Car Insurance For Electric Vehicles Explained

20 November 2018

You’ve taken the leap into electric vehicles, leaving behind petrol fumes and high bills at the forecourt lured by the prospect of low running costs, no vehicle tax, and low emissions. Or maybe you’re just considering ditching fuel tanks for plugs and are doing the maths, calculating whether the savings you can rack up with an EV, from the government’s rebate to lower servicing charges, can offset the higher initial outlay.

While electric vehicles are exempt from vehicle tax and from charges in London’s congestion zone, and you can rack up discounts on parking permits from many councils, you can’t avoid some of the standard costs of owning a vehicle. A major, unavoidable expense is for car insurance, which is a legal requirement for any vehicle using or even parked on public roads in the UK. If you’ve never sought out or arranged insurance for an electric vehicle, you might be baffled about where to start.

Cost and Providers:

You may heard electric vehicles are significantly more expensive to insure and that you’ll need to see out a specialist provider. It’s true that the market for electric vehicles, and therefore for insurance for electric vehicles, is still in its infancy. As of the end of September 2018, there are just 178,000 plug-in vehicles (including fully electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids) registered in the UK, out of a total of 37.3m vehicles on our roads. But the number is rising quickly: there were 5,000 new registrations of plug-in vehicles each month of 2018, while in 2014 just 400 new plug-in vehicles were being driven off lots.

With the increasing uptake of EVs and hybrids, especially in the run up to the 2040 ban on petrol and diesel vehicles, the cost and complication of insuring them will fall. Electric vehicle insurance policies will become standard fare from mainstream insurers.

Today, the higher purchase price of EVs drives up insurance premiums for them, as insurers need to consider to cost of replacing your vehicle if it’s stolen or damaged beyond repair.

But even now you might find insuring an electric vehicle might be comparable to, or even cheaper, than insuring a petrol- or diesel-powered car, owing to the small size and less powerful engines on EVs and the discounts some insurers can give you for driving environmentally-friendly cars.

However, the process of obtaining insurance quotes and policies for an electric vehicle is different than that for EVs and a rundown will be helpful as you start your electrically-powered journey.

What Impacts Cost of Insurance for Electric Vehicles:

You’re probably familiar with the features of a standard vehicle that can inflate, or reduce, your monthly premiums for its insurance, including its car insurance group, the size of its engine, and purchase price. For insuring electric vehicles, there’s a new calculus, accounting for who owns the battery and the risk posed by (not kidding) power cables.

leased batteries:

Some EV manufacturers like Renault and Clio offer motorists the option of buying the vehicle outright but leasing its battery, with a monthly fee and mileage agreement. These arrangements spare you the steep cost of replacing batteries when they lose functionality after a few years. But if you’re leasing the battery, you’ll need to inform your insurer when obtaining quotes, as a leased battery will affect who needs to be paid if your electric vehicle is written off. Additionally, some policies may not cover leased batteries.

power cables and liability:

Much like your smartphone, your electric vehicle will need to be charged, just with a very big cord. If you’re charging in your driveway or garage, you won’t have to worry about the cord trailing large distances. But if you’re charging your vehicle while it’s parked on the street or at a public charging station, that cord could pose a tripping hazard. When obtaining an insurance policy for your electric vehicle, you should ensure it provides enough liability cover to protect you if a member of the public face-plants over your cable.

fires from at-home charging:

If your electric vehicle or cable fire while plugged in in your driveway or garage you might wonder which insurance policy will pay out: your home insurance policy or the one for your car. That ultimately depends on where the fire originates, but the risk of an electric fault within your vehicle causing a fire that then destroys you home can push up premiums for car insurance for EVs.

green discounts:

Some insurers will offer discounts of up to 5% on your annual premiums as a reward for you driving an environmentally-friendly car. Others will make charitable donations to green causes in your name from your premiums or plant a certain number of trees.

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7 Ways to Find the Best Auto Repair Shop for Your Vehicle

