FAQ

Telematics is often misunderstood as just “tracking,” but it’s really about helping improve how vehicles are driven. Think of it like a fitness tracker—not just about counting your steps but showing you ways to be healthier and building good habits.

Instead of simply following where a vehicle goes, telematics analyses how it’s being driven—things like speed, braking, cornering, and mobile phone distraction. The goal is to provide insights in the form of feedback and coaching that help drivers be safer, more efficient, and even save money on fuel and maintenance.

This type of behaviour change can also lead to lower insurance premiums, as insurers can offer personalised pricing based on driving habits—this is why telematics is also known as connected insurance.

More importantly, it helps reduce the frequency and severity of accidents. It gives drivers the tools to make better choices and become smarter, safer, and more efficient on the road.

So, telematics isn’t about surveillance—it’s about empowerment.

kinetiQ.Drive policies are only sold through our panel of approved insurance brokers. Please contact your insurance broker and ask if they can quote you for a kinetiQ.Drive policy.

kinetiQ.Drive policies are currently available for taxi drivers in the UK, contact your broker for a quotation. You will need a compatible smartphone.

Your driving score will be used to calculate a renewal premium based on your driving behaviour measured across the last 12 months

If your smartphone has been made for the European/UK and North American continents and is one of the bigger, well-known brands, then it’s very likely to be a supported device, with the exception of some Huawei, Oppo and Xiaomi devices.

Please note the versions we support for Android phones are Android 8 or later and for iPhones are iOS 13.0 or later.

The App is a requirement of your insurance policy. Checking the App to review your trips regularly, keeps you in touch with your driver rating and gives you personalised feedback on how you can develop safer driving habits.

Without the App and your phone being present in your car, we won’t be able to identify trips. We’ll send you reminders if you haven’t registered in the App or if trips aren’t being recorded. If you fail to download or re-install the App, your policy will be cancelled.

Once your policy is set up on our systems, you will receive an activation email with steps on how to complete the activation. For a better experience, wait to receive this email to download the app, the links will appear there.

This is a uniquely generated code that you will need when you first download the App and register. When the App is downloaded, open it up, enter your email and create a password.

Once you click on ‘Continue’ you’ll need to enter the activation code from the welcome email we sent you and the phone number associated with your policy.

Download the App using the links within the activation email and follow the on-screen steps. You’ll need the activation code, which will also be found in the welcome email.

Once the app is downloaded, open it up and on the first screen, you will need to enter the email address associated with your policy and create a secure password. Click on the ‘continue’ button to continue the activation process. You’ll need to type in your phone number and the activation code.

Top tip – once you have downloaded the App, activated your account and enabled the permissions, please pull the blue tab out of the device and get connected straight away. If you pull the tab out prior to being ready to connect, the device could go to sleep and it will need waking back up.

We recommend downloading the App as soon as the device arrives, but don’t pull the tab out of your device until you are ready to connect. The App will walk you through the simple steps.

The Wedge device will usually be delivered within 7 days of your policy start date.

Yes, as part of the App registration setup you will be asked to enable the following permissions:

• Location Services (Precise)
• Motion and Fitness (Apple only)
• Bluetooth
• Push Notifications (we won’t send you any marketing messages)

Once you have activated your account, the App will take you through setup and help you enable all the right permissions for your device.

Please note that these settings/permissions are all essential to allow accurate trip recording, if any settings are turned off after set-up you will see a red banner at the top of the app screen advising you of the issue. If you click the red banner it will help you resolve the issue.

If you can’t find your activation email, please check your spam folder.

If it’s not in your spam folder, please get in touch with your Broker to make sure you’ve signed up to your policy with a working and accessible email address.

It’s easy to setup your new phone, just download the App and log in using the details sent with your policy confirmation. You’ll need to ensure all the permissions are enabled and then connect the device following the instructions below when logged in:

1. Go to the ‘more’ section of the app
2. Click ‘Settings’
3. On ‘Wedge settings’ click ‘Select’ and then it will automatically search for the device
4. If you can’t see if, the device might need a little shake to wake it up
5. Click on the device once it pops up and then you’re ready to start recording trips again

Be sure to log out of the app on your old phone otherwise trips may not be accurately recorded if on two devices.

