This was also the case with Mr. Meier, who hit a wall in front of the garage in his electric car. In the workshop, Mr. Fritz now examines the consequences: The bumper of the once immaculate, white Tesla has been dented and damaged, and the rim has a deep scratch. “We advised repairing the bumper instead of replacing it. That’s about 15 percent cheaper,” says Fritz. However, the rim must be replaced out of relevance to safety. Components such as radar sensors for driving assistants are also not approved for repair in Germany.
Sustainable car repairs are becoming increasingly popular in Germany. However, other countries are one step ahead here. The UK in particular is considered a pioneer in this area. Repairing broken parts is encouraged, as well as the installation of environmentally friendly parts. Car parts can’t always be repaired. But instead of installing a new part, there is also the option of using a reconditioned part. As an insurer, it’s particularly important to work closely with the workshop networks in the individual countries and, for example, to support staff training and the development of new processes, thereby promoting environmentally friendly repair methods. If insurers increase repair rates in Europe by just two percentage points per year, Allianz experts calculate that almost 30,000 tons of CO2e emissions could be avoided. This roughly corresponds to the annual energy consumption of around 5,100 households in Germany.