EU Zone: Moves Afoot To Streamline Car Repair Costs

This news from the EU zone is another step forward in terms of speeding up vehicle repairs and reducing the number of cars that are being written off. As most people in the industry know, the complexity of modern cars, especially pure battery and hybrids, can mean that it is cheaper to order a new car rather than repair the existing model. But it isn’t just about the price of bumpers, sensors and windscreens – it’s about labour costs, storage facilities and recovery/delivery.

In a truly circular economy that has to change, the question is how politicians can frame legislation around that aim. Here’s the latest update from Insurance Europe;

A group of industry representatives — including Insurance Europe — has published a statement calling for a clear, unequivocal and immediately applicable EU Repair Clause to create a right to accessible and affordable repairs.

While the signatories appreciate the EC’s proposals for the revision of the EU Design Directive and the EU Design Regulation — especially the introduction of an EU-wide Repair Clause in the Design Directive — some targeted improvements are still required for this right to repair to become a reality.

The signatories are:

• AIRC — the global federation of leading national organisations in the area of repairing damaged vehicles, and building vehicles for commercial use.
• CLEPA — the European association of automotive suppliers.
• ECAR — the European Campaign for the Freedom of the Automotive Parts and Repair Market.
• FIGIEFA — the international federation of independent automotive aftermarket distributors.
• Insurance Europe — the European insurance and reinsurance federation.
• SMEunited — the association of crafts and SMEs in Europe with around 70 member organisations from over 30 European countries.