Black box insurance, also known as telematics insurance, can work in a few ways.
Some policies track your driving habits and award you a score based on how well you drive. If you build up a good score, your insurer offers you a discount, either when you renew at the end of your 12-month cover period or at intervals throughout your policy.
Other policies immediately offer you cheaper insurance than you’d get with a standard policy, and then track your driving over the course of the year. If you drive poorly, you may be offered a worse deal when you come to renew.
Whatever policy you have, your driving is either tracked through a device fitted to your car known as a black box, or through an app.
Elements of your driving that’ll be tracked include:
You’ll usually be able to access your own data, but it won’t be shared with anyone else except your insurer.
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Average cost of a non-black box policy:
All ages*
£776
17-20-year-olds+
£1,941
17-24-year-olds+
£1,621
Black box policies can be cheaper than standard car insurance, but exactly how much you could save is personal to you.
A standard car insurance policy costs £776* on average, rising to £1,621+ for a driver aged 17-24 and to £1,941+ for a driver aged 17-20.
Depending on your policy, black box insurance may be immediately cheaper than this, and could therefore be a quick and easy way to save.
Other black box policies might require you to build up a good driving score first. If this is the case, you might be able to save, but any discount you did get would come later down the line.
Comparing quotes across a range of policy types is the best way to check exactly how much you could save, but black box policies can be a useful way for high-premium drivers to bring their costs down.
While they aren’t for everyone, black box policies might be beneficial for:
Younger drivers
Older drivers
Convicted drivers
Infrequent drivers
*Confused.com data, 24/02/2023 to 24/05/2023
**Confused.com price index data Q2 2023
++According to government figures 2021
Though they do come with some benefits, there are drawbacks to black box insurance policies.
It can take a while to build up a discount, as many policies will only offer you cheaper insurance when you renew. This means you may have to wait 12 months to reap the benefits of having a black box.
You might have a curfew, meaning that if you were to drive late at night, your driving score could be negatively affected. This doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to drive at night, but it does mean that doing so could raise the cost of your insurance at renewal.
You might have a mileage cap, as some policies will only cover you for a set number of miles. You can usually pay to add extra miles to your policy, but this will raise the overall cost of your policy.
You might be penalised if you’re a poor driver, as those who speed excessively or otherwise drive in a way deemed to be high risk can have their insurance cancelled. This can then make it very difficult to find cover with other insurers, and can lead to sky-high premiums.
You might have to pay for removal of the box if you have a fixed black box and want to end your policy. You can usually leave the black box in place, but if you do want it taken off, there may be a cost.
You might have to use your mobile data if your policy is app based. If you’ll be driving a lot, and aren’t on an unlimited data plan, this could end up being a significant expense.
Your driving score isn’t transferrable, so you’ll only be eligible for cheaper insurance with the insurer you take out your black box policy with. If you were to transfer to another insurer, you’d lose your score.
Having the following information will speed up getting a black box insurance quote:
Personal details
Car details
Look out for the black box labels in your list of results. You’ll also be able to see details about each policy, like whether they include a physical device or use an app.
Once you’ve bought your policy, your insurer should contact you to schedule a time to fit a device in your car or send you a plug-in device to install yourself. Otherwise they should give you details on how to download their app.
"Black box policies can be a good way to save on your insurance, especially if you’re a younger driver. Just be aware that you might not see a discount straight away. Some policies might be cheaper from the start, but others might need you to build up a good driving score before you see a discount. Even if this is the case, black box policies can still be worth it, just be aware of how your policy works before signing up."
No. While your black box will monitor your speed, your insurer won’t alert the authorities if you go over the speed limit. They will reduce your driving score though, which could lead to higher insurance costs.
The only time the police will be able to access your black box data is if they believe it may be useful as part of a criminal investigation. In this case, they can request it from your insurer.
No, your data won’t be shared. Whatever you insurer tracks will stay between you and them. The only time your data may be shared is if the police request it from your insurer as part of a criminal investigation.
This means that personal data like where you drive and when is totally protected, and can’t be accessed by anyone but you.
If you have an app only or self-installed black box policy and drive without activating tracking, your policy could be cancelled. This can then put a black mark against your name, and you might find it hard to find insurance with other providers.
If you do manage to find cover, it may be significantly more expensive as a result.
Everyone makes mistakes though, so if you do forget to activate your black box, contact your insurer to let them know and they should be able to advise you on what to do next.
No. One of the downsides of black box insurance is that you’ll only benefit from it by staying with the same insurer. If you build up a good driving score over the course of a year, and then switch to another insurer’s black box policy, you’ll have to build your driving score up all over again in order to benefit at renewal.
Yes, you can normally drive in Europe with a black box fitted to your car. You typically get up to 90 days' cover to drive in the EU and certain other European countries with many black box car insurance policies. But you should check the terms and conditions in your policy before you drive abroad.
If you have a fitted black box that needs to be installed by an engineer, you may have to wait for an installation date. In most cases, you'll still be able to drive while waiting for your box to be installed, and you’ll still be covered.
The same is true if you have a plug-in black box that hasn't been delivered yet.
You'll still be able to drive in both instances, you just won’t build up any driving score during this time though.
Yes you can usually add extra miles to your policy.
If your policy comes with a mileage cap, you’ll only be covered up to that mileage limit. Go over it, and your insurance may be cancelled. So it’s important to make sure you know how far you’re covered to go.
Adding miles is usually simple, and most insurers will let you add them in the same way you’d add extra data to your mobile plan. But just like adding data, you’ll have to pay extra for more miles.
If you find yourself getting close to your limit, contact your insurer to see how they can help.
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Page last reviewed: 19 July 2023
Reviewed by: Louise Thomas
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