A Fitbit for vehicles? AA launches a automobile ‘wellness’ app

The AA has launched a ‘wellness’ app for cars that uses the vehicle’s data as a ‘diagnostic tool,’ This is Money can reveal.

In a similar vein to how smart watches, ring and bracelets – from Fitbit to Whoop – track and monitor the wearer’s health and fitness, the Vixa app monitors a car’s vitals and warn the owner of impending issues.

It will also problem solve the best way to fix it.

The app aims to prevent your car breaking down – something half of drivers say is their top priority, according to a AA poll of 11,453 motorists.

Through a small device that plugs-ins to your car, Vixa harvests data giving you updates and alerts via the app, as well as proactive maintenance solutions

Vixa will harvest the huge amount of data modern cars process every day to give drivers a user-friendly ‘holistic wellness companion’ for their car.

Vixa constantly checks on the car, diagnoses arising faults, explains them and ‘offers stress-free solutions’. It will alert drivers to potential issues before they escalate and give car owners peace of mind.

It will cost £5.99 a month, or £3.99 a month for AA members who use either the AA’s Breakdown or Insurance services.

The AA’s new Vixa app, will cost just £3.99 a month for AA members who use either AA Breakdown or Insurance, and £5.99 for non-mebers

Through a small data-collecting device that plugs into your car, Vixa gives you updates and alerts via the app, as well as proactive maintenance solutions.

It’s compatible with most petrol cars made after 2001 and most diesel cars made after 2006. Hybrid vehicles are compatible with all features except battery alerts.

More cars models will work with Vixa over time, and some Ford models are already compatible if they come with the FordPass app. 

EVs aren’t currently compatible but AA President Edmund King told us that the AA ‘is working on that at the moment’. 

As EVs have fewer moving parts, there’s less to go wrong, with the AA finding most EV breakdowns are caused by tyres or the 12-Volt battery, neither of which are specific to electric cars.

The AA says that the technology has already informed someone on holiday in Spain that the battery in their car parked at a UK airport was about to die.

Vixa also lets you monitor tyre use by simply taking a few pictures to get a highly accurate diagnosis of tyre age, tread depth and condition to make sure that tyres are safe and legal.

When a problem is flagged, fixes are recommended including booking an AA approved garage or scheduling a mechanic to come to you. Or you can chat to an AA mechanic on Whatsapp.

The app will send handy reminders to remind you when your MOT and service are due too.

You’ll also get upfront estimates for repairs, servicing or scheduling an MOT which allows you to plan ahead and budget.

When a problem is flagged, fixes are recommended including booking an AA approved garage or scheduling a mechanic to come to you. Or you can chat to an AA mechanic on Whatsapp

Vixa replaces the AA’s now discontinued Car Genie app, with President Edmund King saying that the ‘main difference is that Vixa offers a solution as well as flagging up problems.’

‘Vixa is fully incorporated; we can get you to an AA approved garage or a mechanic to your home, or technician on the phone.

‘It’s more useful for consumers than Car Genie. The beauty of Vixa is that it notifies you before a warning light comes on on your dash and it’s too late notice’.

Future app upgrades will likely include driver efficiency scoring to help you improve your mpg and save money, as well as advising drivers on how to fix smaller issues on their own that don’t require a mechanical fix.

Tom Fawcett, chief executive AA X, said: ‘The Vixa App is potentially the biggest change in how The AA helps drivers in many years. It represents a new era of car care that uses connected car insights to put drivers in control. 

‘Our new Vixa wellness system can help give confidence to drivers to help them stay safe and save money and hassle’.