PRESTON-based AutoWindshields (UK) will be helping Britain’s 600,000 Muslim car owners to obey the teachings of the Quran after being appointed sole supplier to the UK’s first independent Islamic motor insurer.

The windscreen repair and replacement specialist will be supporting policyholders of Salaam Halal Insurance, the trading name for the London-based shareholder-owned Principle Insurance Group.

It has signed the contract with Capita Insurance, which is administering all claims for the company that has its operations centre in Cheadle where customers can talk to staff in English, Arabic, Bengali, Gujarati or Urdu.

AutoWindshields (UK), which operates through a nationwide network of mobile fitters, will serve the first UK insurer to offer ethically and co-operatively based motor policies that comply with Shariah principles for the next two years.

Salaam Halal Insurance provides the same services as a conventional company but cannot invest in any organisations associated with gaming, alcohol or pork. Nor can it take financial risks or speculate with revenue.

It applies Takaful principles that allow for risk spreading between policyholders, who contribute to a pool of investments from which all claims are settled. Any surplus cash is distributed as a discount on the following year’s premium.

Principle Insurance claims director, Trevor Webb said: "We proposed Auto Windshields on the strengths of its flexibility, commercial terms and demonstrable ability to meet all our service level agreements."

AutoWindshields (UK) director, Barry Donaldson said: "This major contract is testament to our client specific pricing method and the excellent performance of our 60-strong highly trained nationwide fleet of fitters that enable us to provide the quickest average response time in the industry at a customer’s home, workplace or wherever it is needed."

The contract is the fourth in less than a year for the company, after being appointed sole supplier to Zenith Insurance plc, Link Insurance Company Ltd and Markerstudy Group.