- Insurance coverage claims recommend EVs are in various kinds of lower-speed crashes
- EVs usually tend to be rear-ended, much less more likely to have front-end harm
- Combustion automobiles and EVs are full-loss totaled at about the identical charge
EVs are extra typically concerned in several sorts of collisions than internal-combustion vehicles, information from Mitchell Worldwide present, with one-pedal driving methods probably contributing to this.
Mitchell, which supplies tech for the auto insurance coverage and collision restore industries, has beforehand reported that EV collision restore prices are greater than these for gasoline automobiles. Now the corporate is delving into the sorts of fender-benders EVs are typically concerned in versus internal-combustion vehicles.
In a press launch printed Wednesday, the corporate stated its information exhibits that EVs usually tend to maintain rear-end harm than internal-combustion automobiles, with these collisions accounting for 35.9% of EV collisions and 27.5% of internal-combustion automobile collisions, respectively. Combustion vehicles 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 possible down to 2 major elements. One is that EVs are typically newer, that means they’re extra more likely 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 vehicles aren’t ready for.
Whereas collisions involving a front-end affect are 40% costlier on common than these involving a rear-end affect, EVs nonetheless stay costlier to restore general, in keeping with Mitchell. The corporate’s information exhibits that in Q3, insurance coverage claims for repairable automobiles within the U.S. averaged $5,560 for EVs, $5,229 for plug-in hybrids, $4,426 for delicate hybrids, and $4,741 for non-hybrid combustion automobiles.
That continues a development from Q2, when Mitchell discovered that EV collision-repair prices have been 20% greater than these for different automobiles. Excessive restore prices have 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 proportion 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, possible at a decrease price than OEM components.
EVs and combustion automobiles are written off as a complete loss at about the identical charge—9.9% of all claims. The typical market worth of EVs declared a complete loss is $32,718, pretty near the $31,070 common for 2021-or-newer combustion automobiles, which Mitchell judged to be most just 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 think about rear-end collisions, a report printed final month discovered that EV drivers are extra more likely to be at fault in crashes, and famous that drivers’ habits modified when switching to an EV.
