How Much Does It Cost to Implement a Telematics Solution?

Introduction

In this episode of the Insurance Telematics Podcast, Yasmin and Harald address a central question for insurers: What does it cost to implement a telematics solution? The discussion focuses on three main approaches offered by Dolphin—Move Score, Move SDK, and White Label—each varying in complexity, customization, and pricing. This guide breaks down these models, helping insurers align telematics strategies with their business goals.

Understanding the Three Telematics Models

Move Score: Simple, Fast, and Cost-Effective

The Move Score solution is designed for insurers who want to get started with telematics quickly, without investing in app development. With this model, the insurer invites customers to download the Move Score app, available globally on app stores. After granting permission, the customer’s driving score becomes accessible via an API.

This score provides valuable insights into user behavior, including driving frequency, time, location, and style. It can be combined with existing demographic and vehicle data to improve pricing models.

The cost structure for Move Score is straightforward. Insurers are charged per API call, which can be made monthly, quarterly, or annually. On average, this results in a cost starting around €1 per user per year. A small fixed monthly fee (in the low thousands of euros) covers platform management.

Move SDK: Telematics Within Your Own App

For insurers who already have a mobile app—or plan to develop one—the Move SDK offers a more customizable solution. This software development kit can be integrated into an existing app or used to build a new one. It allows insurers to present trip data, personalize user feedback, and incorporate location-based features or upselling opportunities.

Unlike Move Score, pricing for the SDK is based on a fixed monthly fee and a per-user fee. There is no initial setup cost. The SDK is free for up to 50 users, making it suitable for pilot projects. For insurers with around 10,000 users, costs typically land in the upper single-digit euros per customer per year. For larger user bases (100,000+), the per-user cost drops to the lower single digits. This model provides transparency and scalability, with full details available on movesdk.com.

White Label App: Full Control and Brand Experience

The most advanced solution is the white label app. This option builds upon the Move SDK and adds a fully branded user experience developed by Dolphin or its partners. It’s ideal for insurers seeking strong customer engagement and long-term loyalty.

White label apps can include a wide range of features, such as:

• Driving score reports with feedback on phone use, acceleration, braking, and speed
• Reward systems where users earn points for good driving
• Challenges and competitions
• Messaging tools for weather alerts and tire-change reminders

For example, Porsche Insurance Austria uses this approach to offer up to 20% premium discounts and rewards like Apple Watches and other gifts.

Costs for white label apps include the SDK fees, additional operating expenses (usually a few cents per user per month), and one-time project development fees. These can range from €70,000 to €150,000 depending on geographic and technical requirements.

Choosing the Right Strategy

Each model serves a different purpose. Move Score is best for insurers looking for a low-effort, cost-efficient entry into telematics. The Move SDK is ideal for those who want more control and richer interactions with customers. The White Label solution is for insurers ready to invest in a comprehensive digital strategy and brand experience.

Harald emphasizes the importance of strategic alignment. For insurers lacking internal resources or the desire to build apps, Move Score offers a quick win. On the other hand, companies looking to build loyalty and market differentiation should consider the SDK or White Label models.

Start Small with the Move Pilot

To help insurers test telematics without long-term commitments, Dolphin offers the Move Pilot. This no-code, custom-branded app can be set up in under 7 minutes—sometimes even in just one. It’s a free and fast way to explore telematics capabilities.

Final Thoughts

Telematics no longer requires massive investment or complex infrastructure. From API-based integrations at around €1 per user per year to advanced custom apps with full engagement tools, Dolphin provides a flexible range of solutions for insurers of all sizes.

Whether you’re optimizing pricing or building long-term customer relationships, telematics is a proven path to gaining a competitive edge in insurance.

Explore the options:

• Move Score
• Move SDK

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Yasmin
Hi everyone and welcome back to the Insurance Telematics podcast. Today we’re going to be talking about a topic which insurers are really interested in, and it’s how much does it actually cost to implement a telematics solution? I’m here with the expert, Harald. Harald, please tell me all about how much does it actually cost to implement a telematics solution? What are the different options? Does it vary? Tell me more.

Harald
Well, it’s an interesting question because it’s like you come to a car dealership and you ask them, how much does a car cost?

Yasmin
Mhm.

Harald
So it depends what kind of car you want. It’s not different in telematics, but there are different options. Our company, Dolphin, offers three different general models of how you can implement telematics. One is a solution where you basically don’t need your own app, but you use a standardized app, and you just receive the scoring information.

Yasmin
Mhm.

Harald
The second would be you use our SDK. We have a software development kit, which your internal development department or external agency can take and inject into your existing app or build an app around it and just use the service. The third would be a white label app or a custom app where we or one of our partners designs a very specific user experience around your desires. So let’s break it down.

Yasmin
Yeah.

Harald
The first thing I talked about is a Move Score app. The website is movescore.app. The Move Score app does the following. Let’s imagine I’m the insurance company and you’re the user. I would encourage you to download the Move Score app, which is available on App stores globally. Then I would send you the request for the permission of using your score.

You would receive a push notification saying, “Hey, Harald’s insurance company wants to access your Move Score.” You would say, “Yes” or “No.” Let’s imagine you say “Yes.” I would just receive that score and implement it in my scoring algorithms. I can mix it up with my demographic information and the car-specific information I have about you. It gives me additional information about how often you use your car, where, when, and how you drive.

Yasmin
So what’s the cost driver for this specific model?

Harald
Insurance companies would pay per API call. So whenever they request a score, which can be once a month, once a quarter, or once a year, they pay for that request. That comes with a price tag that can start around a euro per customer per year, depending on frequency. There is a small fixed fee to manage access and the platform, in the single-digit thousand euros per month, and then the fee per API call.

