The motor insurers’ automotive research centre

Most of our work is funded by a levy on our 25 member insurers.

We also generate our own revenue providing a unique range of products and services primarily to the motor repair industry, contributing to an annual turnover of around £15 million.

We are also a founder member of the International Council for Automobile Repairs (RCAR) and have been a member of the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) since 2004.

Our Members

Safety and Testing

Thatcham Research has an increasingly influential role in vehicle safety testing on behalf of the widely respected Euro NCAP (European New Car Assessment Programme). We carry out a range of highly complex crash testing as well as collision avoidance scenarios, and are leading the development and assessment of new testing protocols for the very latest vehicle safety technologies.

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Repair Technologies

We play a key role in shaping the designs of new vehicles and the use of materials and technology. Working closely with vehicle manufacturers, we have been able to influence vehicle design concepts both in terms of safety and security and through the provision of fully researched repair methods is seen in many quarters as the driving force behind standards in vehicle repair.

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Automotive Academy

Our Automotive Academy provides training and accreditation, both for apprentices at the very start of their career, and for more experienced technicians looking to update and reaffirm their skills.

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Security

Thatcham Research has been at the forefront of vehicle security since the 1990s when it introduced a security assessment (NVSA) for new vehicles that is applied to the group rating for insurance companies. Since then, we have been working with law enforcement agencies, the automotive industry and insurers to assess potential physical and electronic vulnerabilities within vehicles, and identifying the technology and ways to mitigate theft.

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Based just outside Newbury in Berkshire, Thatcham Research has grown from small beginnings to an organisation now boasting over 180 staff, a state of the art vehicle research workshop, a Euro NCAP approved Crash Laboratory and a fully equipped automotive academy.

A founder member of the international ‘Research Council for Automobile Repairs’ (RCAR), Thatcham Research have also been a member of the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) since 2004.

Enjoying an increasingly global influence in both the insurance and automotive sectors, Thatcham Research are regularly asked to provide their experience and know-how at high profile events and in the media, living up to their reputation as ‘Experts in Safety, Security and Crash Repair’.