LEAF Insurance prices too high?

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hondalove650

Member
Joined
Jun 17, 2013
Messages
23
Location
San Francisco, California
So idk what you all are paying for your insurance but I just got quoted $800 for 6 months through 21st century! Thats what I pay for my subaru a year! On top of that I just got off the phone with Farmers who supposedly give a 10% discount for EV vehicles and they quoted me $1400 for 6 months! And she doesnt even know if she can get the discount because she was having problems with it and if she can't get it, its going to be $1900 for 6 months!!! WHAT THE ****! I am 24 years old and I have a CLEAN driving record!

Looks like I'm not getting a LEAF :cry:

What are you guys paying for insurance? I thought the LEAF would be cheap considering its an alternative fuel vehicle...
 
hondalove650 said:
So idk what you all are paying for your insurance but I just got quoted $800 for 6 months through 21st century! Thats what I pay for my subaru a year! On top of that I just got off the phone with Farmers who supposedly give a 10% discount for EV vehicles and they quoted me $1400 for 6 months! And she doesnt even know if she can get the discount because she was having problems with it and if she can't get it, its going to be $1900 for 6 months!!! WHAT THE ****! I am 24 years old and I have a CLEAN driving record!

Looks like I'm not getting a LEAF :cry:

What are you guys paying for insurance? I thought the LEAF would be cheap considering its an alternative fuel vehicle...
Click to expand...
Maybe the high quotes you got has to do with the explicit language you wantonly chose to throw out on your post like above (WTF).

It's hard to compare insurance costs between different people because it's all apples and oranges. I can only say that my insurance cost on my LEAF was very much in line with an ICE car of equal value. I don't see any extra premium imposed just because it's a LEAF. And I have Farmers.

So you shouldn't blame the high insurance rate on the LEAF. It's probably because you're young and your circumstances. But you shouldn't expect it to be cheaper than an ICE car either. It should be comparable to an ICE car at comparable value.
 
hondalove650 said:
So idk what you all are paying for your insurance but I just got quoted $800 for 6 months through 21st century! Thats what I pay for my subaru a year! On top of that I just got off the phone with Farmers who supposedly give a 10% discount for EV vehicles and they quoted me $1400 for 6 months! And she doesnt even know if she can get the discount because she was having problems with it and if she can't get it, its going to be $1900 for 6 months!!! WHAT THE ****! I am 24 years old and I have a CLEAN driving record!

Looks like I'm not getting a LEAF :cry:

What are you guys paying for insurance? I thought the LEAF would be cheap considering its an alternative fuel vehicle...
Click to expand...

Don't let that stop ya. There are many insurance companies. My situation is different as a dad, and I now insure 5 cars including the Leaf, Outback, Honda Accord, Sentra, and Elantra. I have a 19 yo and 22 yo driver. The Leaf added only $238 per 6 months for me. I am with Mercury Insurance. I have been happy with their service over the years as well.
 
With any insurance company, YMMV because different insurers prefer different profiles, and don't necessarily think the same as who is considered "high risk" beyond the usual factors like DUIs.

I went with esurance and they are charging me the same for both the Leaf and my 2006 Audi (on which I am still retaining comp/collision) as their parent company Allstate wanted for just the Audi alone. Allstate wanted another 25% to add the Leaf, most companies wanted an additional 50%.

The "you've got to be kidding me" quote came from AAA. Prior to the Leaf, their quotes were pretty close to Allstate's, but I never went with them since I would lose my longevity discounts with Allstate. But once I inquired about the Leaf, they wanted DOUBLE what I would pay to Allstate had I stuck with them.

Also, keep in mind that as a 24 y/o, you're in that "high risk" bracket for most insurers, more so if you're not married. Your rates should drop after your 25th birthday. Also compare apples to apples, you mentioned in another thread that your Subie has over 200k miles and likely does not have comp/collision which you would need if you're leasing or financing.
 
Thanks guys for the info and sorry for my "language" I was just shocked by the quote i was given. You all make good points and My subaru is under a family policy because we get a good group discount but when i called to see what it would be to add the Leaf they quoted me 2x what I'm paying for my subaru (which I have Full coverage). I guess I'll try and see what it will be if I get my own policy with my 2 cars how much it will be to add the LEAF (my 3rd car is a 1988 CRX :cool: Thats my baby)
 
You may want to consider dropping comp/collision on the Subie, and save more money that way. A 2000 Forester with 200k miles is only worth $2k-2.8k in my area depending on condition.

