Usage-based insurance (“Pay How You Drive”) has evolved from black boxes and smartphone apps over decades. The concept remains simple: share driving data to pay less. Since the 2020s, connected vehicles and embedded sensors have shifted the balance. Automakers now hold an advantage, capturing more granular data than third-party devices and operating vehicles with multiple onboard cameras, including dashcams. Throughout this evolution, data protection and privacy have remained key concerns. In the United States, cases have exposed questionable practices, including limited transparency and data sold without clear end use. In some cases, drivers even paid more when their behavior was rated worse than expected. Yet our survey shows that when savings are real, concerns fade. Across three countries, 56% are willing to share data (52% in France, 60% in Germany, 62% in the UK). Support rises to 64% among younger drivers (18–35) and 62% among high-mileage drivers (>20,000 km/year). However, trust is fragile. A 2024 US Senate document addressed to the FTC cited one automaker that reportedly sold data from 1.7 million vehicles to Verisk for $0.61 per car, over several years. The financial upside appears limited, especially compared to the reputational risk if insurers use the data in ways perceived as unfair. The future may lie in integrated, transparent models: in-car apps allowing drivers to monitor both driving behavior and premium impact in real time. Tesla, for example, offers its own insurance product (“InsureMyTesla”), tailored to its vehicles, with pricing based on actual usage and direct integration with certified repair networks. Other brands have followed with similar initiatives such as Mercedes InScore for instance). Beyond data monetization, automakers may increasingly seek to disintermediate traditional insurers and develop their own insurance ecosystems, much like technology companies have expanded into adjacent financial services. The full survey is available to subscribers of the Dataxis Car Infotainment Intelligence Service. Contact us to learn more about the service and how to access the full report!
