was expecting my insurance to go up with 2013 SV

[Epi117]

had read in forum a while back that many had seen insurance go up when purchasing a leaf, just got the final numbers on my 2013 SV and the total went down by $120 every 6 months, very nice surprise.

 

[RonDawg]

It all depends on the insurer. At the time I got my Leaf, I was with Allstate and they planned on a 37.5% increase for the Leaf and for me to keep my Audi. But their esurance subsidiary insured both cars for what Allstate wanted for the Audi alone.

The most shocking was AAA..their quote was almost twice my premium before I got the Leaf. Previous price quotes from them were nearly the same as Allstate, so I knew the outrageous increase was due solely to the Leaf.

It's the same with drivers. I can never get a decent rate from GEICO or Progressive, yet others say they are the cheapest.

 

[DarkStar]

You really have to shop around on a fairly regular basis. My previous insurance provider was raising my rates in March by about 80% without any reason, so I contacted my independent insurance agent and they found a new insurance provider that was 25% lower than what I was paying before the March increase!

My independent insurance agent re-evaluates my insurance providers every year or so for the best deals.

 

[cgaydos]

I'd read that LEAF rates were a lot lower than similar non-EVs. Coincidentally when I got my first LEAF I was shopping for new insurance due to recent gouging from my long-term insurer so I got several quotes. 4 of 5 gave significant discounts on the LEAF relative to my other ICE cars that were much older and with lower MSRPs. The 5th insurer had the LEAF about the same, but their overall price was the lowest so I went with them (State Farm).

It does make sense that insurers as a group are struggling with the LEAF pricing due to lack of data on EVs. If they go by straight MSRP they'll probably get a higher number. If they factor in tax incentives it'll be lower. I would guess that LEAFs have lower accident rates just because we early adopters tend to drive them more attentively and economically - that kind of data could significantly lower insurance costs for a model. Finally, repair costs are going to be an issue. The batteries have to be a big question mark but you'd think that it would cost less to repair an EV in a front end accident due to the simpler, lower cost components in the engine compartment.

Overall I think LEAFs will be cheaper to insure across the board in the long run for the reasons stated above, but as always it pays to shop around.