Mobile App & Drive Savvy FAQs

Drive Savvy gives you control over how much you pay for car insurance based on how safe you drive and how many trips you make. Available through the National Bank Insurance Auto | Home app, Drive Savvy assesses your driving habits using your phone's GPS and motion sensors to offer you a personalized premium at renewal (the “Adjustment”). Good driving habits could help you save on your car insurance by up to 25%, whereas drivers who take risks on the road could see their premium increase by up to 25% upon each renewal. 

Even if you're not the policyholder of the car insurance policy, any or all principal drivers on the policy can still enroll in Drive Savvy with the policyholder’s authorization. Adjustments to the premium of each car on your policy will be based on the driving habits of the Enrolled Driver(s). If you or another Enrolled Driver unenrolls or is removed from Drive Savvy, we'll still use the previously saved driving data to adjust your premium.

Joining Drive Savvy is quick and easy. If you're already a client, download the National Bank Insurance Auto | Home app and accept the Terms of Use. Visit https://www.nbc-insurance.ca/vehicles/drive-savvy.html for more details.

Not all principal drivers on your policy need to join Drive Savvy, and we'll only adjust the premium of your insurance for the car(s) that have Enrolled Drivers. Good driving habits could help you save on your car insurance by up to 25%, whereas drivers who take risks on the road could see their premium increase by up to 25%. Contact us at 1-855-271-5050 to add another driver on your car insurance to Drive Savvy.

If you or another Enrolled Driver cancels your participation in Drive Savvy, we'll still use the previously saved driving data to adjust your premium. You can join again as long as you still meet Drive Savvy's eligibility criteria. If National Bank Insurance Auto | Home ended your participation in Drive Savvy for misuse of the app, you can only join again at National Bank Insurance Auto | Home’s discretion. Contact us at 1-855-271-5050 to discuss re-enrollment.

It's a one-time discount of 10% that's applied to the premium of your car insurance once you activate in Drive Savvy. This discount is only for new customers who activate Drive Savvy, and you will benefit from it until your car insurance policy is renewed. Then, this discount is replaced by your personalized premium based on your driving habits.

Yes, you can cancel your registration at any time by contacting us. However, your premium may decrease or increase depending on your previously collected driving data upon renewal and if the activation discount is present, it would be removed.

We will adjust the premium to insure your car based on your driving habits.

We will also adjust the premium to insure the cars of other Enrolled Drivers on your insurance policy based on their driving habits.

There will be no Adjustment for principal drivers on your car insurance policy who are not enrolled in Drive Savvy.

• There are two cars on the same insurance policy, and both drivers are enrolled in Drive Savvy: The premium for each car will be adjusted according to the driving habits of that car’s Enrolled Driver.
• There are two cars on the same insurance policy, but only one driver is enrolled in Drive Savvy: The price will be adjusted for only one car according to the driving habits of that car’s Enrolled Driver.

You can only enrol in Drive Savvy on one policy. However, if you are listed as the principal driver on other vehicles insured under other National Bank Insurance Auto | Home car insurance policies, your Adjustment will also be applied to those vehicles automatically. If you are not the policyholder on the automobile insurance policy, you must obtain the consent of the policyholder(s).

Yes. Anyone listed as a principal driver on your car insurance policy can register for Drive Savvy.

If you drive for work, your trips will still count towards Adjustments to your premium.

Drive Savvy is for your personal car or business-owned vehicle. If you're driving for a commercial business (Uber, Lyft, Amazon, etc.), you will need to visit the “All Trips” section of the app and set the toggle to "I was a passenger on this trip" within 30 days of completing a trip. You can also contact us if you need to correct any other information in the app.

You will need an iPhone running iOS 12 or higher or an Android device running version 7.0 or higher. As the sensors react differently on different types of phones, the performance of Drive Savvy could vary depending on the model you own.

Depending on your phone's settings, the National Bank Insurance Auto | Home app will update automatically or prompt you to confirm the update. You will then need to accept the Terms of Use. If you don't have the National Bank Insurance Auto | Home app, you can download it for free from the App Store© or Google Play™, sign up and accept the Terms of Use.

