The Assessor Winter 2026 PDF - Flipbook - Page 6
JOURNAL
NEWS
MOTOR CLAIMS
IAEA MEMBERSHIP
SURVEY
The IAEA will be in touch with Members to take part in a
Member Engagement Survey, after the success of last year’s
Survey.
The 昀椀ndings will complement, assist and focus the IAEA’s
regional teams, our new online CPD, and our other
interactions via social media and, of course, The Assessors
Journal.
The IAEA would like to thank those Members who
completed the 2025 Survey.
Some topics you want to hear more on include: hybrid, EV
and hydrogen tech, fraud prevention, theft and recovery,
昀椀re investigation, insurance vehicle rating system, crash
investigation, ECUs, metallurgy and mechanical failure,
AI, CDR/EDR crash data analysis, Chinese vehicles and
repairability, re昀椀nishing techniques and products, vehicle
design and materials, tyres (EVs and road noise), recent
Court or FOS decisions, storage of and challenges with
sourcing parts, and inspections/assessments.
In The Assessors Journal, you want to see more technical
articles, including component failures and repair procedures,
and more “contemporaneous content”, such as how
assessors have digitalised, best AIs to use, and how AI is
being used in estimation.
There’s a call for more training initiatives such as factory
tours, IAEA training day at Thatcham Research, visits to paint
manufacturers and “places of engineering interest”.
Like other sectors, there’s a shortage of new entrants and
you would like to see more focus on “helping engineers
in practical ways and helping bring new “blood” into the
profession”.
Survey respondents expressed frustration with “reports from
so-called engineers … when they have zero quali昀椀cations”
and call for greater effort in promoting the role of an IAEA
quali昀椀ed motor assessor in the motor industry.
Finally, “it would be great for the IAEA to get under the table
with the major insurers to give an understanding of what the
IAEA has to offer.”
REACH £11.9BN IN 2025
The ABI’s latest 昀椀gures reveal that motor insurers paid
out £2.9 billion in the 昀椀nal quarter of 2025, as high repair
costs continue to drive up claims, taking total payouts for
insurance claims from privately owned cars in 2025 to
£11.9 billion.
Payouts for vehicle damage to privately owned cars totalled
nearly £7.5 billion in 2025, accounting for 63% of the total
claims paid of £11.9 billion.
This emphasises how the cost of motor claims continues to
be heavily in昀氀uenced by the complexity of modern vehicles,
said the ABI. The rising cost of parts also means repairs
are becoming more expensive, and continued pressure on
supply chains can result in longer repair times – which in
turn adds further pressure to overall repair costs.
The average motor insurance premium in Q4 2025 was
down 10% vs Q4 2024. Across the full year, the average
premium in 2025 was £564 – 9% (£58) lower than the
average premium in 2024.
ADMIRAL
GROUP
TO ACQUIRE DIGITAL
COMMERCIAL
FLEET INSURANCE
PROVIDER, FLOCK,
FOR £80 MILLION
Admiral Group has reached an agreement to acquire
Flock, a digital commercial 昀氀eet insurance provider with an
innovative telemetry-based proposition. The transaction
values the equity in Flock at £80m and is subject to
regulatory approval.
PJB ACCIDENT REPAIRS
WELCOMES VDA APPRENTICE
Celebrating the recent National Apprenticeship Week (9-15 February) was
Birmingham-based bodyshop, PJB Accident Repairs, and VDA Apprentice, Yin Mo Locke.
Yin is settling in well at the BSI accredited repairer, said his colleagues.
“I am really enjoying learning and feeling like I’m
progressing every single day,” said Yin. “It’s great to
see Yin’s enthusiasm to learn,” said Scott Bacciochi,
Director, PJB Accident Repairs, “and Darren (Roberts, the
bodyshop’s VDA) is a great mentor. “We’re glad to have
him as part of our team and are thankful to Apprenticeship
Central for sourcing him.
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THE ASSESSORS JOURNAL | WINTER 2026 | www.iaea-online.org/news/the-assessor
