About Us

Thatcham provide a unique range of products and services to the insurance and motor repair industries. Primarily, we conduct research and produce data . This data assists in the efficient, safe and cost effective repair of motor vehicles. Thatcham also work closely with vehicle manufacturers to influence the design of new vehicles. Our aim is to improve safety and security. Our research helps produce designs which limit damage, whilst improving the ease of repair following an accident.

We are best known by motorists for testing vehicle security systems and for our work in testing seats for whiplash prevention. Less well known is the fact that we provide some 70% of the data that insurers use to define a car's insurance grouping. We also test and accredit crash repair parts and vehicle repair technicians. Thatcham have an important role to play in raising the image of the body repair industry and addressing skills shortages. Thatcham's Automotive Academy delivers training courses that are mainly focused on the needs of insurance engineers and repairers, whilst our dedicated apprentice centre, opened in 2005, makes a major contribution to the training of young technicians.

A founder member of the international Research Council for Automobile Repairs (RCAR), Thatcham have also been a member of the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) since 2004. Euro NCAP has an unrivalled reputation as one of the world's leading organisations which is driving forward vehicle safety, whilst offering invaluable advice and test results direct to consumers.