What is an electric car?
Electric cars may be all-electric – they run solely on the electric battery installed in the vehicle – or they may be so-called plug-in hybrids, with a battery that powers the vehicle up to a certain mileage or performance and a conventionally fuelled engine to take over after that.
Almost 54,000 wholly electric and hybrid cars have been registered in the UK up to the end of 2015 – according to figures cited by Wikipedia. This accounts for approximately 1% of the country’s entire fleet of registered motor cars.
Is electric car insurance available?
The answer is yes – but you might find it more difficult to find than insurance for conventional vehicles.
The reasons are quite straight forward. Insurers deal in risks and have developed all manner of indicators to assess the risks of mass produced, widely bought motor cars.
Although the number has been growing at a considerable rate during the past three years, electric cars, are still a relative novelty. The fewer the number of such vehicles on the roads, the more difficult it is for standard motor insurers to assess the risks – especially in a market that is seeing further technological innovations all of the time.
Where can I get electric car insurance?
Since many motor insurers are still reluctant to take on the risks of insuring electric vehicles, you may need to search out a specialist provider or broker.
As more electric vehicles take to the roads and the risks to insurers become clearer, it might be expected that more providers make insurance for electric cars more widely available.
Those specialist insurers who are already building up a clientele of electric car owners, however, are also expected to use their expertise and experience to stay ahead of the game and offer quality cover at a competitive premium rate.
Why is electric car insurance more expensive?
Once again, it is a question of the way insurers assess the risks involved.
Electric cars tend to be more expensive than their conventional cousins and this extends to the cost of repairs and maintenance. Add to this the relative shortage of mechanics trained in carrying out repairs and it is possible to see why many insurers anticipate a higher than normal amount claimed after any accident.
Development in electric car design and technology is likely to lower costs of their production, maintenance and repairs, whilst more garages may be expected to train up suitably qualified mechanics. Developments such as this are likely to see reductions in the price of electric car insurance premiums.
What makes an electric car environmentally friendly?
Electric cars consume less fuel and are typically cheaper to maintain than conventional cars. There are further benefits – identified, for example, by Fleetdrive Electric:
- lower emissions – an estimated 66% reduction over conventionally fuelled cars;
- environmental protection – fewer oil spills helps to protect water resources at sea and in rivers; and
- noise – not only are electric cars cleaner than conventional cars, they also make considerably less noise to pollute the environment.