The app needs access to your phone's location for Drive Savvy to work. It allows us to detect the start of a trip, whether you're the driver or a passenger and driving habits, such as changes in speed.

The app uses your iPhone's motion and fitness data to access your phone's motion sensors (accelerometer and gyroscope). The accelerometer measures acceleration and helps us determine how fast your phone is moving. As for the gyroscope, it detects which direction your phone is heading.

The app uses the accelerometer and gyroscope of your phone's motion sensors. The accelerometer measures acceleration and helps us determine how fast your phone is moving. As for the gyroscope, it detects which direction your phone is heading.  It also allows Drive Savvy to detect distracted driving and connect you to 911 after a crash.

The app uses state-of-the-art technology to analyze your driving habits and phone's movements to detect if you're the driver, passenger or using a different form of transportation (e.g.. public transit). If one of your trips is inaccurate, you can adjust it in the app within 30 days of completing a trip. 

Like all apps that use your location, Drive Savvy will consume an average of 3% to 6% of your phone's battery per day. This is a small amount when you're not driving and slightly more while you're taking a trip. Remember, if your battery is lower than 20% or your phone is in power-saving mode, the app can't record your trips.

Yes, you need a data plan with internet access to collect and transfer your driving data to us.

Typically between 30MB and 60MB of data will be used per month. This is a small fraction of the average data plan (1,000 - 2,000MB or more per month).

Log out and log back in if you already have the National Bank Insurance Auto | Home app and can't access Drive Savvy. If you still can't access it, try uninstalling and reinstalling the National Bank Insurance Auto | Home app or call us at 1-855-388-2525. A customer service team member will walk you through activating Drive Savvy.

You need to start driving for the app to determine the starting point of your trip. As a result, there's a delay of 300 metres before it can detect movement and pinpoint your location.

There are a few reasons why a trip can't be detected:

• no internet connection
• battery is lower than 20%
• phone is in power-saving mode
• permission has been disabled
• app is not running in the background
• app is experiencing technical difficulties

Follow these steps if a trip is incorrectly identified. Go to “Trip summary” and select edit to change your status in the “About this trip” section within 30 days of completing the trip. You can also contact us if you need to correct any other information in the app.

Go to "All trips" and select "A passenger was using my phone" within 30 days of completing the trip. This distracted driving event will then be removed from your trip summary. You can also contact us if you need to correct any other information in the app.

As long as the app has enough data on your driving habits (you drove 500 kilometres or more), we can apply Adjustments to your premium when your car insurance is renewed. If you didn't drive 500 km or more, you might not receive a premium adjustment, or the adjustment may have less impact on your premium than expected. We will take your trips into account as soon as you start driving again. The more you drive, the more significant your premium adjustments will be.

You must complete your registration within 15 days of the activation date. Otherwise, we could cancel your enrolment, and if an activation discount is present, it would be removed

You will need to download the National Bank Insurance Auto | Home app again. There's no need to register for Drive Savvy as the app will save all your information.

Download the app again and log in. You will find your profile, all your trips, and you're ready to get back on the road.

If you delete the National Bank Insurance Auto | Home app by mistake, download it again and follow the instructions to activate Drive Savvy. The app will save all of your information, and you can continue driving. Remember, if the app can't record your trips, your personalized premium could be affected.

We're here to help. Call us at 1-855-388-2525 if there's an error in your driving data, or if you're experiencing technical difficulties.

Your automobile insurance premium will be adjusted upon each renewal of your policy, if eligible, based on a variety of driving events, such as:

• number of trips where you were the driver;
• duration of trip;
• hard braking;
• rapid acceleration;
• cornering and turns;
• kilometres driven, and,
• distracted driving (e.g., using your smartphone while driving).

The above events represent part of your “Collected Data”.

These driving habits will be assessed and contextualized based on various factors, such as:

• severity of the event (how far above the speed limit you drive)
• speed at which event was registered
• time of day and day of the week you drive
• driving and road conditions
• total distance driven (if we do not collect sufficient data to assess your driving habits, you may not be entitled to an Adjustment, or the Adjustment you receive might have a lesser impact on your price at renewal)
• previous Collected Data
• road types (highway, urban or rural)
• left or right turns
• traditional rating factors (e.g., age and region).

