As the price of buying an electric vehicle is set to soar with tariffs and the end of government incentives, drivers who want to go green have another hidden cost to consider before making the switch .
The insurance premiums on electric vehicles are, on average, a whopping 49% higher than those for gas-powered cars, according to new data from the digital insurance platform Insurify.
It costs an average of $4,058 annually to insure an electric vehicle, compared with $2,732 for a traditional vehicle, according to the data. Electric cars cost more to replace, are more expensive to repair, and are more likely to have issues that lead to insurance claims, the report said.
The steep insurance prices for EVs come as the U.S. electric-vehicle industry is being battered by auto tariffs, federal legislation and the expiration of a tax incentive attached to new and used electric vehicles.
Insurance costs, because they are ongoing, do matter in the long-term calculation of whether it costs more or less for any given person to drive an EV versus a gas-powered car, said Julia Taliesin, who authored the report.
Battery-powered cars cost more to insure because they have higher sticker prices, are more easily damaged and require specific parts for repairs, Taliesin said. A fender bender that would be a simple fix on a traditional vehicle could require an expensive and lengthy repair on an EV to mend the battery and recalibrate the car and its sensors.
The cost of whats making up the car, and the cost of the labor to make those repairs, all go into why EVs are more expensive to insure, she said.
Insurance prices are even higher in states where there are fewer EVs and fewer mechanics who can work on them, the report said. In Arkansas and Idaho, where there is low EV adoption rates, the cost of full coverage for an electric vehicle can be almost twice that of a traditional car.
In California, it costs 15% to 31% more to insure an electric vehicle than it would to insure a traditional car, according to Insurify. Widespread EV adoption in the state drives prices down and gives insurers more data, allowing them to offer lower premiums, Taliesin said.
California has been very intentional about infrastructure and incentivizing EV ownership, Taliesin said. It leads the nation in EV adoption, and that has a bit of a waterfall effect on a few other things that relate to insurance costs.
As federal EV incentives dwindle under the Trump administration, state-level programs become increasingly important tools in encouraging EV adoption, experts said. The California Air Resources Board mandates that all new cars sold in the state by 2035 be zero-emission, an ambitious goal that faces challenges in Washington .
Transitioning more completely to electric vehicles is vital in the fight against human-caused climate change, experts say. However, recent polling data from Gallup show that fewer Americans are open to buying an EV than they were two years ago. As of April, 51% of those surveyed said they already owned or were considering buying an EV, down from 59% in 2023.
Its easier to insure an EV now than it was a decade ago, said Mallory Mooney, director of sales and service at Insurify.
When we first started seeing EVs, we had a hard time placing Teslas for coverage and other specific models that weve seen are troublesome for repair, she said.
The Tesla Model X and Model 3 top Insurifys list of most expensive EVs to insure.
The Model X has an average annual cost of $4,765 for full coverage, a sharp 36% jump since last year. The data also show that the Model 3 has a claims frequency rate that is significantly higher than the industry average, indicating it may require more frequent repairs.
Most standard insurance carriers offer policies for EVs, but there are exceptions, even in California, Mooney said. Specialized carriers, including Aspire, Bristol West and National General, which offer policies to high-risk drivers, typically dont cover electric vehicles.
Though EVs tend to cost more to repair, they usually cost less to maintain under normal conditions, said Taliesin. Savings on maintenance and gas could help offset ongoing insurance fees and high up-front price tags on EVs.
Electric vehicles are more technical and finicky, she said. The more there are on the road, the more affordable they should become.
随着关税政策实施和政府补贴终止，电动汽车的购买价格即将飙升。有意转向绿色出行的驾驶者还需在做出决定前，考虑另一项隐性成本。
数字保险平台Insurify最新数据显示，电动汽车的保险费平均比燃油车高出惊人的49%。
数据显示，电动汽车年均保费为4058美元，而传统汽车仅为2732美元。报告指出，电动汽车更换成本更高、维修费用更昂贵，且更容易出现引发保险索赔的问题。
在美国电动汽车行业遭受汽车关税、联邦立法以及新车和二手车税收抵免政策到期等多重打击之际，电动汽车保险价格也随之飙升。
该报告作者朱莉娅·塔列辛表示：“保险费用是持续支出的，因此在长期计算中，对于特定个体而言，驾驶电动车与燃油车的成本孰高孰低，保险费用确实是一个重要考量因素。”
塔列辛表示，电动汽车的保险费用更高，这是因为其标价较高、更容易受损且需要特定零件进行维修。对于传统汽车而言，轻微碰撞可能只需简单修理，但电动汽车则可能需要进行昂贵且耗时的维修，包括修复电池以及重新校准车辆及其传感器。
她表示：“构成电动汽车的部件成本，以及进行这些维修所需的人工成本，都是导致电动汽车保险费用更高的原因。”
报告指出，在电动汽车数量较少且具备相关维修资质的技师稀缺的州，保险费用更为高昂。以阿肯色州和爱达荷州为例，这些地区电动汽车普及率较低，一辆电动车的全额保险费用可能达到传统燃油车的近两倍。
保险比价平台Insurify数据显示，在加利福尼亚州，电动汽车的保费比传统汽车高出15%至31%。塔列辛（Taliesin）指出，该州电动汽车的广泛普及压低了保险价格，并为保险公司提供了更多数据，从而使得他们能够提供更低的保费。
塔列辛表示：“加州在基础设施建设和激励电动汽车拥有方面一直非常用心。该州在电动汽车普及率上领先全美，这对保险成本等相关因素产生了一定的连锁效应。”
专家表示，随着特朗普执政期间联邦政府对电动汽车的激励措施逐渐减少，州一级的计划正成为推动电动汽车普及的重要工具。加州空气资源委员会规定，到2035年在该州销售的所有新车必须实现零排放，这一雄心勃勃的目标在华盛顿面临诸多挑战。
专家表示，更全面地向电动汽车转型对于应对人为气候变化至关重要。然而，盖洛普最新民调数据显示，与两年前相比，愿意购买电动汽车的美国人有所减少。截至4月，受访者中表示已拥有或考虑购买电动汽车的比例为51%，较2023年的59%有所下降。
Insurify销售与服务总监马洛里·穆尼（Mallory Mooney）表示，如今为电动汽车投保比十年前容易得多。
她表示：\"当我们最初接触电动汽车时，很难为特斯拉等特定车型安排保险，而且这些车型的维修也相当棘手。\"
特斯拉Model X和Model 3位列Insurify公布的电动车保险费用最高车型榜单前列。
Model X车型全险年均成本达4765美元，较去年骤增36%。数据还显示，Model 3的理赔频率显著高于行业平均水平，这表明该车型可能需要更频繁的维修。
穆尼表示，大多数标准保险公司都提供电动汽车保险，但即使在加利福尼亚州也存在例外情况。包括Aspire、Bristol West和National General在内的专业保险公司通常不承保电动汽车，这些公司主要为高风险驾驶者提供保险服务。
塔列辛表示，虽然电动汽车的维修成本通常较高，但在正常使用条件下，其维护费用往往更低。节省下来的维护和燃油费用有助于抵消持续的保险费用及电动汽车高昂的初始售价。
“电动汽车技术含量更高，也更娇气，”她说道，“路上跑的电动车越多，它们的价格就应该越便宜。”
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