Autonomous Vehicles to Cut Auto Insurance Biz 71% By 2050

Posted on 3 July 2017 by Ken Zino

AutoInformed.com on Autonomous DrivingAutonomous vehicle and related driver assist technologies could upset the auto insurance market by 71%, roughly $137 billion by 2050, according to the latest research by KMPG, named The Chaotic Middle: The Autonomous Vehicle and Disruption in Automobile Insurance.

KPMG stretched its actuarial model finding because the pace of change has accelerated, resulting in projections that illustrate greater declines to the auto insurance sector than KPMG’s previous 2015 study. It also shows an increasing need for new types of insurance products.

“Insurance companies will have to make important strategic and tactical changes sooner than anticipated to navigate through this turbulent transformation of the industry,” said Jerry Albright, principal in KPMG’s Actuarial and Insurance Risk practice. “New business models bring about a decade or so of a ‘chaotic middle’ as insurers adjust their strategies and operations as autonomous vehicle technologies significantly deplete the need for personal auto insurance.”

Chris Nyce, principal in KPMG’s Actuarial and Insurance Risk practice, added, “Building the latest observations into our actuarial model affirms the projected long-term decline in the number of auto accidents overall, and the share of accident claims funded by personal auto policies will also contract. Partially offsetting this, average repair costs will continue to increase at a higher rate than overall inflation as new technologies in future cars become more expensive to repair.”

Disturbance in Auto Insurance Industry

It’s claimed that three major forces are disrupting the current, $247 billion premium, auto insurance marketplace:

  1. Autonomous technology is making cars increasingly safer, leading to a potential 90 percent reduction in accident frequency by 2050.
  2. Auto manufacturers (OEMs) will assume more of the driving risk and associated liability, and have new opportunities to provide insurance to car buyers, taking market share away from traditional insurers. KPMG estimates that by 2050 there will be a significant increase in product liability insurance to 57% of total auto losses to cover the autonomous technology in vehicles, and a considerable decrease in personal auto insurance to 22% of total auto losses.
  3. The rapid adoption of mobility-on-demand is quickly translating into the need for less personal auto coverage, with the use of fleets requiring commercial auto insurance.

“Insurance companies are varied in their level of preparedness for this disruption and many have taken limited action to face this challenge,” said Joe Schneider, managing director at KPMG Corporate Finance. “As a result, auto insurers may choose to branch out into home-related products, or other commercial coverage, to benefit from diversification.”

New Auto Insurance Coverage

By 2024, most of travel within cities and surrounding suburbs is expected to be on-demand rather than with a personal vehicle, and by 2035 it is expected to be the new normal in transportation. As a result, product liability coverage and other new types of insurance are expected to pay a greater share of claims resulting from roadway accidents. Cyber risk is a good example of a new type of risk associated with the era of driverless cars, and market participants are building new products to cover the potential hacking of autonomous vehicles.

Autonomous Abilities on Fast Track

The auto insurance industry is further disrupted by the surge of “smart money” generated by a variety of sources including venture capital (VC) firms. “The infusion of capital is boosting the development of autonomous capabilities and related business models, thereby accelerating the pace at which highly automated vehicles will hit the market,” added Schneider.

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About Ken Zino

Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
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