As the first electric cars become available to purchase in the UK, here at TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk, we have been doing a bit of digging around to find out how much it will cost to insure your new, shiny electric car, as rumours circulate round the internet that you might struggle to get insurance.
Some of the most popular price comparison websites have not yet altered their website to produce an electric car insurance quotation, as they automatically insist that you confirm if your car is petrol or diesel or ask about engine size. Obviously an major issue when looking to insure an EV!
Price comparison websites aren’t alone either, as several big insurance companies have the same problem on their own websites, which fall over in a state of confusion. Even if you give them a call, the old fashioned way, you will still find some insurance firms are baffled and unprepared for your request, as I did.
As little as £500, as much as £2,000
However the situation was not hopeless and some comparison websites and insurers were ready to quote me ahead of the deliveries of the first Nissan Leaf models to UK customers. Using myself as a sample driver, I searched for comprehensive insurance with an excess of £100 based on holding a full, clean driving licence for five years and having three years no claims bonus. We were also careful to enter the vehicle’s full value and not the discounted value after the £5,000 Plug-in Car Grant has been accounted for (we suggest if you too are looking for insurance, that you do the same, so as not to undervalue your new EV).
Using this criteria, I checked out insurance prices for some of the first EV models going on sale, including the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, Peugeot iON and Nissan Leaf. Prices varied wildly, but the best quote came from specialist car insurer, Pluginsure.co.uk which quoted me £540 for the Nissan Leaf or the Mitsubishi i-MiEV (whichever I might choose to buy… I haven’t decided yet! Although this did include a £500 excess). Elsewhere the quotes where more around the £1000 to £1600 mark, although the worst was for the i-MiEV at an eye-popping £2,000 a year! So I would advise you shop around carefully and check out the specialist firms first to get the best deal.
Should I buy a Nissan Juke instead?
The Nissan Leaf has an official insurance group of 22 (out of 50) while the i-MiEV is grouped in 29, making both likely to come at a premium over their similarly sized, petrol equivalents. Just by way of comparison, I obtained a quote on a brand new Nissan Juke, choosing a top spec (Tekna), automatic, 1.6 petrol model (OK its a bigger car, but I was trying to give the electric car a bit of a favourable comparison!). The best quote I got from one of those well known price comparison websites was £870. Its worth noting that emissions stand at 175g/km for this variant of the Juke too, so they are not low. Wouldn’t do my green credentials much good…
Teething troubles
Speaking to various insurance firms, it is clear that many aren’t ready and need to adjust their websites to accept quote requests for cars which aren’t petrol or diesel powered. As time goes by the situation should improve, but I think it might be fair to say that while the insurance industry is adapting, it’s got teething troubles to get through.
Heavily dependent on your personal details, expect your insurance bill to be approximately 25 per cent more for your electric car than a similar petrol equivalent, although if my experience is anything to go by, it could be as much as double, if you fail to shop around.
You have been warned!
Faye Sunderland
Have you enquired about insuring your electric vehicle? Let us know your experiences, good or bad in the comments box below.
