【Effective June 2026: Insurance Business Act Amendment】 New rules to protect the 'transparency and fairness' of insurance premiums paid by drivers. Ikeuchi Jidosha releases a report on the impact on the repair industry and users!

Ikeuchi Co., Ltd., a company specializing in automotive sheet metal and painting, is releasing an analytical report on future industry trends and the impact on drivers, anticipating that the 'Amended Insurance Business Act' effective June 1, 2026, will increase transparency in auto insurance selection and repair assessment processes. Leveraging our strength as an independent, 'non-concurrent' sheet metal and painting shop that does not sell insurance, we will strengthen our quotation proposals that thoroughly compare 'future insurance premium increases due to grade drops in insurance repairs' with 'out-of-pocket sheet metal repair costs,' thereby leading the transparency of the entire industry. Starting June 1, 2026, the amended Insurance Business Act will be enforced. The background of this legal amendment includes issues such as 'inappropriate insurance claims,' 'insurance sales that do not match customer intentions,' and industry structures that easily invite such problems. This amendment aims to strengthen the transparency of sales processes, enhance audits and guidance, and prohibit excessive provision of benefits. We anticipate that the repair industry will change from 'excessive parts replacement' to 'evidence-based transparent assessment,' from 'guidance that ignores customer burden' to 'proposals considering total cost,' and from 'opaque relationships between insurance companies and repair shops' to 'factory selection based on the driver's own will.' Users are encouraged to practice self-defense by requesting 'two estimates' during repairs, calculating the 'insurance premium increase for the following year,' and utilizing 'second opinions.'