How in-car tech can help you save money on your car insurance

Exact estimates vary, but generally experts agree that between 80% to 90% of UK road accidents are down to human error. And that’s a big deal for insurers. You see, the thing to bear in mind with car insurance is that everything is all about risk. The more of a risk you’re perceived to be, the higher your insurance premiums will be, and vice versa. It’s why premiums tend to be higher for younger drivers, as the inexperience tends to make them more of a risk for insurers.

So naturally, some of the best general ways to lower your insurance premiums involve mitigating that perceived risk for insurers. Increasingly, in-car tech is becoming a better and better way to do this, as they can provide incentives to develop and maintain good driving habits, or by save insurers time, money and effort when accidents to inevitably happen. Here are some of the best products that fit those descriptions - many of which we stock right here at Car Communications! 

Dashboard cameras

You may well already know that dashboard cameras have exploded in popularity in recent years. One reason for this is that the products themselves are rapidly evolving, and consumers now have a wider choice of products that are more affordable, discreet and sophisticated than ever before. 

Another big reason, though, is that dashcams are being widely promoted and encouraged by car insurance providers. It’s not difficult to see the reasons why. Modern dashboard cameras can record each journey in perfect detail with increasingly high-quality images, making it easier to see the circumstances and events leading up to an accident. That makes them a dream for insurance providers, as it helps them to more quickly and efficiently establish who was at fault in an accident. Since this often saves them time, effort and paperwork, insurers therefore often provide incentives for drivers to get dashcams.

Happily, these benefits apply to you as a driver, too. It can be difficult and highly stressful to try and prove who was at fault in an accident, and especially galling if you know for a fact that you weren’t to blame. A dashboard camera can remove any ambiguity, and if you’re lucky enough never to be in an accident, they can save you plenty on insurance premiums in the meantime too, as they provide peace of mind for your insurer that you’re also driving carefully and safely. All told, some insurers currently offer between 10% and 15% off just for installing a dashboard camera. Those figures alone are enough to attract plenty of drivers!

Parking sensors and reversing cameras

These are two more pieces of technology which are fairly self-explanatory. Their primary aim is to make it safer when reversing - a simple manoeuvre which drivers perform several times every day, but still remains a huge factor in many accidents. Parking sensors help you to detect any obstacles behind you by sending out ultrasonic waves when you shift your car into reverse. These waves bounce off the nearest object and back to the sensors (yes, just like sonar), helping you to tell exactly how close you’re reversing towards that low wall. Some drivers who’ve installed parking sensors have seen their premiums fall by as much as 13%. Insurers are known to offer similar discounts for  reversing cameras, as they help in broadly the same way - not to mention saving you on that all-important no-claims discount!

These are just a few examples, of course. Depending on who you’re insured with, you may be able to get more discounts with other in-car tech! That’s where we can help here at Car Communications - we’ve got a huge range of technology designed to help you enjoy greater safety and convenience when out on the roads, from the parking sensors described above to our handsfree car kits and stereos. Don’t forget, if you’ve got any questions or you need any specialist advice, we’re always happy to help - feel free to use our online enquiry form, or just give us a call on 01254 694 537!