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Eco-CASCO: how to insure an electric car
Recently, owners of eco-friendly cars have had a choice: take out a standard full CASCO policy or special insurance coverage for electric cars. Policies of the second type practically do not differ from the first option in terms and price, but have a number of significant advantages. Among the pluses is "adequate" technical support on the roads.
Assistance for electric cars
Many premium programs CASCO include the "roadside assistance" service, in which the client can call the "support" service to fill up the gas tank or recharge the battery. Owners of insured electric cars either paid for this option in vain, or saved money and purchased online "light" auto insurance policies without useful privileges.
Technical assistance for electric cars is included in special programs, thanks to which the policyholder does not have to overpay for air. If the car stalls far from the gas station, technical assistance specialists will bring a mobile charging station to the indicated coordinates.
Note: by the end of 2019, the number of stationary charging stations in Ukraine increased to 2719 units, and the number of electric cars sold and insured under CASCO increased to 31. A significant part of the points is concentrated in megacities, while in small cities the infrastructure is not sufficiently developed. Technical assistance on the roads will be useful if you often travel outside the city or live in the "deep".
Insurance protection of the battery and charger
Any machine is prone to breakdowns, even high-tech electric cars Tesla, Nissan Leaf and BMW i3. And if electric motors break down extremely rarely due to the lack of rubbing parts, then batteries sometimes "throw out" unpleasant surprises. Among the most recent examples are the spontaneous combustion and explosions of the Tesla battery in 2019. Special car insurance works in this "direction" as well. If the battery spontaneously ignites while driving or after an accident, the CASCO policy will cover the damage.
An equally relevant risk is the theft of batteries and chargers. As the popularity of electric cars grows, so does the demand for cheap used spare parts. Criminals do not want to miss the opportunity and steal batteries of electric cars for sale on the black market. The insurance also protects against this calamity, covering the damage in case of car break-in and theft of the battery from the memory.
Other Features
A special policy covers the same risks as ordinary insurance. Among the insured events are theft, traffic accidents, vandalism, natural disasters, fires, explosions and falling objects. The full list can contain more than 10–15 events — from common to unlikely. The price of CASCO depends on the list of options and risks, the amount of coverage, the model and age of the car.
The premium program may include additional privileges for the car owner. For example, clients of SC "UNIKA" receive payments for minor damage of up to 25 hryvnias without car inspection and office visits.
