ARC360 News – Friday 31 July 2026

ILC ARTICLE

31st July 2026

Making EVs insurable

When electric vehicles first began entering the mainstream, much of the industry’s attention was focused on encouraging adoption. Manufacturers invested heavily in new products, governments introduced incentives and infrastructure providers raced to expand charging networks. The challenge, according to Dan Harrowell, Principal Engineer for Advanced Technologies at Thatcham Research, was convincing consumers that electric vehicles represented a viable alternative to traditional internal combustion engines. Read more

Steer Automotive Group has been named a finalist in The Lloyds British Business Excellence Awards 2026 for Outstanding Mid-Market Business of the Year.

Marshall Volkswagen Loughton Paint & Body Repair Centre has successfully achieved BS 10125 accreditation with zero non-conformances following its independent BSI audit through CarsQA.

Day’s Bodyshop and Accident Repair Centre has proudly achieved ARIES Level 4 accreditation.

Vehicle Crash Repairs has added four brand new MG3s to its courtesy car fleet.

FMG Repair Services has said a fond farewell to its Cardiff General Manager, Dale Carpenter as he retires following 24 years’ service.

Vehicle output stabilises but investment at risk without urgent action

UK vehicle production fell -7.5% in the first half of 2026, with factories turning out 385,979 cars and commercial vehicles, according to the latest figures published today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). After a challenging start to the year, however, output stabilised in the second quarter, dipping by just 128 units (-0.1%) year on year as exports strengthened and car production returned to marginal growth. Read more

Lepas targets 90 UK dealers by 2027 as new Chery-owned premium brand ramps up expansion

New Chinese car brand Lepas is targeting a 90-strong dealer network as soon as next year, as it builds ambitious plans to take on well-established premium brands. Read more

More speed, more efficiency: BMW Group realigns for tougher competition

The BMW Group is maintaining a clear course in an increasingly competitive environment: Faced with a significant downturn in the Chinese market and an increasingly challenging operating environment worldwide, the company is accelerating and intensifying consequently measures to tackle enduring changes in the operating environment. Read more

Stellantis Announces Agreement to Sell Free2move’s Car-sharing Business to Mutares

Stellantis and Mutares SE & Co. KGaA have announced an agreement for the sale of Stellantis’ entire shareholding in the Free2move car-sharing business to Mutares. Read more

Baidu’s Apollo Go and Freenow by Lyft begin road testing in London

Baidu, Inc has announced that its autonomous ride-hailing platform, Apollo Go, has begun road testing in London with Freenow by Lyft. Read more

Toyota, Volvo Group and Daimler Truck sign binding agreement for Toyota to join cellcentric as equal shareholder

The Volvo Group, Daimler Truck AG, cellcentric and Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) have signed a binding agreement for Toyota to join as an equal partner and shareholder in cellcentric, with each owner to hold one third. Read more

Three billion electric miles covered by Nissan EV owners in the UK

Nissan is today celebrating a substantial milestone in its EV history, with UK owners of its electric cars and vans having driven a staggering three billion miles between them. Read more

Dealers predict downfall of at least one European carmaker in next 10 years

Six out of 10 (62%) used car dealers believe at least one existing major European car maker will be driven out of business in the next 10 years, according to April’s Startline Used Car Tracker which questioned 61 dealers. Read more

Qualcomm named BMW Group’s lead compute silicon provider

Qualcomm Technologies Inc and BMW Group have announced a major agreement for the provision of compute silicon for BMW Group’s next-generation digital cockpit and advanced driver assistance and automated driving (ADAS/AD) systems through the next decade.  Read more

Mobility conference programme gathers pace

ILC’s Mobility in Insurance Conference 2026 continues to strengthen its agenda, with an expanding line-up of senior industry leaders set to explore the trends and challenges shaping the future of mobility, motor claims and customer experience. Read more

ABI reports record motor payouts

Motor insurers paid a record £3.2bn to support customers during the second quarter of 2026, according to the latest figures from the Association of British Insurers (ABI). The total was five per cent higher than in the previous quarter and up seven per cent compared with the same period in 2025, reflecting continued pressure from rising vehicle repair costs. Read more

Repair capability: the new currency of claims?

Why a changing vehicle mix – and the increasingly complex decision of whether a vehicle should be repaired – is forcing insurers to procure capability, not simply capacity. Repair capability is becoming the new currency of claims. Read more

EV repair costs continue to fall

Electric vehicle (EV) repair costs fell by 1.9% during the second quarter of 2026, continuing a downward trend as the repair sector adapts to increasing volumes of electric vehicles, according to the latest Charge Up report from Activate Group and Gecko Risk. Read more

LKQ Europe sets out roadmap to safeguard cost-effective, sustainable vehicle repair

LKQ Europe has published a new industry roadmap calling for coordinated action across Europe’s automotive aftermarket to ensure new, reused, recycling and remanufactured parts can work together to keep vehicle repair reliable, sustainable and commercially viable. Read more

Car Market Overview August 26

Solera cap hpi has released its latest Car Market Overview reviewing the latest position of the UK new and used car markets, combining new car registration data through June 2026 with an overview of current conditions in the used vehicle sector. Read more

IMI backs technical education plans but calls for automotive skills focus

The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) has welcomed the commitment from Prime Minister Andy Burnham to place technical education at the heart of the school curriculum.  Read more

Businesses urged to widen fleet risk focus after DfT collision data

Businesses may be underestimating the true scale of occupational road risk, according to legal firm LMP Legal, following new Department for Transport (DfT) analysis suggesting work-related driving accounts for a significant proportion of road collisions and fatalities. Read more

Entegral Unveils Bodyshop 360

Entegral has officially launched its early access programme for Bodyshop 360, a next-generation platform designed to power smarter, more connected repair operations for bodyshops in the UK and Ireland. The solution was first unveiled earlier this month to nearly 400 collision industry representatives at the annual Enterprise UK Repair Partner Event. Read more

Outcomes monitoring: why understanding the consumer experience matters and where firms should focus

Charlotte Clark, Director of Cross-Cutting Policy and Strategy at the FCA explains what good practice looks like for outcomes monitoring under the Consumer Duty. Read more

Ben launches Fantasy Football League

Automotive charity Ben has launched its Fantasy Football League 2026-27, inviting people from across the automotive sector to compete for more than £1,000 in cash prizes while raising funds to support colleagues facing life’s toughest challenges. Read more