Autosaint offers 'black box' insurance aimed squarely at new drivers, most of them young.
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Trustpilot rating: 1.4/5 stars
TrustPilot has given Autosaint a rating of 1.4 out of five based on 149 reviews. An overwhelming 95% of reviewers on the site gave the car insurance company one star, with a fair few commenting that they would give it no stars if they could.
Autosaint claims that opting to have a telematics box in the car monitoring your speed and driving style can lead to discounts of up to 40% off the eye-watering cost of insurance for novice drivers.
Autosaint is an insurance broker that offers products from a panel of car insurers including Aviva, Ageas, Sabre and Markerstudy.
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When the telematics box is first installed, Autosaint gives drivers a starting score of 50. The top score is 100. Good driving leads to a higher score, while persistently recording a score of less than 30 can lead to the policy being cancelled.
Autosaint says that last year more than 80% of its drivers managed to stay above 30 points. Unlike some other black box insurance companies there is no curfew imposed on policyholders but night driving is not good for the points tally.
The black box also does not like speeding and going 25 mph over the speed limit will mean an end to your Autosaint policy. Three instances of going 15 mph over the speed limit will have the same effect.
Another limiting factor on this type of car insurance is mileage. When you are taking out the policy you have to decide how many miles you are likely to drive in the next year. Misjudging this figure will be costly as you will have to pay Autosaint for extra miles. Continuing to drive without buying more miles will lead to the policy being cancelled.
There is also likely to be a cap on the number of miles you will be allowed to drive in a year, for example with policies through Ageas the limit is 10,000. Exceeding the limit will lead to cancellation of the policy.
And even though you have to have the box to have the insurance, you have to pay for it. It costs £185 for new policies and £170 if you already have a policy but get a new car and need a new box.
Autosaint car insurance provides two types of cover:
No, Autosaint does not offer multi-car insurance discount.
Autosaint offers temporary insurance through dayinsure, but this is aimed at other people driving the car with the black box as Autosaint’s website warns that 'you are responsible for the manner in which your car is driven, even if it isn’t you driving'.
Quotes for short-term or temporary car insurance should be compared to make sure that the insurance meets your needs.
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There isn’t a straight answer to this as Autosaint is an insurance broker and the policy could be from one of a number of different car insurance companies.
Cover will also depend on the age of the driver, with some benefits only being available to drivers over 25, for example.
And the cost of buying extra miles to add to the policy varies depending on which insurer the policy is through. It is important to make sure you get the amount right the first time as buying extra mileage can be expensive.
This is through Silverknight Rescue rather than one of the more familiar rescue companies.
Cover is through Markerstudy Insurance. It will replace:
Up to £1,500 a year for vehicle, home or office keys that have been lost, stolen, or damaged.
Enhanced legal cover, featuring:
Those facing hefty insurance costs will benefit most from the discount that having a black box fitted to their car will bring.
Parents are also likely to appreciate the option of being able to see their child’s driving history.
But Autosaint is likely to be the insurer only for a driver’s early days on the road as more experienced drivers are less likely to appreciate having their driving tracked all the time.
Consideration should also be given to whether having a mileage limit will be impractical, for instance if the car is being used for commuting.
The trade-off between surveillance and cost will favour:
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