ARC360 News – Friday 13 February 2026

Anticipation builds for ARC360 2026 with new speakers and key industry backing

Excitement is building for ARC360 2026, with more than 70 senior insurance leaders confirmed to attend and a growing speaker line-up set to deliver powerful insight and strategy for the vehicle repair and motor claims sector. Read more

Allscreens joins ARC360 Corporate Partner cohort

Leading automotive glazing specialists, Allscreens Nationwide has joined ARC360’s Corporate Partner cohort. Founded in 1993, Allscreens Nationwide – a windscreen company run by windscreen people – is a trusted name in the automotive glazing industry. From humble beginnings, the business has grown into one of the UK’s leading providers of vehicle glass repair and replacement services, offering nationwide coverage with a commitment to quality, speed, and customer satisfaction. Read more

ILC launches landmark CEO Report for the motor claims sector

ILC has announced the release of its inaugural CEO Report – a new annual publication delivering data-driven insight and intelligence tailored for executive decision-makers across the UK motor insurance industry. Published following ILC’s Exclusive Motor Claims Conference 2025, The CEO Report is designed to provide CEOs and board members with a strategic overview of the key forces influencing claims, performance, and customer experience across the sector. Read more

Devonshire Motors Accident Repair Centre has successfully passed its latest Tesla onsite audit with a 100% score.

Supported by Vizion Network, Poole Accident Repair is now officially approved to work on BYD vehicles.

Jonathan Eyre has been appointed to the new position as Head of Procurement at Halo ARC Ltd

Tony Baker, Head of Repair Operations, and Liam O’Brien, Head of Finance, have been appointed as Directors of Motofix Accident Repair Centres.

Fix Auto Gloucester has completed the first phase of a major investment programme set to double the size of its operations and significantly increase repair capacity. Read more

As part of National Apprenticeship Week, Activate Accident Repair has been highlighting the great career opportunities available through its award-winning apprenticeship scheme. Read more

Spraystyle Body Masters Ltd has added some new, fully sign-written vehicles to its courtesy car fleet. The vehicles were supplied by Vizion Vehicle Solutions.

US: Boyd Group Services Inc, the second largest collision repair operator in North America with 1,300 locations across 37 US states and 6 Canadian provinces, has gone live on the New York Stock Exchange.

Geely STARRAY EM-i Achieves Five-Star Ratings in EURO NCAP and ANCAP Safety Tests

Geely Auto announced that its first global plug-in hybrid SUV, the Geely STARRAY EM-i (also known as Geely EX5 EM-i, or Geely E5 EM-i in some markets), has achieved the prestigious five-star safety rating from both the Euro NCAP (European New Car Assessment Programme) and ANCAP (Australasian New Car Assessment Program) on 6 February. Read more

Chery UK partners with Car Care Plan Protex

Chery UK has partnered with Car Care Plan Protex to introduce a suite of branded insurance and accident management services for customers of its motoring brands, OMODA&JAECOO and CHERY. Read more

Toyota hailed a ‘global powerhouse’ as top automotive company in YouGov’s Best Brand Rankings 2026

Toyota is the leading automotive company globally in YouGov’s Best Brand Rankings 2026, for the second year in succession, securing 10^th place among the best performing brands with a year-on-year increase of 2.8 per cent. Read more

EVs power up used car market in three-year growth run  

The UK’s used car market grew by 2.2% in 2025, reaching 7,807,872 transactions, according to the latest figures published today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). The increase marks three consecutive years of growth, as the new car market’s ongoing recovery boosted supply to meet robust demand – particularly for electrified vehicles. Read more

Time to get even more from the MG4 EV

Safety is assured with MG4 EV Urban having already achieved Euro NCAP’s highest 5-Star rating. The advanced battery pack features ultra safe cells and has been exhaustively tested and exceeds international standards. Active warning and cooling systems and thermal isolation technology are all incorporated. MG4 EV Urban offers a total of 7 airbags and 90 percent of the body is made from high-strength or ultra-high strength steel. Read more

Hybrid homologation of the future: Why the BMW Group is in the fast lane.

