What about car insurance for your EV in the Netherlands, are they really more expensive? Team Autoblog went to investigate!
Electric cars and their insurance. It’s been happening regularly lately. Reports are coming out left and right that they are significantly more expensive to insure. That feels a bit illogical. Electric cars are in many ways (considerably) cheaper than a car with a combustion engine. Think of motor vehicle tax, loading and addition. But it turns out: the insurance is considerably higher.
So we’ve written about that a few times already. Of course we always faithfully mention the source. The latter cases involved Swiss, American and Chinese sources. That does not make the statement any less true, but more nuance should be placed.
Because it is the EV 10 Days, we were thinking in the editorial: how is this situation in the Netherlands? We – and hopefully you too – were very curious about that. That’s why we spoke to Evert-Jeen van der Meer. He is the Industry Director Mobility from risk advisor aon. During that conversation we were able to gather the necessary information about EV car insurance in the Netherlands and Wouter saw his chance to eat all the stuffed cakes.
Acclimatization period
Because we are in the middle of a transition, we have to get used to it. In some cases, an electric car drives completely differently than one with a combustion engine. For example, there is practically never a manual gearbox. The torque is immediately available at 0 rpm. You accelerate and the car catapults forward. And despite the fact that an electric car then becomes relatively slower (the power decreases as the revs increase), the damage has already been done. It is precisely the moments when you briefly give a lot of gas to get out of a situation quickly, for example. That’s when an accident is just around the corner.
Don’t forget that in 2019, 30,000 copies of the Tesla Model 3 were suddenly added to the Netherlands. Previously, you had to choose a meager diesel or petrol for a fat car with a low list price with very long gearbox ratios to reduce consumption (and ensure a low list price). Ergo: those cars were very slow, while the slowest Model 3 at the time sprinted to 100 km/h in 5.7 seconds.
Neighbor damage
We had to scratch our heads for a while. Neighbor damage. These seem to be relatively common in electric cars and they affect the premium of EV car insurance. In principle, it embroiders from the habituation of the car. An electric car is suddenly a completely different experience for many people and they also like to show that, yes, the neighbor. He still drives a manual Seat Leon ST 1.6 TDI Ecomotive with TomTom Go on a suction cup.
Of course you want to impress the neighbor by giving it a lot of gas and that sometimes goes wrong. There is a clear increase between EVs and damage where the driver demonstrated the car to a neighbor. Neighbor damage, nice term! They are more common in electric cars than combustion engine cars and so are one reason why electric cars are more expensive to insure.
In addition to bluffing the neighbor in the street, it was also the neighbor who takes place in the Tesla with the Leon in mind. With no experience whatsoever and with the encouragement of the owner / esse, this neighbor (woman) kicks the pedal by activating the Ludicrous Plus button in built-up areas with all the consequences that entails. Especially with the introduction of the Teslas 6/7 years ago, this happened every now and then.
Damage repair affects EV car insurance
The new EU legislation that came into effect last summer is causing even more costs for the driver. New cars must be equipped with the most advanced cameras and sensors. Very clever in itself. However, this does mean that it all has to be insured.
Many electric cars are already equipped with this as standard. At the moment, a simple bumper repair can cost 3,000 euros, while it used to be no more than 1,000 euros. Also, many parts are not always in stock due to chip shortages. As a result, the EV longer has to use a rental car. This also costs more money and increases the premium.
Supplement: Options not chosen still cost money
In addition, many cars already come with certain options and hardware. These only need to be activated (after payment of course). This also increases the insurance value. So even though you have not checked the option and cannot use it, the insurance must take this into account.
Higher weight affects EV car insurance
The amount of the insurance premium depends on many factors. Still, there are a few clear indicators. The weight is one of them. The heavier the car, the higher the insurance. Electric cars are much heavier than cars with a combustion engine. It is not so much that an electric car is usually a heavier type of car, but that an otherwise identical version is heavier. Example: a Peugeot 208 with a three-cylinder engine weighs 955 kg.
If you take the 1.2 Turbo with automatic transmission (in terms of performance and circuit equal to the electric version), you arrive at 1,130 kg. The electric version of the 208 (the e-208) weighs 1,430 kg. For reference, the 1.5 diesel weighs 1,055 kg. Think of it a bit like a bowling ball. Despite being the same size, there is a difference in weight. And a difference in effect when you set it all in motion. Partly because of this, an electric car is more expensive to insure than an equivalent car on petrol or diesel.
Airframe related to value
Another point is the airframe. This is related to the value of the car. Electric cars are simply very expensive. They have not been produced in large numbers for very long, so you are dealing with a new car, so a high airframe. We can also say that an electric car is more expensive than one that runs on petrol.
In the Netherlands it is slightly different. The government does not (yet) have a BPM for electric cars. That is the case with cars with an internal combustion engine. Certainly a car with a gasoline or diesel engine with a lot of power has a high BPM amount, while that does not occur with an EV. However, without the taxes a (For example) BMW 430i or 430d is cheaper than a BMW i4 and many replacement parts as a result.
Electric cars are often crossovers
And now we come to a real apotheosis where everything comes together. Because the crossover is in the corner where the blows fall. Because crossovers are popular worldwide and because of their size they are relatively easy to provide with a battery plus one or two electric motors, manufacturers opt for this body shape. Because the crossover consumes more, you need a larger battery.
This in turn results in a higher weight. In addition, they are expensive and packed with the most special electronics. This is very important for insurance. But there’s more. Crossovers are not only bad for the environment, but also for people. They are essentially unsafe cars. Not only because of the high weight, but also the size, they simply cause more damage and injury. In similar crashes, the crossover/SUV simply does more damage. And that is reflected in a higher premium.
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