The app is designed to only use a small amount of your phone’s battery whilst a trip is recording, but we do recommend having at least 20% battery charge for an accurate recording to take place.

However, for long trips of 3+ hours where GPS checks will impact your battery life more, it may be necessary to charge your phone or keep it plugged in whilst in your vehicle.

No, any sort of power-save mode will reduce functionality and trip tracking via the App, because they tend to block location services and Bluetooth.

Yes, if there is insufficient data and/or no Wi-Fi during a trip, the App will not record trips correctly. The App only uses a very small amount of data, even the most basic data plans should be enough.

The App will record any trips made in the insured vehicle, focusing specifically on the date, time, location, speed, mobile phone use, harsh braking or cornering. A driving score will be presented based on these factors, after every trip and as an average each week.

No, the App only monitors your location when you are in your car and the Wedge device tells your smartphone (via the app) that a trip had started/ ended.

Your data is very secure and will only be used to help manage your policy. Our technology provider has access to your data to provide the App and driving feedback, but it will not be shared with any other third parties. The data we collect via your App helps us determine your driving score and any feedback we provide. Additionally, we may use your data to support you in situations where another driver makes a false claim against you.

We’re also very clear that we won’t:

Send you any marketing emails, unless you have given us permission to do so. Please note the driver feedback email and SMS communications cannot be opted out of as this is a condition of your insurance policy.

Release your data to the police or to any civil authorities, unless we suspect fraud or attempted fraud, or if we are instructed to do so by law or a court order

Use your data to prejudice or refuse any claim you might make simply because you were driving above the legal speed limit at the time

Trips should typically show up in the App shortly after being recorded, but in some cases, it may take a little longer. Please note that not all trips will be recorded—approximately 95% of trips should appear in the App, so don’t worry if an occasional trip is missing.

A trip may not appear in your App due to the following reasons:

• Your phone wasn’t in the car during the trip (always carry it with you when driving).
• Your smartphone’s operating system is outdated.
• Your battery level was too low.
• The trip was too short—trips under 500 meters may not be detected.
• Required permissions are not enabled (if this is the case, you will see a red banner at the top of the App screen—follow the link to re-enable them).
• Mobile data was turned off while driving or at the start of the trip (this often occurs when parked in an underground garage).
• The app needs updating—visit the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and enable auto-updates to stay on the latest version.
• You are logged into the App on multiple phones.
• Your GPS was not functioning correctly during the trip.

If you’ve checked everything and are still experiencing issues, please contact us with as much detail as possible so we can assist you further.

The App will typically record at least 95% of all your journeys. However, there are some technology restrictions, which means some trips or parts of a trip may be missed. For example:

• Trips that are fewer than 500 meters
• Trips where the max speed remains below 30mph
• Trips that are under two minutes long

This is an expected behavior within the App’s capability and is due to the phone’s operating system trying to conserve battery by limiting location functionality and close unused apps.

If the insured vehicle is used outside the country of origin, trips will still be recorded in most instances, although maps will vary depending on the country visited. Please check with your Broker that your insurance policy covers you to travel abroad.

When you visit the App and click on a trip, you’ll see your score is broken down into what we call sub-scores, such as ‘Speed’, ‘Smoothness’, ‘Usage’ and ‘Distracted Driving’. A combination of these factors creates your driving score for a trip. Each of these is considered to be a sub-score.

The journey sub-scores allow drivers to identify specific areas of improvement. The overall journey and weekly scores use elements of the sub-scores in the calculations but are not an average of these values.

The Smoothness sub-score combines harsh braking, fast acceleration and how cautiously you approach corners. Looking ahead and trying to anticipate what’s coming is a good habit to get into. For example, slowing down and braking in advance when approaching speed bumps or traffic will help improve your smoothness score – your fuel economy will benefit too!