This information is reviewed to offer you a personalized premium and allows you to influence your car insurance premiums.

As long as the app has enough data on your driving habits (you drove 500 kilometres or more), we can apply your premium Adjustment when your car insurance is renewed. If you didn't drive 500 kilometres or more, you might not receive a premium Adjustment, or the Adjustment may have less impact on your premium than expected. We will take your trips into account as soon as you start driving again. The more you drive, the more significant your premium Adjustments will be. For example, someone who completed 500 kilometres of good driving and then turns off their app will not receive the same premium adjustment as someone who drives 5,000 or 10,000 kilometres with their app capturing all their trips.

Yes, the premium of your car insurance could increase or decrease when your policy is renewed. This depends on your driving habits and those of the Enrolled Drivers listed on your insurance policy. You might see an increase or decrease of 25%, but other pricing factors are considered other than the Drive Savvy premium adjustment.

Drive Savvy helps you drive safer by using your driving data to explain driving habits such as: 

• speed (whether or not you follow the speed limit)
• smoothness (if you brake hard or take sharp turns)
• focus (if you use your phone while driving)

The app will also provide you with an overview of your driving. If you're generally a safe driver, your premium could decrease. However, if you take risks on the road, you can expect your premium to increase.

• Far-right of the green half of the gauge, you could see a decrease in premium between 10% and 25%.
• Middle of the gauge, your premium could fluctuate slightly up or down between 1% and 10%, or there could be no change (0%).
• Far-left of the orange half of the gauge, you could see an increase in premium between 10% and 25%.

This is just an example of what your personalized premium Adjustment could be. As a result, we make no representations about the accuracy of the example. Several factors are taken into account to calculate your premium other than your participation in Drive Savvy, which increases or decreases when your insurance is renewed.

Check the app regularly to help improve your driving.

The app will display your driving badges for speed, smoothness and focus after each trip. The safe speed badge is earned by driving the speed limit at all times. The smoothness badge is earned for accelerating and braking smoothly. The focus badge is earned for distraction-free driving.

Earning all three badges for many of your trips could contribute to a price decrease when your insurance is renewed. When no driving badges are earned, the trips are considered risky driving and could contribute to increasing the price. A good or bad trip shouldn't significantly impact your price as we consider all your trips. Keep in mind that several other factors can affect your price adjustment other than the driving badges you earn. Check the app regularly to help improve your driving.

According to the example below, the driver used their phone on the road, so they only earned the safe speed and smoothness badges. If they don’t use their phone on their next trip, they could earn the focus badge.

Registered drivers must drive at least 500 kilometres for their driving habits to be accurately assessed. The more you drive the more accurate picture of your driving habits we'll get and the more personalized your price will be.

If you don't drive the minimum kilometres, you will not be cancelled from Drive Savvy. However, upon renewal the activation discount would fall off and you may not be provided with an Adjustment or the impact of the Adjustment will be less significant. For more details, refer to the question “How do you personalize my price”.

Your driving data is collected throughout your policy term until renewal, which allows us to adjust your premium. This could increase or decrease the cost of your car insurance and change your price when your policy is renewed.

Your driving habits are used to adjust your premium based on the driving habits we record every time you drive. By driving safely, you could decrease the cost of your insurance by up to 25%, but risky driving could increase your premium by 25%.

Here's an example, for illustration purposes only, of a $1,000 yearly car insurance contract:

If you're a new customer who signed up for Drive Savvy, you will receive a one-time 10% activation discount, so your premium will be $ 900 for the year.

We will adjust this premium according to your driving habits when your insurance is renewed. The adjustment could vary between:

• a maximum decrease of 25% = $ 750 for the year
• a maximum increase of 25% = $ 1,250 for the year

For more details, refer to the question "How can I see how my driving affects the price of my insurance?".

