The Accessor Spring 2025 Web - Flipbook - Page 21
Vehicle Risk Rating helps VMs to
raise standards
The Passat was one of 10 shortlisted vehicles that were
scrutinised at Thatcham’s Gamston test site.
Incumbent VMs continue to operate
within an increasingly competitive
landscape. The majority of new market
entrants specialise in Electric Vehicles
so therefore haven’t had to manage
such a pronounced shift in production
and can more easily design from the
ground up to meet a variety of global
standards.
This seems especially important now
the General Safety Regulation 2 (GSR2)
is live. The regulation aims to make
driving safer for vehicle occupants and
vulnerable road users by mandating
modern vehicle safety technology to
mitigate collision risk.
All of which means the latest
independent vehicle intelligence and
guidance becomes even more vital to
the incremental improvement of design
processes and standards, and therefore
the insurability of new vehicles.
Manufacturers, bodyshop businesses
and insurers all recognise that as
important as safety is, it’s just one
of several crucial components in
the cycle of vehicle production and
maintenance.
In recent years, there has been growing
interest in the cost of damage and
repair as motor insurance premiums
come under scrutiny. But the data
that underwriters require to assess
damageability and repairability hasn’t
been extensively available – until now.
In autumn 2024, Thatcham Research
launched Vehicle Risk Rating (VRR). The
framework acknowledges the need to
move beyond the narrower criteria of
Group Rating which suf昀椀ced for the
past few decades. VRR gives equal
weight to 昀椀ve pillar assessments: safety,
security, damageability, repairability
and performance.
While VRR draws in a wider range
of criteria than ever before, that
doesn’t mean we’re dialling down
the importance of safety. It’s a vital
part of VRR and the What Car? Safety
Award remains a 昀椀ercely contested
programme.
shortlist, could a new narrative take
root as emerging VMs stake a claim on
the prize?
Feedback from the 昀椀rst six months of
VRR data has been very positive, and
we are committed to continuously
optimising the process. That
enthusiasm from the insurance
ecosystem also reveals a strong
appetite for detailed insight into a
range of risk-affecting vehicle design
attributes.
Winner: Volkswagen Passat
Entering an exciting new era of
insurability by design
This year’s Safety Award winner, the
VW Passat, demonstrates how the
established players can move as nimbly
as the challenger brands to address
design challenges. Having endured
criticism for the implementation of
previous generations of its ADAS
technology, VW vehicles have now won
the Safety Award for the past two years
in a row, thanks to systems that operate
collaboratively and co-operatively with
the driver.
So, much can be learned from the
What Car? Safety Awards which we
are proud to sponsor. And while the
usual names still dominated the award
Judges considered how on-board active crash avoidance technology was
implemented in addition to strong passive safety protection for drivers.
JOURNAL
ROLL OF HONOUR
Runners-up: Mercedes-Benz E-Class
and MINI Countryman
Shortlisted: Audi Q6 e-tron; Mazda
CX-80; MG HS, Škoda Kodiaq; Toyota
C-HR; Volvo EX30 and XPENG G6
WHAT THE JUDGES SAID
During the judging process, we
looked for vehicle safety technology
which works co-operatively with
the driver. It was reassuring to see
Volkswagen prioritising this aspect of
system implementation.
If drivers feel that they can trust their
car’s safety system and understand
what it’s doing, the technology is more
likely to save lives.
Richard Billyeald, Chief Research
& Operations Of昀椀cer, Thatcham
Research
With all 2025’s shortlisted
vehicles, I was pleased to see vehicle
manufacturers taking steps to better
integrate ADAS technology.
At What Car?, we want to advise
drivers on how to get the best
out of their ADAS, but that’s not
possible if they 昀椀nd them irritating
and switch them off. The Volkswagen
Passat demonstrates how to provide
unintrusive technology that convinces
drivers of the safety bene昀椀t.
Claire Evans, Consumer Editor,
What Car?
The Volkswagen Passat’s excellent
safety performance should be
applauded. It is expected to sell in
large volumes which will put high
performing safety technology into
more hands.
Richard Schram, Technical Director,
Euro NCAP
www.iaea-online.org/news/the-assessor | SPRING 2025 | THE ASSESSORS JOURNAL
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