Regardless of how careful a driver you are, it’s likely that your vehicle could either deteriorate over time or experience a road accident that has left the body in bad shape, and you’ll have to take your car to an auto repair shop and restore it to its former glory. With hundreds of shops to choose from, it may be difficult to pick one that specializes in the type and brand of your vehicle. Here are a few steps to find the best shop to take care of your car: 1. Know What Needs To Be Done: Before you search for an auto repair shop for your car, you need to set specific goals and expectations. For instance, if you are the owner of a vintage sedan that has seen better days, you might want to consider a full restoration. This will include removing the outdated body or sandblasting it to get rid of any rust or leftover paint. In case your car’s exterior was totaled following a serious collision during a business road trip, then you will need professional help to deal with the problem. You can’t do it alone even if there are DIY solutions for it. Taking the time to determine the type of work your vehicle needs can help you find a repair shop offering services that suit your situation and will help you avoid spending money on things you don’t need. 2. Calculate Your Total Costs: After determining the type and amount of work you require for your vehicle, you will need to calculate the amount of money you will need to spend to cover everything. From the outset, it may be difficult to come up with an accurate estimate. You can always have an auto shop evaluate your car and give you an estimate, but it’s still best to know the average cost yourself. Take the time to do a bit of research on auto repair rates in your state or community. How much do vehicle owners have to pay for repainting, collision repair, frame alignment, or a body filler? Once you know how much you could be spending on a repair or restoration, you can begin asking auto repair shops about their rates for the same service. Make comparisons and never settle for anything that’s suspiciously cheap. Knowing these figures before you even talk to a potential outlet can help you avoid an attempt to give you an unfair price. 3. Consider The Brand And Model Of Your Car: Not all body shops specialize in repairing certain vehicles. If you own a Honda or a Subaru, you might want to seek out body shops approved by these brands, since they may have the right parts in store. You still need to make sure that an auto shop has any experience dealing with vintage models. Some parts may not be available for purchase anymore, so you’d do well to find an auto shop that still sells and knows how to install them. Also if your TCM is having problems, aside from seeing the Check Engine light you might also notice that your transmission isn’t acting the way it ought to. Perhaps it’s not shifting at the right times, then an immediate replacement will be necessary. You can get the replacement from a popular organization like npcautomotive.com. Also if your TCM is having problems, aside from seeing the Check Engine light you might also notice that your transmission isn’t acting the way it ought to. Perhaps it’s not shifting at the right times, then an immediate replacement will be necessary. You can get the replacement from a popular organization like npcautomotive.com. With this in mind, you can check with your auto dealer and get a list of recognized service centers in your area. You can also run an online search to see if there are any repair shops that service specific types of vehicles. 4. Get Recommendations From People You Know: Start by asking friends who have hired mechanics and body shops before, and specify the type of work you require. You can also reach out to family members who may have been in the same situation as you. If they have dealt with vehicle damage before, you can ask them for a list of shops you can visit. Another group you can reach out to is motoring enthusiasts. If you are a member of a racing community, you can gather contact numbers of auto shops that people in the group visit. With this information, you can avoid auto shops with bad reputations and look for ones that might give you the results you need. After all, you wouldn’t want to make the same mistake when seeking out an auto dealership. 5. Consider Your Location: When finding an auto shop that specializes in body repair and restoration, you will need to find one that’s readily accessible and convenient. If you reside in Toronto, consider reaching out to shops like J&E Tokyo Auto Collision Inc who specialize in collision repair and auto detailing. You may be tempted to take your vehicle to the nearest available shop, but convenience shouldn't be the only factor. You should also consider other details such as pricing, the availability of spare parts, as well as the OEM manufacturers or origins of these parts. 6. Check For Online Reviews: If you are more of a traditional type, scanning the yellow pages or local directory could be the best way to find an auto repair shop. Technology has made it easier for people to connect with businesses. You just need to enter a keyword like "auto body shop near me" and check out each listing. However, the ease you get from doing an online search shouldn't be a reason to let your guard down. Not all auto shops in the search results are capable of delivering your needs. There's a good chance that you end up with an auto shop that overcharges, uses low-quality parts and materials, and does a sloppy job. The least you could do is to believe whatever a certain auto repair shop says about their services on their ads. To be on the safe side, consider looking for reviews and testimonials from their previous clients. A good trick here is to focus on negative reviews (if there are any) since these will give you a heads up on what to expect. Finding an auto body repair shop shouldn’t take you long, and knowing where to start is the first step towards finding the best shop for you. Read Also: How Professional Mechanics Can Score Deals on Auto Parts 5 Critical Branding Tips to Attract New Clients to Your Auto Parts Shop Michigan Auto Insurance