Go to the Drive Savvy section of the National Bank Insurance Auto | Home app and check the "Make every trip count" feature once you receive your insurance renewal, or any time you want to check your progress:

• Far-right of the green half of the gauge, you could see a decrease in premium between 10% and 25%.
• Middle of the gauge, your premium could fluctuate slightly up or down between 1% and 10%, or there could be no change (0%).
• Far-left of the orange half of the gauge, you could see an increase in premium between 10% and 25%.

This is just an example of what your personalized premium Adjustment could be. Several factors are taken into account to calculate your premium other than your participation in Drive Savvy, which increases or decreases when your insurance is renewed.

Check the app regularly to help improve your driving.

Your personalized premium will be applied to the following National Bank Insurance Auto | Home car insurance coverage (where applicable):

• Liability (Bodily Injury and Property Damage)
• Direct Compensation - Property Damage;
• Accident Benefits (Standard Benefits);
• Uninsured Automobile;• Collision or Upset;
• Comprehensive;
• All Perils;
• Specified Perils.

Refer to your insurance documents for more details on the coverage listed above.

You will remain registered for Drive Savvy even if your car is in storage. If you drive another car, your driving data will continue to be collected. If you don't drive during this time, the app will assess your driving habits once you start driving again. According to our Terms of Use, previously collected driving data may be used to calculate your premium adjustment.

You will not see a specific amount in the app as Drive Savvy monitors your driving habits to personalize your premium when your car insurance is renewed. In addition to the information available in the app, policyholders will receive a quarterly email with updates. You will see if you're on your way to a premium increase or a decrease.

For more details, refer to the question "How can I see how my driving affects the premium of my insurance?".

Refer to the question "What happens if I delete the National Bank Insurance Auto | Home app" if you uninstalled the app.

If you cancel your Drive Savvy enrollment, you will no longer be able to access the Drive Savvy section in the app. Check your car insurance policy to see if your driving habits are still being used to adjust your price. If there's no mention of Drive Savvy in your policy, then you're no longer registered, and your driving data is not being used to personalize your premium.

Consult your quarterly Drive Savvy email or contact us if you want to know if the premium of your car insurance will increase or decrease because of your previously collected driving data. You can join again if you still meet Drive Savvy's eligibility criteria by contacting us at 1-855-271-5050.

Information about your driving habits and trips is only shared with Cambridge Mobile Telematics, inc., a mobile telematics company. We work with this service provider for the technology, systems, and services necessary to run Drive Savvy. 

No, Belair Insurance Company Inc. only receives information to detect if you're using your phone while driving. Your phone calls will never be tracked or recorded.

No. This information is only visible to you and no other drivers on your car insurance policy. Each driver can only view their own trips if they're registered for Drive Savvy. The car insurance policy owner will receive a quarterly email with details on what drivers are headed towards a premium decrease or increase.

No. This information is only visible to you and no other drivers on your car insurance policy. Each driver can only view their own trips if they're registered for Drive Savvy. The car insurance policy owner will receive a quarterly email with details on what drivers are headed towards a premium decrease or increase.

When storing or destroying your personal information, we use strict security safeguards to prevent unauthorized access, collection, use, disclosure, copying, modification, disposal, or similar risks. If we need to transfer your personal information to a third party such as our service provider, Cambridge Mobile Telematics, inc., they're contractually required to protect and handle your personal information. This transfer is consistent with our privacy safeguarding measures and according to all applicable laws.

Belair Insurance Company Inc. and Cambridge Mobile Telematics, inc. will only use and disclose your information according to Drive Savvy’s Terms of Use, unless otherwise required by law.

Go to this link to view our privacy policy.

Available through the National Bank Insurance Auto | Home app, Drive Savvy is a usage-based insurance program that rewards safe driving behaviour. Through your phone's sensors, the Drive Savvy program will assess how safe and how much you drive in order to calculate your potential discount. Get an enrolment discount simply for signing up, and if you drive safely, you could save up to 25% off your car insurance. The price of your car insurance will then be adjusted approximately every six months based on the driving choices you make. It's simple: the safer you drive, the more you could save.

