As the leaseholders of electric cars are discovering, going green to reach Net Zero can cost money. That said, many drivers feel they need to show support for new transport tech, so checking the green credentials of your insurer can make people feel like they are doing their bit. Here’s some info from a company which claims to be the first truly “green” insurance broker.
The UK’s first truly green car insurance broker is opening for business and is focused on helping drivers reduce carbon emissions and drive in a more environmentally friendly way while offsetting all emissions from driving. The Green Insurer has launched today with car insurance policies and customers can buy direct from the website at http://www.thegreeninsurer.com and through leading price comparison websites.
DRIVER AWARENESS
More than half (53%) of drivers questioned are more aware of the impact on the environment than they were a year ago, while 69% are more aware of the impact than they were three years ago. Around 28% say they plan to drive fewer miles in the next 12 months. More than six out of 10 (61%) say they’re cutting back on the miles they drive to help the environment while 76% say they are doing so because of the cost of living.
The Green Insurer will aim to cut insurance costs for drivers at a time of rapidly rising premiums by negotiating special deals with insurers. The company will also offer rewards for environmentally friendly driving worth on average £20 a year through its Leaves scheme as well as discounts of up to 6% on weekly supermarket shopping through a range of partnerships. It expects to be most competitive for drivers doing low annual mileage.
DRIVING SCORES CAN CUT PREMIUMS
A customer’s Green Driving Score in the app will be used to calculate their renewal premium and to offer discounts when they renew. Environmentally conscious driving also means lower fuel costs and being safer in their car. Policies are linked to a mobile app, which monitors how customers drive. The data is logged in a free App, which measures how the customer drives and how far they drive to enable The Green Insurer to calculate rewards and how much carbon to offset.
New analysis from Consumer Intelligence for The Green Insurer reveals that the average car insurance premium has increased by on average 66.5% in the year to October 31st. They are now 79.1% higher than five years ago.
REWARDS & SHOPPING DISCOUNTS
The Green Insurer’s Reward partners include major supermarkets, leading retailers such as Boots, Currys PC World, B&Q, John Lewis, Marks & Spencer and WH Smith as well as restaurant chains including Pizza Express and transport groups Eurostar and National Express. Other partners include environmentally conscious companies that share its green ethos.
Every mile driven by customers will be offset using a range of carbon offset projects which are assessed for their carbon and environmental effectiveness as well as the social impact on the people and communities where they are based. Customers can see how much carbon has been removed to offset their driving emissions on The Green Insurer app. They can also see how much has been offset for all customers.
Paul Baxter, CEO, The Green Insurer, said: “We are giving customers the option to easily buy genuinely green car insurance, which is the first in the UK to offset all carbon emissions while also helping drivers to cut the costs of driving and insurance.
“Driving habits are changing across the UK, and we are reflecting that in the way we have designed our insurance policies to reward people for how they have changed. Customers need to be confident that that the policies they buy are actually helping the environment so they can make an informed decision. The reaction from insurers has been extremely positive as we are focused on attracting customers who are concerned about the environment and rewarding them for driving in an environmentally responsible way.”
All customer inquiries to The Green Insurer will be dealt with by humans based in the UK rather than chatbots or overseas call centres.
Up to 70 companies have partnered with The Green Insurer to offer rewards and discounts including ASDA, Tesco, Sainsbury’s Waitrose, Iceland and Morrisons plus retailers Clarks, Harvey Nichols, Halfords, Habitat and Waterstone’s as well as restaurant chains Zizzi, Ask Italian and Café Rouge. On a typical weekly supermarket shop of £200 a 6% discount would be worth more than £600 a year, says the Green Insurer.
Independent and green offers include eco laundry capsules, eco clothing, reusable coffee cups and refillable natural deodorant. The company plans to expand the number of rewards partners and is contacting companies who can also sign up on its website. It will also add other insurance partners in the future and potentially expand the types of policies it offers.
IE COMMENT
It’s great to save carbon by reducing annual miles. It would also be greener for the planet if those who DIDN’T shop at Currys for a new gadget every three months, buy 10 books from Waterstone’s, or spend £200 a week on groceries, got a reward. You cannot save the Earth by buying more stuff. So surely those who only spend £50 a week should get 6% off, and those who consume more should only get say 2%?
If you drive a battery powered hybrid or EV then surely those who arrange for second use for their battery in advance of it going flat in 7-10 years should get a reward? Those drivers who just chop in their 4 year old Tesla for a new lease car, thus palming off the dead battery recycling problem to the next owner/renter, are the real polluters – aren’t they?
Then again those people who have one child, or zero children, rather than say four children, are cutting their carbon footprint by an immense amount of lifespans – in theory. How about poor childless drivers, who make a small Yaris last 15 years and use a bus pass for daily trips just driving 2k miles a year for social reasons get big rewards? Unlike George Clooney, Meghan Markle or other private jet fans, they don’t have to plant forests to offset their emissions, because their lifetime emissions are about 1% of what Bill Gates will emit in a single year.
Yeah, this green transport thing is complicated.
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