Yasmin
And what about the SDK? What are the cost drivers for this model?

Harald
When you use our SDK, there’s no initial fee. You can download the necessary data and implement it in your app. We charge a fixed fee per month and a fee per user per month. We offer a free approach for below 50 users. For 10,000 users, combining fixed and variable costs, you’re probably in the upper single-digit euros per customer per year. For 100,000+ users, we aim for the lower single-digit euros. The model is transparent, with details on movesdk.com.

Yasmin
So the main difference between the Move Score option and the SDK option would be you pay per API call versus paying per user.

Harald
This is the pricing difference. With the Move Score, you don’t have to worry about the user experience, issuing apps, maintaining the app, etc. You care only about making the API call. But it’s less customizable.

Yasmin
Yes.

Harald
With the Move SDK, you can display trips, give users more specific insights, offer products based on locations, use points of interest for upselling, be more transparent in scoring, and provide a custom user experience.

Yasmin
Yeah. So build more relationships with your customers through the SDK.

Harald
Yes. The Move Score is a metric that helps in the statistical game of insurance. If I know more about my existing or potential customers, I will have better results over time.

Yasmin
Mhm.

Harald
If two companies are equal in cost structure and claims ratio, the one with more data will be more profitable.

Yasmin
Yeah. So you have a competitive advantage.

Harald
It’s a huge competitive advantage. Like we discussed in episode two about playing poker—if I know more, I’ll win over time in risk prediction.

Yasmin
Before moving to the cost driver of our last product, the white label solution, I just want to add that this relates to the episode on strategy. Insurers choosing between Move Score or SDK should think about their strategy and priorities.

Harald
Absolutely. Move Score is great for insurers and MGAs who don’t have resources or the willingness to build their own product but don’t want to fall behind. It’s an easy-to-implement approach.

Yasmin
Mhm.

Harald
If that’s your goal, go with Move Score. But if you want to increase loyalty, do upselling, improve customer experience in your existing app, then use the SDK or a white label solution.

Yasmin
Yeah, definitely. So let’s move on to our third model, the white label solution. What are the cost drivers here?

Harald
You have the Move SDK plus operating costs for the white label features. Adding challenges, weather warnings, rewards, etc., costs additional cents per user per month. Then you pay for building the app—internally or externally. We help build custom apps and charge project costs based on geography and implementation depth. Typical costs range from €70,000 to €150,000.

Yasmin
Okay.

Harald
On top of that are the monthly operating costs based on number of users.

Yasmin
Great. Thank you so much for sharing. Since I’m the advocate of the audience, we need to showcase what the white label solution could potentially look like.

Harald
We can do this in a way that our listeners—

Yasmin
Yes, because we do have a few listeners.

Harald
We do. Let me give an example. Porsche Insurance in Austria offers a discount for good driving. When you buy a car from them and use their leasing and insurance, you can opt into Smart Driver and save up to 20% on your premium. They show you your monthly driving score, discount, and trip details including phone use, braking, acceleration, and speed. They also promote ecological driving which overlaps with safe driving.

Yasmin
Yeah.

Harald
They offer points for good driving, which you can redeem for prizes—Apple Watch, fridge, Audi junior car, etc.—and they run challenges.

Yasmin
So a lot of things you can do with the white label solution.

Harald
A lot indeed. I just didn’t make the March challenge.

Yasmin
Oh, no. Maybe you’ll make the April challenge.

Harald
Maybe. They also use messaging and marketing automation for things like weather alerts or tire-change reminders. It’s a holistic approach.

Yasmin
That’s great.

Harald
White label is very good if you want to build a marketing strategy around customer value. In car insurance, touchpoints are limited, so having customers check your app multiple times per week creates strong engagement.

Yasmin
Yeah, I can definitely imagine that.

Harald
Right. To summarize: Move Score is fast and cheap—around €1 per customer per year. The SDK has a monthly fixed and per-user cost. White label adds project and operating costs.

Yasmin
And you mentioned earlier the Move Pilot. If someone wants to test before buying, they can start with the Move Pilot, right?

Harald
Yes. There’s a cost before implementing telematics: evaluating the market, internal alignment, etc. The Move Pilot helps you build a custom-branded app for free, with no-code setup. It’s fast—under 7 minutes. I can do it in 1 minute!

Yasmin
Yeah.

Harald
We want to democratize telematics. For a few euros per year, you can interact with customers contextually, help during claims, understand risk better. There’s no reason not to do telematics. I say that egoistically.

Yasmin
No, but I fully agree.

Harald
So we give it out for free, let people play with it, and then see if they want to scale it.

Yasmin
Before we recap, I want to say that telematics is a win-win. It reduces risk and cost, builds relationships, and creates valued interactions. Now let’s go to takeaways—unless you have something to add?

Harald
That’s it. Recap of the recap: Move Score helps optimize pricing. Available on movescore.app. Costs less than €1 per user per year. SDK has a monthly fixed and per-user cost. White label adds project costs. Also consider costs due to operating system updates and internal staffing. We can sell you the piano, but you have to play.

Yasmin
Yeah, of course. Three models, and costs scale with complexity. Move Pilot is the easiest way to start.

Harald
Yes, or download the Move Score app. Those are your entry points.

Yasmin
Exactly.

Harald
Yeah.

Yasmin
Thanks for tuning in.

Harald
That’s about the money.

Yasmin
Exactly. Thank you.

Harald
Bye bye.