If you are looking for cheaper car or van insurance, the big question is whether a telematics box of tricks that tracks your driving skills will bring down the price.

The problem is unless you have the black box technology installed, you will never know… or will you?

My Insurance Web can reveal you do not need to have blind faith in your car insurer to get the best priced cover. Instead, you can try before you buy with one of several apps that can convert a mobile phone in to a telematics tracker.

All you need to do is set the app running when you set off and plonk your phone in the vehicle with you.

The apps work for Android and iPhones, so everyone can assess whether telematics works for them.

The app works the same way as a telematics box by accessing your phone’s GPS to monitor speed and driving.

A car magazine put the app to test with a few reviewers. The findings showed that if you drive within the speed limits and don’t slam on the brakes or grate the gears, telematics could save you a decent amount off your annual car insurance premium.To find out for yourself, try MotorMate for free from the confused.com web site

A by-product of telematics other than cheap car insurance is a chance for motorists to develop better driving skills.

As the system rates how you drive by tracking speed and performance, telematics can act as a brake on bad driving by banishing the habits that make us more vulnerable to accidents – like speeding, harsh braking and cornering too fast.

“With help, most people can improve their driving, and given the information on where they are falling short of safer driving, coupled with the incentive of a dramatically lower insurance premium, people can adapt their style with the benefit of reducing the accident rate,” said Frances Richardson, operations director of the Royal Society for Prevention of Accidents.