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Black box car insurance, or telematics insurance, is a type of policy that involves having a device installed in your vehicle so your insurer can monitor your driving habits. This allows insurers to see when you’re driving well and following road safety rules, which means you can earn lower premiums when you renew by proving you're a safe driver.
It is a great option for young drivers as it often allows them to find cheaper premiums. The telematics device will help new drivers develop good driving habits by sticking to the speed limit. It is a great way to ensure safe driving.
While it’s a legal requirement to have car insurance, you don’t have to take out a black box policy if you’re a new driver. The major benefit of telematics policies is that they allow insurers to monitor how well you’re driving, which can then feed back into your insurance premiums when you renew. This can be especially helpful to new drivers as you won’t have a driving history built up yet, and car insurance is at its most expensive in the first few years of driving.
Based on your driving habits, your insurer will either adjust your premiums every month or when you renew your policy.
Your insurer will use your black box device to collect information about:
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We do the hard work for you, comparing telematics car insurance deals from the biggest providers in the UK – including:
Your car registration number and driving licence number
Any no-claims bonus you’ve accrued
When you bought the car and any modifications made
Your expected annual mileage
Whether you’ll use the car for social, commuting, or business purposes
Comprehensive cover provides the maximum level of cover for you and your vehicle, as well as protecting the third-party (the other driver) if you're in an accident.
Third-party, fire and theft protects the third-party (the other driver) if you're in an accident, and insures your vehicle against fire damage and theft.
Third-party car insurance will cover damage costs for third-parties but not you or your vehicle if you have an accident.
Fully Comprehensive | Third Party, Fire and Theft | Third-Party Only | |
|---|---|---|---|
Damage to your vehicle | Yes | No | No |
Damage caused by your vehicle | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Theft | Yes | Yes | No |
Damage caused by fire | Yes | Yes | No |
Injury to the driver of your car | Yes | No | No |
Injury to a third-party, including other drivers and passengers | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Compare quotes with MoneySuperMarket to find the policy that's right for you, then click through to your provider to finalise your purchase
Arrange a time with your insurer to have the black box installed. You may even be able to install it yourself, depending on the type of device
When it’s installed, your insurer will be able to monitor your driving. By driving sensibly, you’ll be able to earn lower premiums when you renew
The scoring system may help you improve your driving skills
Earn discounts or cashback
A black box can deter thieves because of its GPS function, which can also help you locate lost or stolen vehicles
Reassurance for parents
Black box data can be used as evidence to settle claims
There may be additional fees to fit or disconnect your black box
Insurers may limit journeys or score you badly based on how often you drive and when
Higher premiums for bad drivers
Driving scores aren't shared with other insurers, so you may lose your discounts by switching
Your driving score may also be affected by named drivers
Telematics insurance can be brilliant at bringing down insurance costs for careful motorists, especially brand-new drivers faced with eye-watering premiums. However, some policies penalise or prohibit driving at night, and push up the price if you drive more than the expected mileage, so black box cover won’t suit everyone.
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If you're new to driving you may be wondering what is and isn't included in your black box policy. Here are some common add-ons that you can add separately to upgrade your cover:
Breakdown cover - to cover the cost of a mechanic if you break down.
Courtesy car - if your car is in the garage for repairs, this cover helps you get a replacement vehicle.
Windscreen cover - to cover the cost of mending cracks and replacing broken windscreens.
Misfuelling - if you accidentally put the wrong fuel in your car, this will cover the cost of any damage.
Keep up to date and find out all you need to know with our latest guides.
The black box might be the most common type of telematics insurance, but it isn’t the only. You’ll also be able to find policies with the following:
Rather than a black box, you’ll use a plug-in device that slots into your cigarette lighter – it’s equipped with GPS so it works in the same way
Ditching extra devices altogether, some insurers offer a telematics app that uses your smartphone’s GPS to gather information about your driving
Car insurance group checker - check which insurance group your car falls into
Car insurance cover advisor - identify the type of cover you need
Electric vehicle finder - find the electric vehicle that best suits your needs
Car finance calculator - get an idea of how much car finance might cost you
The way your device will be installed depends on the device you’re using. You can either fit it easily yourself or your insurer can organise someone to fit in your device for you.
An internal black box device will be installed by an engineer and organised by your insurer. These devices are fitted inside the vehicle and may take some time to install. If you choose a plug-and-drive device, it will be sent to your address and all you need to do is plug it into your car’s charging port or cigarette lighter.
