Black Box Insurance FAQs

You may drive for essential journeys only. You may leave the home to:

- shop for basic necessities, for you or a vulnerable person

- go to work, or provide voluntary or charitable services, if you cannot reasonably do so from home

- exercise with your household (or support bubble) or one other person, this should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area.

- meet your support bubble or childcare bubble where necessary, but only if you are legally permitted to form one

- seek medical assistance or avoid injury, illness or risk of harm (including domestic abuse) attend education or childcare - for those eligible

The DVSA advise that Learner drivers may also take driving practice with a member of their household, provided it is for one of the essential journeys specified above.

If you do leave home for a permitted reason, you should always stay local in the village, town, or part of the city where you live. You may leave your local area for a legally permitted reason, such as for work. It goes without saying that if you are self-isolating you should not leave the house at all (unless it is to get a COVID test).

Read the full coronavirus guidance for the four nations via the links below:

England

Scotland

Wales

Northern Ireland

Your insurance cover and your ability to make a claim during this time will not be affected. As you may be aware, many companies have their teams working remotely and may be managing with higher staff sickness than normal, so at these times it may take a little longer to get through on the phone.
Read our COVID-19 update here

Provided you request a Green Card from us before you travel to Europe, your policy gives you 90 days comprehensive cover when driving abroad in EU countries*. After 90 days you will only have the minimum level of insurance cover required to drive in those countries. You can request a Green Card by calling us on 0333 358 3441 at least 7 working days before you travel. It is essential that you carry a paper copy of this whilst driving in Europe.

Customers based in Northern Ireland can request a green card for the length of their policy for cover in the Republic of Ireland.

The Green Card certifies that you have the minimum compulsory Motor Third Party Liability Insurance cover required by the Laws on the countries visited. Depending on the country you visit, you may need extra documentation and equipment such as a GB sticker, V5 document, emission stickers and more. Please check the gov.uk website for what the country you are visiting requires before you travel.

- Prior to your trip, please give us a call on 0333 358 3441 to obtain the Green Card.

- We will then send your Green Card within 7 working days. This should be carried with you on your travels within the EU, to prove you are insured to drive there.

- Alternatively, we can email this for you to print at home - please note a paper copy must be with you when you travel.

- Once you have obtained your green card this will be valid for the length of your trip.

Please note, Northern Ireland customers can request a green card for the length of their policy for cover in the Republic of Ireland.

If you’re self-isolating, it is reassuring to know that whilst you may not be driving, your car is still insured against fire, theft and damage by a third party when it’s parked. Please note that insurance cover is a legal requirement, unless your car is registered SORN (Standard Off Road Notification) and isn’t parked on public roads. If you no longer require insurance, you can cancel your policy by contacting the team on Livechat or 0333 358 3441.

It's when you get a reduction in your premium as a reward for having a claim-free record.

No. Because we use the telematics device to monitor your driving, we'll only cover you for the car it's fitted in.

Afraid not. The policy needs the main driver to be aged between 17 and 30. So if you're added to the policy as a named driver but you're actually driving the car the majority of the time then this is what's called 'insurance fronting' which is a form of fraud.

We can provide cover for business use. If you require this cover you can select this option when you get a quote.

Yes, provided the owner of the car is your parent, your spouse/civil partner or a vehicle leasing company.

No. Unlike some telematics offerings which offer black box insurance, you are covered to drive any time you like, day or night.

No, for this policy you need to use the telematics tag we provide and fix it to your windscreen behind the rear-view mirror in your vehicle.

Also known as black box insurance, telematics utilises a discreet black box (in this case a small tag) which lets us know how you're driving by sending information to us via a GPS signal. The box measures distance, location, acceleration, braking, cornering, average speed, and phone usage and helps us to tailor your renewal premium to your driving style. Read more about telematics here.

After a while, the tag and app will begin to recognise different driving styles and will assign trips to the policyholder or named drivers accordingly. However, if a trip is wrongly assigned, you can re-assign the trip in the app.

Yes. You can pay your premium over 10 months with Premium Credit. You will need to pay 20% of your premium up front. Premium Credit will add 10% to the remaining balance to be paid by direct debit over the next nine months.

Yes, you can start driving as soon as your policy starts however you need to fit the telematics tag as soon as it arrives and pair it with the Marmalade Young Driver app.

Yes, if you have earned a no claims bonus from a previous policy it may be applied to this cover, as long as: It is available and it is not being used on another vehicle It was earned on a private car policy in the UK The policy it was applied to was in force no less than 2 years prior to your New Driver policy start date You will need to send us proof of your no claims bonus within 28 days to [email protected]. If we don’t receive it then you will either be asked to pay a higher premium or your policy will be cancelled.

No, the policy is based on the annual mileage declared by the policyholder.

Yes, you can cancel your policy within the first 14 days. We'll refund the part of the premium that hasn't been used with a minimum charge of £25 + £60 to cover the cost of the telematics tag (except where an incident has occurred that may give rise to a total loss claim, in which case the full annual premium will be payable). If your black box has been fitted we'll have to charge you to remove it. Take a look at our Terms of Business document for all the details.

If you are aged 17 ‐ 21, you will need to add a parent or guardian as a named driver. If you're aged 22 or over, this is optional.

Yes you can. You're allowed a maximum of two named drivers, one of which will need to be a parent or legal guardian if you're aged 17 ‐ 21. All named drivers must be aged 25 or over.

