New Renault cars will score driver performance out of 100

New Renault cars will score the performance of their drivers and rank them out of 100.

The new scoring system will mean that at the end of each trip, the cars will rate the motorists’ driving and deduct marks if they have driven too close to another vehicle, been speeding or displayed poor lane-keeping.

It will be available in every new Renault and could even allow drivers to secure lower premiums if they hand over their results, according to The Sunday Times.

As part of the new Safety Score and Safety Coach system, the French car maker also plans to launch an online platform whereby motorists can opt to be featured on a scoreboard to see how they fare against other drivers.

The system will work by using components already fitted in the vehicles, such as lane-keeping aids, automated braking, assistance with reversing, driver drowsiness warnings and adaptive cruise control.

However, while drivers will be able to opt out of using the driver-assistance software, they will have to reconfirm this every time they start the car as it cannot be permanently switched off.

It is unclear what will happen if the driver breaks the law.

Mandatory safety tech

It comes after all new cars sold in the European Union and Northern Ireland will now beep, vibrate or slow down if drivers are speeding under new mandatory safety technology which came into effect on July 6.

The vehicles will be fitted with intelligent speed assistance (ISA) to prevent accidents.

Although the UK has opted out, meaning it will not be a requirement on British roads, the technology will still be installed in most cars, and drivers can choose to switch it off on a daily basis.

ISA has a forward-facing camera that can recognise speed limit signs and is integrated with GPS mapping data so the car always knows what limit applies to its location.

When fitted, the technology will send a warning beep or the steering wheel will vibrate when drivers pass the speed limit. If the driver does not take action, the accelerator will ease up, reducing the speed to keep in line with the limit.

Manufacturers including Ford have been offering ISA as an option on new cars since 2015, and it has been mandatory on all new cars sold in Europe since 2022, but could be switched off.

The European Transport Safety Council said that while it took drivers a short time to adjust to the technology, the majority saw it as a positive step. It also helps drivers avoid speeding tickets. It also calculated it could reduce deaths by 20 per cent.

There are roughly 1,700 deaths on British roads annually, and the figures suggest that if the technology was adopted across the board in the UK, it could save 340 lives.