Wawanesa Drive Change FAQ

Wawanesa Drive Change is a usage-based automobile insurance program that rewards safe driving. The Drive Change smartphone app monitors your driving behaviour and assigns a score for each trip you take. By maintaining safe driving habits, you can qualify for a discount on your auto insurance premium.

Immediate savings: Receive a 10% discount when you enrol, applied to all eligible vehicles for which you are the principal driver.

Matched discounts: If you're switching from another usage-based insurance program, Wawanesa will match your existing discount—up to 20%.

The Drive Change program is currently available in Ontario for principal drivers on a Wawanesa personal automobile insurance policy. Each vehicle can have only one principal driver enrolled.

Contact your broker to check your eligibility and enrol in the program.

No, only the listed principal driver of a private passenger vehicle can enrol in the program. Each vehicle can have only one principal driver. Occasional drivers cannot participate or be tracked by the Drive Change app.

Principal drivers of different vehicles under the same policy don’t all need to enrol—participation is optional for each individual driver.

The Drive Change app isn’t available to non-Wawanesa members.

After signing up for Wawanesa Drive Change through your insurance broker, you’ll receive a welcome email that includes links to the app store where you can download the app, as well as instructions to get started. Reach out if you need assistance.

The Drive Change app is supported on most modern iOS and Android smartphones, as long as they’re running one of the last three major operating system updates.

Each principal driver enrolled in the program will have their own app and it should not be used by any other drivers on the policy.

Set your app’s Location access settings to ‘always’ to ensure it performs correctly. During the app set up, you’ll be guided through the required permission settings and the app will notify you if they are turned off.

The app functions like a GPS and battery usage depends on the number and length of your trips. When not recording a trip, the app runs in the background to minimize battery drain. Also, the app will automatically pause recording trips to conserve your battery if it’s low. To adjust these app settings, click on More > Preferences > Battery Conservation.

Yes. All trips are recorded, but only trips where you were driving will impact your driving score and insurance discount. After each trip, the Drive Change app will allow you to select your role as the driver or passenger. If you were taking public transit or another type of transportation, select “passenger” as your role. You have 72 hours to tag your trip.

Yes. All trips are recorded and count towards your driving score regardless of which province or country you’re driving in.

To temporarily stop trip recording, go to the More tab and select Pause Recording. This will pause recording for up to five days. After this period, the Wawanesa Drive Change app will automatically resume recording trips—no further action needed. We recommend you resume trip recording in the app as soon as possible.

After each trip you take, your driving will be scored using six influence areas:

• Smooth driving: How smoothly you accelerate, brake, and corner.
• Mobile use: Time spent using your phone while driving.
• Road risk: Road type and safety level (example: urban vs. highway).
• Fatigue: Measures trip duration. After two hours of driving, fatigue can set in.
• Speed: How safely your speed compares to others on the road.
• Time of day: Considers the time of your trip. Nighttime driving is riskier.

As a driver, you have full control over your speed, smooth driving, mobile use – and these areas have the biggest impact on your score.

In your Drive Change app, after you’ve completed 10 trips, you’ll see your overall driver score in the dial on the home screen. When you scroll down, you’ll see results from your latest trip. To see your past trip results, click on the Trips tab. You can click on an individual trip to see more details about your driving behaviour.

Developing good driving habits is key:

• Put your phone away. Avoid touching or using your phone while driving to stay focused on the road.
• Anticipate the road ahead to minimize sharp turns and sudden braking. These behaviors not only impact your score but can also reduce fuel efficiency.
• Manage your speed effectively. Your speed rating is based on following the speed limits and adjusting to road conditions—such as heavy traffic or limited visibility.

Yes. If you have multiple vehicles and principal drivers under your policy, your insurance discount will reflect all principal drivers’ scores.

The “Mobile use” score measures distraction based on how often and how long you interact with your phone while driving. The more you interact with your phone, the lower your “Mobile use” score for that trip.

Some examples of mobile use include:

• Handling or touching your phone or the screen.
• Texting or talking on the phone – includes using voice commands or touching the screen in your vehicle if it’s connected to your phone.
• Changing your music or playing a video on your phone.
• Interacting with wayfinding apps like Google Maps or Waze on your phone.
• Passengers holding or using your phone while you’re driving. The app cannot tell who is using your phone.

Tips for safer driving:

• Using wayfinding apps like Google Maps or streaming music does not affect your score if you do not touch your phone while you’re moving. Choose your destination or playlist before you start driving to maintain your attention behind the wheel.
• Secure your phone in a cradle and avoid touching it to help keep your eyes on the road and boost your trip score!

Remember: Not only is using a hand-held device will driving unsafe, it’s against the law in Ontario.