The Speed sub-score measures how well you respect the speed limit. Obeying the speed limit is obvious due to the legal implications. We also encourage you to practice ‘Safe speed’. Safe Speed is about judging the road conditions, for example, is traffic heavy? Are schools nearby? Is your visibility reduced due to bad weather? All things to consider when making everyday driving decisions.

There are three levels of Distracted Driving considered in your trip rating.
1) Hands-free – through headphones or a vehicle’s system
2) Handheld calls
3) Direct screen usage.
All 3 levels count negatively towards your score but are rated separately since the distraction level varies. Please note that if one of your passengers is using the insured phones during a trip, it would still considered a distraction to the driver and therefore counted negatively.

The Usage sub-score measures how and when you use your car. This includes trip volume and trip duration. If lots of trips are made in one day or long drives (over 1 hour) are made, these scenarios will likely cause fatigue in the driver and therefore create a higher risk of having an accident.

If you drive at night, these factors, plus any event that happens at night will impact your score negatively. If you are driving poorly, the driving factors stated above will be calculated more harshly at night time. Accidents are more likely to happen when driving late at night/early morning hours, so if you do use your vehicle between 11pm and 5am, extra care will need to be taken to maintain a good score. For example, if you speed during a day trip and during a night trip, you might notice that the speed sub-score will be lower on the night trip.

A driving event is triggered when you practice unsafe driving behaviour such as speeding, harsh braking or distracted driving. One driving event impacts the rating of one sub-score.

For example, if you’re speeding, you will get a speeding event and your Speed sub-score will be impacted negatively. During a trip, if several aspects of your driving are considered unsafe, you will trigger multiple driving events per trip.

Please note that having a driving event during a trip doesn’t mean you will have a bad score, but it will count negatively towards your score.

The Smoothness sub-score is a combination of these three different factors:

• Braking: Braking events happen for lots of reasons depending on a number of things such as time of day, weather and lighting conditions. A sudden road obstruction or drivers not giving the road their full attention when approaching traffic or junctions can cause them to brake harder, leading to a braking event. Preparing for your journey and keeping a safe speed on the road at all times will reduce the chance of having a breaking event.
• Cornering: Cornering events happen when a turn in the road is approached too quickly, making the driver more likely to lose control of the vehicle and get into an accident. The sharper the bend, the slower the driver should approach it, especially if the driver isn’t familiar with the road.
• Acceleration: Acceleration events can happen when the vehicle’s speed increases quicker than is safe given the type of road or safe speed.

Each of these elements are considered ‘events’ if they occur on a trip, these events can identify specific driving behaviours that need improvement.
Please note that having a driving event during a trip doesn’t mean you will have a bad score, but it will count negatively towards your score.

Having a green trip or achieving a green weekly rating indicates that important driving aspects (such as speed, smoothness, distracted driving) within your trips are considered to be safe.

These safe driving practices reduce your chances of getting into an accident, however please keep in mind that green scores aren’t able to predict all driving behaviours (your own and/or other vehicles) occurring while on a trip.

Keep up your awareness and the good work on making roads safer.

If you have an amber trip or amber driving week, there may be a specific driving behaviour which is affecting one of your sub-scores and therefore your overall driver rating.

Please note that driving events (poor driving behaviour such as speeding or distracted driving) will be scored more harshly at night than during the day, therefore it will have more of a negative impact on your score for that trip.

You can check your recent trips in the app to view areas of improvement and understand if there is a sub-score that is frequently lower than the others.

If you have a red trip or red driving week, there are likely to be aspects of your driving which are considered severe, unsafe, and may mean you’re more likely to have a collision.

Note that driving events (poor driving behaviour such as speeding or distracted driving) will be scored more harshly at night than during the day, therefore it will have more of a negative impact on your score for that trip.

Please check the trip section of your App to understand which behaviour caused the red score.

Each trip will have the ratings of each sub-score (Smoothness, Speed, Distracted Driving) as well as a map highlighting your driving events. We’ll also send regular feedback and reminders to help you identify where you can improve following a red weekly score.

