South Africa’s second-hand car scene is in for a major upgrade, thanks to Discovery Insure’s Vitality Car Rating—a fresh system that promises fairer car valuations and rewards for safe driving. The company claims this could push resale prices up by as much as 15%.
For years, buying a used car has been a gamble. Sure, dealerships check basics like roadworthiness, but they’ve never had a way to track how a car was driven over its lifetime. Enter Discovery’s new rating: it crunches over 20 billion kilometers of driving data collected across 13 years, mixing insights from telematics (think driving habits, accident records) with repair claims and underwriting info. The result? A hyper-detailed snapshot of a car’s true condition.
Why does driving style matter?
Discovery Insure CEO Robert Attwell explains: “Safe drivers usually maintain their cars better, leading to fewer breakdowns and less wear-and-tear. But until now, resale values didn’t reflect that.” Traditional valuations focus on mileage, service history, and looks—not whether the car spent its life in bumper-to-bumper traffic or cruising highways. “We’re fixing that blind spot,” says Attwell.
Here’s how it works:
- Through the Vitality Drive program, telematics track driving behavior, accident history, and even where the car was driven (city vs. open roads).
- Each car gets a score out of 1,000, converted to a 1-5 star rating. A top-rated 5-star car could see its resale value jump by 15%.
- Sellers can request a Vitality Car Rating certificate—a gold-standard report that gives buyers peace of mind.
Partnerships powering the change
Discovery has teamed up with used-car platforms Weelee and Motus Select to bake this rating into their sales process. Anton de Souza, Weelee’s CEO, calls it a “game-changer”: “Before, sellers relied on service history or a one-time inspection. Now, we’ve got lifetime data proving a car’s real value. Huge win for drivers.”
Motus’ Suraiya Naidoo agrees: “This isn’t just about numbers—it’s about trust. Customers get a smoother, fairer buying experience, whether they’re upgrading or selling.”
Bigger than just resale value
The move ties into Discovery’s “Shared-Value” model, which rewards responsible habits—like safe driving and regular maintenance—with tangible benefits. It’s a win-win: sellers get better prices, buyers gain confidence, and the used-car market becomes more transparent. As Attwell puts it, “We’re not just valuing cars—we’re valuing the people behind the wheel.”