Car Care for Newbies

Car shows are pretty popular. We love to watch people ‘pimping their rides’ and getting car make-overs. Meanwhile, our own vehicles are lucky if they get a weekly car wash. For many drivers, fuel is the only maintenance their car receives. And even this becomes a problem because they ignore their fuel indicator light until the last possible minute. For the record, you should never dismiss your car’s lights or sounds. They were put there for a reason, and if you’re unclear, you could always Google it. Check your car’s user manual, and if it’s too dry and boring to hold your interest, spend some time on WikiHow and YouTube. You can find some pretty detailed, user-friendly tips for your car model. But what exactly does car maintenance involve? Wash your car two or three times a week, or opt for a deep detail. These are offered by mobile car wash services that will drive right to your door and clean your car without it ever leaving your driveway. These detailers may suggest additional car care options, like defogging lights, deodorising car smells and protecting your paint job. Do a manual check Apart from cleaning the car, you should do a cursory inspection each time you step out of the car. It’s that thing guys do when they squat beside the car, kick the tyres and raise the bonnet, except it’s never quite clear what they’re looking for. Here are some suggestions. Stroll around the car and peek underneath, checking for any water puddles or oil spills. Rev the engine and listen to it. If you’ve been driving the car long enough, you can tell when the engine sounds ‘off’, even if you can’t detect the exact problem. If possible, you can use your phone to record the unsettling sound, then you can text it to your mechanic and see what they think. It may be something simple like loose ball joints, or it could be a worn-out clutch plate! On that note, get your car regularly serviced. It’ll only spend a few hours at the garage, and some mechanics will even give you a substitute vehicle to use in the meantime. Back to your car check, kicking the tyres has two goals. One, you’re assessing tyre pressure, in case you need an air refill. Two, you’re inspecting your tyre treads – it may be time for a new set of wheels. Top up your car fluids Your car does not live on fuel alone. You have lots of other car fluid, such as brake fluid, engine oil, lubricant, radiator water, and steering fluid for automatic cars. These need to be refilled at regular intervals, and your car owner’s manual (or YouTube) can guide you on what to check, where it’s located on the car, and how often you need to top up. This keeps your car running. Think of your car like your body. Some days, you wake up off-kilter. You’re not always sure what’s wrong, but you don’t feel like yourself. Put the same amount of focus on your car. As you drive, pay attention to smooth shifting, strange shudders, squeaks, rumbles, or vibrations. Learn what’s normal and what’s not, so that you know when it’s time to call the garage. Read Also: 7 Important Car Driving Safety Tips You Should Not Skip! Washing Your Car: 7 Dos And Don’ts What Do You Need To Change Car Rims?

Top 5 Mercedes-Benz Cars

Mercedes-Benz is one of the top class luxury car brands in the world which is liked by the interested communities. There are numerous models of the Mercedes-Benz's which are popular among the communities and it’s depending upon the features and the specific requirements to buy the best-featured cars. Get the latest news and updates about the latest and famous Mercedes-Benz's car models to evaluate the best-featured cars. Reviews and guidelines Rexbo.co.uk can help interested communities to make prompt decisions and to choose the prompt order processing to meet with their specific interests and plan to get the best quality of car models. Top 5 Mercedes-Benz Cars In the top five best Mercedes-Benz car models: Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gull-wing Coupe (1954-1957), present C-Class (1994), S600, (1963-1981), SLS AMG (2010-2015), SLR McLaren (2003-2010), present CLA 45 AMG (2014) are the top 5 best Mercedes-Benz car, models which are famous and have a great reputation among luxury car lovers. An aggressive sport appearance, speed transmission, luxury, performance, and safety features that make the specific car models prominent and unique. Almost all types of specific featured Mercedes-Benz Cars are famous and have a great reputation among the interested car lovers to meet with the trusts and the confidence of the people. Figures, performance, and styling make the car models ideal and best-approaching to meet with the trusts and the confidence levels of the interested communities. Among the list of automotive brands in the world, Mercedes-Benz’s slogan is very popular and has great fans in every part of the globe. Visit the online authentic showrooms to know about the great featuring Mercedes-Benz’s car models. There are many luxury cars and reputed car brands that are famous due to the best quality and luxury style car models. Numerous car models have a unique range and a massive range of ideas which are greatly influenced and the response from the interested communities to meet with your objectives to resolve all types of instant responding auto car resources. Objectives of Mercedes-Benz Cars Almost all car brands and luxury style car manufacturers take full interest to meet with the specific formalities and the objectives to resolve all types of issues with great demand. Almost all types of ideas and plans are the best and quick responding action plans for the car owners to get satisfaction and to meet with the interest levels of interested car lovers. There are massive ranges of car ideas and plans are the best which are best and actionable to meet with the objectives on behalf of the quick influencing resources. Asking for online help and support to buy luxury cars are the main priorities of some buyers who always use the best quality of featured car brands. Visit the online reputed stores to meet with the specific objectives of Mercedes-Benz's car lovers who always like to use the luxury style cars for their personal use. The team of Mercedes-Benz’s company always tries to fulfill the demands of the specific communities to meet with the specific objective of the interested car lovers and introduce their interest’s relevant car models which represent the modern style of car models. Almost all the highlighted features of the luxury stylish cars impress the response of the car owners who take interest in drive the luxury style cars. Conclusion: Interested in luxury style car lovers can meet with their interests and ideas to finding the best-branded car models to place online orders for instant delivery services. Mercedes-Benz has introduced numerous car models to meet with its client’s objectives by providing the exact car brands. Buy all types of top luxury style car accessories at attractive prices online and meet with your online car buying objectives through efficient and prompt responding resources. Read Also: How To Shop For A Car With Your Teen Driver? Are You Thinking About Buying Quad Bike For Your Kid?

Car Insurance For Electric Vehicles Explained

Cost and Providers: