best “quality of coverage/coverage/number of contributions” ratio. Also, take out only the auto insurance coverage you need so you don’t pay anything.
