Does switching off ADAS features affect your car insurance?

If you switch off the advanced driver assistance systems – or ADAS features for short – are you actively voiding your insurance in the event of an accident?

With many new cars adopting driver assist features including lane departure warning, driver detection monitoring and more to keep pace with ANCAP and global safety requirements, their role in preventing accidents has become more pertinent.

Even so, there is evidence that thousands of Aussie drivers are switching off ADAS features because they find them overly sensitive and annoying or distracting.

But if you do, are you unwittingly causing more issues?

So, does switching off ADAS features affect your insurance?

The short answer is no.

While many new smart vehicles in Australia do collect and store data, it is understood that data is owned by manufacturers, and isn’t accessible by insurance companies or other third parties.

Open Road spoke to several insurance companies when researching this story. Each confirmed that vehicle data was not a factor in insurance premiums, excesses or claims.

Although the car industry recognises the importance of ADAS, there is a consensus that many of its features still need improvement in how they intervene.

In 2023, Euro NCAP said it would work with automakers to minimise ADAS "noise pollution" and the "more annoying features of these technologies". Closer to home, revisions to ADAS systems are constantly being made in an effort to streamline their operation and improve effectiveness.

In 2024, Japanese manufacturer Mitsubishi was forced to recalibrate some of the ADAS features on their then-new Triton ute, following criticism from the media and public. Earlier this year, Chinese manufacturer Leapmotor made running changes to the ADAS systems on its pioneering C10 mid-size SUV following similar feedback.

Open Road has reached out to Insurance Australia Group (IAG), for a comment.