The electric car insurance
Some auto insurance companies offer it special car tariffs for owners of Electric cars. Vehicle owners should make sure that the Insurance coverage for the battery too includes. Cars powered by electricity are expensive to buy, but have low operating costs and are state subsidized. Find the cheapest offer now and compare over 30 providers in free electric car insurance comparison.
For comparison
Which vehicles are considered electric cars?
Many vehicles in road traffic are now equipped with an electric motor – however, not all of them are actually an electric car.
Plug-in and full hybrid cars
When a car has both an internal combustion engine and an electric motor, they are known as Hybrid cars. During the braking process or when driving downhill, the electric motor’s battery is charged via a generator. For example, the car can temporarily drive either purely electrically or with electric drive support and uses less fuel.
Of a Vollhybrid-Auto is the talk when the charging process takes place exclusively via the energy gained during braking or driving downhill. The purely electric range is correspondingly low, between one and four kilometers depending on the model and driving style. But the surcharge compared to a conventional gasoline or diesel is manageable.
Plug-in hybrid cars have a much larger battery and can be charged at home at the socket or via a permanently installed charger – the so-called wallbox. The electric range, which can be up to 50 kilometers on a single charge, is correspondingly greater. However, this variant is usually significantly more expensive than the full hybrid due to the large battery.
Pure electric cars
At pure electric cars the electricity from the battery is the only fuel. The size of the battery is correspondingly large, and depending on the model, it can weigh up to several hundred kilograms and drive up the price of the vehicle. If you opt for an electric car with a smaller battery, you have to compromise on the range, which in practice can be less than 200 kilometers per battery charge.
Car insurance for electric cars: what should the policy contain?
Just like a car with a combustion engine, a car with an electric drive also requires vehicle insurance in order to be allowed to drive on the road. In addition to the compulsory motor vehicle liability insurance, owners of electric cars are usually advised to take out partial and fully comprehensive insurance, as replacement in the event of a total loss is often associated with high costs.
Special offers for electric cars
The cost of car insurance for an electric car depends on a number of factors, just like insurance for a conventional gasoline or diesel car. Among other things, the type class, the regional classification of the owner and the no-claims discount play an important role in insurance costs. Individual insurers offer special discounts for electric vehicles in order to make a contribution to promoting emission-free driving.
Important contractual clauses in electric car insurance
Owners of electric cars should make sure that the insurance policy contains special clauses that meet the special requirements of this vehicle class. These include the following features:
- Brandschäden. The insurance should not only cover damage to the car itself, but also damage to third parties caused by a vehicle fire, for example if a public charging station is destroyed in a fire while charging.
- Damage to the battery. With a value of several thousand euros, the battery is the most expensive component of an electric car and should be insured accordingly. We recommend that you cover damage caused by overvoltage, lightning strikes and operating errors.
- Tow away. If an electric car has to be towed, there is a risk that the battery could be damaged due to incorrect handling. This should be covered by the policy.
Tip: Some vehicle manufacturers agree on a leasing or rental agreement for the battery. Inquire with the dealer whether in this case the battery is already adequately insured by the manufacturer. In this case you can dispense with special battery clauses and thus save insurance costs.
Additional costs and discounts: What can you expect from an electric car?
In addition to environmental aspects, financial factors also play an important role when deciding for or against an electric car.
Additional costs of the electric car
The biggest financial disadvantages of the electric car become apparent when buying it – because the models are several thousand euros more expensive than cars of comparable size that are equipped with an internal combustion engine.
State perks
In order to motivate car owners to switch to electric vehicles, the state has some perks ready:
- Purchase bonus. For purely electric vehicles, there is a purchase premium of 4,000 euros, half of which is financed by the manufacturer as a discount on purchase and half by the state in the form of a grant. You can apply for the premium on the Internet portal of the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control (BAFA). However, only buyers of new vehicles costing a maximum of 60,000 euros receive the bonus – and only until the funding pot with a volume of 1.2 billion euros is empty.
- Company car and vehicle tax. Anyone who drives an electric car as a company or company car only has to tax 0.5 percent instead of the regular 1.0 percent of the list price per month as a monetary benefit. And: electric cars are exempt from vehicle tax for ten years.
- Local grants. In some cities and towns, the municipality or the energy supplier pays subsidies for the installation of charging stations.
Savings during operation
In addition to government subsidies, the Cost savings during operation at least partially offset the higher investment in acquisition.
The running consumption costs are significantly lower than with gasoline or diesel engines because the electric motor works much more efficiently than an internal combustion engine. If an electric car consumes 15 kilowatt hours per 100 kilometers, with an electricity price of 28 cents per kilowatt hour costs of 4.20 euros. At a petrol price of 1.40 euros, this would correspond to the consumption costs of three liters per 100 kilometers.
Owners of electric cars don’t have to dig deep into their pockets when it comes to maintenance either: because the tasks typical of internal combustion engines, such as filter replacement, oil change and replacement of spark plugs, are no longer required, the average inspection costs are only about half as high as for a gasoline or diesel engine.
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