To dispute a trip score, please contact the Drive Change support team at Support.DriveChange@wawanesa.com or call 1-844-626-9292.

The app tracks your trips on an ongoing basis over the life of your auto insurance policy. You can see the score for your most recent trip on your app home screen. To view past trips and scores, go to the Trips tab.

Upon activation, you’ll receive a 10% discount on your auto insurance. Your discount will apply to all auto coverages, except endorsements such as Family Protection coverage, Coverage for Transportation Replacement, etc.

Going forward, the app will track your driving behaviours, so your future discount, applied at your next renewal, will be based on your Driving Score. The better your driving score, the bigger your discount.

Yes. After enrolling in the Drive Change program with your broker, you must download and activate the app within 15 days, or your auto insurance discount will be removed. Using the Drive Change app is a requirement of the program.

Your good driving behaviour could earn you up to a 25% discount on your automobile insurance policy at renewal.

Yes. If your current insurer is giving you a discount higher than our standard 10%, we will match it up to 20%, provided the previous discount was for a Canadian insurance policy.

Wawanesa strives to be as flexible and accommodating as possible. Any proof, including an in-app screenshot or a copy of a declaration page showing the applied discount will be accepted, provided it’s dated within the last 60 days.

Yes. You need to drive a minimum of 1,000 kms during your policy term to qualify for a Drive Change discount.

Even though you received a Drive Change discount, there may be other factors affecting your overall premium such as claims, driving convictions, or updated information about your vehicle. Read about other ways to save and speak with your insurance broker to help keep your rates affordable.

Once you’ve completed 10 trips, you’ll start seeing your overall driver score in the app and we’ll communicate with you weekly about what discount you’re trending toward for your next insurance renewal.

The app records your trips and information about how you’ve been driving. This includes data on where you drive (GPS location), your speed, how smoothly you drive, the length of time you drive, any mobile use while driving, and the time of day you drive. For more information, see section 3.4 of the Terms and Conditions.

We may share necessary personal information only with third parties required to operate the Drive Change program.

The app’s software is provided by The Floow, and certain personal data will be shared with them for program functionality. Some data may be transferred outside of Canada, where privacy laws differ. However, all third parties must adhere to strict confidentiality and security standards, as outlined in our Terms and Conditions.

Yes. Cancelling your Wawanesa policy automatically unenrols you from Drive Change. Once unenrolled, you’ll no longer have access to your Drive Change account and the app will no longer track your driving. Data that was collected during the Drive Change program will be retained for a minimum retention period.

To cancel your policy, please contact your insurance broker.

If the app doesn’t record at least 1,000 kms of driving within the policy term, you’ll be unenrolled from the Drive Change program at your next renewal. Additionally, if you delete the app from your smartphone midterm, you’ll be unenrolled from the program, and we’ll remove your Drive Change discount.

However, if you want to be removed from the Drive Change program, we recommend you contact your broker to ensure seamless termination. Unenrolment from the Drive Change program will automatically remove any associated policy discount.

First, check your junk email – the email will come from NoReply@drive-change.wawanesa.com. If you still don’t see it, please reach out to your broker.

Ensure your phone has the latest updates and is running one of the last three major operating systems.

Yes. Location tracking must be activated for the Drive Change app to detect when you begin a new driving trip. Set your app’s Location access settings to ‘always’ to ensure it performs correctly.

Visit the Trips tab in the app to adjust your role for a trip to “passenger”. Role assignments can only be made or adjusted within 72 hours of the trip being recorded.

There are a few reasons a trip may not have recorded, such as:

• You didn’t travel the minimum 800-metre distance with a speed over 13 km/h.
• Trip recording may be paused to conserve your phone’s battery if it’s low.

If it’s not one of the above, here are some common things to check:

• Ensure all correct permissions in the app are turned on
  • Android: Go to Optimizations
  • iOS: Go to More > FAQs > Permissions
• Are you using the latest version of the app? Check the app store for any updates.
• Check your settings to make sure your phone's operating system is up to date.

If you've checked all these and still find your trips aren't recording, please contact us.

If you receive one of these messages, your app has either been deleted or certain permission settings may be turned off. Check the following to resolve the issue:

• Ensure the app is installed and active.
• Ensure the app’s Location access is set to “always’.
• Are you using the latest version of the app? Check the app store for any updates.
• Check your settings to make sure your phone's operating system is up to date.

If the app remains inactive for 21 consecutive days, you’ll be unenrolled from the program and lose your Drive Change program discount.

If you were enrolled in Drive Change prior to September 2025 and have questions about the transition from the old app to the new app, please review this FAQ.

If you have additional questions or need help, please contact the Drive Change support team at Support.DriveChange@wawanesa.com or call 1-844-626-9292.