Insurance giant Zurich says Australian customers will be able to access cheaper premiums if their Tesla is equipped with self-driving technology, a national first for the sector, despite lingering safety concerns around use of the software.
From Monday, the Swiss group will begin offering a risk-based reduction on insurance policies for Tesla electric vehicles that include its advanced driver-assist system that allows cars to navigate themselves on set routes with driver supervision – only the second market to do so globally.
“This expanded proposition offers the same high-quality insurance at a more affordable cost due to the reduced risk associated with supervised self-driving,” said Alex Morgan, Zurich’s head of general insurance.
Tesla, which makes Australia’s most popular EV, says it has collected over 132 million kilometres of local self-driving data and claims that a car fitted with the technology has one-seventh as many collisions.
Zurich didn’t provide a figure on how much drivers could save on their insurance with the technology, with the exact price to be determined alongside other risk factors such as age, location and driving record.
The offer will be included under Zurich’s existing InsureMyTesla package, which also offers excess-free windscreen replacement and covers damage to charging cables.
Tesla’s technology uses the car’s eight external cameras to capture 360-degree road vision, which is then fed into an artificial intelligence-powered neural network that makes decisions about accelerating, braking, indicating and lane changing. An internal camera focused on the driver, meanwhile, ensures they remain attentive and ready to take over.
Source: https://www.afr.com/companies/transport/tesla-owners-to-get-insurance-discount-if-they-use-self-drive-tech-20260909-p60vsu