Insurance estimate

[evnow]

They should deduct the cost of the batteries because I think they would survive pretty much intact in a collision, so they SHOULD give us a super low rate since they would only be basically insuring the body. How much does one of those electric motors cost (80KW)?

Insurance industry do their own crash tests and estimate the cost of repairing a crash at a couple of speeds. IIRC, thats what goes into their estimation.

Until EVs get quite popular and probably 10% of the new cars, I don't think they will make any special concessions to EVs.

 

[bradford]

has anyone looked in to what the insurance rates will be for the leaf? it'll have fewer moving parts true, but the battery pack might make it expensive?
any ideas?

thanks :?:

 

[mitch672]

You really can't get a quote for insurance without a "VIN", the rates will largely depend on how the crash test/saftey ratings come back, and of course how much the repairs are for the car, I doubt it will be any more or less than a comprable ICE car of similar size.

 

[mwalsh]

I doubt it will be any more or less than a comperable ICE car of similar size.

I would take that last word and change it to "value". I have a feeling it would be more like an ICE car of more or less the same cost rather than size.

 

[Stewy13]

I'm really hoping insurance rates are a lot lower than a similar sized car. A rate around the same of a 3-cylinder Volkswagen Beetle would be awesome around here because for me yearly that'd be only in the triple digits as Ontario LOVES young drivers....and their money. Either that or 4-banger rate would be nice since this is supposed to be the equivalent of a 4-cylinder ICE.

I'm not really sure at all about what it will be, it's a new car and depending on whether you lease or not will affect the rate no doubt. It very well may become an issue of finding an insurance company that is more "advanced" when it comes to their approach on EV insurance. I have a so-so insurance company right now but I know I'll have to look around when it comes down to insurance for this car. As a previous poster said, you can't get a rate without a VIN so we'll all stuck in this hypothetical situation....but we all too are looking forward to some information that could move this along.

 

[evnow]

I'm really hoping insurance rates are a lot lower than a similar sized car.

Why would that be ? All the risks involved in driving an ICE car remain - except perhaps of theft - since you can't just drive off to another city / country.

 

[Stewy13]

My rate comes from being a young driver, not the value of the car. So when you're 19 and have an EV, you'd hope they'd take you as a mature person who just needs transportation, not someone who'll be racing around.

 

[evnow]

My rate comes from being a young driver, not the value of the car. So when you're 19 and have an EV, you'd hope they'd take you as a mature person who just needs transportation, not someone who'll be racing around.

Got it - though very unlikely.

 

[daniel]

I agree that the value of the car, plus the driver's age and driving history, will determine the insurance rates. But until there is repair cost data, the rates might be higher, due to the cost of replacing a battery pack damaged in an accident. The motor will be less costly to replace than an engine, but an accident that damages the engine has probably totaled the car, so again total car value would be the determining factor. More accidents involve body work, and if the battery pack is well-enough protected and robust, then repair costs (and that part of insurance related to them) would be the same as for any car of similar construction.

I think it's wishful thinking to hope that they'd regard an EV driver as "more responsible" and therefore safer, without extensive real-world history. In five years, if Leaf drivers prove to be safer drivers, that will likely be reflected in the rates. And if teen-age boys driving Leafs demonstrate that they have significantly fewer accidents than teen-age boys driving other cars, that will lower their rates. But probably not until statistics are available.

 

[Bicster]

Progressive offers their big-brother-esque "MyRate" program, which rewards or punishes your rates based on your actual driving behavior. They use a little dongle that monitors data from the car (accel/decel forces, etc.) and transmits it wirelessly to the mothership.

 

[LEAFer]

For some (for me hard to understand reason(s)) ZIP CODE seems to make a big difference, too. Even if two ZipCodes are geographically close together.

Are Prius drivers safer than non-Prius drivers ? (There should be enough data out there by now to answer that one.)

 

[Dav]

Anecdotally I had heard early Prius drivers were much more inclined to get into fender-benders due to being distracted by the "pretty display" in the console. This was from a car rental company, not privately owned vehicles, so reflected use by people not accustomed to the display.

 

[planet4ever]

For some (for me hard to understand reason(s)) ZIP CODE seems to make a big difference, too. Even if two ZipCodes are geographically close together.

I think that varies by state. I seem to recall that California outlawed it on the theory that it discriminated against poor neighborhoods.

 

[sparky]

has anyone looked in to what the insurance rates will be for the leaf?...

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=349&start=0

This thread has been started. I think we'll be talking about this more. Maybe mod wants to combine?

 

[evnow]

Merged.

 

[Bicster]

http://nissan-leaf.net/2010/06/10/what-is-the-cost-to-insure-a-nissan-leaf/