Looking for a Car Insurance Discount? Get a Dash Cam!
There are many ways to maximize your car insurance policy in the UK market, but one of the more popular methods has come about with the availability of mounted dash cams. If you want an immediate reduction in insurance premiums or to cut your insurance costs back with a new provider, get a dash cam fitted. In this article, we’ll look at the reasons why these companies offer a car insurance discount, which companies in the UK presently offer discounts or reductions and also why you should be shopping around for better insurance in the first place.
Why Do Insurance Companies Offer Better Rates for Drivers Who Fit Dash Cams?
Insurers are famous for watching their pennies, so why would they offer a deal? The simple answer is that it not only makes them more competitive among conscientious drivers, but statistically, people with dash cams make less claims. Here are the key motivations for insurers:
- Having a dash cam not only protects you, but also the insurance company from fraudulent claims. The cam can provide video evidence of other driver’s mistakes which can absolve your insurer in the event of a liability claim.
- Studies show something that is fondly called the “mother factor”. This is a way of saying that by having a dash cam installed, you, as a driver, will automatically feel as though you are being evaluated, perhaps as if by a concerned mother? This makes most drivers a lot more conscientious when driving and less likely to take risks.
- The very act of having a permanent dash cam fitted to your car shows the insurer that you are a cautious driver and less likely to take risks with your safety.
Remember, insurance companies spend fortunes on research and actuarial tables to give themselves the perfect balance of risk and reward; they rarely do anything out of kindness. So if they think you’ll be safer with a dash cam installed, you can bet that you will be. For more information on why dash cams can save you money on your car insurance, check out the Telegraph’s motoring article on it.
UK Insurers Who Offer Discounts or Reductions for Drivers with Dash Cams
Many more UK insurers are getting on the band wagon with car dash cam insurance discounts, some have been doing it for longer than others and some have a range of attached conditions. In this section we’ll look at the insurers who are leading the market. Remember that as with any insurance policy, rates will vary and conditions will apply and a lot will depend on your past record.
Adrian Flux
Adrian Flux has over 40 years experience in the UK car insurance industry and are regarded as a very professional insurer. They presently offer an “Up To 15 Per Cent In-Car Camera Discount”. Depending on your basic factors, this is a potential saving of several hundred pounds a year. To qualify for their discount, the type of dash cam you have (or are going to purchase), should be one from their insurance approved dash cam list (which you can check at the link above). The approved list contains more than 60 different dash cams.Check Out Adrian Flux’s Policy
Swift Cover
Swiftcover.com was the first big name car insurer to offer a dash cam discount for UK drivers. They are a part of the AXA group and can offer insurance for driving both in the UK and abroad. Their dash cam deal is that if you have a dash cam fitted, you’ll save 10% on your insurance. If however, you get a NextBase dash cam bought from and installed by Halfords, the discount rises to 12.5%.
For conditions, they will expect you to send the dash cam footage along with any insurance claim if requested (not an app download), and the offer doesn’t include add-ons.Check Out Swift Cover’s Policy
RAC
The famous RAC offer a straight cash discount for car owners who have a dash cam fitted. You can save £30 as a one off bonus for getting a cam. This applies to annual insurance premiums only at the point of purchase for new policies. Other conditions include:
- The policy must have a value greater than the discount.
- You can’t claim the discount if you got a direct quote from a comparison site.
- Existing RAC customers who have a presently running policy will be excluded from the offer.
- It’s not available with either add-ons or in conjunction with another offer.
If you’re happy enough with your present insurer, the RAC offer is probably not going to be enough to sway you, but if you are looking for a change, then it might be worth considering.Check Out RAC’s Policy
AXA
The insurance giant AXA also offers a deal for you on dash cam discounted insurance. To get specific details on how much you could save, you’ll need to fill out a “quote form” and submit your details. There are however a few terms and conditions that AXA asks you to abide by. The two main ones include providing footage when you submit a claim, and that they may from time to time ask you to provide basic footage of your driving at a random time (this is to check that you are a “usually safe driver”.Check Out AXA’s Policy
Why You Should Always be On the Lookout for Different Insurance
Everyone would prefer to pay less for more, with the ever-shifting UK car insurance market, a keen eye for detail can help you achieve just that. Insurance companies are very competitive in trying to increase their market share; the extra edge in benefits that they can offer over their main competitors can make a huge difference to their bottom line. By shopping around, you can take advantage of this. Also, year on year your situation as a driver and a car owner change; why should you be paying the same premiums (or higher) that you paid last year? This is especially true if you haven’t made a claim during the policy year.
Remember that the longer you’ve been driving (assuming you’re not having a lot of accidents), the more valuable you become as a customer for the insurance company. Ask around and fill out a few quote forms, you may be surprised at the offers you get.
Find your perfect camera with our guide to the best UK dash cams of 2016 – 2017.