- Insurance coverage claims counsel EVs are in several types of lower-speed crashes
- EVs usually tend to be rear-ended, much less prone to have front-end injury
- Combustion autos and EVs are full-loss totaled at about the identical charge
EVs are extra usually concerned in numerous sorts of collisions than internal-combustion automobiles, information from Mitchell Worldwide present, with one-pedal driving programs probably contributing to this.
Mitchell, which offers tech for the auto insurance coverage and collision restore industries, has beforehand reported that EV collision restore prices are larger than these for gasoline autos. Now the corporate is delving into the varieties of fender-benders EVs are usually concerned in versus internal-combustion automobiles.
In a press launch revealed Wednesday, the corporate stated its information exhibits that EVs usually tend to maintain rear-end injury than internal-combustion autos, with these collisions accounting for 35.9% of EV collisions and 27.5% of internal-combustion automobile collisions, respectively. Combustion automobiles have the next frequency of front-end collisions, at 31.5%, in comparison with 25.8% for EVs.
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Mitchell believes that is doubtless down to 2 important elements. One is that EVs are usually newer, that means they’re extra prone to have the newest front-collision avoidance tech. The corporate additionally cited the “totally different braking dynamics” of EVs in one-pedal mode, which might trigger extra fast deceleration that drivers in following automobiles aren’t ready for.
Whereas collisions involving a front-end influence are 40% costlier on common than these involving a rear-end influence, EVs nonetheless stay costlier to restore total, in response to Mitchell. The corporate’s information exhibits that in Q3, insurance coverage claims for repairable autos within the U.S. averaged $5,560 for EVs, $5,229 for plug-in hybrids, $4,426 for gentle hybrids, and $4,741 for non-hybrid combustion autos.
That continues a pattern from Q2, when Mitchell discovered that EV collision-repair prices had been 20% larger than these for different autos. Excessive restore prices had been additionally among the many causes cited by Hertz for slowing its EV plans.
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The most recent report from Mitchell did present a touch about why this can be the case. Whereas about the identical share of components are repaired, BEV vs ICE, BEV repairs require 90% original-equipment producer (OEM) components, whereas ICE fashions require 64% OEM components. The remainder come from the aftermarket, doubtless at a decrease price than OEM components.
EVs and combustion autos are written off as a complete loss at about the identical charge—9.9% of all claims. The common market worth of EVs declared a complete loss is $32,718, pretty near the $31,070 common for 2021-or-newer combustion autos, which Mitchell judged to be most much like EVs in complexity and value to restore.
Excessive EV restore prices are well-documented, however we’re now additionally seeing hints that the totally different driving dynamics of EVs might play a task within the frequency of collisions. Along with Mitchell’s citing of one-pedal driving as a consider rear-end collisions, a report revealed final month discovered that EV drivers are extra prone to be at fault in crashes, and famous that drivers’ habits modified when switching to an EV.
