cars in traffic through wingmirror

It's a cracking problem as
windscreen claims rise 17%

Posted: 15 July 2024

So far in 2024, the insurer spent an average of £327 per windscreen claim, which has risen from £308 in 2022, a difference of £19.

In addition to this, the volume of windscreen claims is also increasing, with many customers reporting issues and requiring maintenance.

Windscreen repairs for small chips were up 4% in 2023 vs 2022, while full glass replacements were up 13% in 2023 compared to the previous year.

As cars and the technology behind them evolve, so does the complexity and cost to fix repairs. With many more vehicles being fitted with heated windscreens, claims have increased by 21% in 2023 compared to 2021.

Furthermore, the number of vehicles which require Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) calibration, which involves adjusting the sensors and cameras in a vehicle's advanced safety systems to ensure they work as intended, has risen year-on-year. In 2016 just 1% of cars required this calibration, compared to 44% of claims in 2023. The insurer’s spend on ADAS calibration has increased from £122k in 2016 to over £7.7m in 2023 and is expected to rise 5% year on year.


Caroline Johnson
, claims director at Allianz personal lines business comments:

“It’s important to ensure your car insurance offers a good level of cover to suit your needs, as not all polices have the same level of cover. We include windscreen cover in all our car insurance policies as we believe it’s an important feature to help customers if they need to make a claim. We’re seeing more and more claims for windscreen chips and replacements, so it’s a good idea to check what you are and aren’t covered for, as well as any excesses to pay if making a claim.”

Caroline Johnson, Claims Director at Allianz Personal lines

“There are many different reasons why we’re seeing an increase in windscreen claims. This ranges from road conditions such as potholes, to extremes in temperatures. Cold snaps during winter, and sudden heat waves during summer can cause chips to turn into cracks. It’s also a good idea to get any small chips looked at as soon as possible, before they get worse over time and cost more to fix.”

About Allianz Holdings plc

Allianz Holdings plc is the non-regulated holding company which owns the principal insurance operations of Allianz SE in Great Britain including Allianz Insurance.

About Allianz 

The Allianz Group is one of the world's leading insurers and asset managers with around 125 million* private and corporate customers in nearly 70 countries. Allianz customers benefit from a broad range of personal and corporate insurance services, ranging from property, life and health insurance to assistance services to credit insurance and global business insurance. Allianz is one of the world’s largest investors, managing around 737 billion euros** on behalf of its insurance customers. Furthermore, our asset managers PIMCO and Allianz Global Investors manage about 1.7 trillion euros** of third-party assets. Thanks to our systematic integration of ecological and social criteria in our business processes and investment decisions, we are among the leaders in the insurance industry in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. In 2023, over 157,000 employees achieved total business volume of 161.7 billion euros and an operating profit of 14.7 billion euros for the group.

* Including non-consolidated entities with Allianz customers. 

**As of December 31, 2023.

Mandatory corporate information: Corporate disclosures

These assessments are, as always, subject to the disclaimer provided below.

Cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements

This document includes forward-looking statements, such as prospects or expectations, that are based on management's current views and assumptions and subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Actual results, performance figures, or events may differ significantly from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements.

Deviations may arise due to changes in factors including, but not limited to, the following: (i) the general economic and competitive situation in the Allianz’s core business and core markets, (ii) the performance of financial markets (in particular market volatility, liquidity, and credit events), (iii) adverse publicity, regulatory actions or litigation with respect to the Allianz Group, other well-known companies and the financial services industry generally, (iv) the frequency and severity of insured loss events, including those resulting from natural catastrophes, and the development of loss expenses, (v) mortality and morbidity levels and trends, (vi) persistency levels, (vii) the extent of credit defaults, (viii) interest rate levels, (ix) currency exchange rates, most notably the EUR/USD exchange rate, (x) changes in laws and regulations, including tax regulations, (xi) the impact of acquisitions including related integration issues and reorganization measures, and (xii) the general competitive conditions that, in each individual case, apply at a local, regional, national, and/or global level. Many of these changes can be exacerbated by terrorist activities.

No duty to update

Allianz assumes no obligation to update any information or forward-looking statement contained herein, save for any information we are required to disclose by law.

Privacy Note

Allianz SE is committed to protecting your personal data. Find out more in our privacy statement.

Natasha Gibbs, 
natasha.gibbs@allianz.co.uk

 

Get notified as soon as we issue a new press release:

1 Claim data for motorbike couriers / delivery drivers insurance fraud detected – increased by 6250%

2 Hot spots in order of cases received by LV=, based on data from 2023

More information can be found here: Everything To Know About Insurance Fraud | LV=