Electric car insurance

Strictly speaking, no. Most standard insurance policies should cover you and your car regardless of the fuel or energy type. But some specialist providers and policies have sprung up to offer more tailored features aimed at EVs. Expect to see more of these as electric cars become more popular.

For example, a policy from LV includes benefits such as:

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

Alternatively, some providers such as ByMiles could offer certain benefits if you have a connected car. 

They offer policies for connected car models, such as Tesla. Using the smart technology in your car, simply connect your car to your ByMiles account. Your price will be tailored to you based on the amount of miles you drive.

Their handy app lets you track the miles you’ve clocked up and pay for what you’ve driven monthly.

Comparing quotes with us doesn’t guarantee you’ll get a price offer from these providers. As with all insurers, restrictions and limitations apply depending on a range of factors.

Our data shows the average cost of insuring an electric car is £577*.

What does that mean for you? Well, insurers consider a range of factors when calculating car insurance prices and the type of car you drive is one of them.

As many of the electric cars on the market have only been around a few years, they’re generally more expensive to buy which can then increase the cost of insurance. They’re also more expensive to repair because parts are less readily available than standard cars, plus they can require specialist servicing.

This doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll pay more for electric car insurance than a petrol or diesel car. Other factors like where you live, your occupation and age all play a part. The best way to get a competitive price is by getting a quote and comparing insurers.

* Confused.com data, Feb 2019 – March 2020.

Insurers will want to know if you own or lease the battery. This allows them to pay the right party for any damage to the battery if you make a claim. We don’t ask you this when getting your quote, but your insurer may contact you to check once you’ve decided on a policy.

As electric cars are run purely on battery power, the batteries are powerful but also expensive. Some manufacturers will offer to lease the battery to you rather than have you buy it. This brings down the cost and may make it more affordable for you to switch to electric.

A standard insurance policy usually won’t cover you but most breakdown companies offer cover for electric cars. The breakdown companies employ trained mechanics so they can offer electric car owners the same level of cover to those with petrol or diesel cars. Some companies will even cover you if you run out of battery power.

When you get a quote, you can choose to add breakdown cover as well as other policy extras.

Running an electric car compared to a traditional petrol or diesel car is generally cheaper.

To reflect the true cost of running an electric car you’ll need to consider things like tax, congestion charges and maintenance. Our guide on owning an electric car explains everything in detail.