Coverhound Insurance has sold around 20,000 auto policies, and that's been enough for the online comparison-shopping site to notice an EV-friendly trend: electric vehicles are cheaper to insure. An average of $200 cheaper, in fact, according to CoverHound CEO Keith Moore.
Moore spoke to The Los Angeles Times, and said that when you add in lower fuel costs, the disparity gets even bigger. The insurance benefit likely comes from the idea that EVs drivers are "more responsible," Coverhound says, and that they are "therefore less likely to get into an accident or get a traffic violation." Not everyone who shifts from an ICE to an EV will lower their insurance rates. Coverhound estimates that switching from a Ford F-150 to a Chevy Volt could raise your insurance rate by up to $200. The purchase price of an EV is also obviously higher in almost every case, compared to a similar ICE vehicle.
Still, with price drops coming all over the place, running costs are getting the attention they deserve. Coverhound (drawing on total cost of ownership numbers, which include "depreciation, taxes and fees, fuel, insurance, maintenance, repairs and tax credits," from Edmunds) estimates yearly fuel costs for the Leaf starting at $300 in the first year and then going up to $328 in the fourth year. The Toyota Corolla, by comparison, starts at $1,675 in year one and hits $1,830 in year four. You can see the total cost of ownership for those two cars, plus the Chevy Volt and Hyundai Elantra, in the chart above and more detailed numbers below. Aside from year one, the Leaf comes away a total winner.
Moore spoke to The Los Angeles Times, and said that when you add in lower fuel costs, the disparity gets even bigger. The insurance benefit likely comes from the idea that EVs drivers are "more responsible," Coverhound says, and that they are "therefore less likely to get into an accident or get a traffic violation." Not everyone who shifts from an ICE to an EV will lower their insurance rates. Coverhound estimates that switching from a Ford F-150 to a Chevy Volt could raise your insurance rate by up to $200. The purchase price of an EV is also obviously higher in almost every case, compared to a similar ICE vehicle.
Still, with price drops coming all over the place, running costs are getting the attention they deserve. Coverhound (drawing on total cost of ownership numbers, which include "depreciation, taxes and fees, fuel, insurance, maintenance, repairs and tax credits," from Edmunds) estimates yearly fuel costs for the Leaf starting at $300 in the first year and then going up to $328 in the fourth year. The Toyota Corolla, by comparison, starts at $1,675 in year one and hits $1,830 in year four. You can see the total cost of ownership for those two cars, plus the Chevy Volt and Hyundai Elantra, in the chart above and more detailed numbers below. Aside from year one, the Leaf comes away a total winner.
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