What is telematics?

Telematics, or black box insurance, is car insurance based on data provided by a small black box fitted to your car.

The telematics technology of this black box allows us to gather accurate information about your driving, so that we can calculate your car insurance premium based on individual driving behaviour instead of just offering you potentially expensive generalised car insurance based on group statistics.

How does it work?

The black box we fit out of sight in your car is about the size of a smartphone – and it works a bit like a mobile phone too: it has a SIM card which sends us data about your driving. It’s safe and doesn’t interfere with the workings of your car.

We use the data sent to us by your black box to analyse your driving and provide a summary in Your Portal, so that you can also see how you’re driving.

What information do we record?

The data gathered by your black box tells us:

  • your total mileage
  • the total number of journeys you make
  • your speed
  • the different types of roads you drive on
  • the time of day you drive
  • your motorway miles
  • if you accelerate or brake sharply
  • if you take breaks on your long journeys

Don’t worry, it’s not Big Brother – we don’t share your driving data unless we’re required to by law or we suspect a fraud.

How do we use your driving data?

We introduced this technology to drive down the cost of car insurance for young drivers and to help make the roads safer for everyone.

We use the data from your black box to:

  • help calculate the cost of your renewal premium
  • reward safe drivers with Reward Points
  • assess your car insurance risk
  • manage your claim after an accident
  • have a better overview of an accident to help recover money from the person responsible
  • help you if you have an accident
  • track the location of the car if it is stolen

You can see your driving information and score in Your Portal. Your Reward Points will be calculated based on five criteria: speed, acceleration and braking, time of day, taking breaks on long journeys and motorway miles.

How is the black box fitted?

One of our trained engineers will fir your black box at your home or place of work. You’re insured from the moment you buy your policy but the box needs to be fitted within 14 days.

The black box won’t impact how your car functions, its performance or any electrical components.