Most standard car insurance policies should cover your electric car, but that might not be the best move. Choosing a tailored electric car policy can give you additional benefits like cover for batteries and charging cables.
Electric car insurance
Electric cars are increasing in popularity, and with more insurers offering cover you should be able to find a policy to suit you. We compare a small number of specialist insurers who offer specific cover for electric cars. If they offer you a quote we'll show you the providers who specify 'electric cars' in their policies, and the specific cover on offer. You may also see prices from standard car insurance companies, but these policies may exclude damage to charging cables, or batteries.
Read on to find out more about insuring your electric car, or if you just want to get a quote, click on the 'Get a quote' button to get started.
Read on to find out more about insuring your electric car, or if you just want to get a quote, click on the 'Get a quote' button to get started.
Do all insurers offer 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.
What does electric car insurance cover?
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)
Are electric cars expensive to insure?
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.
Need more help?
What insurance group will my electric car fall into?
Just like a diesel or petrol car, the car insurance group your car falls into will depend on the make and model.
Many electric cars have specialist parts and are expensive to repair, so you can expect to find electric cars among the higher insurance groups.
Generally, the higher the group, the more your car insurance will cost.
But that’s just one of the factors insurers think about when calculating insurance premiums. You can find out what group your electric car is in by visiting the Thatcham group checker.
To give you an idea, we’ve summarised the groups for 5 of the top selling electric cars in the UK.
The groups shown cover all specifications and years of each model:
| Make and Model | Group |
|---|---|
|
Nissan Leaf
|
19 - 16
|
|
BMW I3
|
21 - 29
|
|
Renault ZOE
|
14 - 23
|
|
Tesla Model S
|
50
|
|
Volkswagen E-Golf
|
15 - 26
|
How much does it cost to recharge an electric vehicle at home?
Exactly how much you pay to charge an electric car at home will depend on your battery and the tariff you are on with your electricity supplier.
According to Podpoint, it costs about £15 to fully charge a 60kWh electric car, which will last around 200 miles.
But some energy suppliers do offer dedicated tariffs for drivers of electric cars, which may bring the cost down.
Are there free charging points in the UK?
Yes, there are some, but most are not free.
Some of the major supermarkets offer free charging in their car parks while you do your shopping.
Research by Zap Map in November 2022 shows the availability of free charging points varies across the UK. Scotland has by far the most free electric charging points, thanks to support from Transport for Scotland.
You can also use our EV charging point map to find out where your nearest charging point is.
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