Electric Vehicle Insurance

by Doru Bucsa
(Oakville ON)

Please let me know which companies are willing to provide insurance for an EV converted car, in the greater Toronto area.

Thank you,
Doru

Hi, Doru -
Seattle Electric Vehicle Association says that insuring an electric vehicle currently is similar to insuring a gasoline vehicle, at least in the United States. I believe that we electric car people actually tend to drive less aggressively (okay, most of the time!), so it seems likely that our insurance rates will actually decrease in the future.

I have called around to different insurance companies asking if it's difficult or expensive to insure a conversion, and they have assured me that it is not, it's just insured as a modified vehicle.

However, I am learning that there are bigger obstacles than insurance for some electric car converters.

I was just reading this article by Jesper Berggreen about his experiences trying to register an electric Volvo conversion in Denmark.

It was going to cost him 20k just for all the inspections, and that's if he passed all the inspections the first time!

So the short answer to your question is: any. Insurance should not be a problem, no matter who you choose. But you'll want to check also with your local Ministry of Transportation office about the possibility of hidden fees, inspections and taxes.

Lynne




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For my conversion in Florida the legal stuff was easy and insurance was very difficult
by: Anonymous

I've had two conversions in Florida and the registration was no problem, but the insurance was difficult. Almost no company would insure modified electric cars, not even without Collison or comprehensive.

I finally found a agent from the Hartford (after many calls and visits to local agents) who agreed to insure it under a special plan, but they eventually called me to cancel and told me that the agent made a mistake insuring my car and that they should have never insured it. It was also more expensive than a regular car.

I think some people may be insuring their conversions without disclosing they are converted and not getting comprehensive or collision which does not require the insurance company to inspect the car, but I am not sure if they would pay damages in case of an accident. It does not feel right and I would not be comfortable driving like this.

I think the best thing to do is to give it a try before you do the conversion and see how difficult is and then decide if you still want to do it. Things may have changed since I tried this about 10 years ago.

This problem is one of the main reasons I sold my two conversions and got a leaf and a volt instead. Anybody insures electric or hybrid OEMs. Good luck

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