BODYSHOP network Acoat Bodyshop Services is urging companies involved in a landmark agreement on credit hire to drive down costs elsewhere in the industry. The radical agreement between the Association of British Insurers and two of the UK's largest daily rental firms, Enterprise Rent-a-Car and National Car Rental, is aimed at slashing credit hire costs.

But David Wallace, managing director of ABS, said there was much more room for improvement. He said: 'For many years it has made little sense that insurers have attempted to nail down costs to the floor while other costs associated with a claim - such as credit hire, credit repair and personal injury - have spiralled out of control. This initiative is a positive move away from that mindset. But it is surprising how few motor insurers attempt third party capture when their policyholder is clearly at fault.'

Third party capture is the method of approaching the injured party to provide services to inform them of reliable and cheap credit hire possibilities, to avoid high bills from other credit hire services. Wallace said: 'It is a lost opportunity to take control over the claims cost. Credit repair is also an area where the opportunity for savings is high, by using reputable firms, rather than others whose high charges and shoddy workmanship need to be urgently addressed.'