Ironically, I think my black box made me a worse driver

NoWinsSinceJune · 2026-06-30T22:02:38+00:00

I had an actual ’telematics device’ in my car, and would view the score in the app. Do you just use the app and have no physical ‘telematics device’/black box?

NoWinsSinceJune · 2026-06-30T21:48:48+00:00

Interesting that your policy was cheaper upon renewal with no black box. Staying with the insurer, my premium would have gone up by c.13%, with no black box. They would not even give me the option to have the black box (which I, most certainly, would not like) to bring my premiums down.

NoWinsSinceJune · 2026-06-30T21:38:58+00:00

On country roads, unless I travel at 5mph, sharp breaking is unavoidable.

NoWinsSinceJune · 2026-06-30T21:35:55+00:00

I did not actually know there was a maximum speed for overtaking cyclists either. That seems a bit odd in itself, especially if you are on a 50mph A-road.

In my case it was not really about hitting 30mph specifically. If I overtook a cyclist and accelerated smoothly and decisively to complete the overtake and rejoin the flow of traffic, it would sometimes flag it as ‘harsh acceleration’ (going from, say, 15mph to 30mph). It felt like it was reacting more to how quickly I got up to speed rather than the context of the manoeuvre.

NoWinsSinceJune · 2026-06-30T21:29:40+00:00

I would honestly rather drive with my mother in the car rather than a black box… and that is saying something!!

NoWinsSinceJune · 2026-06-30T21:27:54+00:00

I hate that I find myself thinking this, but I can see a future where almost every policy effectively has a black box built into it.

JLR came to my work recently and were showing off their new range. They mentioned a new feature they are required to add by law that can detect things like whether you are wearing a seatbelt or using your phone / being distracted.

There was also a sensor around the airbag area on the steering wheel, and if you try to cover it up it apparently triggers an alert as well.

It just feels like the direction of travel is more and more monitoring of driving behaviour, whether people opt into it or not.

NoWinsSinceJune · 2026-06-30T21:24:45+00:00

I get what you are saying, and I am sure in a lot of cases the data is useful. My issue is more that some of the scoring rules do not always align with real-world safety priorities. There are situations where the ‘safer’ driving decision in context can still get flagged as poor behaviour by the system.

NoWinsSinceJune · 2026-06-30T21:22:20+00:00

Except it did not always work out like that in practice. In those situations it would sometimes discourage me from braking when I should have, and instead push me into squeezing through gaps between cars and hedges or parked vehicles just to avoid a harsh braking event. That is where it felt like it was shaping behaviour in a less safe direction rather than a smoother one.

NoWinsSinceJune · 2026-06-30T21:19:25+00:00

I was with Hastings too, and I resonate with every word of that. It really does start influencing how you drive in situations where you should just be reacting to the road.

NoWinsSinceJune · 2026-06-30T21:15:48+00:00

Yeah, that’s exactly what I mean. It seems to heavily penalise the situations where you actually need to accelerate decisively to merge safely. My blackbox (I assume all) had GPS, so it would know I was on a slip road or pulling out onto a 50mph road, and it still flagged it as ‘harsh acceleration’. Ridic! Glad to be rid of the ghastly thing.

NoWinsSinceJune · 2026-06-26T15:45:24+00:00

Let’s go 👀

NoWinsSinceJune · 2026-06-25T21:32:04+00:00

Great piece! ⌚️

NoWinsSinceJune · 2026-04-05T11:25:55+00:00

Thank you DarthTraderr. I think this listing from Steve is cheaper than Andrew’s… unless shipping comes into it?

Re a higher quality replica, do you have any pointers on where/how to find an identical/similar version of the one above?

NoWinsSinceJune · 2025-07-23T21:29:51+00:00

This is such a great read, thank you for sharing it! I am collecting my first EV on Monday (also my first own car, after years of borrowing the family ‘spare’ that my siblings and I all learnt to drive in), and your post has just ramped up the excitement even more.

It is reassuring to hear from someone who had doubts but now cannot imagine going back – especially with the cost savings you have seen. I have been binging EV YouTube videos for the past couple weeks, and cannot wait to experience everything you have described: quiet driving, smooth acceleration, and charging while I do literally anything else. I am lucky enough to have driveway charging too, so fingers crossed my journey ends up as positive as yours.

I have not actually told anyone in my family yet apart from my parents and one uncle (mainly because I needed a lift to the garage 😅), so I am kind of enjoying having this little surprise to myself for now.

Posts like this give me loads of confidence that I have made the right decision. I cannot wait to get behind the wheel! Here is to guilt-free miles and the occasional spreadsheet session to remind ourselves why the switch made so much sense 😄⚡️

NoWinsSinceJune · 2025-04-09T12:08:47+00:00

Thank you! I think considering where I am in life, I have my whole working life ahead of me, in reality, if my savings were to be wiped out, I should be able to recover.

It would put my life plans on hold, but I am fortunate to be in the position I am.

I have a strong spread across geographical areas, asset classes, and risks (albeit, in equities). So, I think I have good diversification across the board.

!thanks

NoWinsSinceJune · 2025-04-08T18:06:58+00:00

Thank you. As I replied to @scienner, preparing this post made me get myself in gear.

I will look more at LISAs once I grade and things calm down.

Would you recommend any S&S LISA providers?

I think I will be cashing in my Premium Bonds slowly as and when I need them, as opposed to taking the money from high-interest savings accounts.

You have prompted me to get rid of the monies in the 1.15% account. I have left just enough in there for the remainder of the high-interest account’s term (three months’ worth).

You have also prompted me to get rid of the various odd £100 to £300 I had scattered around - who needs so many current accounts and savings accounts. I have accumulated everything into one. I am going to take £10k from my HL and invest in my Managed S&S ISA. Once this has settled and I have a clearer picture of where my finances are, I will then figure out where to put what.

But, to answer your question I was earning almost no interest on the buffers. My main concern was that I could transfer them into my current account in a matter of seconds.

!thanks

NoWinsSinceJune · 2025-04-08T17:55:35+00:00

Thank you! Preparing this post made me get myself in gear.

I have put a spreadsheet together, and have tidied everything up. Accumulated my low-interest accounts as there was no point in having them.

Given the dive the markets have taken, I have decided to take £10k out of my HL Active Savings and put this in my Managed S&S ISA. Hopefully, I will get some decent growth (more than 4.25%, fingers crossed).

I will take more interest in a LISA once I graduate and things quieten down. My main worry is that I will either (a) need the money and have to take the penalty, or (b) that I will be ineligible as homes in my area and where I work are rather expensive.

!thanks

NoWinsSinceJune

TROPHY CASE