Thatcham Security Standards to be adopted in Sweden

Thatcham’s vehicle security experts are tightening the net still further on global vehicle crime with the news that insurers in Sweden have introduced a security ratings system, based on Thatcham’s New Vehicle Security Assessment (NVSA), a move which begins to show the acceptance of Thatcham’s security criteria in Europe.

The new rating system will rank cars based on their resistance to theft, both of and from the vehicle, providing Swedish motorists with a simple to follow guide to choosing the most secure car. The car buying public in Sweden will also be able to use the system to determine how their insurance premium might be affected as a result of security levels.

Anders Edvardsson, who is a business manager at TFF Service AB, a subsidiary of the organisation of Swedish Motor Insurers, confirmed, “With the help of Stars, 1-5, Swedish motorists can now see how safe the car is against theft and burglary. There is also a “letter rating” which takes into account how attractive the car is to steal. Going forward, insurers should be able to use the letter grading when the insurance premiums for new car models are calculated.”

Thatcham set up the British insurance industry’s vehicle security scheme in 1993 and the New Vehicle Security Assessment quickly became an insurance requirement on volume selling cars. Working closely with the police, the home office and the government, Thatcham have helped bring vehicle crime in the UK down by nearly 70% since its peak in the early 1990’s and UK motorists can view Thatcham’s New Vehicle Security Ratings via the website thatcham.org/nvsr

Swedish motorists can now find the listings on tff.se

Mike Briggs, Vehicle Security Manager at Thatcham, said “We have worked closely with Swedish Motor Insurers over several months to demonstrate the robustness of the NVSA system. In the UK we have first hand experience of how vehicle crime can be tackled and we continue to work closely with our counterparts in Russia and across the world to ensure similar success stories. One vehicle security standard will also help vehicle manufacturers design solutions for their global vehicle markets”