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Do black boxes have a curfew?

A black box monitoring your driving can earn you big savings on your car insurance premiums. But some people worry that if the telematic device catches them driving at night their insurance will push up their premiums or even that the insurer will set a curfew and fine them for driving outside of those hours. Is this true?

Most of these worries are unfounded. Black boxes don’t transform insurers into worried parents, setting a curfew and then punishing you if you stay out past it. Insurers recognise that although night-time hours are the riskiest for driving due to the darkness and driver fatigue, sometimes driving late at night is necessary. Very few black box insurers will set an official curfew and hand down fines if you break it.

However, it may be the case that if you drive late at night regularly, the savings you earn with a black box policy will be limited. This is different from an official curfew. Additionally, the time of day you drive is just one factor that influences your driving score and your premiums. If you frequently drive late at night, for instance, if you work unusual hours, an insurance policy without a black box may be more suitable, simply because you can’t earn the savings you’d expect.

But insurers all have different policies about night-time driving and its importance in calculating your premiums. If you have questions about a specific black box insurance product and its policy on night-time driving, read up on the terms and conditions and contact the provider for more information.

*51% of consumers could save £518.14 on their Car Insurance. The saving was calculated by comparing the cheapest price found with the average of the next five cheapest prices quoted by insurance providers on Seopa Ltd’s insurance comparison website. This is based on representative cost savings from June 2025 data. The savings you could achieve are dependent on your individual circumstances and how you selected your current insurance supplier.

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