Hastings Direct and Cambridge Mobile Telematics Partner to Offer Customers Better Pricing on Their Premiums

Hastings Direct App and Tab provides clear feedback to customers on how their driving is scored and premiums are determined

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hastings Direct has partnered with Cambridge Mobile Telematics (CMT), the global leader in smartphone telematics, to create Hastings Direct YouDrive, a program that gives safe drivers of all ages better control over their car insurance premium.

This program launches at the perfect time; the appetite for usage-based insurance has grown to 40% among UK drivers since the start of COVID-19, according to CMT research conducted in September of this year. As awareness around driving behaviour and the potential impact on premium costs has heightened, CMT and Hastings Direct have partnered to create a solution that provides customers with immediate, accurate, and transparent driving measurements. The program uses CMT’s App and Tab solution, which allows Hastings Direct to price based on customers’ actual driving style and help bring risky behaviours to the customers’ attention.

The app measures risky behaviours such as phone use, speeding, harsh braking, sudden accelerations, and sharp cornering. A score is then generated for each trip and shared with the driver on the app together with map-based details on the incident and tips for how to improve. This feedback loop helps the driver improve behaviour behind the wheel and ultimately keep premiums low year after year.

“We're excited to have created a proposition that puts the customer at the heart of our product, creating a simple and transparent way for customers to share their driving style which recognises good drivers with great prices and helps many become safer on the road,” said Rami Kowatli, Head of Telematics at Hastings Direct.

For Hastings Direct YouDrive customers, the app provides drivers with a clear indicator of how their driving relates to risk, providing a numerical score and three colour zones — red, amber, and green — to make it clear how the customer is doing.

The clear feedback is possible because of CMT’s highly-accurate measurement system, based on the DriveWell telematics platform. The system uses sensors both in the smartphone and in the Tab to ensure only trips behind the wheel of the driver’s car are scored. About the size of a key fob, the Tab is not a black box or OBD-II device, but simply a Bluetooth device that sticks to the windscreen and doesn’t require complicated installation. Users then have the ability to link their phone in minutes via the Hastings Direct app.

CMT has more than 6.5 million drivers on its platform, and supports smartphone telematics programs in 26 countries around the globe. It is the largest smartphone telematics provider in the world.

“Our mission is to make drivers better and roads safer and we’re happy Hastings Direct shares the same goal,” said Hari Balakrishnan, Co-Founder and CTO of CMT. “We also share a commitment to our customers to provide accurate measurements and clear feedback, as well as a guarantee that all personal data is strictly protected and its usage is transparent to the driver.”

About CMT:

With 6.5 million drivers on the road using the DriveWell Platform and more than 15 million Tags shipped around the world, CMT is the global leader in telematics. Since its first product launch in 2012 that pioneered mobile usage-based insurance, CMT has become the world’s telematics and analytics provider for insurers, rideshares, fleets, and more. From risk assessment to crash and claims, its solutions reduce losses, improve industry processes, and help drivers in their moments of need. With more than 50 active programs worldwide, CMT is improving safety for millions of drivers every day. To learn more, visit cmt.ai.

About Hastings Direct:

Hastings Direct is an agile, data, and digitally focused general insurance provider to the UK car, van, bike, and home insurance markets, with 3 million live customer policies and employing over 3,300 colleagues at sites in Bexhill, Leicester, and London. Hastings Direct has built its business by providing straightforward customer service and products, and offers car, bike, van, and home insurance directly to the public.

Hastings Direct is a trading name of Hastings Insurance Services Limited, the UK trading subsidiary of Hastings Group Holdings plc, which also offers products and services under the brands “People’s Choice” and “insurePink.”

For more information about Hastings Direct and Hastings Group please visit:

www.hastingsdirect.com

www.hastingsplc.com