Best electric car insurance

What is electric car insurance?

As electric vehicles (EV) become more common, you can now buy insurance from pretty much all the big-name car insurance companies. 

Some insurers have launched specific policies for these vehicles, such as LV, with new insurers including Novo and Pluginsure also targeting EVs.

Here, Which? reveals the best insurance policies and insurers for electric vehicles.

Please note that the information in this article is for information purposes only and doesn't constitute advice. Please refer to the particular terms and conditions of an insurer before committing to any financial products.

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Best insurance policies for electric cars compared

To come up with our electric vehicle/hybrid policy score, we reviewed 10 areas of electric car and equipment cover, such as batteries, charging cables, wall box charging stations and charging adaptors. 

The policies in the table below had an overall policy score of at least 61% (the average) and scored at least 75% when it came to their cover for electric vehicles. 

Best car insurance policy for electric cars

Allianz car insurance 

• Policy score: 77% – joint 1st out of 76 policies examined 
• Customer score: 66% – joint 7th out of 19 providers compared
• Claims score: 68% – joint 5th out of 19 insurers reviewed

We like: If you drive a hybrid or electric car, a temporary replacement using the same fuel type will be provided during repairs, as standard. 

We don't like: Some policies will cover you for recharging your vehicle if it runs out of charge, but this policy doesn't.

• Read our expert review of Allianz car insurance.

How much does electric car insurance cost in the UK?

According to research by price comparison service GoCompare, the average electric vehicle cost £602 to insure in April 2024. This was £150 more than the average policy overall (£452).

Of course, this is just an average price – what you pay will vary depending on factors including your age, occupation and where you live, as well as the specific vehicle that you're buying cover for.

The make and value of the car can have a significant effect. You could expect a high-performance Tesla to cost more to insure than a Nissan Leaf, for example.  

• Find out more: the best electric cars.

Are electric cars cheaper to insure than petrol or diesel cars?

Generally speaking, electric vehicles often cost more to insure than their fossil-fuel-powered counterparts. This is for various reasons, but a big one is that they tend to cost more and be more time consuming to repair – requiring more advanced technology and parts, and specialist labour.

Insurers weigh up various costs when pricing insurance for electric cars:

Ultimately, the cost of repairs means that insurers often charge more to cover an electric car, even after taking into account its reduced power and any green discount.

Still, over time, electric car insurance is likely to come down in cost compared to petrol and diesel cars. After all, in the long run petrol and diesel cars will become the exception.

• Find out more: Best car insurance companies in the UK

Check your charger will be covered

Dean Sobers, Which? car insurance expert, says:

'If you're looking to drive in a more sustainable way, the good news is most car insurance policies – all of those we looked at in our analysis – will theoretically insure electric vehicles as well as hybrids. 

'In practice, some insurers won't cover certain makes and models or might charge a very high premium. So if you have a very expensive, high-performance EV, you could find your insurance options narrowed.

'As with many other aspects of cover, it's also the case that policies can differ substantially when it comes to the extent of cover they will provide for your EV and the equipment that comes with it. 

'Only around a third will cover your wallbox charging station, for example, while nearly three in 10 won't cover charging cables while stored in the home. One of the rarest cover elements in this area was a replacement EV or hybrid if yours if undergoing repairs – provided by a quarter of policies.'

More on electric car insurance

How we analyse electric car insurance cover

Our editorial independence means we're able to work on behalf of consumers, not insurers. That means our reviews are fair and there's no hidden agenda. 

We looked at 25 features of cover relevant to electric or hybrid cars in our analysis of 76 policies. We gave each policy a percentage electric/hybrid car score reflecting how fully each policy covers electric and hybrid cars.  

The policies that made our table:

1. Cover at least 75% of your car's equipment (car battery, charging cables, wallbox charging station and charging adaptors) against fire, theft and accidental damage. 
2. Cover at least 75% of your car's equipment (car battery, charging cables, wallbox charging station and charging adaptors) in the car, in the home or in a garage.
3. Will provide (optionally or as standard) a replacement electric or hybrid car while yours is under repair following an accident.
4. Have an average or better policy score (at least 61%).

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