If you opt for an app, you just need to download it and it will track your driving automatically through GPS.
No, you'll be insured to drive your vehicle as soon as your policy starts, even if you haven't had your black box installed yet.
The cost of installation if you get a black box is often taken care of by your insurer. However, there are also some other fees or charges you should be aware of:
Reinstallation if you change cars
Removal fees
Damage fees
Breaking curfew
Breaking speed limits / bad driving score
Missing your installation appointment
Yes. Your insurance provider will usually have an online dashboard through their online portal or app, where you can log in to see a dashboard with your driving score.
If someone else is driving your car, or you’re driving someone else’s, the driver must have an adequate level of car insurance in place – whether it’s their own policy or as a named driver. Anyone else who drives your car will affect your driver score.
If you exceed your mileage allocation, extra milage costs will be added to your premium.
You can usually call your insurance provider and add extra miles to your policy and pay the additional costs added to your premium after those changes have been made.
Depending on the provider and type of telematics device you have, it may be able to detect if you’re involved in a road accident – usually by measuring force of impact. The device can send your location to the emergency services, and the data provided may even be able to help insurers determine what caused the accident and whether you were at fault.
The black box uses GPS to track your car’s movement. If your car is stolen, your insurer may be able to help the police locate it, provided the black box is still active and hasn’t been removed from the vehicle. You will need to report your car as stolen to the police and give the crime reference number to your insurer.
If you have a plug-and-drive device or you use an app, changing car shouldn’t be a hassle, but if you have a black box installed it’s somewhat trickier. Your insurer will arrange the installation of a new box in your new car and the old box will be deactivated.
Some insurance providers may fit a new black box for free, while others may charge up to £150 for the service.
You can cancel your telematics insurance at any time. However, you may have to pay a cancellation fee if you cancel before the policy term is finished. Once you've cancelled, your insurer will deactivate your monitoring device.
If you have a black box you can choose whether you want it removed or not, though this may cost up to £150.
If you’re driving abroad you should still be covered by your policy, though you’ll need to check with your insurer whether your driving is still assessed.
Pay-as-you-go car insurance adjusts your premiums based on how you drive. Pay-per-mile and pay-per-hour premiums are based on how much you drive, either by mileage or time on the road, but telematics insurance also factors in when and how well you drive.
Telematics car insurance can help young drivers get cheaper car insurance, but you can also try the following:
Temporary cover: Take out short term cover lasting days, weeks or months instead of a full year if you only use your car occasionally
Named driver insurance: Add a more experienced named driver like a parent or guardian to share responsibility of the vehicle – just be honest about who the main driver is or you could be guilty of fronting
Drive a cheaper car: Opting for a cheaper, less powerful car in a lower insurance group will cost less to insure than a flashy model with fast acceleration.
Keep your car safe: Security devices such as immobilisers and decent alarms, and keeping your car in a garage or on a driveway rather than parked on the street, can all help reduce insurance premiums
Set a higher excess: If you are willing to pay a larger amount towards any claim, you policy should cost less than setting the excess at £50
Pay annually: Paying for a year’s car insurance in one lump sum, rather than spreading the payments over 12 months, is also likely to cost less in total
If your telematics device is a black box, they’re usually self-contained so they shouldn’t have any effect on your car. The same should go for an app on your mobile phone, however plug-and-drive devices that plug into your car’s charger or cigarette lighter might take up some of your car’s battery power.
Historically telematics insurance policies implemented a curfew to prevent people driving during later hours, with fines for people who broke the curfew – but these aren’t as common as they were. There might still be penalties for driving after certain hours however, namely increased premiums or a negatively impacted driving score. To be sure, check with the provider so you know what the rules are before signing up to a policy that you won’t be comfortable with.
Your telematics device won’t interfere with your car at all – this means it won’t control the radio, lights, wipers or heating.
Current devices don’t record audio in your car – only specific information about your driving such as speed and acceleration, how you take corners and the number of miles you drive.
Telematics devices can’t disable your car, and while many used to have curfews these are becoming less common. Driving during later hours can sometimes affect your premiums – it’s best to check with your insurer for their rules on night drives.
You won’t be restricted in how many miles you can drive in your car, but you will have to give an estimated mileage when you take out the policy – and the fewer miles you drive the less you’ll pay. However, if you do go over this estimate you might end up paying more in premiums.
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