Vitality launches new dynamic car insurance, incentivising and rewarding safer, greener driving choices
16 June 2021 - Vitality has today entered the car insurance market to incentivise and reward good driving and allow UK drivers to better control their insurance costs. Developed in partnership with Covéa Insurance, the new dynamic product enables drivers to measure and improve their driving behaviour after each trip, earning rewards for driving more safely and making greener choices.
The launch into car insurance represents an extension of Vitality’s successful Shared Value insurance model, which uses incentives and rewards to promote ongoing positive behaviour change among members in its health and life insurance and investment businesses. While traditional insurance policies view risk as static, Vitality’s approach acknowledges risk can change over time depending on a person’s choices.
At the heart of Vitality car insurance is access to the Good Driving Programme, designed to help drivers improve the five key behaviours that contribute to half1 of all road accidents: harsh acceleration, harsh braking, harsh cornering, distracted driving and speeding. As an additional incentive, Vitality will offset up to 100% of the carbon emissions from each trip, depending on how well someone drives2.
Good driving will unlock weekly rewards from Caffé Nero and Rakuten movie rental while drivers demonstrating the safest driving behaviours, as defined by the Good Driving Programme, will have the opportunity to receive £250 off their excess and a no-increase guarantee at renewal 3.
Andrew Webb, Managing Director of VitalityCar said: “Vitality was founded on the simple belief that people can be incentivised to change their behaviour and by rewarding them for doing so, it creates a virtuous circle of improvement.
“We are now applying our Shared Value insurance model to car insurance with a dynamic product that consistently encourages and reinforces good driving, rewarding members for driving safely and for making choices that are better for the environment.
“With VitalityCar, people can access insurance that better reflects their individual risk. The drivers with the safest driving behaviours will have the opportunity to reduce their excess by up to £250 and earn a no-increase guarantee at renewal.”
James Gearey, Managing Director of Personal Lines and Protection for Covéa Insurance added: “Our partnership with Vitality is a major milestone for our business strategy and technology roadmap. It is also a really exciting development for the wider insurance market. The regulatory environment is changing as are customer needs. We have to evolve and innovate to make sure we deliver products that provide value and allow consumers the choice to live their lives in the way that they want.”
The Good Driving Programme enables drivers to better understand their driving behaviour through the use of Vitality’s award-winning Good Driving sensor. This sits on the inside of the windscreen and paired to the Vitality Member app, allows members to measure and improve their driving behaviour by providing detailed feedback after each trip.
Points are earned for good driving but also ‘car-free’ days when drivers choose not to drive. As with Vitality’s Healthy Living Programme, VitalityCar members will work towards achieving a Vitality status of Platinum, Gold, Silver or Bronze, based on how many points they accrue over the plan year and will be able to earn status-linked rewards.
VitalityCar car insurance is available from today on the Vitality website: https://www.vitality.co.uk/car-insurance
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Notes to editors
(1) UK Department of Transport’s reported road accident data shows that driver behaviour (harsh acceleration, harsh braking, harsh cornering and speeding) and distraction contributed to 50% of all reported road accidents in 2019. Source: Department of Transport: Contributory factors to reported road accidents 2019.
(2) The carbon offset calculation will be based on car fuel and emissions information provided by the DVLA. Vitality will contribute to an accredited Carbon Offset project or projects.
(3) Rewards include up to £250 off a member’s excess, depending on their Vitality status and the opportunity to receive a no-increase guarantee on their premium at renewal if they achieve Gold or Platinum status and remain claim-free during the year.