Allianz is expanding circular motor claims by prioritising repair, improving EV battery repairability and increasing the use of reused and refurbished vehicle parts. Its approach gives auto recyclers a growing role in recovering quality original components, while stronger partnerships across dismantling, parts supply and repair aim to make reuse a practical part of claims handling.
A replaceable protective plate beneath the EV battery housing is designed to absorb minor underside damage, helping protect the battery without requiring replacement of the complete unit.
Allianz is developing its approach to sustainable motor claims by improving EV battery repairability, increasing the use of reused and refurbished parts, and working more closely with recyclers, repairers and suppliers. Senior figures from across the group explain how these initiatives are evolving in different markets and where auto recyclers fit into the wider strategy.
Making EV Battery Repair More Viable
Carsten Reinkemeyer, Head of Vehicle Engineering & Safety Research at the Allianz Center for Technology:
“Allianz promotes sustainable solutions that improve both battery protection and repairability. These include underside shields to reduce the risk of damage and battery housings designed to be easily replaced if damage does occur. According to Allianz claims experience, most underside damages do not have functional relevance and hence require affordable repair solutions to keep the expensive battery cells and raw materials, respectively, in service as long as possible.
Allianz Center for Technology (AZT) is in continuous discussion with OEMs to promote appropriate diagnosis and repair methods. AZT investigates Allianz claims data for a better understanding of damage patterns and supports OEMs with such knowledge. AZT is a member of RCAR (www.RCAR.org) and is thus dedicated to affordable and sustainable mobility. AZT’s basic position is published here: AZT Position Paper on HV Battery Repairability.pdf
AZT also promotes guidelines for the sustainable and cost-effective settlement of claims, for example in the form of market recommendations on how to deal with electric vehicles involved in accidents, to ensure safe diagnostic, recovery and storage procedures together with VDA (Association of the German Automotive Industry) and all relevant market participants: Abschleppen von Fahrzeugen mit Hochvolt-Systemen – Themen – Allianz Zentrum für Technik”
Building Sustainability Beyond Green Parts
Fabien Vacher, Program Lead Sustainability in Claims at Allianz SE:
“Allianz supports a number of locally-led initiatives that reflect different dimensions of sustainability in the automotive space. In the UK, Allianz is a supporter of AutoRaise, the vehicle-repair skills charity, and holds a trustee seat on its board. Skills development is also embedded in Allianz UK’s Green Heart Standard, which includes apprenticeships alongside its environmental repair criteria. These initiatives are still evolving locally rather than being run as a single global program, but each reflects, in its own market, the same broader shift toward circular-economy thinking: extending the life of materials and parts, and securing the skilled workforce needed to keep repair – rather than replacement – viable.”
Adapting Circular Claims Across Markets
Fabien Vacher, Program Lead Sustainability in Claims at Allianz SE:
“Germany and other main Allianz countries are addressing sustainability in ways suited to local market conditions rather than running an identical playbook. In Germany, repair remains the primary lever, with used-parts and circular-economy approaches still at an early stage of development. Following in the footsteps of France, the UK and Australia, Ireland recently developed a new scheme for used parts enabling approved repairers to use certified reused components sourced from end-of-life vehicles instead of always fitting new parts. The clearest lesson moving between markets is that claims-handling processes, the maturity of the local recycling ecosystem, and the applicable legal framework all shape how quickly and in what form these approaches can be adapted, so experience transfers as principles, not as a copy-paste model.”
The Growing Role of Auto Recyclers
David Unger, Project Lead Sustainability in Claims at Allianz Versicherungs-AG:
“Auto recyclers and ATFs play a key role in Allianz’s used parts initiative by professionally recovering undamaged non-safety-relevant original components, such as doors, bumpers, or side panels, from total-loss vehicles and making them available for reuse in other repairs, thereby contributing to a more circular and resource-efficient claims process. The quality and professionalism of these partners, as well as complete provenance documentation of the spare parts, are key success factors for the broader success of this approach, as they help create confidence among workshops and customers alike that reused parts meet the same standards they would expect from new components. As these partnerships continue to develop, used parts can increasingly become a natural part of sustainable claims handling, reducing environmental impact while delivering value for customers and the business.”
Strengthening the Reused Parts Supply Chain
David Unger, Project Lead Sustainability in Claims at Allianz Versicherungs-AG:
“Building a reliable end-to-end value chain, from professional dismantling and quality-assured storage through to seamless integration into the repair process, requires trusted, long-term partnerships at every stage. We are therefore in discussions with spare parts suppliers to increase the availability of refurbished original spare parts, and we are also optimizing our own total-loss processes with regard to the recovery of spare parts.”
Further Reading on Auto Recycling World
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Total loss is becoming a circularity issue, not just an insurance problem
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Autocirc and Norweigan insurance company Storebrand enters into a strategic partnership to accelerate the use of reused original parts in vehicle repairs
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From Scrap to Smart: How Allianz’s Repair-First Model is Powering Profits for Auto Recyclers
