Online car insurance provider swiftcover.com is trying to appeal to young drivers by launching a text-based motor insurance quote service.
For the price of four text messages Swift Text, as the service is known, uses the personal information you supply to formulate a car insurance quote and a quote ID number, which you use to buy the insurance online.
swiftcover.com CEO Andrew Blowers claims Swift Text is "a clear example of our commitment to innovation.
"Our aim is to enable consumers to purchase insurance quickly and at their convenience," he added.
Some people have questioned the benefits of Swift Text to the consumer, however.
The system can provide a motor insurance quote, but it doesn't allow you to purchase a premium via text, and consumer groups are worried about the money swiftcover.com stands to make in SMS commission.
This extra source of revenue means the online car insurance company stands to profit regardless of whether or not it sells any premiums, and some believe this leaves little incentive for it to provide a truly competitive motor insurance quote.
"Getting car insurance quotes via SMS is a neat idea", commented Mike Page, spokesperson for the cheap car insurance experts at Hoot, "but I'm not sure it'll take off without the facility to buy premiums too."