CANADA – Desjardins launches usage-based insurance program

Desjardins General Insurance Group has launched a new usage-based auto insurance offering to be approved by the regulator and made widely available to drivers in Ontario. 

Dubbed Ajusto, the new UBI program will also be available in Quebec. The program is free and voluntary for current and new Desjardins policyholders, who can save up to 25 percent on their insurance premiums. 

Using telematics technology from Montreal-based iMetrik Solutions, the program is available to drivers with vehicles made in 1998 or later, with limited exceptions, Desjardins said. 

The telematics tool from iMetrik, a wireless device that plugs into a vehicle’s diagnostic port, measures distance travelled and extent and frequency of hard braking and acceleration, with each measurement potentially contributing to a 10 percent decrease in a policyholder’s premium. The tool also measures time of day when the vehicle is driven, contributing to a potential five percent rate decrease, the company said.