FLEETS face a 17% increase in accident repair costs across Europe over the next five years, according to a new report. 'The Car Body Repair Market in North West Europe' studied the vehicle repair market in Germany,

France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium and the UK, and attributes the repair cost inflation to the escalating cost of replacement parts and paint. The report claims bodyshops will attempt to recover these additional costs by raising their labour rates - which on average account for 44% of the cost of a repair.