A new scheme by insurance companies to fit cars with ‘black box’ tracking systems could be rejected by up to 27 per cent of drivers in the UK if implemented, even if choosing the scheme dramatically reduced the cost of their insurance . The report comes from a survey by the finance site Money Supermarket.

The insurer Norwich Union are still set to reduce their ‘pay as you drive’ insurance scheme. This will require an in-car telematics black box to be fitted inside the car.

Customers surveyed apparently viewed such a device as ‘snooping’ and a ‘step too far.’ Even if the box saved 30 per cent on their insurance costs, less than one in ten (only nine per cent) would have a black box fitted. Approximately one in five drivers would want at least a 50 per cent reduction in order to fit the black box.

An expert from the site, Richard Mason, said that schemes of this type will almost certainly be a part of our motoring future, claiming: Our research shows that insurers could face the cold shoulder from the driving public as long as there is a significant number of motorists who feel they will never install this device in their cars.

The black boxes record the time, distance and location of journeys made in each vehicle. Payments on insurance would be based on how often, when and where a vehicle is used.