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── News & IndustryUpdated 23 October 2026

What's happening in the repair trade

What's actually changed — new vehicle tech, insurer and parts news, and anything that affects what a repair costs or how long it takes. Underneath it, the background that doesn't change.

Latest updates

Newest first. Every item links to its source.

  1. New

    Ombudsman sides with a driver's own repair quote over her insurer's much lower estimates

    An Allianz customer whose policy let her nominate her own repairer was quoted $25,374 to fix her car after a crash with a trailer. Allianz offered $9,000, saying the quote had unnecessary work and too much labour, and pointed to two alternative assessments, neither of which involved anyone physically inspecting the car. AFCA found Allianz hadn't properly explained why items should be cut, and that its assessor's adjusted figures weren't from a shop that could actually do the work. It ordered Allianz to pay the quoted amount plus a 10% contingency, about $27,900.

    What it means for you: If your insurer's figure is far below your repairer's quote, ask them to explain in writing which items they disagree with and why, and whether anyone has actually inspected the car. A detailed, itemised quote with photos makes your side easier to follow. Whether you can nominate your own repairer depends on your policy, so check your PDS. If you can't resolve it with your insurer, you can take it to AFCA.

    Source: insuranceNEWS.com.au(opens in a new tab)

  2. Insurers lodge the revised Code of Practice with ASIC, including 12-month automatic claim acceptance

    The Insurance Council of Australia has submitted its revised General Insurance Code of Practice to ASIC for approval. Under the revised Code, home and motor claims would be automatically accepted after 12 months where no decision has been made because of circumstances within the insurer's control. Code obligations would also become part of customers' insurance contracts, so customers could enforce them directly. No start date has been set: ASIC still has to approve it, and a transition period is expected before it applies to new and renewed policies.

    What it means for you: This is a step forward, not a change you can rely on yet. Until ASIC approves the new Code and it applies to your policy, the current Code still governs your claim. If a car claim is dragging on, keep a record of every call and email with your insurer, and use their internal complaints process and then AFCA if it stalls.

    Source: Insurance Council of Australia(opens in a new tab)

  3. Car insurance premiums keep climbing faster than inflation, and repair costs are a big reason

    An ABC News report says comprehensive car insurance keeps getting dearer, citing ASIC's August review, which found premiums rose more than 42% between 2019 and 2024 and another 8% in the year to July 2025. The Insurance Council of Australia told the ABC the average motor claim has risen 32% to $6,266 over four years, pointing to dearer vehicles, parts and labour and longer repair times. The Motor Trades Association of Australia says the trade is short around 38,000 automotive technicians. The federal government says it is looking at premium transparency in motor insurance.

    What it means for you: Don't just roll your policy over at renewal. Check the value your car is insured for, make sure the kilometres you've listed match how much you actually drive, and get a couple of comparison quotes or call your insurer before you accept. If you're thinking of raising your excess to cut the premium, remember that's the amount you'll pay out of pocket when you next need a repair.

    Source: ABC News(opens in a new tab)

  4. Ombudsman splits a court costs bill after a driver was slow to lodge his insurance claim

    After a July 2025 crash, the other driver sued an Allianz policyholder for about $22,900 in repair costs. Allianz told him to lodge a formal claim in early August, but he didn't lodge it until mid-November, after he had already filed a defence in court. The Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) found both sides contributed to the legal costs: the driver for the delay, and Allianz for not acting sooner once it had the claim. It ordered Allianz to pay $4,962, left the driver to pay $6,917, and upheld Allianz's $2,000 excess.

    What it means for you: If you're in a crash where the other driver might come after you for their repairs, tell your insurer and lodge the claim promptly, even if you think you weren't at fault. Delays can leave you carrying costs your policy might otherwise have handled. Your PDS explains what your insurer needs from you and by when. If a claim stalls and you can't sort it out with your insurer, AFCA is the ombudsman that handles these disputes.

    Source: insuranceNEWS.com.au(opens in a new tab)

  5. IAG warns late spring is peak thunderstorm season as storms move into NSW

    IAG's meteorologist has said late spring is one of the most active periods for thunderstorms in Australia, and expects storms to become more frequent across eastern Australia over the coming weeks. A cold front that brought hail and damaging winds to South Australia moved through Victoria and NSW, with Sydney getting storms and heavy rain after a 35°C day. Insurance Business noted that after a similar run of October storms in 2025, insurers received more than 10,000 claims, most of them for hail damage to cars and homes.