Joining the Drive Savvy program is quick and easy! Simply contact us, or for more information visit www.nbc-insurance.ca/vehicles/drive-savvy.html. A download link will be texted to you and each principal driver on your policy who has joined the program.* Once you activate your account, accept the Terms of use, and give the app access to certain features on your smartphone—you’re ready to start driving!

*If there’s more than one principal driver on the same policy enrolled in the Drive Savvy program, the download link will be texted to the phone number provided for each principal driver.

The enrolment discount is applied to the price of your car insurance when you first join the Drive Savvy program. This one-time discount is applicable over your first collection period of approximately six months. At the end of this collection period, you could save with a driving discount based on your driving behaviour.

Yes, you can end your participation in the Drive Savvy program at any time by contacting us.However, you will lose any discount related to the program.

Yes, your Drive Savvy discount will apply to any car you drive as long as you're the principal driver on the policy, and your car meets the eligibility requirements of the program.

Yes! Any driver listed as a principal driver on your policy can join the Drive Savvy program.

Not a problem. If you're driving for business, your trips will still count towards your Safety Score Drive Savvy discount.

The Drive Savvy program is designed for business and personal use only. If you're driving for commercial reasons (Uber, Lyft, etc.), you will need to visit the All Trips section of the app and set the toggle to "I was a passenger on this trip" within 30 days of completing the trip. You can also contact us if you need to correct any other tagged information.

You will need an iPhone running iOS 10 or higher, or an Android device running version 5.1 or higher. Depending on the type of smartphone you have, the Drive Savvy program's performance can vary as certain sensors behave differently in different devices.

Depending on your smartphone settings, the National Bank Insurance Auto | Home app will update automatically with the Drive Savvy program or you will be prompted to confirm the update. If you don't have the National Bank Insurance Auto | Home app, you can download it for free from the App Store© or Google Play™.

The Drive Savvy program won't work unless you turn on location services in your smartphone settings. Your location allows us to detect driving behaviour, such as changes in speed and when you start a trip. It also helps us to identify whether you're the driver or a passenger.

We need access to your iPhone's motion and fitness data for its accelerometer and gyroscope sensors. As the name implies, the accelerometer measures acceleration and helps us determine how fast your phone is moving. Whereas the gyroscope detects which direction it's pointing in.

We need access to "make and manage phone calls" on your Android device for its accelerometer and gyroscope sensors. As the name implies, the accelerometer measures acceleration and helps us determine how fast your phone is moving. Whereas the gyroscope detects which direction it's pointing in.

When you first access the Drive Savvy program, you will be asked if you're mostly the driver or a passenger when travelling by car. We also use state-of-the-art technology to analyze your driving behaviour and smartphone's movements in order to identify if you're the driver, passenger, or travelling by some other mode of transit (e.g. public transportation).

Like any app that uses your location, the Drive Savvy program will consume an average of 3% to 6% of your smartphone's battery life per hour. This is a small amount when you're not driving, and slightly more while you're taking a trip. Remember, if your battery is lower than 20% or your smartphone is in power-saving mode, your trips will not be recorded!

Yes, you must have a data plan with internet access in order to collect and transfer your driving data to us.

Generally, between 30 and 60 MB per month will be used. This is a very small fraction of the average data plan (1000 – 2000 MB or more per month).

If you already have the app and cannot access the Drive Savvy program in the app, please try logging out and logging back in. If you still cannot access the program, try deleting the app and downloading it again or contact us at 1-855-388-2525 and a member of our customer service team will guide you through activating the Drive Savvy section of the app.

In order to determine your trip's starting point, you need to start driving. As a result, there's a delay of 300 metres before we can detect movement and pinpoint your location.

It may occasionally happen that a trip is not recorded due to:

• no internet connection;
• battery is lower than 20%;
• smartphone is in power-saving mode;
• permission is disabled;
• app is not running in the background;
• app is experiencing technical difficulties.

Don’t worry! In the event that a trip has been misclassified, go to “Trip summary” and select edit to change your status in the “About this trip” section within 30 days of completing the trip. You can also contact us if you need to correct any other tagged information.

Just go to “Trip summary” and select edit to change your status in the “About this trip” section within 30 days of completing the trip. The event will then be removed from your Trip Summary. You can also contact us if you need to correct any other tagged information.

