HEIDELBERG (dpa-AFX) - According to calculations by the Verivox portal, electric cars are more expensive than vehicles with conventional engines when it comes to the cost of fully comprehensive car insurance. Insurers have increased the prices of their policies for both purely electric cars and hybrid vehicles more than for comparable combustion vehicles this year, according to the company. Fully comprehensive insurance for both types of electric vehicles is on average 30 percent more expensive than in the previous year, while the price of policies for petrol and diesel cars has risen by 25 percent.

Fewer claims and higher costs

In contrast to motor third party liability, fully comprehensive tariffs also cover damage to your own car, which is why the electric-specific repair costs are much more significant for these tariffs than for combustion engines. According to figures published by the German Insurance Association (GDV) in July, repairing damage to an electric car costs on average a quarter more than for a comparable combustion car.

At the same time, however, electric cars are less susceptible to repairs, or their drivers are more careful: electric car owners report an average of 20 percent less damage than owners of petrol and diesel cars. The statutory motor vehicle liability insurance only covers damage to third-party cars and other property; according to the GDV, there are only minor price differences in this category.

Insurers are now better able to calculate risks for electric cars

"The higher costs and more precise risk assessment are now reflected in the insurance rates," said Wolfgang Schütz, Managing Director of Verivox Versicherungsvergleich GmbH. However, according to Verivox, the higher average costs do not mean that every single combustion engine would be cheaper to insure.

According to Verivox, the general conditions were identical in the model calculations apart from the vehicle: The driver was a 40-year-old resident of the Westphalian city of Münster with an annual mileage of 13,000 kilometers and a no-claims bonus of 10. As an online broker, Verivox sells insurance contracts via its portal; the evaluation included around 400 rate offers from over 70 insurers./cho/DP/zb