ARC360 2026 brings industry together

Close to 400 delegates from across the UK vehicle repair and motor claims sector came together at the British Motor Museum, Gaydon, for ARC360 2026, with the event delivering a full day of discussion around electrification, repair complexity, claims economics and the future structure of the market.

Supported by corporate partners Allscreens, BASF, e2e, Exclusive Repair Network, iBodyshop, Mirka, NWVA, Prasco UK, Repairify, S&G, Sherwin-Williams, Solera Audatex and Spire Drive, alongside sponsors Partly, Silverlake Automotive Recycling and Thatcham Research; as well as  Industry Body Partners AutoRaise, MIB, NBRA and Trend Tracker; and Vehicle Manufacturer Partner Stellantis, the event encouraged meaningful discussion across the entire repair and claims ecosystem.

Sessions throughout the day explored the structural changes reshaping the repair market, with several presentations focusing on the growing impact of electrification and increasing vehicle complexity.

Matthew Freeman, Managing Consultant at Solera Consulting, outlined how the UK vehicle parc continues to evolve, noting that electric vehicles (EVs) now account for 14% of the parc compared to just 1% in 2015.

Paul Sell, Director at Trend Tracker, explored the wider economic pressures affecting the sector, including changing consumer affordability and the ageing UK vehicle parc. His presentation revealed that 68% of vehicles on UK roads are now more than six years old, while almost a quarter are over 13 years old.

Dan Harrowell, Principal Engineer for Advanced Technologies at Thatcham Research, examined the insurance challenges surrounding electrified vehicles and the need for scalable repair solutions.

His presentation highlighted that average battery electric vehicle repair costs have reduced by 10.7% over the last three years, although repair costs remain around 25% higher than internal combustion engine vehicles and repair times are still 14% longer.

Alongside the main stage sessions, delegates also took part in specialist showcase presentations, commercial vehicle discussions and the New Gen Hub workshops delivered in partnership with AutoRaise.

Mark Hadaway, Co-founder of ARC360, said: “ARC360 2026 demonstrated just how important collaboration has become as the sector continues to navigate vehicle complexity, electrification and changing customer expectations. The level of engagement across the day reflected a genuine appetite from the industry to work together on the challenges ahead.”

Overviews of all the day’s activities will be made available in the coming weeks.