Please contact us in advance if you're planning not to drive for more than 30 days. If you don't, this could result in the cancellation of your Drive Savvy enrolment and you will lose any discount related to the program.

It's important to activate your enrolment in the Drive Savvy program within 15 days of the program's effective date. If you don't, this could result in the cancellation of your enrolment and you will lose any discounts related to the program.

You will need to download the National Bank Insurance Auto | Home app again. There's no need to re-enrol in the Drive Savvy program as all your information will be stored.

Just download the app again and log in, your profile and trips will still be there.

Don't worry! If you delete the National Bank Insurance Auto | Home app by mistake, you just need to download it again and follow the prompts to activate the Drive Savvy program. All your information will be stored, and you can continue driving. Remember - if we can't record your trips within a 30-day period this could result in the cancellation of your Drive Savvy program enrolment and you will lose any discount related to the program.

We're here to help! Contact us at 1-855-388-2525 if there's an error in your driving data, or if you're experiencing technical difficulties.

Your Drive Savvy discount is based on the following driving events:

• duration of trip
• hard braking
• rapid acceleration
• cornering and fast turns
• kilometres driven
• distracted driving (talking or texting, even if it's hands-free)

These driving events are then analyzed based on factors such as:

• severity of the event
• speed at which the event was registered
• time of day and day of the week
• road types (highway, urban or rural)
• left or right turns

We understand that even experienced drivers need to brake hard or accelerate quickly sometimes. It’s your safety that matters most, which is why your Drive Savvy discount is calculated over the average of several trips. One individual event will not have a significant impact on your overall score.

Your Drive Savvy discount may change or even be removed during the course of your policy term. Mid-term (at approximately 6 months) your premium may increase or decrease due to the completion of a collection period and the updating of your Drive Savvy discount. This fluctuation could result in a balance owing to us. When your policy is renewed, the cost of your car insurance may increase or decrease based on several factors other than a change in your Drive Savvy discount.

Your safety score is a summary of how safe you drive. It takes into account your driving data from the last six months, and is mainly based on the following three factors which are highly representative of your driving and could affect your discount:

1. Safe speed: Driving within speed limits at all times.
2. Smoothness: Braking and accelerating smoothly.
3. Focus: Keeping your focus on the road and avoiding phone use.

Even experienced drivers need to brake hard or accelerate quickly sometimes. It’s your safety that matters most, which is why your score is calculated over the average of several trips. One individual event will not have a significant impact on your overall score.

The Drive Savvy program helps you drive safer by translating your driving data into easy to understand driving behaviours and events, such as:

1. safe speed;
2. smoothness;
3. focus;

This is simply an overview as several factors are used to calculate your Drive Savvy discount.

During each collection period, you need to drive a minimum distance of 1,000 km to qualify for a driving discount. This distance is required to capture an accurate picture of your driving behaviour. If the minimum distance is not met, any Drive Savvy discount will cease to apply until a new collection period is completed

Your Drive Savvy discount is just one of many savings that could be applied to your car insurance policy (e.g. car + home discount, discount for two or more vehicles, etc.). Discounts are applied to your premium in different sequences and apply to specific coverage, which is why you might notice that your dollar discount is different from your percentage discount. Don't worry! You will always receive the correct amount of savings.

When you first join the Drive Savvy program, you will get a one-time 10% enrolment discount. This enrolment discount will then be replaced, if applicable, by a driving discount once your first collection period is completed (six months after your first recorded trip).

For a collection period ending during your policy term, you can expect that:

• If your discount increases, your Drive Savvy discount and premium will be updated.
• If your discount decreases, your Drive Savvy discount and premium will be updated. However, if your discount only decreases by less than 7%, we will not apply your updated Drive Savvy discount and continue to apply the previous discount and premium.

Your Drive Savvy discount will again be adjusted when your car insurance is renewed. Your price could then increase or decrease based on several factors other than a change in your Drive Savvy discount. Your discount will be updated approximately six months into your policy term for upcoming policy terms, and again at renewal.