Private motor insurance market investigation

The CMA investigated the private motor insurance market and has published its final order.

From:
Competition and Markets Authority
Published
18 March 2015
Case type:
Markets
Case state:
Closed
Market sector:
Financial services
Outcome:
Markets - phase 2 adverse effect on competition leading to remedies
Opened:
28 September 2012
Closed:
18 March 2015

Administrative timetable

  • Published on 28 July 2014, as required by Rule 7 of the CMA Rules of Procedure for Merger, Market and Special Reference Groups. Any revisions made to the timetable will be published on this case page.
  • The remedy implementation administrative timetable published below on 29 September 2014 is indicative and has no statutory basis. Any revision of the timetable will be published on this case page.
Remedy implementation date Action
February/March 2015 Finalise and make order
January/February 2015 Publication of draft final order for formal public consultation
September to December 2014 Drafting of final orders. Informal consultation on draft final orders with key parties.
24 September 2014 Final report published
Phase 2 Action
27 September 2014 Statutory deadline
September 2014 Publish final report
22 August 2014 Final deadline for all parties’ responses/submissions
July 2014 Deadline for all parties’ responses to provisional decision on remedies

As our inquiry progresses, this timetable is likely to be revised.

Phase 2

Date of referral: 28/09/2012 Statutory deadline: 27/09/2014

Final order

The CMA has published a final order following its investigation into the private motor insurance market.

Compliance statements

Businesses are required to submit their compliance statements annually. This can now be done by using the online form and uploading the tables of Average No Claims Bonus (NCB) Discounts.

Annual private motor insurance compliance statements are due by 1 February of each year.

Please see the explanatory note above for how the order operates.

Modified draft order consultation

The CMA consulted on the timescale for the remedy that gives consumers better information on no-claims bonus protection. It proposed changing the deadline from September 2015 to August 2016.

Draft order consultation

The CMA consulted on a draft order covering the remedies in the final report.

Final report

24 September 2014: The CMA has today published measures it expects to increase competition in the car insurance market and reduce the cost of premiums for drivers in its final report.

Notice of further consultation on Remedy 1C

28 July 2014

Provisional decision on remedies

12 June 2014

Note: Working papers were also added on 12.06.14. Please see the section below for further details.

Core documents

Analysis

Working papers

Listed alphabetically

Evidence

Responses to further consultation on Remedy 1C

Responses to provisional decision on remedies

Listed alphabetically

Responses to provisional findings report and notice of possible remedies

All responses to the provisional findings and remedies notice received by the CC are published below in non-confidential format. If a party’s name does not appear it has not submitted a response.

ABI

Accident Exchange

ACIS

Acromas

Admiral

Ageas

Allianz

APIL

Audatex

Aviva

AXA UK and AXA NI

Bettersafe

BGL Group

BIBA

Chris and Sarah Moyle

CISGIL

Consumer A

Consumer B

Consumer C

Consumer Council NI

Copart UK Ltd

Cross Government

DAC Beachcroft Claims Ltd

Department of Justice NI

Direct Accident Management and Exchange Insurance Services

DLG

Enterprise

esure

First Central

Fusion Management

Go Compare

Good to have services Ltd

Halo

HBC Vehicle Services

Helphire

Industry Body A

Insurer A

Irwin Mitchell

John Butcher

Keith Good

Keoghs

Kingsley Law Ltd

Kindertons

Liverpool Law Society

LMA

LV

M Bird

McLaren

Mike Dickinson

Motor Accident Solicitors Society

Motor Vehicle Dismantlers Association

MSL Group

NAB

NFU Mutual

Noel Baker

Norman Donnelly

OFT

Quindell

Ralph Wooldrige

Repairer A

RSA

Stuart Burgess

Swinton

The CHO

Thompsons

Validus IVC Ltd

VBRA

Winn Solicitors

WNS

Yvonne Bailey

Zurich

Transcripts and summaries of hearings held with parties

Listed alphabetically

Responses to annotated issues statement and working papers

Listed alphabetically

Responses to issues statement

Listed alphabetically

Initial submissions

Speaking engagements

Announcements

CC and OFT news releases

Phase 1

Action

The OFT has referred the market for private motor insurance and related goods or services to the Competition Commission for investigation, under section 131 of the Enterprise Act 2002.

Summary of work

The OFT provisionally decided to refer the market to the Competition Commission (CC) in May 2012 after a market study gave reasonable grounds for suspecting that there are features of the market that prevent, restrict or distort competition.

The OFT’s market study focused on the provision of replacement vehicles and vehicle repairs and considered that the insurers of drivers responsible for an accident (‘at-fault’ drivers) appear to have little control over the way repairs and replacement vehicles are provided to the ‘not-at-fault’ driver. This may enable the insurers of not-at-fault drivers, and others such as insurance brokers, credit hire organisations and repairers, to engage in practices which appear to result in the cost of replacement vehicles and vehicle repairs provided to not-at-fault drivers being higher than they might otherwise be.

Having considered the responses submitted during a public consultation process, the OFT continues to hold the view that there are reasonable grounds for suspecting that there are features of the market that prevent, restrict or distort competition, and has decided that a more in-depth investigation by the CC through a market investigation reference is appropriate.

The CC has up to two years to report its findings. If it finds that features of a market are harming competition, it has powers to impose remedies to address the situation.

Start date: 15 September 2011

Completion date: 28 September 2012

Background

Published 18 March 2015
Contents

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