An influx of new Chinese car brands may be grabbing the attention of UK car buyers at present, but reports from the market seem to show the practicality of ownership is far less appealing when it comes to especially shinny new EVs needing body repairs.  

Reports in the UK motoring press indicate that drivers are struggling to find competitive insurance cover for many cars from less well known far eastern brands. The problem is uncertainty over repair methods and parts availability for many of these vehicles, making them costly and very time consuming to repair.  

The cars themselves are generally sound on safety, but it appears that new brands in the European market have not yet come to grips with how the accident repair sector works. 

Martyn Rowley, executive director of the National Body Repair Association in the UK , speaking about the GWM Ora 03, formerly known as the Funky Cat said, “We have repairers that have written that car off for stupid reasons, for something that would fly through a bodyshop if it were a Ford or a Vauxhall. Unfortunately you just can’t get parts; they’re not available for that vehicle, which I think is ridiculous considering that these are multi-million-pound businesses.”

There also appears to be a problem with manufacturer repair methods being available to repairers. In many cases such information has never been formalised because it is not a requirement in the Chinese market. 

Martyn explains that the low cost of labour in China means that a whole body-side would be repaired as a matter of course for relatively minor damage. In the UK a much smaller repair would be undertaken, as a full side would likely mean a vehicle write-off. Because the small repair is rare in China the repair method is not generally available. 

Sales of lesser known Chinese brands are relatively rare in Ireland at present, while manufacturers such as BYD and MG have partnered with established dealer networks, who will be better prepared to tackles issues such as parts availability and repair methods. However, new entrants to the market do have to play catch-up when it comes to facilitating accident repair and this is likely to mean insurance premiums are higher for some time to come.