Daily Motor News – Monday 6 January 2025

Happy New Year and welcome to the first ILC Daily Motor News of 2025.  

Following a relatively mild festive period, this weekend has seen much of the UK plunged into chaos following weather warnings of ice, snow and flooding. Road, rail and air travel continue to face heavy disruption as the ‘return’ to work – and school in the coming days – begins for many. 

The BBC reported an overnight temperature of -13.3°C in Loch Glascarnoch in Scotland, while St James Park in London recorded 11.4°C – a significant variation. Meanwhile, well in excess of 150 flood warnings are in place across the country. 

It goes without saying then that all of this means it is likely to be a busy start to the new year for the insurance sector and its supply chain. Motor, home and travel are three key areas the ABI itself has issued advice on in a bid to limit risk for all. 

With more wintry weather set to continue throughout the week, the true scale of the event and the impacts on the sector may take some time to fully filter through but it is already a clear ‘test’ of the specialist skills and diverse provisions of the sector in helping policyholders return to normality. 

Wishing everyone a safe start to the new year. 

Feature

One in six young drivers admit to fronting

Research by Aviva involving more than 2,000 young drivers (aged 17-25) has found that one in six (17%) admit to being on a ‘fronted’ policy. Fronting is a form of insurance fraud where the young driver is listed as a named driver on their parents’ policy, despite being the main driver of the car. Full story

Siblings convicted in £450,000 fraud case

A fraudster who deliberately caused a three-car pile-up has been undone by accidental video phone footage after her siblings pretended they were in the car instead. Following an action by Keoghs and DLG, Ms Tul-Zahara was found in contempt having knowingly made false statements. She received an immediate sentence of 11 months. Full story

‘Zombie cars’: Tens of thousands of UK write-offs resold in Ireland

Used car buyers are being urged to check the history of their prospective purchases as there are still “tens of thousands” of so-called “zombie” cars in Ireland. As many as 10% of used cars imported from the UK last year will have either been salvaged or written off, according to car data experts Motorcheck. Full story

Quarter of drivers have left car running unattended to de-ice windscreen – poll

One in four (25%) drivers admits leaving their car running unattended while de-icing the windscreen, a new survey suggests. Insurer Aviva, which commissioned the poll, warned that most policies would not cover the theft of a vehicle in that situation. Full story

The most stolen cars in 2024 – including popular family models

The most stolen cars of 2024 have been named, with a number of popular models making the list. Thousands of car thefts have been reported across the West Midlands and certain models have been a common target time and again for thieves. Full story

Drink and drug-driving AI cameras trialled over festive period in England

A range of new artificial intelligence (AI) cameras is being trialled in Devon and Cornwall this month, to detect impaired drivers behind the wheel. Developed by road safety company Acusensus, this technology identifies driving patterns and behaviours that suggest a driver may be under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The system sends real-time data to nearby police officers, enabling them to stop the vehicle and carry out further investigations. Full story

Record EV market share but weak private demand frustrates ambition

The UK new car market recorded its second successive year of growth with 1,952,778 new cars reaching the road in 2024 – a rise of 2.6% on the previous year, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Full story

China’s BYD closes in on Tesla as sales jump

Chinese car maker BYD saw its sales jump at the end of last year, as it competes with Tesla to be the world’s best-selling electric vehicle (EV) maker of 2024. The company says it sold 207,734 EVs in December, taking its annual total to 1.76 million, as subsidies and discounts helped attract customers. Full story

ZEEKR announces December and full year 2024 delivery update

ZEEKR, a global premium electric mobility technology company, announced its delivery results for December and the full year 2024. In December 2024, ZEEKR delivered 27,190 vehicles, marking a 102% year-over-year increase. For the full year 2024, the company achieved total deliveries of 222,123 vehicles, reflecting a strong 87% growth compared to the previous year. Full story

Steer Automotive Group acquires ARC Group

Steer Automotive Group has acquired Accident Repair Centre Group, a trusted collision repair network operating across the South West of England. With well-placed locations across the region, ARC Group provides an excellent foundation for expanding service capacity and enhancing customer accessibility, enabling Steer to better serve its clients throughout the South West. Full story

Date set for Ageas/NBRA Equipment EXPO

More than 40 automotive suppliers will showcase their latest innovations at the Ageas/NBRA Equipment EXPO, which takes place at the GTG Training Centre on 19 February. Anyone interested in attending can register here.

18 breakdowns expected every minute as people return to work

Breakdown provider, Green Flag, predicted there would be over 26,000 breakdowns on 2January, an 88% increase in the average number of callouts compared to the annual daily average. It anticipated that 18 cars every minute would require breakdown support on that one day alone. Full story

Focus advisors predict the future

Founder and Managing Director of Focus Advisors Automotive M&A David Roberts presented a collision industry market update at the MSO Symposium in November, emphasising the growth of US and Canadian collision consolidators in 2024. The presentation, titled “Scale and its Rewards: Industry Landscape and Market Dynamics,” was delivered to more than 400 MSO Symposium attendees. Full story

Martyn Rowley to tackle a charity challenge of a lifetime

Executive Director of the NBRA and VBRA Martyn Rowley is taking on the Great Sahara Desert Trek to raise funds for automotive charity Ben. Alongside Karen Jakes of Thatcham Research, he plans to cover 100km in four days in support of Ben. Full story

Briefs

New research from Go.Compare Money has revealed Britain’s biggest money concerns for the new year, with 45% of people saying they are anticipating a bad year financially. Full story

Fix Auto Greenisland can now truly call itself a Fix Auto UK repair centre after successfully gaining its BS10125 certification.

Russell Palmer has started a new position as Commercial Motor Personal Injury Best Practice Manager at AXA Insurance Company.

Gallagher Bassett has appointed Mark Garnham as Director of First Response and Managed Repair.

Melissa Mansfield has been named Head of Client Relationships at SYNETIQ.

Martin Willis has been appointed Head of Business Development at Fix Auto UK.

Northern Accident Repair has named Ian Parkinson as Commercial Director.

Matthew Coles has been appointed Operations Manager at Advantage Parts Solutions.

Steve Nash has started a new position as a self-employed automotive consultant, coach and mentor.

Derren Martin, previously Director of Valuations at cap hpi, is now an independent consultant at Black and Gold Consulting.