You certainly will. You can start building this up as soon as your policy starts. After 12 months of cover you will then have gained one year's No Claims Bonus (providing you don't have any accidents or claims). Of course if you have earned a No Claim Bonus already and it is not being used on another vehicle it can be used on this policy (please read question 12 for more details).

We'll email you a link to log in to access your documents online with the login details you receive.

It's a small square tag that is smaller than the size of your palm. The tag comes with self-adhesive strips that are used to secure the tag to the inside of your windscreen directly behind the rear-view mirror.

It will measure and then transmit details about how you are driving the car during each of your journeys. It will measure things like speed and acceleration force, braking force and frequency, swerving, sudden manoeuvres, cornering, mobile phone use, distance travelled, the types of routes driven, the time and date of journeys and your car's location. All of this information will then be used to give you your driver's score. Take a look at our Monitoring your driving page to find out more.

You need to let us know of any changes to your circumstances to make sure your policy remains valid. You will need to move the telematics tag to the windscreen in the new vehicle also directly behind the rear-view mirror.

Let us know at your first opportunity on 0333 358 3441 and we will investigate the issue further for you.

If you need to cancel your policy please call us on 0333 358 3441. As long as you haven't made a claim, we'll issue you a refund, minus the time you have been covered and with an administration fee. The charges are shown in the Terms of Business.

You have the right to appeal the results within 24 hours of receiving them. Call us on 0333 358 3441.

Motor Legal Expenses cover can be added to the policy fee for a small premium of just £10 a year. This will provide up to £100,000 worth of legal representation to help recover uninsured losses where you or a named driver are not at fault. Such losses could include excess payments you have made, loss of earning as a result of the accident, medical care and compensation for injuries you suffer.

It is included in the price of your policy. The telematics tag is self-install. It’s very simple to fit – it simply secures to the windscreen behind the rear-view mirror. All the details you need about this can be found in our Terms of Business document.

If your vehicle is damaged beyond repair as a result of an insured incident, as part of your claim, your insurance policy will provide for the cost of replacing the telematics device. Otherwise please contact us on 0333 358 3441.

Inform the police (obtaining a crime reference number) and your insurer at your first opportunity advising them whether your car is fitted with a GPS Device (i.e. black box) that may be able to locate the vehicle’s whereabouts. Please see our make a claim section for more information.

As the telematics tag is self-adhesive, you can simply remove the device from the windscreen. Of course, if you have transferred your policy to another car, you will need to fit the tag to your new car.

The telematics tag will be posted to you once you have taken the policy out. When you receive your telematics tag it will be complete with instructions on how to secure it to the windscreen of your car, as well as details on how to pair it with the app.

Providing you have earned at least four year's No Claim Bonus you can pay an additional premium to protect it. Please see section 8 of your policy document.

You can view your journeys in the Young Driver app as soon as your telematics tag is fitted and you’ve connected it to the app. If you drive unsafely you could end up with additional charges of £125 or even £250. Take a look at our Driver Caution and Additional Premium process for all the details.

If you drive unsafely you could end up with additional charges of £125 or even £250. Take a look at our Red Journey Process for all the details.

If you’re using the same email address and your details have not changed since your previous policy, your discount should appear on your Black Box Insurance quotation. If you are expecting to see a discount and it does not appear, please give our team a call on 0333 358 3441 and we’ll look into it for you. If you are eligible, we can arrange the policy for you over the phone with the discount applied.

Yes, you can add breakdown cover from RAC. We’ll show the cover options available to you alongside the quote for your black box insurance. You can select either Roadside, Recovery and At Home or Roadside, Recovery, At Home & Onward Travel - giving you peace of mind throughout the year for if you break down. Before you buy, don’t forget to check that you don’t already have this cover elsewhere (e.g. in a packaged bank account or as part of a new car warranty).

If you have an accident and your car is being repaired using one of our approved repairers, you will be entitled to a replacement car whilst the repairs are undertaken. However, a courtesy car is not provided if your car is stolen or a total loss. Hire Car cover can be added to your policy should you wish to have a replacement car up to 14 days in the event of an accident resulting in your car being undriveable, or if your car is stolen. It’s worth noting that this cover is only available to full licence holders aged 21 or over, or those over 18 who have held a full licence for a minimum of 6 months.

Please check that Bluetooth and location services are enabled and that there is no metal or significant barrier between the smartphone and tag (e.g. the glove compartment). If you are having issues, we advise you to find the Marmalade app in your phone settings and turn off the permissions for a few seconds (e.g. location service) and then turn them back on. This should resolve the issue for future journeys.

Once it’s activated the tag will just sit quietly on your windscreen with no lights. Provided your trips are recording it is all in working order. From time to time the light may flash when it is transmitting data to your smartphone or is receiving a firmware upgrade. However, if you notice a red light, there may be an issue so we’d ask you to get in touch with us.

Yes, you can. You will need to connect the phone to the car’s on-board computer and change the songs/volume via the car and not on the phone. The phone cannot be touched or in motion whilst driving.

Provided that you set the navigation to commence before you turn the ignition on and start your journey, then yes you can. However, once you are driving you should not touch your phone until you are have stopped and turned the engine off, or it will flag as distracted driving.

If you’re a passenger in the insured car, and not driving, you can turn the Bluetooth off for the journey. If you need to keep your Bluetooth on, it’s best to let the person driving get in their car so that their phone pairs with the tag first, before you get in. If the trip is wrongly assigned to you, you can re-assign the trip in the app.

Our technology is pretty good, however, it can’t distinguish between the driver or the passenger holding the phone. This means that your phone should not be used by anyone in the car on your journey or it may flag distracted driving.