As the UK continues to transition towards a lower-carbon economy, every industry must look for ways to reduce its environmental footprint, including vehicle repair and estimatics, and green car parts are gaining traction as a key lever in this shift as they allow repairers to source high-quality, lower-impact parts that keep vehicles on the road without driving up carbon emissions.
Plus, with customers increasingly prioritising sustainable options, bodyshops and insurers using green parts are better placed to meet evolving expectations.
Let’s explore some FAQs surrounding Green Parts…
What Are Green Parts?
Recognised as a sustainable source, green car parts are the used parts from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
When a vehicle has either been written off or come to the end of its lifecycle, there may be some parts which have been left undamaged and therefore, can be re-used. It’s very much like vehicle part recycling – in fact, green car parts can also be known as “used”, “reclaimed” or even literally “recycled” parts, with every single green part purchase contributing towards the recycling industry in the UK.
But ultimately, the clue is in the name. “Green” car parts prevent the need for a new car part to be made, saving resources and energy at the same time. What’s more, according to research from Transport & Environment, it’s estimated that recycled vehicle parts are the equivalent of saving 80 billion barrels of oil each year in manufacturing and transport processes, while also increasing the lifespan of countless existing vehicles.
Are Green Parts Bad Quality?
No, it’s quite the opposite. As green car parts only ever come straight out of an original equipment (OE) production line, they’re considered the best available quality of used parts, and therefore an extremely popular choice for repairers when physically sourcing parts.
This is simply because the OEM would have only used these parts in the first place, to match the vehicles’ exact specification during the time it was first built. The parts would have had to have passed strict quality control processes and be an extremely high standard, otherwise the part would not have been used at all.
Are Green Parts Safe?
Understandably, there’s been a fair amount of negative publicity over the years surrounding the safety of green car parts, so it’s no surprise that consumers are dubious about whether they’re trustworthy. Many of these concerns are born from the fact that those parts could have come from a vehicle that crashed, posing questions such as “did that vehicle crash because of a faulty part?” or “is that part likely to cause an accident in my car?”
This isn’t helped by new parts manufacturers who discourage used parts purely for their own profit margins, or by ‘cowboy’ repairers performing careless work.
But the truth is, when they’re salvaged, replaced, and fitted correctly by repair specialists, green car parts are very safe. In fact, there are even regulated bodies out there to help maintain these standards.
Used vehicle parts can be purchased from approved members of the Vehicle Recyclers’ Association (VRA, formerly the MVDA), who are involved with promoting the use of reclaimed parts in the UK repair industry, encouraging the adoption of Automotive Recyclers Association of America (ARA) standards to ensure product quality.
VRA membership is one of the few indicators of a company’s good reputation and high quality of product, backed by warranties and guarantees, so it’s always worth checking that bodyshop technicians hold this membership, before committing to the job.
Will Green Parts Become More Common?
As the UK strives towards a more sustainable future, green car parts are set to become a widely accepted, and in some cases, essential, to the future of vehicle repairs.
Recent research commissioned by Allianz Insurance supports this, identifying that 69% of motorists would choose the option of a green replacement part to repair their vehicle, with protecting the environment given as the main reason for 77% of them.
The survey also confirmed that vehicle repairers can play a positive role in the take up, with over half of motorists looking to repairers to offer a green part when discussing the repair to their vehicle.
Are Green Parts Easy to Source?
Mostly yes, there’s plenty of choice and availability, simply because cars are often built in bulk.
Unless your vehicle is an ultra-rare, limited edition, it should be relatively easy for a repairer to find the correct parts to complete a job. In fact, it’s often much easier and quicker to find used parts, with bodyshops having access to the best solutions and parts prices to secure their orders.
How GT Motive Supports the Green Parts Journey
At GT Motive, we provide accurate, real-time access to OE parts prices which support bodyshops, insurers and brokers in making informed repair decisions that align with sustainability goals.
To do this, our platform updates daily and automatically with new vehicle models added fortnightly, giving users the confidence to source the right part at the right price, whether it’s new or green, resulting in quicker estimates, greater accuracy and less time wasted on manual checks.
Plus, as green parts become an increasingly valuable part of the repair process, our estimatics solution makes it easier to incorporate them into your workflow, without compromising on quality, safety, or speed.
We believe that now is the perfect time to assess how minor changes such as choosing green parts, can contribute to a much larger impact. Then, by embedding sustainability into everyday decisions, the repair industry can play its part in building a greener, more resource-conscious future.
Keen to find out more?