What should you know about electric car insurance first?
Electric car insurance works the same way as any other car policy, but the questions you ask before you buy can be a bit different. The price depends on you, your car, your address and your claims history, so nobody can tell you what yours will be before you get a quote.
That is the honest starting point. Your renewal letter will not say it, and plenty of people simply pay what it asks. That is the Do-Nothing Default. This guide is information, not advice: it explains how the market works and what to ask, and it does not tell you which insurer or policy to pick.
Key takeaways
- The ABI’s latest average motor premium is for all private cars, not electric cars on their own.
- Higher repair costs, driven partly by cameras and sensors, are pushing up claims across the market.
- Your own quote depends on your car, address, driving history and the cover you choose.
- Ask about battery damage, charging cables and home chargers before you buy, not after a claim.
What does the ABI say about motor insurance prices?
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) publishes a quarterly tracker of what drivers actually pay. For April to June 2026, it says the average premium paid was £566, up £6 (1%) on the previous quarter. Adjusted for inflation, the ABI says that is £14 lower than the same quarter in 2025.
The ABI tracker analyses what customers paid, not what they were quoted, across more than 28 million policies a year. It covers privately owned cars, and the ABI release does not split out electric cars. So £566 is a market average, not an electric car insurance price, and your own figure could sit well above or below it.
Behind the average, the ABI says insurers paid out a record £3.2 billion in the quarter. The average claim payout rose 4% on the previous quarter to £4,900, which the ABI links to rising repair costs.
You can read the full release on the ABI’s website.
Why can repair costs matter for electric car insurance?
Repair costs matter because they feed into what insurers pay out, and what they pay out feeds into premiums. The ABI says modern cars increasingly have cameras, sensors and driver assistance systems, and that these features can make repairs and replacements more costly.
Many newer cars carry that kind of technology, whatever powers them. The ABI also reported that the average windscreen repair cost rose 7% in the quarter to £283.
None of that tells you how much more or less you will pay for an electric car. It does explain why insurers look closely at the cost of repairs, and why asking about it is worth your time. If you are comparing two cars, ask for an actual quote on each before you decide.
For the earlier picture, the ABI’s first quarter 2026 release put the average premium at £560 and the average accidental damage claim at £3,699, up 8% on the previous quarter.
What should you ask before buying electric car insurance?
Five questions are worth putting to any insurer or broker. They take a few minutes, and the answers can matter far more than a small difference in price.
First, how does the policy treat damage to the battery, and is it covered in full? Second, are the charging cable and a home charger covered, and if so, are they covered at home and away? Third, what is the excess, and is there a separate or higher excess for particular claims? Fourth, what happens to your no claims discount if you claim, and can you protect it? Fifth, who is named on the policy, and will anyone else drive the car?
Excess is the amount you pay towards a claim before the insurer pays the rest. A no claims discount is a reduction in your premium for each year you drive without making a claim. Both can change what a policy really costs you, so look at them next to the headline price.
Our EV energy tariffs guide covers the charging side, and our EV charger grant guide explains what help exists for installing a home charger.
How can you compare electric car insurance quotes fairly?
Compare like with like. Put the same details into every quote: the same car, the same annual mileage, the same address and the same drivers. Then compare the level of cover, the excess and the extras, not just the price at the top.
Check the small print on anything you are relying on, such as a courtesy car or cover for charging equipment. Do not assume a feature is included because another policy had it. If an answer is not in writing, treat it as unconfirmed.
Quotes also vary by person. Your age, where the car is kept overnight, how much you drive and your claims history all play a part. A friend’s quote for the same car tells you very little about yours.
Finally, give yourself time. Many people leave it until the renewal notice arrives. Looking a few weeks ahead gives you room to compare properly and to ask the questions above, without feeling rushed. If you already have a policy, the FCA’s rules help at renewal. Since 1 January 2022, insurers have been banned from quoting existing customers a higher price to renew home or motor insurance than they would charge a new customer. The FCA estimated at the time that this would save consumers £4.2 billion over 10 years. It does not stop your premium rising, and the FCA says you can still shop around and negotiate a better deal. You can read the FCA’s announcement on fairer renewals.
Our guide to public EV charging costs is a useful companion if you are working out what an electric car will cost to run overall.
Frequently asked questions about electric car insurance
- How much is electric car insurance?
- It depends on you, your car, your address and your claims history. The ABI’s average premium for April to June 2026 was £566, but that covers all private cars, not electric cars on their own.
- Is electric car insurance more expensive than petrol?
- The ABI figures do not compare fuel types, so there is no number to give you here. Get quotes on the specific cars you are considering.
- Does electric car insurance cover the battery?
- It depends on the policy. Ask the insurer how battery damage is treated and get the answer in writing.
- Is a home charger covered by electric car insurance?
- Some policies cover charging cables or equipment and some do not. Check the policy wording before you buy.
- What is an excess on electric car insurance?
- The excess is the amount you pay towards a claim before the insurer pays the rest. Ask how changing the excess changes your quote, and what you would pay if you claimed.
