Electric car insurance

Electric cars are increasing in popularity. And as we get closer to the 2030 deadline for all new cars to be electric, you should find more insurers offering cover.

This means you should be able to find cover for your electric car on a standard car insurance policy. But you might find that the group of insurers that offer these policies is smaller than for a petrol or diesel car.

But standard car insurance might not cover everything you want it to, like damage to your charging cables, for example.

This is where specialist insurance comes in. Currently, we only have a small number of insurance providers offering specialist electric car insurance.

On our results page, you’ll know if it’s a specialist electric car insurance policy as it will specify it's for 'electric cars'. We’ll then tell you what specific cover that provider offers.

Insurance for electric cars typically covers everything standard car insurance does, depending on your policy type. But the cover they can provide for electric cars may differ, like for:

• Battery
• Charging cables
• Adaptors
• Wall boxes

Some policies include extras like accident liability cover, as cables on your drive can be a trip hazard. Alternatively, providers like ByMiles use smart technology in your car to base your policy price on the miles you drive.

As an example of what electric car insurance can cover, here are the benefits of an electric car insurance policy offered by one of the insurance companies we work with:

• Free recovery to the nearest charge point UK-wide if you run out of battery power
• Cover for charging cables, adaptors and wall boxes in case of accidental damage, fire and theft
• Accidental damage, fire and theft cover for your battery
• Lifetime guarantee on repairs (some restrictions apply)

Electric cars have only been on the market for a few years so generally, they’re more expensive to buy - which can make them more expensive to insure.

They can also be more expensive to repair than standard cars as their parts are typically less readily available.

Plus, they can require specialist servicing, which also can increase the cost of electric car insurance.

But this doesn't necessarily mean you'll pay more for insurance than for petrol or diesel car cover.

Electric cars have fewer parts that can fail, so in some instances, they're cheaper to insure than fuel cars of the same value.

They tend to have top-of-the-range safety features, too, so insurers may see them as a safer option to insure, meaning lower insurance costs.

You can also save money if your electric vehicle runs solely by a battery that is charged from an external source. These types of vehicles are exempt from road tax which is great news for bringing the overall costs down.

Confusingly though, you still have to tax your car, even if it's zero-rated and there's no tax to pay.

You can read more on this by visiting our how to get cheaper car insurance guide.