If you go out on your own policy, you're likely to spend even more money. But as always the case with insurance, shop around.
 
Alternate fuel has nothing to do with computing insurance rates as it has nothing to do with claims costs... If anything, experience has shown that the Leaf is more expensive to repair than many other vehicles... I pay $355 every six months here from State Farm with 300/100 and full coverage...

hondalove650 said:
What are you guys paying for insurance? I thought the LEAF would be cheap considering its an alternative fuel vehicle...
Click to expand...
 
TomT said:
Alternate fuel has nothing to do with computing insurance rates as it has nothing to do with claims costs... If anything, experience has shown that the Leaf is more expensive to repair than many other vehicles... I pay $395 every six months here from State Farm with 300/100 and full coverage...

hondalove650 said:
What are you guys paying for insurance? I thought the LEAF would be cheap considering its an alternative fuel vehicle...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

Wow that sounds like a quote im looking for. Is 300/100 for Bodily Injury Limits? No property damage?
 
Had a nice surprise when getting a quote from Costco's provider Ameriprise lately. Two cars was $540 / 6 months from 21st Century, and Ameriprise quoted $287 for same coverage (full)...
 
Randy said:
Had a nice surprise when getting a quote from Costco's provider Ameriprise lately. Two cars was $540 / 6 months from 21st Century, and Ameriprise quoted $287 for same coverage (full)...
Click to expand...

What's the other car? We're paying $520/6 mos. for my 2013 LEAF and a 2011 RAV4 with Safeco.
 
Go get a bunch of quotes online. I just did so last month, and settled on Geico for insuring my Leaf and Prius. It's saving us ~$975/year (!).
 
Allstate/Esurance was so much lower than our Amica policies (Amica wouldn't let us put both cars on one policy, Allstate recognizes domestic partnerships, which include heterosexual ones), that they gave us almost a 'two for one deal' on the Prius and Leaf - about $800 a year for both, comp with a $500 deductible and no roadside assistance, which we get through Better World. Keep in mind that we are older, and have clean records. I should note, though, that Esurance has made so many mistakes and demands that we are really working for that discount!
 
It sounds like you're a single male (guess just because of the high insurance quotes) that's less than 25 years old (which you stated). These three items yield probably the worst insurance rates available. The only thing worse would be if you were trying to insure a high-performance motorcycle (i.e.: sport bike). That's when you bend over. Back before I turned 25, I was quoted an insurance policy for 125% of the value of the motorcycle each year. Yes, they assumed that I would total the motorcycle within the first year of ownership. Another data point is when I insured my new Saturn SC2 when I was 22, the rates were $800 for six months. That came out to about 10% of the vehicle's value per year. When I turned 25, the rates dropped to about $500 per six months.

If you can't find a decent insurance rate on a new vehicle (i.e.: something with a high value), wait until you turn 25 and try again. You should receive much better quotes.
 
I was actually surprised by 21st Century as well. I have a Ford F350 Pickup, and an Infiniti FX35 in California. I was paying $1600/yr for both with very good coverage. My wife and I have flawless driving records and are both over 40. The leaf bumped my yearly to 2600/yr. It was more than each of my other cars individually. I really expected the cost to be around 400/yr given that it is a third car. I called around and the quotes I got were even worse from about 4 other different companies. I don't get it.
 
I shopped around extensively when I got my Leaf in 2011 and yes I found the premiums overly expensive. The fact that I had to pay more for the liability portion than my Subaru Legacy GT that could get to 60mph in under 5.5 seconds was a complete surprise. I haven't checked lately if rates came down a bit, probably should. What's almost insulting is that there are reports that Tesla Model S insurance premiums are not much more than the Leaf's (same owner).
 
FWIW: My 2011 LEAF is cheaper to insure than the other car on the policy a 2008 BMW 328i by a few percent. Pay $1649 with Safeco to insure both for a year with $500k CSL, $35k PIP, $500k underinsured motorist, $100 comp deductible, $1000 collision deductible both drivers 30 with no incidences on our records.
 

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