This month, Cobra is launching an app with ‘a very prestigious car manufacturer’ that could trigger major changes in the way we interact with our vehicles.

Andrew Smith, Managing Director of vehicle security and tracking specialist Cobra UK, said: “You’ll be able to register where your car is, lock or unlock it, open the doors, close the windows and have a geo-fence around it – that is an invisible border. 

“With hybrid vehicles, you’ll be able to find out where your nearest charge point is and what the state of the vehicle is. In the aftermarket, I think the technology will change and potentially become app-based rather than black-boxed based.”

His comments will be welcomed by mobile phone providers who are already reaping the benefits of millions of people using satellite navigation apps on their phones instead of purchasing standalone GPS devices – a magnet to car thieves.

Critics say apps can easily be hacked and should best be avoided but Mr Smith’s company has thought about the solution to that too.

Mr Smith added: “There’s a bit of a debate going on in the industry today because if you want high quality data – which you do for young drivers – you almost certainly need a black box to get the granularity and quality of data. If you’re talking about the average person who has a £400 or £500 policy, you don’t need that granularity of data so it is okay if you have something like an app. It is similar to what Aviva have done recently where you put it in the car with you and it takes a sample of your driving over a period of time and then uses that to come up with what your policy cost should be. 

“That’s the way the technology is going and it will move to be more Apple and Android app-based.”