Night-time driving in itself will not give you a bad score. At night, if you drive poorly and have negative events (eg: speeding, harsh cornering and braking), your driving score will be more impacted than if it happened during the day.

Getting a great score is always achievable, driving safely and avoiding negative events will get you there.

Once your App is connected to your device, we will start scoring each trip and this can be found in your dashboard. A weekly update will be sent to you via email and can also be seen in the App on the various dials, so you can look back on your progress at any point.

You should not use your phone if you are driving or if the vehicle is running. It is only legal if you are safely parked (this does not include waiting in traffic or stationary at traffic lights).

As a driver, you can make a contactless payment in a car that is not moving (i.e. at a drive-through restaurant). Using your phone while a trip is still recording may mean you get distracted driving events within your overall trip score.

There are three levels of Distracted Driving considered in your trip rating.

1) Hands-free – through headphones or a vehicle’s system
2) Handheld calls
3) Direct screen usage.

All 3 levels count negatively towards your score but are rated separately since the distraction level varies.

If one of your passengers is using your phone which is considered to be the insured phones during a trip, it would still considered a distraction to the driver and therefore counted negatively.

Yes, there are three levels of Distracted Driving considered in your trip rating. Hands-free calls are considered the least risky, but will still count negatively towards your score.

This will likely be up to 7 days after you get your welcome email, which contains the activation code. Please don’t pull the battery tab out until your App is downloaded, setup and you’re ready to connect the App to the device.

When the Wedge device has been shipped, you can expect 3 emails from our chosen delivery partner, Evri, regarding your delivery status:

Dispatch confirmation – your device is on the way.

Delivery window email – you can expect your parcel during this timeframe

Delivery confirmation – the device has been delivered

To connect the App to your device follow these simple steps:

1. Download the kinetiQ.Drive App using the link sent to you in the welcome email
2. Activate the App and enable permissions as guided by the App
3. When you’re ready to connect your app to the device, pull out the blue battery tab from the device
4. The connection screen should now display the device, click it to confirm
5. You will then see the dashboard, as soon as you record your first trip it will appear there with a score.

Visit the App each day to check your score and see detailed trip feedback.

Before you install the device, please ensure you have downloaded the App, activated your account, enabled permissions and connected the App to your device.

1. Pull out the plastic battery strip when you’re ready to connect the App to your device, you may need to wait for the device and App to pair via Bluetooth, once completed you should see your driving dashboard in the App
2. Clean an area at the top of the windscreen
3. Peel off the sticky backing from the flat side of the device​
4. Stick the device to the top of the windscreen, on the inside of the car ideally behind or alongside the rear view mirror, the device must be mounted so it’s not in the driver’s line of sight, leave enough room to twist if removal is needed

For further assistance please watch the Wedge installation video

Drive safely and keep checking the App for your score and detailed trip feedback​.

Your device connects your vehice to your mobile phone by Bluetooth. It recognises when your vehicle is moving, triggers an active trip and confirms when a trip has ended so this can be displayed in the App.

No, your device needs your mobile phone in your car to confirm that a trip has started and ended.

If your device isn’t working as expected, please check everything is connected, if you’ve checked everything and your App is still not registering trips, please contact us.

Be aware there may be a replacement charge to get a new Wedge device.

Try shaking the device to wake it up

If shaking doesn’t work, gently remove the cover and take the battery out. Replace the battery and try again

If you are still having problems connecting ensure all your permissions are enabled and we also recommend logging out of the App and back in, this should resolve any issues.

If you have a new mobile phone, uninstall the App from your old mobile phone and install it on your new one. Once logged back in, connect your App to the device. To do so, click on the ‘More’ icon, go to ‘Settings’ and pair the device. Please note that you cannot have two phones connected to the App and device at the same time.

Gently twist the device until it comes loose

To re-install in a new vehicle, follow the installation instructions above

The device can be removed from your car when your policy has expired.

The plastic casing, battery and electrical components can be disposed of safely at your local household recycling centre.