Factors determining usage-based insurance acceptance - Poland and Spain results

Abstract

Usage-based insurance (UBI) is based on the idea that customers who are safer drivers should pay less for a policy than those who are less prudent. It is widely assumed that there is an incentive for insurers to use this technology, as it could make riskier drivers more likely to use non-telematics-based insurers. However, this hypothesis has not been verified empirically. In order to fill this research gap, a study (between December 2021 and March 2022) assessing the relationship between driving style and willingness to purchase a UBI-based policy and the relationship between risk propensity and willingness to purchase a UBI-based policy was conducted. The study, in the form of a questionnaire, was conducted in Poland and Spain. The samples consisted of 181 respondents in Poland and 51 in Spain. It was found that individual driving style was correlated with willingness to accept a UBI-based policy that included discounts and surcharges. It was also shown that propensity to risk influences willingness to purchase a UBI-based policy that offers discounts only to some extent. The study used suitable statistical measures and tests such as a chi-square test, U Mann-Whitney U test and a Kruskal-Wallis test. Results are significant for insurance companies that are going to introduce UBI. They allow shaping the product so that potential customers are interested in buying it, which, as research shows, may bring benefits to both insured and insurance companies.