Plug-in vehicle drivers often get lower insurance rates

Plug-in vehicle drivers are probably less likely to get cited for shredding rubber or doing 80 in a 50 zone and, apparently, insurance companies are taking note.

Drivers of vehicles like the Nissan Leaf battery electric and Chevrolet Volt extended-range plug-in hybrid pay, on average, lower insurance premiums than their conventional-vehicle counterparts, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Companies like Hartford Insurance have started offering a five percent discount for U.S. electric vehicle drivers, apparently taking into account statistics that show that these drivers tend not to speed or rear-end other folks, the publication reported.

Of course, there are some insurance companies that charge more to insure plug-ins because of their higher price tag, compared to gas-powered vehicles of a similar class. Still, on average, EV drivers appear to be paying less. Specifically, a typical Leaf driver pays about 15 percent less than a driver of a Nissan Maxima, whose base price is about 15 percent less than the Leaf's.