Thatcham Research

Name

Thatcham Research

Legal name

Thatcham Research

Website

https://thatcham.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Automotive Risk Intelligence

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (541380)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

DOT/Annual Vehicle Safety Inspections & Roadworthiness Certification (TLAKANAJ)

Keywords

• Automotive risk intelligence
• Vehicle risk rating
• Vehicle safety testing
• Collision repair methods
• Insurer data services

Headquarters

HQ city

Thatcham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Insurer Membership: UK motor insurers pay membership fees to access Thatcham Research's vehicle risk data, ratings, repair methods, and safety intelligence
2. Vehicle Data & Licensing: Licensing of vehicle risk data, Group Rating scores, Variant Code, and ABI codes to insurers, aggregators, software houses, and vehicle manufacturers
3. Testing & Consultancy Services: Fee-for-service testing (crash, active safety, security certification), bespoke research projects, and Insurability by Design consultancy for vehicle manufacturers
4. Training Academy: Automotive Academy providing training and accreditation for repair technicians, with courses in paint, panel, VDA, MET, ADAS and EV repair
5. Web Services & APIs: Risk and Repair Web Services providing data access via APIs for parts, times, methods, ADAS, Vehicle Risk and Variant Code data

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Thatcham Research is the UK's only not-for-profit automotive risk intelligence organisation that rates every car for safety, security, and sustainable repair. It delivers vehicle risk data, ratings (Vehicle Risk Rating and Group Rating), repair methods (escribe platform), physical crash and active safety testing, security certification, training through its Automotive Academy, and consultancy services such as Insurability by Design to UK motor insurers, vehicle manufacturers, and the collision repair sector.

Product overview

Thatcham Research is the UK's only not-for-profit automotive risk intelligence organisation offering a comprehensive portfolio of products and services focused on vehicle safety, security, and sustainable repair. The core offering centres on Vehicle Risk Rating (VRR), which provides vehicle risk assessment data to insurers. This is supported by Group Rating (currently transitioning to VRR), Variant Code for granular feature identification, and Vehicle Risk Data as the underlying dataset with 100+ data points per vehicle. The product suite includes Active Safety Testing and Crash & Safety Testing for Euro NCAP assessment, Thatcham Security Certification for alarm/immobiliser/tracking products, and escribe as the UK's leading repair methods solution integrated with major UK estimating systems. Repair sector offerings include Vehicle Repair Methods (BS10125 compliant), Insurability By Design consultancy, and Risk and Repair Web Services APIs. The Automotive Academy provides training and accreditation, while the AiQ platform serves as the data delivery mechanism. Bespoke Research services support custom programmes for manufacturers and government. The portfolio serves insurers, vehicle manufacturers, repairers, and government/regulatory bodies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• escribe: The UK's leading repair methods solution designed to help the industry return damaged vehicles back to their pre-collision condition.
• Vehicle Risk Rating (VRR)
• AiQ
• Automotive Academy
• Thatcham Security Certification

Products and services

• Vehicle Risk Rating (VRR) Comprehensive vehicle risk assessment system that rates every car for safety, security, and sustainable repair using a dynamic five-assessment model; serves UK motor insurers for underwriting and pricing decisions.
• Vehicle Risk Data Live industry-standard dataset containing key information about insurable cars, LCVs, and motorcycles, with each vehicle carrying 100+ individual data points and a unique eight-digit ABI code; sold to insurers, aggregators, and software houses.
• Group Rating

Quantifiable outcome

• 82% of UK drivers feel safer with ADAS; over half report systems have prevented collisions
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BYDcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 202612-month partnership (from January 2026) focused on repair-friendly EV design. Thatcham Research advises on repair methods, training, and New Vehicle Security Assessment compliance. Partnership aims to reduce unnecessary write-offs, extend vehicle lifespan, and support affordable insurance for BYD's expanding UK model range.
• Euro NCAP (former partnership ended 2026)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner22-year partnership ended in March 2026. Thatcham Research was a founding member of Euro NCAP and contributed to European vehicle safety testing since 2004. Following Euro NCAP's biggest protocol revision since 2009, Thatcham launched its own independent ADAS testing programme.
• Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership conducting surveys and economic analysis on automotive topics including ADAS effectiveness, skills shortage impact, and EV adoption trends.
• What Car? MagazinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual What Car? Safety Award in partnership with Thatcham Research, testing vehicles for ADAS performance and awarding safest new cars.
• Bodyshop MagazineminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual Bodyshop Magazine Awards recognizing outstanding talent in collision repair industry, with finalists competing at Thatcham Research Automotive Academy.
• RCAR (Research Council for Automobile Repair)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational association of vehicle research centers; Thatcham Research participates in RCAR protocols for damageability and repairability assessments.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI): US insurance industry-backed organisation that collects and analyses vehicle insurance loss data to support risk rating and loss prevention. The closest direct functional analogue to Thatcham's insurer-funded vehicle risk intelligence model, with comparable data, ratings, and loss-cost research outputs.
• CAP HPI: UK provider of vehicle data, valuations, and technical specifications to automotive and insurance markets, owned by S&P Global. Direct competitor in the UK vehicle data and risk ratings space, providing overlapping Group Rating-style products to UK insurers and OEMs.
• Allianz Center for Technology (AZT): Germany-based automotive research centre owned by Allianz, providing vehicle repair, damage, and testing research through RCAR membership. Direct peer within Thatcham's own RCAR network, performing comparable repairability and crashworthiness research for European insurers.
• Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS): US non-profit funded by auto insurers that performs crashworthiness and crash-avoidance testing, issuing vehicle safety awards. Operates a near-identical business model to Thatcham (insurer-funded crash testing, ratings, and consumer-facing safety rankings) with strong accreditation and media leverage.

Broad incumbents

• Euro NCAP: Pan-European vehicle safety assessment programme for which Thatcham was a founding testing partner until March 2026. Broader incumbent authority in the same vehicle safety testing space; Thatcham's exit to run an independent ADAS programme positions Euro NCAP as the established incumbent competitor in consumer-facing safety ratings.
• Verisk (Auto and Insurance analytic divisions): Large US-listed data analytics provider serving insurance and automotive customers with vehicle risk data, telematics, and claims analytics. Operates at greater scale and capital intensity across comparable insurer-facing vehicle risk and repair data use cases, representing a potential disruptor to Thatcham's UK-centric data franchise.
• LexisNexis Risk Solutions: Global data and analytics provider serving insurers with vehicle, identity, and claims data. Already a Thatcham integration partner (offering VRR data to brokers at point of quote), making them both a channel partner and an incumbent competitor with broader UK and international distribution.

Emerging players

• Solera Holdings (Audatex / AudaNet): Global provider of vehicle claims, estimating, and repair management software integrated into insurer workflows. Adjacent competitor and partner in the UK repair estimating ecosystem, overlapping with escribe's repair methods and ADAS data delivery into insurer claims systems.
• Transport Research Laboratory (TRL): UK-based transport and mobility research organisation with vehicle safety, crash testing, and ADAS research capabilities. Adjacent peer operating crash and active safety research with overlapping regulatory and government work, but broader in transport policy than Thatcham's insurance-led focus.

Others

• RCAR (Research Council for Automobile Repair): International association of vehicle research centres of which Thatcham is a member. Acts as an industry body and peer network rather than a competitor, but its collective protocols shape the global repairability standard that Thatcham's escribe product is benchmarked against.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thatchamrsrch
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ThatchamMIRRC001
• LinkedInuk.linkedin.com/company/thatcham

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

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