Policyholders delaying windscreen repairs ‘a false economy’

With the cost of living squeeze continuing, our data shows in August 2022 policyholders waited an average of 15 days before booking in their windscreen chip repair, compared to just eight days in August 2019.

The national lockdowns, less road traffic, and the Covid MOT extension offered by the Government have all contributed to customers delaying getting chips fixed over the past two years, waiting as many as 18 days on average in May 2020. In more recent months this is also being driven by the rising cost of living, as we have seen an increase in customers delaying their bookings consistently since March 2022.

James Reynolds, Commercial and Sales Director at Auto Windscreens said: “With the current cost of living squeeze, it’s no real surprise policyholders are delaying booking windscreen repairs, and since averages began increasing in April 2020, they haven’t returned to the original levels.

“While delaying a chip repair might seem a good short term solution, in the long term, it’s a false economy. A windscreen with a chip is weakened glass, meaning the longer it’s left, the more susceptible it becomes to further damage or cracking”.

“When you consider an average glass repair is less than a fifth of the cost of a replacement, and insurer excesses are currently on average less than £10 for a repair and more than £95 for a replacement, it makes sense that as an industry, we look at ways to get chips repaired as soon as possible.”