The_Accessor_Autumn 2025 web - Flipbook - Page 20
JOURNAL
TECHNICAL
Dean Lander, Head of Repair Sector
Services at Thatcham Research.
The XPENG G6 underwent a standard RCAR low-speed front impact test.
COLLABORATION SHOWS
VRR IN ACTION
Auto Body Professional caught up with Dean Lander, Head of Repair Sector Services,
to 昀椀nd out more about how Thatcham Research is shaping the future of vehicle risk and
repair including news of a collaborative exercise involving Chinese brand XPENG and
Steer Automotive Group.
hen Thatcham Research
launched Vehicle Risk
Rating (VRR) 12 months
ago, our goal was to
evolve the trusted
Group Rating model that had guided
insurance strategies for over 50 years.
W
empowering consumers with insights
into emerging technologies and their
implications on the vehicles they own.
we examined how VRR’s framework
performs in real-world conditions –
minimising key-to-key times while
ensuring safe and ef昀椀cient repairs.
You may already know that the
purpose of VRR is to take a more
granular look at vehicle risk than was
previously possible. To do that, robust
assessments take place using the
rating’s 昀椀ve pillars: safety, security,
damage, repair and performance.
Naturally, this shift required
explanation. Over the past year,
signi昀椀cant progress has been made to
ensure every new vehicle entering the
UK car parc – from established Vehicle
Manufacturers (VMs) to emerging
brands – undergoes rigorous testing to
assess risk.
As part of this project, the XPENG G6
underwent a standard RCAR low-speed
(15 km/h) front impact test, followed by
a full repair process managed by Steer.
There’s still more work to do to involve
all VMs, but adoption of VRR continues
to gather pace. In order to get more
manufacturers involved, we decided to
stress-test the process ourselves.
PUTTING THE XPENG G6
THROUGH ITS PACES
Our aim was to demonstrate VRR’s
value in helping insurers assess risk
more accurately when underwriting
policies, enabling VMs to design more
insurable and repairable vehicles, and
To showcase VRR in action, Thatcham
Research partnered with Chinese brand
XPENG, its UK distributor IM Group,
and independent repair network
Steer Automotive Group. Together,
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Ben Townsend, Head of Automotive
at Thatcham Research, explains:
“Repairability is a new factor which VRR
has brought to market. We assess the
data that comes with the vehicle and
the ability of the aftermarket to repair
it. As vehicles become more complex,
this is becoming more challenging, so
we tested how it would work with the
XPENG G6 impact.
