Insurer Allianz is expected to announce a mandate for the Thatcham/BSI Kitemark.

Allianz, which already supports the RMIF’s Quality Control (QC) standard, will approve the PAS 125 standard as an alternative for its repairer network.

Phil Brailey, motor claims manager, would not confirm his plan but admitted: “There will be an announcement in the next few weeks.”

Repairers are likely to be given time to achieve the Kitemark, as they adopted the relaunched QC last October as a stepping stone towards the accreditation.

An industry source said: “It’s about time Allianz came on board with Kitemark. Momentum is building now, and we’re steadily seeing more and more of the industry get behind it.”