    What it means for you: Now is a good time to check your policy's storm or hail excess, so it isn't a surprise later. If hail does hit, take photos of the damage in daylight as soon as you can and lodge the claim early. Every repairer in Sydney gets busy at once after a big storm, so getting in the queue early matters.

    Source: Insurance Business Australia(opens in a new tab)

  6. EVs hit 24% of new car sales, and repairs need specialist tools and training

    Insurance Business reported FCAI figures showing EVs made up 24.2% of new car sales in September, with battery-electric share more than doubling from 11.3% a year earlier. Insurance Business reported the Insurance Council of Australia's view that EV repairs need specialised parts, diagnostic tools and trained technicians, and that the limited number of shops able to service EVs pushes costs up. A CHOICE survey of January 2026 quotes found EV owners paid an average of $2,545 a year for insurance, compared with $1,702 for petrol cars.

    What it means for you: If you drive an EV or hybrid, panel damage near the battery, sensors or high-voltage wiring needs a shop with the right equipment and training. Before booking any repair, ask the repairer whether they work on your make and model, and how they'll make the car's systems safe and check them afterwards.

    Source: Insurance Business Australia(opens in a new tab)

  7. IAG joins global research group pushing carmakers to design cars that are cheaper to repair

    IAG has become Australia's only member of the Research Council for Automobile Repairs (RCAR), a group of insurer-backed research centres from 15 countries. Its latest conference looked at getting manufacturers to think about repair costs when designing cars, repairing damaged parts instead of replacing them, and whether low-speed automatic emergency braking can cut parking-lot bumps. Insurance Business cited Insurance Council figures showing repair bills have risen 26% since 2022 and make up about 60% of motor claim costs, and noted that cars with driver-assist systems need specialist calibration after a collision repair.

    What it means for you: A big reason repairs cost more than they used to is the technology inside modern bumpers, mirrors and windscreens. Even a small bump can mean a sensor needs recalibrating. When you get a quote, check whether it includes any calibration your car needs, so the price doesn't jump later.

    Source: Insurance Business Australia(opens in a new tab)

  8. ASIC finds car insurers aren't explaining why premiums change

    In its 2026–27 priorities letter to general insurers, ASIC said none of the motor insurers it sampled explained in their quotes and renewals the key factors behind a premium or why it had changed. Renewal notices for customers paying by instalments also didn't clearly show that paying annually could save 10 to 20%, and five insurers didn't compare year-on-year changes to things like insured value or excess. ASIC has asked insurers to give clearer premium information, including the dollar difference between paying monthly and paying yearly.

    What it means for you: When your car insurance renewal arrives, compare it line by line with last year's: the premium, the agreed or market value, and the excess. If you pay monthly, ask your insurer what the yearly price would be. A higher excess you didn't notice is what makes a small repair claim not worth lodging.

    Source: ASIC(opens in a new tab)

  9. GM says only new genuine parts and approved procedures are acceptable for driver-assist repairs

    General Motors has reinforced its US collision repair position: only new GM genuine ADAS components (radars, cameras, sensors, control modules, wiring and brackets) are approved, and salvaged, recycled, reconditioned or aftermarket versions are 'strictly prohibited'. GM says correct calibration, sensor positioning and the manufacturer's repair procedures can be critical to the systems working as designed, and that non-approved parts can have implications for warranty cover.

    What it means for you: This is a US statement from one manufacturer, so it isn't a rule for Australian cars. But it shows where the industry is heading: on a newer car, the sensors behind the bumper and windscreen are part of the repair, not an extra. Before you agree to any repair, ask where the parts come from and who will check that the driver-assist systems work afterwards. A clear answer is a good sign.

    Source: Australasian Paint & Panel(opens in a new tab)

  10. ACCC action makes diagnostic access cheaper for independent repairers on Mazda, Kia and BYD

    After separate ACCC investigations, Mazda, Kia and BYD have changed how independent repairers can access diagnostic hardware, software and repair information under Australia's Motor Vehicle Service and Repair Information Sharing Scheme. Kia now offers daily access for $136, where the minimum upfront cost was previously around $9,780. BYD added a $140 daily option, where repairers previously paid $600 a month or $14,719.60 to buy outright. Mazda gave the ACCC a court-enforceable undertaking, opened some diagnostic information to commonly used devices, and is offering refunds to some repairers who overpaid.