Fewer physical crash tests and less time and expense – but the same high standard of safety. The BMW Group is redefining homologation processes and is the first carmaker to successfully replace some physical tests with virtual simulations in Germany. The simulations are officially recognised as equivalent to conventional tests and save prototypes, time, money and resources while making crash-safety development even more precise. Read more

Volkswagen Group achieves global milestone with 5 million electric drives produced; APP550 sets the benchmark 

The Volkswagen Group has reached a milestone in producing five million electric drive units worldwide. This collective achievement by the Győr, Kassel, Tianjin and Zuffenhausen plants underscores the performance capabilities of the Group-wide technology and production alliance as well as the systematic scale-up of e-mobility across the different brands and regions. Read more

Hyundai partners with Therfield School to nurture auto marketing stars of the future

Hyundai Motor UK has again demonstrated its commitment to developing future marketing and creative talent for the automotive industry via an innovative partnership with Surrey’s Therfield School. Read more

Motor claims reach £11.9bn in 2025 as repair costs surge

Motor insurers paid out a total of £11.9bn in claims throughout 2025, according to new figures released by the Association of British Insurers (ABI). This included £2.9bn in the final quarter alone, with damage to vehicles – including third-party, accidental and windscreen-related incidents – driving the bulk of claims. These accounted for nearly £7.5bn or 63% of the total paid. Read more

Thatcham Research highlights urgent repair sector skills gap

Thatcham Research has issued a stark warning about a critical skills shortage in the UK’s vehicle repair and salvage sector, calling for urgent industry-wide action to protect repair capacity, reduce insurance costs, and build a sustainable workforce. Read more

AutoRaise launches youth alliance to amplify young voices

AutoRaise has launched a new national initiative to ensure the voice of young people is heard in shaping the future of automotive repair careers. The AutoYouth Alliance (AYA), unveiled during National Apprenticeship Week, brings together apprentices, recently qualified technicians and emerging talent from across the UK. It aims to give young professionals a platform to share experiences, challenge outdated perceptions of apprenticeships, and contribute to wider discussions around skills, training and inclusion within the sector. Read more

Niche mobility in focus

Concluding the day’s agenda at ILC’s Mobility in Insurance Claims Conference, a panel of experts explored the under-represented, high-impact world of specialist mobility provision. Hosted by Chris Ashworth, Founder and Motor Sector Lead at ILC, the session spotlighted the operational, financial, and regulatory challenges unique to sectors such as taxi, commercial vehicle, and motorcycle replacement. Read more

EV adoption gains momentum among UK businesses

New insights from the Europcar Mobility Group UK’s 2025 EV Barometer indicate growing confidence among UK businesses in adopting electric vehicles (EVs), with a significant drop in perceived barriers over the past year. Read more

Proud to Support Football, Fundraising and the Power of Community

At S&G, giving back to our community is at the heart of everything we do and, we’re incredibly proud to be sponsoring Industry United FC at the upcoming NWVA charity football match, in aid of DEBRA UK, taking place on 31 March 2026 at the London Stadium. Read more

The Waymo World Model: A New Frontier For Autonomous Driving Simulation 

The Waymo Driver has traveled nearly 200 million fully autonomous miles, becoming a vital part of the urban fabric in major U.S. cities and improving road safety. What riders and local communities don’t see is our Driver navigating billions of miles in virtual worlds, mastering complex scenarios long before it encounters them on public roads. Today, we are excited to introduce the Waymo World Model, a frontier generative model that sets a new bar for large-scale, hyper-realistic autonomous driving simulation. Read more

Enterprise to host charity football match

On 7 May, Enterprise Mobility will be hosting a charity football match in support of Insurance United Against Dementia, backing the amazing work of the Alzheimer’s Society. Having already raised nearly £75,000 and counting, the game will take place at Macclesfield Town FC. Read more

From compliance checks to repair excellence: how technology is transforming OEM collision repair audits

For many years, OEM collision repair audits followed a familiar and necessary structure. Auditors spent the majority of their on-site time validating compliance with OEM operating standards – reviewing facilities, tools and equipment, and technician training records. While this ensured baseline conformity, it left limited opportunity to assess the most critical outcome of all: the quality of repairs to customer vehicles. Read more

GEM urges ‘life-ready’ focus for learner drivers

GEM Motoring Assist has welcomed the Government’s new road safety strategy, describing it as a pivotal opportunity to improve outcomes for young and novice drivers. Although drivers aged 17 to 24 account for just 6% of licence holders, they are involved in nearly a quarter of all fatal and serious collisions on UK roads. GEM believes the Government’s plans could be a “vital chance to change the story” by introducing a more comprehensive and structured learning experience for new drivers. Read more

Covéa Insurance has appointed Philippe Domart as Chief Executive Officer of its UK operations, subject to regulatory approval. He will officially take on the role on 1 April 2026, succeeding Georges De Macedo, who will continue to serve on the Covéa UK Board. Read more

Jonathan Iles has joined Charles Trent Ltd as its new Sales and Marketing Director.

Alex Taylor has started a new role as Head of Business Development at Rowley Spraybooths.

Andy Wolff has been appointed as Managing Director – Corporate at Zenith Vehicles.

Terence Walker has started a new position as Department Manager of VW/Skoda Part Business & Service Strategy at SAIC Volkswagen.