Latest Auto Headlines

All the headlines from our Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Aviva to Acquire Canadian Vehicle Replacement MGA Optiom for Circa £100m

Nov 27 2023 // Aviva plc announced the acquisition of Optiom O2 Holdings Inc. from Novacap and other minority shareholders for a consideration of approximately £100 million (US$126 million). Calgary, Canada-based Optiom, which operates...

New Jersey Supreme Court: Workers’ Compensation Covers Commuting Employee’s Car Crash Injury

Nov 27 2023 // Typically, workers who are injured during their commute to work aren’t eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. The New Jersey Supreme Court highlighted an exception to that rule in a unanimous decision...

District Police Combating Car Thefts and Carjackings With Dashcams and AirTags

Nov 22 2023 // Jeff Pena contacted his father as soon as he heard that police were passing out auto tracking devices to try to stem a sharp increase in carjackings, auto thefts and other crimes in the nation`s capital. “It`s just...

New Law Lets New York Auto Insurers Waive Photo Mandate Starting Next May

Nov 21 2023 // New York finally has a law on the books that allows insurance companies to waive pre-insurance photo inspections. Bills to permit inspection waivers have been introduced since 2009. Gov. Kathy Hochul recently signed one...

Tesla Launched its Own Car Insurance. These Drivers Say it’s a Lemon.

Nov 21 2023 // In February, Mark Bova purchased a used 2018 Tesla Model S. Before leaving the dealer, he bought insurance from Tesla, finding the initial $93 monthly premium “really reasonable.” Sixteen days later, as he...

S&P: Struggles in Personal Auto Insurance to Subside More Slowly Than Expected

Nov 20 2023 // S&P Global Market Intelligence projects that personal auto results will improve from 2022’s worst-in-decades combined ratio of 112.2%, though not as rapidly as the organization’s experts previously...

Auto Claimants More Satisfied Even Though Repairs Taking Longer: J.D. Power

Nov 20 2023 // Auto repairs are taking more than twice as long as they did in 2021, but policyholders who filed claims appear to be taking that in stride. J.D. Power reported that the industry average claims satisfaction rating increased...

Hyundai, Kia Must Face Insurers’ Lawsuits Over Vehicle Thefts

Nov 17 2023 // A U.S. judge rejected bids by Hyundai and Kia to dismiss litigation by several hundred insurers seeking to recoup more than $1 billion they claim to owe drivers whose vehicles were stolen or damaged in a social...

Mom Not Liable in Son’s Crash of Family Car, Florida Supreme Court Says

Nov 17 2023 // Florida families and their auto insurers can rest a little easier after the state Supreme Court decided Thursday that a mom cannot be held vicariously liable for an accident caused by her son who had borrowed the family...

Oregon Jury Awards Man $3M After Officer Accused Him of Trying to Steal Car

Nov 17 2023 // A jury in Oregon has awarded a man more than $3.1 million after a police officer accused him of trying to steal a car he was fixing and allegedly used excessive force when arresting him. That jury award included more than...

Charter Bus Collision With Semi-Truck Leaves 3 Dead, 15 Injured in Ohio

Nov 15 2023 // ETNA, Ohio (AP) – A charter bus carrying students from a high school was rear- ended by a semi-truck on an Ohio highway Tuesday morning, leaving three people dead and 15 others injured, according to an emergency...

Small Plane Overshoots Runway in Texas, Collides with Car During Emergency Landing

Nov 14 2023 // MCKINNEY, Texas (AP) – A small plane overshot the runway while landing at a Texas airport over the weekend and struck a car driving along a nearby road, injuring one person, authorities said. Video shows the propeller...

EU Court Sides With Car Service Firms in Data Fight With Sweden Truck Maker Scania

Nov 13 2023 // Swedish truck maker Scania must share car data, such as vehicle identification numbers, with repair shops and parts distributors, Europe’s top court said on Thursday in a ruling that could provide a boost for the...

Fed Judges Ask Florida Supreme Court to Decide if Insurers Can Sue Auto-Glass Shops

Nov 9 2023 // The Florida Legislature earlier this year struck a mighty blow for auto insurers in their years-long fight against windshield repair shops, ending assignment-of-benefits and the practice of offering gifts to insureds. Now,...

Indiana Woman Arrested After Driving Car Into Building She Thought Was `Israel School`

Nov 8 2023 // INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – A woman who allegedly drove her car into a building in Indianapolis after watching coverage of the Israel-Hamas war told officers she believed the building was an “Israel school,”...

UK Weighs Criminal Liability for Self-Driving Car Companies

Nov 7 2023 // Self-driving car companies could face criminal action in the UK if their vehicles fail to meet safety standards in the most serious cases. New legislation, introduced in today’s speech by King Charles III, who...

Maryland Mechanic Sentenced for Filing $223,000 in False Claims for Auto Repairs

Nov 7 2023 // A Maryland mechanic who filed false claims for automobile repairs and was paid more than $223,000 by insurers will have to spend at least a few years behind bars after he was sentenced this week. Kenneth Wayne Collins, 36,...

Commercial Auto Up Against Persistent Headwinds to Underwriting Profit: AM Best Report

Nov 6 2023 // Underwriting losses in U.S. commercial auto have returned to pre-pandemic levels and rate increases have not been enough to keep up with severity trends. “The liability component has been more problematic than the...

Ohio Supreme Court Upholds Escape Clause in Progressive Auto Liability Policy

Nov 6 2023 // Acuity and Progressive Specialty Insurance Co. disputed who should pay after a 16-year-old boy borrowed a friend’s car and crashed it into a utility pole in Streetsboro, Ohio. The driver was insured by Acuity through...

California’s 3Q Auto Market Registrations Continued to Rise Helped by EV Sales

Nov 2 2023 // A new report shows a 14.3% increase in California’s new vehicle registrations compared to the first nine months of 2022 pushed by rising electric vehicle sales. The 3rd quarter 2023 Auto Outlook report from the...