    What it means for you: Newer cars rely on manufacturer data to be diagnosed and checked properly after a repair. When that data costs thousands to reach, an independent workshop can be shut out of a brand altogether. These changes lower that barrier for three brands. They don't change what any particular shop does on your car, so it's still worth asking your repairer how they'll check your car's systems once the work is done.

    Source: ACCC(opens in a new tab)

  11. Insurance industry delays consumer-protection code changes to October

    The Insurance Council of Australia has pushed back lodging its revised General Insurance Code of Practice with ASIC to late October, after receiving 28 submissions and finding deep disagreement between insurers and consumer groups. The revised Code would make key insurer commitments legally enforceable for the first time and introduce automatic acceptance of home and motor claims left undecided after 12 months.

    What it means for you: If you've got a claim sitting open, the stronger protections being proposed — including a 12-month automatic-acceptance rule — aren't in force yet. The current Code still applies until the revised one is lodged and approved.

    Source: Australasian Paint & Panel(opens in a new tab)

  12. AAMI's 2026 Crash Index: most claims are ordinary fender-benders, not write-offs

    AAMI's annual Crash Index, drawn from more than 394,000 motor insurance claims lodged across Australia in 2025, found nose-to-tail bumps were the most common crash type, with mornings and Fridays the peak times. Nine of the ten worst crash hotspots nationally were in Melbourne; the only Sydney entry was Pennant Hills Road, Carlingford.

    What it means for you: Most repair jobs a panel shop sees are exactly this kind of low-speed, everyday bump — not the dramatic write-off-grade smash people picture. If that's what's sitting in your driveway, it's a normal, repairable job.

    Source: Nine News (AAMI data)(opens in a new tab)

  13. Insurers and the aftermarket industry push to widen Right to Repair to cover parts, not just information

    The Insurance Council of Australia and the Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association have separately told Treasury that Australia's Right to Repair scheme won't lower repair costs unless it's expanded to stop manufacturers restricting which repairer can buy parts, or using software 'parts pairing' to block non-authorised parts from working. State repair bodies have named Tesla as one brand where non-authorised workshops can't order parts directly.

    What it means for you: This is about your ability to actually use the repairer you choose. Even where a policy allows choice of repairer, that choice can be undermined if the shop can't get hold of the parts for your car — this is what industry bodies are trying to fix. It's a live policy debate, not settled law, so nothing to state as fact yet.

    Source: Insurance Business Australia(opens in a new tab)

The background that doesn't change

How the trade actually works, in plain English — the part of this page that stays put while the news above it rotates.

Repair vs replace: how a panel shop decides

A damaged panel is repaired if the metal can be brought back to shape without stretching or weakening it, and replaced if it can't — that call comes down to the depth of the damage, whether the crease has stretched the steel, and how close the damage sits to a structural join. Repairing keeps the factory panel and its original corrosion protection; replacing is often faster but means new paint on a bigger area.

Panel beating & collision repair

Why paint matching is harder than it sounds

Two cars with the same factory paint code can still be different colours. Paint fades with sun exposure, and manufacturers themselves run slight batch variations. That's why a repairer mixes to the code and then blends into the adjacent panels rather than painting the single damaged panel to its edge — the blend is what makes the repair disappear in daylight.

Paint & respray

Modern cars have sensors in the bumper

Parking sensors, blind-spot radar and forward-facing cameras are mounted behind or beside the panels that get hit first. If those parts are disturbed, the repair isn't finished when the paint dries — the affected systems need to be checked and, where the manufacturer requires it, recalibrated. It's a real part of the timeline on newer vehicles and worth asking about before work starts.

Excess, and when claiming costs you more than paying

On smaller cosmetic damage, the repair can come in at or under the excess — in which case lodging a claim can leave you out of pocket and still affect the premium at renewal. Getting the repair quoted before you lodge tells you which side of that line you're on. What your policy actually covers, including choice of repairer, is a term of the policy itself, so check your PDS.

How an insurance claim works

Storm and hail season changes the wait

Sydney's storm season concentrates a year's worth of hail damage into a few days, and every panel shop in the basin books out at once. Nothing about the repair changes; the queue does. If a car is drivable and the damage is cosmetic, booking early in the season rather than after the next storm front is the difference between days and weeks.

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