Cuvva App Provides 'By The Hour' Motor Insurance - Is This A New Chapter For The Insurance Industry?
A new business start-up called Cuvva has identified a gap in the insurance market for those who wish to be insured for a brief period of time on a friend or family member’s car. Drivers can be insured for as little as 1 hour or as much as 1 day.
When many of us already have existing annual car insurance, why would we need this short-term solution?
If you find yourself in a situation where you need or would like to borrow a mate’s car for a short period of time, either to assist them or yourself in an emergency or just to make life a little easier for the day, then Cuvva allows you to take, or at least borrow the wheel for an hour or two.
Cuvva isn’t supposed to be an alternative for annual car insurance, in fact it’s only valid on cars that already have an existing policy in place. However, Cuvva is perfect for drivers who:
Need a car in an emergency
Would like to offer to share the driving on a long journey
Want to take a weekend trip away
Need to run some errands Immediate Cover
Cuvva is designed to provide you with immediate cover as soon as you request it and this is enabled through the use of the company’s car insurance app. Drivers receive their car insurance cover after completing 3 easy steps.
Drivers aged between 21 and 65 download the app
They get verified and provide debit or credit card details
They enter the registration number of the car they’re borrowing and select the amount of hours they wish to be covered for. As soon as these steps are completed, then drivers are free to begin their journey.
Limitations Of Using Cuvva
It is not currently possible to use Cuvva:
Outside of the UK
For taking part on Racetrack Days
For insuring self-drive rental cars
To provide a taxi service
For business or commercial use Also, you will need to be reasonably precise about how long you wish to borrow the car for before you begin your cover. Although you can easily extend the duration of insurance by using the app again, Cuvva actually recommend that you cover yourself for 50% longer than you think you’re going to need the cover for. This will help you allow for traffic and accidents.
A New Chapter For The Insurance Industry
Founder of Cuvva, Freddy MacNamara, explains the idea behind the business – “Consumer expectations are that we should be able to get what we want, when we want and all from our personal devices; why should car insurance be any different?”
This startup and its app are clearly a brilliant initiative, but there are various legal restrictions which are likely to prevent this business from completely changing the industry. The 2011 Continuous Insurance Enforcement (CIE) requires all vehicles in the UK to be continuously insured, even if they’re parked or no longer in use. The only cars which are exempt from this law are those that are declared SORN. This means that as it won’t be possible to use Cuvva to insure your own car as and when you want it, the startup is unlikely to be treated as a brand new chapter in the car insurance world, but rather as an extremely welcome enhancement.
Author bio:
Gemma Sheldrick is Head of Strategy at DNA Insurance, who provide vehicle insurance advice and cover for individuals and businesses across the UK.
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