What’s DrivePlus telematics insurance?
DrivePlus is our comprehensive car insurance, which uses telematics to help young drivers get on the road for less. You’ll get an upfront discount and our smartphone app will tell us if you’ve been driving safely, which could mean you save money when you renew.
Reasons to choose DrivePlus
- Get a discount on your first year provided you’ve passed your driving test.
- Good driving could earn you a discount at renewal.
- Comprehensive cover.
- No other devices needed, just use your phone.
- Check your driving scores on the DrivePlus app.
- We won’t increase the cost of your insurance mid-term based on your driving scores.
- Get a quote
How does DrivePlus telematics insurance work?
1. Buy a DrivePlus policy
Click through to get a car insurance quote with Direct Line and you’ll be given the option to choose DrivePlus if you’re eligible.
2. Download the app
Once you’ve got your welcome email, you can download and register the DrivePlus app.
3. Drive
Make sure your phone is with you, then simply drive as normal. The app works in the background, recording details about your journeys.
4. Save at renewal
If you drive safely and get a good score, you could be rewarded with a discount when you renew your insurance.
What will the DrivePlus app measure?
With the DrivePlus app you can see your driving score, which we work out using environmental and behavioural factors, such as:
Your speed compared to other road users. In general, if you’re flowing with the traffic and at a similar speed to other road users, you’ll get a better score than if you are driving too fast.
How you anticipate traffic flow. Avoiding extreme acceleration and hard braking will lead to smooth driving and a better score.
The risks presented by other road users. For example, late night journeys are riskier than others.
The complexity of the roads you use. This is based on the amount of junctions, number of lanes, and how many accidents there have been in the past.
Your mobile phone usage when behind the wheel. The app tracks all instances of phone calls and any physical use of the phone that take place on your journey. The mental and physical distraction caused by using your phone feeds into your driving score.
Car insurance tips and FAQs
To be eligible for a DrivePlus app policy, you must be under 26 years old, with a full UK licence and be the only person on the policy. The DrivePlus app is only compatible with Android and Apple phones.
You’ll get details on how to download and register the app in your DrivePlus welcome email. We ask that you have the app installed and registered within seven days of your policy start date or your policy may be cancelled and it may affect your ability to get insurance in the future.
Please make sure you register the app using the same personal details that were used to buy your DrivePlus policy. The app starts collecting data as soon as you register.
If you have any problems please contact us on 0345 878 6374 or email support@directline.com
It’s a requirement of the DrivePlus policy that you record all journeys, so they can be scored. This means your phone’s location services must be turned on and the phone be with you. If you don’t record a journey for a period of 14 consecutive days and don’t notify us, we reserve the right to cancel your policy. This may affect your ability to take out insurance in the future.
If you know you won’t be driving and recording a journey for a period of time, then you have to let us know beforehand. Call us on 0345 878 6374 or email support@directline.com
The app will auto tag your journey with a mode of transportation it thinks is most likely. Following a journey, you have up to 72 hours to edit the mode of transportation tag, after which the journey is submitted and can’t be edited.
Remember to check your journey details and change those which aren’t tagged with the correct mode of transportation.
Already have a DrivePlus black box policy?
If you have a DrivePlus policy which requires the use of a black box plug-in, you can find details of your insurance below.
Frequently asked questions
You should install and register the DrivePlus app on your Android or Apple phone. The app will work in the background to capture journey details when you’re in motion, so there’s no need to start the app for each journey. Please make sure your phone is with you when you’re driving.
Travelling 1,000 miles at an average speed of 40mph will use roughly 60mb of data per month. If you wish, you can enable Wi-Fi uploads which will reduce your mobile data usage, but a small amount of mobile data will still be used by the GPS. You can change the settings in the app under Preferences.
We strongly advise all drivers to obey the Highway Code and drive in accordance with the law. However, your driving score isn’t based on your speed of travel in relation to the speed limit, but your speed in relation to other drivers on the road.
Your DrivePlus driving score will be considered at renewal and is one of many factors which could increase or decrease the cost of your insurance.
It’s a requirement of the DrivePlus policy that you record all journeys, so they can be scored. If we don’t detect a journey through your DrivePlus app for 14 consecutive days and you don’t notify us, we reserve the right to cancel your policy. This may affect your ability to purchase insurance in the future.