Onlia's iOS and Android app aims to modernize auto insurance

Auto insurance is a necessity no car owner wants to pay for, but everyone needs it whether they like it or not.

Unfortunately, unlike other industries, most automobile insurance providers haven’t adapted to the modern world of smartphones and apps. This is something car insurance provider Onlia wants to change with its surprisingly innovative iOS and Android app, Onlia Sense.

The app features three distinct sections that accomplish this.

The main feature included in the app is designed to reward safe and distraction-free driving. Onlia Sense utilizes telematics technology that measures your vehicle’s speed and movement to examine your driving habits. In a way, it’s like the Carrot Rewards’ now defunct app, but for your car.

The app detects how fast your car accelerates, whether you are distracted by your phone, how quickly you take corners and other information related to driving habits. Onlia Sense then gives you a score out of 100 for the trip, along with a monthly rating that averages all of your travel under one score. There are also perks for travelling specific distances.

Your score then earns you coupons, including monthly perks like $5 Starbucks gift cards. Your rewards points can also be spent on Onlia Road Side Assistance services (more on this later) and discounts on monthly insurance rates as long as Onlia is your provider. Rewards are limited right now, so hopefully, Onlia expands its partner offerings in the future.

The app also provides GPS navigation, but most will likely prefer to still use Google Maps or Waze. It’s worth noting that Onlia Sense doesn’t require additional hardware, and is not linked to your auto insurance rate in any way. You don’t even need to be an Onlia customer to use this portion of the app. All that is required is an iPhone or Android smartphone to power the platform.

Onlia claims that the driving information it gathers isn’t shared with insurance companies or brokers, though it does state that it sometimes sells anonymized data to its partners. This means that while the Onlia Sense is a free app, there’s still a transaction going on behind the scenes, similar to nearly every free app.

Next, there are the app’s built-in Roadside Assistance features, delivering roadside repair and towing services directly to Onlia customers through a partnership with Sykes. The company says it offers this service 24/7, and that it features 2,400 on-call vehicles.

Roadside Assistance isn’t free though, even if you’re an Onlia insurance customer. Vehicle unlocking/key retrieval, jump-starting and fuel delivery costing a flat rate of $79 CAD. On the other hand, towing services start at $99. Onlia Roadside Assistance is available in all Canadian provinces and territories.

While not the most affordable option available, the Onlia app’s Roadside Assistance features are convenient, especially if you don’t already subscribe to similar services like CAA or Canadian Tire Roadside Assistance.

Finally, it’s also possible to get an auto insurance quote directly through the app through a relatively simple process that just takes a few minutes.

Overall, Onlia’s Sense app is an impressive effort to modernize auto insurance, in addition to being a well-designed app that’s easy to understand and navigate thanks to an intuitive user interface.

Onlia Sense is available on iOS and Android.

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