Penny Searles, co-founder and former managing director of telematics firm Wunelli, has launched a connected car service for used cars, which includes an insurance offering.
Searles left Wunelli in May 2015.
The new service, Smartdriverclub, is telematics based. Members are sent a device called the Smartplug which plugs into a socket in the car.
As part of the launch a new insurance provider, Smart Driver Club Insurance, has been created. The insurance part of the service will be launched in the summer and will be offered to Smartdriverclub members who drive well.
In addition to insurance, Smartdriverclub offers automatic emergency assistance, breakdown assistance that can see the driver’s location, a ‘digital mechanic’ that can identify faults, and theft tracking.
The package also includes a vehicle valuation service.
Searles, Smartdriverclub’s chief executive, said: “It’s easy for motorists to get this level of protection in the US[1], without having to buy a new car, so I wanted to bring the same concept to the UK, capitalising on my 8 years’ experience in the telematics insurance market.”
On the insurance part of the package Searles said: “.It’s different to other telematics insurance products in the market because we will already know how, where and when the vehicle is being driven so we can offer extremely competitive premiums and we won’t have to ask all the standard questions.
“It will be a traditional policy – no three strikes and you’re out, no premiums up or down, we are choosing the best drivers in the club to offer policies and this means they won’t be penalised for other policyholders’ bad driving. “
She added: “We are anticipating a huge amount of interest in club membership– not only from motorists themselves but from motor dealers and brands looking for ways to offer greater protection to their customers.”
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