Some insurance companies offer drivers a discount on their premiums if they drive carefully. A real opportunity to lower the bill when its cost weighs a little more on household budgets each year? We return to the operation and opinions of this insurance, which are based on the behavior of insurance companies.
Up to – 40% each month on the contribution. The promises of connected car insurance or insurance based on driver behavior are tempting. Especially since the average prices of this compulsory insurance tend to increase year after year.
Driving result
The principle of these insurances, also called Pay how you drive? Thanks to a box connected to the vehicle and/or an application downloaded to a smartphone, the driving data is analyzed by the insurance company.
The latter generally gives drivers a score and rewards drivers who drive the best with a discount on the insurance premium. The absence of excessive speed, sudden braking, good anticipation of turns are all parameters that are appreciated.
Still rarely offered in France
In France, although many insurance companies offer mileage-based offers that charge less for those who drive the least, those that promote careful driving are still rare. YouDrive, Novys (intended for young drivers only) or Allianz autoconnected are the first results displayed during a search.
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Their arrival on the market has particularly raised questions about the use of the collected data. Today, the use of technologies has become more democratic and is part of our daily life with sports for example, explains Christine Singer, customer director of YouDrive, Direct Assurance’s connected insurance, launched in 2015.
Young drivers, for whom premium rates are particularly high, are the bulk of this type of insurance. At YourDive, which claims to be the leader in this market, the portfolio is around 55,000 customers and young drivers represent around 60% of new subscriptions. According to Christine Singer, our customers save an average of 18% on their insurance premium, which equates to an average of 15 euros per month. 92% of our customers save money every year. Every third customer earns at least 200 euros per year.
Nuanced opinions
Pierre Chasseray, general delegate of the 40million motorists Association, remains very skeptical. For me, these promises are just a sales pitch. Often we do not see in relation to what and to whom the reductions are given. If it is not proven to me that the insurance is the cheapest contract type, corresponding vehicle and insured profile, I cannot see anything concrete.
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On platforms that allow connected insurance applications to be downloaded, users are also nuanced. Some say they are happy to have been able to make significant savings, which they sometimes estimate to be more than ten euros a month. Others lament mistakes and encounter difficulties in achieving good results and the associated discounts and struggle to understand their penalties.
In general, linked insurance companies are mainly criticized for not taking the context into account. In the reviews, a user complains, for example, of being penalized when he swerves or brakes suddenly to avoid pedestrians or collisions with other drivers.
Benefits other than savings
But for Christine Singer, more than savings, these insurances lead to another significant benefit: the principle of coaching and analysis of its proposed behavior makes it possible to reduce the number of injuries, with 15% fewer injuries observed on YouDrive customers compared to our standard customers, on an identical profile.
To reduce risks, Pierre Chasseray would like a paradigm shift. These devices are aimed at young people but only control the speed. However, the biggest cause of death among young people is alcoholism. I cannot understand why offers with connected breathalyzers are not offered by insurance companies to reduce this risk. These devices make it possible to prevent a vehicle from starting in case of alcohol. They already exist, one of them even won the road safety award in 2017. One could imagine that those who subscribe to these offers would also obtain a discount on their insurance.
