National Windscreens predicts glass repair revolution
National Windscreens is predicting that glass repair will move from detect and fix to a more predictive, connected and data-driven model.
It believes that rather than waiting for a customer to report a chip or crack, future vehicles may proactively identify glazing damage themselves, assess severity instantly, and automatically initiate repair recommendations or booking journeys before the driver even notices a problem.
This can reduce larger claims events and minimise vehicle downtime, but could also introduce new risks.
As windscreens become integrated digital interfaces, displaying driver information, navigation, augmented reality overlays, and personalised vehicle settings, the amount of customer and vehicle data flowing through these systems will increase significantly.
This will result in new challenges around cybersecurity and data governance.
National Windscreens believes this will pose key questions for insurers and repairers:
- How will customer trust be maintained with an increasing need for vehicle and driver data to be shared?
- How will cyber risks be managed across connected repair ecosystems?
- What happens when vehicle glazing becomes both a safety-critical and data-critical component?
- How will repair validation and software integrity be verified?
It said: “The future of windscreen repair is unlikely to be defined solely by glass. It will increasingly sit at the intersection of mobility, software, AI, customer experience, and cyber resilience. The businesses prioritising through investment in technical capability, operational intelligence, and trusted partnerships, will be best positioned to navigate what comes next.
“The question for the industry is no longer whether these changes are coming, but what steps businesses should be taking today to prepare for them.”
