Daily Motor News – Wednesday 20 August 2025

One of the most interesting disruptors in this conversation is the rise of megacasting. Promising a 40% reduction in manufacturing footprint, these large-scale structural castings also reduce complexity on the production line. However, their repair implications are significant. As  Ben Townsend, Head of Automotive at Thatcham Research explained, “Megacastings could be a huge win for repairability – if manufacturers provide modular replacements or refurb routes. But currently, their primary focus is on manufacturing efficiency, not repair strategy”. Read more

Admiral launches new co-branded repair centre in partnership with The Vella Group

Admiral Group’s UK business, Admiral, has launched a new co-branded repair centre in Manchester in partnership with The Vella Group. This launch marks the start of a wider rollout, with plans to extend the co-branded model to other trusted partners across the UK. Read more

ClaimsTech – The Pitch 2025: Solera Audatex – driving sustainability through smarter claims data 

In a thought-provoking showcase session at ClaimsTech – The Pitch 2025, Marco Iriarte Somolinos, Senior Director of Operations at Solera Audatex, lifted the lid on how the organisation is leveraging its data and technology to bring sustainability to the heart of the insurance claims process. Read more

Court Confirms Complexity Banding in Major Costs Win for Carpenters Group

Carpenters Group is pleased to report a significant legal costs victory in the case of Campbell v Cornell. This highlights our Costs Team’s technical expertise and reinforces our commitment to securing fair and proportionate outcomes for insurer clients. Read more

The Future of Auto Claims – Part Two: Operationalizing Claims for the Autonomous Era

Having explored the significant impact that autonomous vehicles (AVs) are bringing to the insurance industry in Part One, Part Two shifts focus from understanding the drivers of AV claims transformation to focusing on execution – what insurers should do to build AV-ready capabilities across their teams, technology, and operations. Read more

Aviva urges university students to protect belongings

Heading off to university or college to study away from home is an exciting time but with so much to think about, it can be easy to overlook protecting possessions. With recent stats showing that 439,180 applicants have been accepted into university, Aviva has put together some top tips to help students safeguard their belongings: Read more

DVLA backs classic car industry and driving enthusiasts with updated registration policies

DVLA has today (20 August) unveiled a major update to some of its vehicle registration policies, making it significantly easier for enthusiasts to register repaired, restored and modified vehicles. Read more

FEATURE: BEV vs FCEV – Room for two?

Even though eHGVs have reached the market first, manufacturers are still exploring FCEVs options. Is there enough space for both technologies? The challenge of decarbonizing road freight and municipal vehicles is one entwined with economic consequences, access to reliable infrastructure and the requirements of a vast array of applications that cannot be solved with a one-size-fits-all solution. Read more

July 2025 new car pre-registration figures

SMMT released figures for July pre-registrations in the UK new car market. The data shows the number of cars disposed of by vehicle manufacturers in July 2025 that were defined as pre-registrations. Read more

Nissan LEAF is most reliable EV, according to new research from leading warranty firm

A comprehensive new study of electric vehicle (EV) repairs across the UK has revealed the Nissan LEAF to be the country’s most reliable EV. The data, published by Warranty Solutions Group and based on real-world warranty claims, highlights significant differences in both fault rates and repair costs across popular models – offering valuable insights for drivers and dealers alike. Read more

JLR powers ambition for lower carbon global operations with renewable energy drive

JLR has reached a significant milestone in the roll‑out of its global renewable energy strategy with the opening of a new solar farm the size of up to 36 football pitches at its Gaydon headquarters this summer. Read more

Wish You Were Charging Here: Minister meets with Industry to progress destination charging discussion

The BVRLA has kicked off a summer campaign to shine a spotlight on destination charging. Bon VoyCharge has been launched to showcase best practice across the UK and where the industry and policymakers can collaborate on further development. Marking the first formal milestone of the campaign, the Minister for the Future of Roads, Lilian Greenwood MP joined industry professionals for a roundtable at Alton Towers (17 July). Read more

Blackthorn joins Connected Solutions supply chain

Industry Insights has announced a new partnership with Blackthorn Repair Management, strengthening its Connected Solutions supply chain offering for insurers, fleets and manufacturers. Read more

Reinventing supply chains with AI: From fragmentation to intelligent orchestration

In 2005, the idea of a supply chain “thinking for itself” would have sounded like science fiction. Back then, most supply chains were driven by spreadsheets, legacy ERPs, and static demand forecasts. AI was experimental. Generative AI hadn’t even been coined. And most organizations were focused on cost arbitrage, not resilience. Now fast forward to 2025. Read more

Ireland AudaEnterpriseGold data release D4.76

Solera Audatex has announced its latest Ireland AudaEnterpriseGold data release D4.76 is now live. Added are 22 new and 64 updated model sheets to its extensive vehicle database. Read more

Reframing the future: building a talent-ready sector

In a session packed with honesty, urgency, and optimism, the ILC New Generation in Claims panel at ARC360 2025 tackled one of the industry’s most critical and complex challenges – attracting and retaining talent. Set against the conference backdrop of ‘A New Era – The Changing Dynamics of a Sector’, the panel, chaired by Sue Whyte, CEO of ILC, brought together four leading figures to examine what’s broken – and what’s fixable – in the journey to building a more dynamic, appealing, and sustainable workforce across claims, repair, and insurance. Read more

QBE, the business insurer, has promoted Virginie Massé to the role of Head of European Claims, effective 1 September. Read more

Potholes have overtaken bank holiday traffic jams and parking tickets as Brits’ most hated aspect of life on the road. A third (30%) of drivers would prefer to sit in hours of Bank Holiday traffic than hit a pothole, while a quarter (24%) said they would rather be slapped with a costly parking ticket, according to new research from Mercedes-Benz Vans Under the Bonnet report.

The release of key statistics used to weigh up the performance of the UK’s economy has been delayed for two weeks over concerns about the quality of the data. The Office for National Statistic (ONS) said the publication of its latest monthly retail sales figures was rescheduled to allow for “further quality assurance”. Read more