The following is a Guest Article:
Nationwide interest in electric cars is constantly on the rise. Sales are increasing and manufacturers are taking note of models like the Nissan Leaf and the Mitsubishi i-MiEV and are developing their own. Simultaneously, insurers are planning specialist policies for drivers of electric cars to get them on the road as effortlessly as possible.
As it stands, though, getting electric
car insurance is not as effortless as it could or, indeed, should be. The market is obviously relatively fresh, so it is inevitable that there will be a few teething problems but, if electric cars really are the cars of the future, these need to be vanquished quickly.
car insurance groups are offering policies for electric cars now, but the apparent inexperience in this field is something of a concern to drivers. Companies like Admiral and Swift have been covering standard fuel cars for years, but they, like everybody else, are new to the world of electric cars so relatively little is known (or fully understood) in comparison.
As Direct Line expressed in January, there are concerns over the insurance complications that ownership of the battery will cause. Manufacturers actually lease, not sell, the battery to customers, so it becomes dual-owned. Obviously, this is a cause for concern, should an electric car be involved in an accident, over who is liable for the costs.
The battery is also, by far, the most expensive part of an electric car. Some are valued at around £25,000, which is even more than the car itself. This is one of the reasons, along with specialist repair requirement, why insurance premiums are generally quite high for electric cars.
A quick search on the price comparison site moneysupermarket.com provides a total of 50 quotes for a brand new Nissan Leaf. Based on a 30 year old male driver with 5 years’ no claims and who drives 10,000 miles per year, the cheapest comprehensive 12-month quote comes in at £595.27 from Hastings Direct.
Some insurers do have dedicated policies for electric cars, but if their supposed inexperience puts you off, there are specialist insurance companies like pluginsure who provide cover for electric vehicles only. An identical search with them based on a general electric car comes in at £647.35.
All policies, as well as the cars themselves, are undoubtedly more expensive than regular cars initially but, in the long term, when running costs, efficiency and tax exemption are taken into account, they are a fantastic form of transport that keeps the pounds in your pocket.