Car insurance - how much a dash cam can save you and which insurers...

Dash cams have skyrocketed in popularity after the past few years and there are now almost 11 million motorists using one on the roads.  The reason for this is as it acts as a line of

defence motorists can in the case of a crash but they can save you money. The small video cameras are mounted to the windscreen and record the road ahead while you are driving.  Some systems

record constantly while some will kick in at certain points.  The cash incentive of owning a has been well publicised and drivers can save up to 30 per cent off the cost of their premium by

adopting them.  In addition to this, they give the motorist peace of mind when they have an accident as they can help to validate your claim. Matt Oliver, from GoCompare car insurance, said

to Express.co.uk: “With the average annual motor insurance premium now sitting at £475, it’s no surprise to see tech like dashcams being adopted to help lower premiums. “When fitted in a

car, dashcams may encourage good behaviour from both the driver - who will know that their actions are being recorded - and other motorists, who may be aware of the increasing number of

cameras on the road. “Unlike telematics policies, insurers don’t use dash cams to monitor overall driving performance, but with footage available to be used as evidence following an

incident, insurers are becoming more aware of the potential value a dash cam can add. “It’s also worth remembering that if you make a claim and you don’t have dashcam footage to support it,

you may have to repay any discounts that you may have had, as well as potentially invalidating your policy.” In 2014, Swiftcover became the first insurer to offer a dashcam discount and a

number of other providers have since followed its example. They currently offer a discount of up to 12.5 per cent on car insurance with a Nextbase Dashcam - which is the biggest provider of

dash cams in Britain.  Swiftcover is not the only insurer to offer discounts off premiums, with an increasing amount offering cash savings.  Adrian Flux is another firm that offers 15 per

cent off a premium, however, one caveat is that it must be from their pre-approved list of third-party cameras. AXA offers drivers a 10 per cent discount off the cost of a premium when the

camera is permanently fitted in the car.  Both SureThing! and My First Insurance offers drivers at least 20 per cent off the cost of a premium when using a Nextbase camera, with the latter

offering 30 per cent off.  In March 2017, Swiftcover said it would only ask a policyholder to provide video footage in the event of an accident, while other insurers, such as Axa, will

sometimes ask dash cam holders to send them footage to make sure the camera is working efficiently, in case a claim is made.