Car insurance. To blackbox or not to blackbox?

[ultracynic]

Getting quotes for our son’s first car, and there’s a huge difference between quotes with or without a black box. However, the Trustpilot reviews for some of them are dreadful - too sensitive, policies cancelled, curfews etc.

Just interested to know if other parents have done their homework on this as I’ve just spent two hours getting quotes from £1400 to £4000!

Dc1 used a black box with admiral and Hastings direct for two years. This year was the first year it was cheaper without. Had no problems with it.

I wouldn't get a black box. They can be completely unreliable depending where you live. We exit our 30mph estate road onto a 40mph road and then within 1/4 mile take a 70mph slip road onto a dual carriageway. The acceleration needed doesn't bode well for a black box according to other local parents who had it.

The main thing to check on policies is the injuries section. We were with Hastings with a newly qualified driver on my car. One of their policies only paid out a low amount if you lost a limb whereas another Hastings policy for about £20 more covered all passengers to £100k or something like that.

I am a belt and braces person. I tick every box so legal cover, injury cover etc and then just pay what needs to be paid. I don't think insurance is something you should ever scrimp on because when it is needed that is when you realise what you are missing.

My DS used Ticker as he worked shifts so couldn't have a curfew. It was perfectly fine he was always in the green or sometimes even gold on the app. To be honest he had to have a black box no one would insure him without due to his occupation and our postcode and the fact he bought himself a not ideal first car. I have heard horror stories about them though so I support depends how much the difference is between having one and not.

We have just taken a policy with Hastings too so that my son can drive my car. I looked at lots and lots of companies and it was a mixed bag but felt the threat of the black box will hopefully help keep him sensible as he gets more confident. I have said that I will remove him if there are lots of issues.
i read that it is important to have phone/tracker fixed so that they don’t move around a lot as this can affect the reliability of the data.

It was cheaper for our DDs first year without! That was Admiral.

If you find a cheaper quote without a black box, you could always tell him it is a black box policy 😉

Haha I saw a reel recently of a kid having his 21st birthday and being happy no more blackbox after 3 years of driving, the surprise from his parents was he’d never had it in the first place!

My gut feeling is it might prevent any temptation to drive like a knobhead, but the reviews about them being so strict on things like braking and accelerating (even when necessary it can affect your score and make your insurance higher or lead to cancellation) have really put me off.

Admiral coming up £500 cheaper on a compare website than through their own quote, which has confused me.

We have used Hastings instead of Admiral as there’s no curfew for being home. Honestly , I would not hesitate to choose them again . He drives sensibly and has great scores. If he ever dips below at all, they message him to explain why and how to improve .

My son has a black box (Hastings) and dashcam
i feel much happier that his driving is regulated. He is competitive about how well he scores as he knows it will impact his renewal cost
no curfew and he has had no issues with it
all new drivers should have a black box in my opinion

With all due respect not everyone has that leaving there drive, we live on a very quiet road and you don't just get to a 70mph situation without trying.

OP my daughter had one and it was brilliant for the 6mths before she passed her test and then really brilliant for the next 6mnths. We had a marmalade box that was very generous..

@aCatCalledFawkes this was a thread asking for opinions about black boxes and everyone gives their own personal opinion. That was mine. For us the acceleration needed in a short space of time isn't great plus the cornering required. It is within the speed limits and you have to keep up with the traffic. You are also meant to get up to the speed limit as quickly as you can so as not to impede other drivers. Getting up to the speed limit is advised on driving lessons and confirmed on every driving instructor video on YouTube which we all watched as my children learned to drive, one of whom is about to take his test.

I cannot change the fact that the 40mph road actually used to be a 60mph then becomes a 70mph as you enter the sharp corner (pretty much 90 degrees) of the short slip road. I think the corner made them reduce the speed down to a 40 so you have to accelerate through the corner and gain speed on the slip road. I have lived here 20 years. That 70mph dual carriage way leads you to a 5 lane major motorway roundabout in 1 mile. It is the reason this area is popular, because of motorway links. As clearly stated, for us, a black box isn't a good idea as other parents told us their experience with it.

The thing is if someone pulls in front of you and you have to brake sharply that black box marks your driving with no reference to what happened to make you brake like that. You may live in a quiet area and I learned to drive in a teeny town. But now I live in a city where rush hour traffic can be cut throat especially with taxis just changing lanes with no regard to anyone else on the roads. No one is leaving a 2 second gap because someone else moves into it.

@ultracynic We have both front and rear facing dash cams in the car so could always monitor Ds's driving, lucky for us he is incredibly sensible, there were several deaths of children who attended his school so they all knew how easy it was to either die or need specialist care for the rest of their lives. My car also connects to a manufacturer's app which monitors speed, acceleration etc.

I’m a driving instructor. None of my ex learners with black boxes have crashed, some of mine without have. That’s all the evidence I need.

Ds has a black box with Ticker. No issues, he’s always gold and his insurance has come down from £2k to £500 over 2 years.

Mixed responses as expected. It’s a tricky one to weigh up really, and DH and I are swaying in opposite directions (me black box, him not).

Ultimately I just want our boy to drive safely, so there’s an element of trust in play. Boys in particular can be a bit daft especially with their mates in the car (hence why car insurance is higher than it is for girls)

God it was so much simpler when they were little!

I read the trust pilot review when buying ds1's first insurance and was similarly twitchy but went with it as like a PP I like to buy very good insurance that covers a lot and it was the only way to make it affordable. We also got one without a curfew as he works catering and is often late back due to stopping at mcdonalds on the way home I've been very pleasantly surprised with it. He's always between 97 and 100. Hopefully looking at a good reduction when he renews.

Two of mine had a black box and neither had any problems

I will be in this position next year, and having done some tentative research I am wary of getting a black box as the implications for them cancelling a policy can last for years afterwards, and they don’t seem to be very well regulated - so if there’s a problem it’s hard to prove what actually happened.

Might not be useful in your case but I was advised to put the start date of the policy a couple of months in advance, so it’s not so close to them passing their test. Annoying for them to wait I know, but apparently it can make a big difference to the cost.

TBH we never considered not getting a black box when DS got his own car/insurance. If anything, it means he can't show off and drive too quickly down the dual carriageways in our area. However in his little car, it takes quite some time to get his speed up! 😂