Black box insurance is a personalised car insurance policy that’s based on the way you drive and your driving habits. It means your insurance costs depend on how well and safely you drive.
Black box insurance has a few names:
But they all work in the same way - someone fits a black box to your car, or it’s done through your insurance company’s app. It uses the data collected to calculate the cost of your car insurance. The better you drive, the higher your driving score is, and the less you should pay for your policy.
You can improve your score by keeping to the speed limits, accelerating smoothly and braking with plenty of time. Black boxes don’t like surprises, so consistent, safe driving should see the greatest rewards. You usually get tips through a personalised dashboard on how to improve your driving score.
You might get a discount just for getting black box car insurance, but your driving score determines what you pay in the end. Careful, responsible drivers should pay less. A growing number of companies offer black box insurance policies to lower the cost of car cover.
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Black box insurance rules vary between insurers. But insurance providers often ask you to agree an annual mileage limit when you get the policy. You're typically be able to increase the limit later on if you need to,which comes at an extra cost. If you think you’re going to go over your mileage you should talk to your insurer in advance.
Some black box insurance companies let you buy more miles if you exceed the agreed limit. Others may amend your policy price if you tell them ahead of time that you’ll be going over. If you have a pay-as-you-go car insurance policy, you may be charged automatically if you exceed the mileage limit without topping up.
If you agree to a curfew - meaning you don’t drive at certain times - you might get cheaper car insurance. Statistically, more accidents happen late at night or in the early hours of the morning. So, the curfews tend to be from 11pm- 5am as insurers view these as riskier times to drive.
What it comes down to though is your driving habits. If you don’t choose a curfew policy and you drive faster or brake suddenly later at night, you risk lowering your driving score.
You can normally drive abroad 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.
When it comes to speed or speeding, your insurer isn't going to tell the police, but your costs might go up as speeding affects your driving score. Going over the speed limit by a small amount occasionally might not affect your policy much. But if you regularly break the speed limit, it’s likely to push up your costs as this is one of the main factors that will influence your price. In some cases, your insurer might even cancel your policy for regular excessive speeding.
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.
Not all black box policies are the same. It's not unusual to see restrictions on mileage and the time of day you drive, but also how your driving is monitored can vary. Some insurers will ask you to install a box in your car, while others will ask you to use an app on your phone while you drive. I recommend checking the policy details carefully so you're fully aware of these.
offers cover for owners of classic cars. For insurance purposes, a classic car can be any car that’s older than 15 years.
covers you if you use your car for work, including travelling between offices or across the country.
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