What agency repair actually buys
Agency repair means your car is repaired at the manufacturer's authorised workshop using genuine parts, with the work recorded in the service history. Non-agency repair uses the insurer's approved garage network, often with equivalent-quality aftermarket parts.
The three cases where it pays
- The car is under manufacturer warranty. Non-agency repair can void parts of it.
- The car is under three years old. Resale buyers pay a premium for an unbroken agency service history.
- The brand has a thin independent network. For some marques, the agency is effectively the only competent option.
When it does not
On a car past five years, the resale premium for agency history has largely evaporated, while the insurance loading has not. At that point the extra premium is buying convenience rather than value, and the approved-garage network is usually the better economics.
The arithmetic
Take the annual premium difference and multiply it by the number of years you intend to keep the car. Compare that total against the resale difference a full agency history would realistically add. If the first number is larger, the answer is non-agency.
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