With the continuous development of science and technology, new energy vehicles are gradually entering the public's field of vision and becoming one of the important choices for people's daily travel. Compared with traditional fuel vehicles, new energy vehicles have shown more advantages in terms of environmental protection and economy. However, in the process of use, new energy vehicle owners also generally report a thorny problem - the high cost of insurance, and even many insurance companies refuse to underwrite. This paradoxical phenomenon has put many consumers in a dilemma when faced with the choice of buying a car.
The truth about the high cost of new energy vehicle insurance
In recent years, with the continuous increase in sales of new energy vehicles, related insurance services have also received widespread attention. However, many consumers have found that whether they are buying a new energy vehicle or renewing an existing new energy vehicle, the insurance cost is significantly higher than that of traditional fuel vehicles. The root cause is mainly due to the following reasons:
The risk of payouts is higher
As an emerging product, new energy vehicles still have certain uncertainties in terms of safety and reliability. Compared with mature fuel models, new energy vehicles have a relatively higher probability of accidents and failures. This means that insurers need to take on a greater risk of payouts and therefore have to raise premiums to avoid losses.
Repair costs remain high
The price of parts and components of new energy vehicles is generally high, especially the core components such as power batteries, and once damaged, the maintenance cost will increase significantly. This not only puts a heavy financial burden on car owners, but also means that insurance companies need to pay more compensation, which drives up the level of premiums.
Professional maintenance capabilities are lacking
Compared with fuel vehicles, the maintenance of new energy vehicles requires specialized maintenance technology and equipment. However, at present, the investment and training of domestic maintenance outlets in this area are still relatively insufficient, and they cannot carry out maintenance in a timely and efficient manner, which will also indirectly push up insurance costs.
The accident rate is slightly higher
From the perspective of actual use, new energy vehicles are also more prone to some accidents during driving, such as battery fire, circuit failure, etc. These accidents are slightly more likely to occur than those of gasoline vehicles, thus increasing the risk of insurance companies' payouts.
Lack of comprehensive car insurance data
As an emerging product, new energy vehicles have a short market operation time, and relevant statistics and claim experience are still relatively lacking. As a result, insurance companies cannot be fully informed when conducting risk assessments, and can only adopt relatively conservative pricing strategies, resulting in high premiums.
On the whole, new energy vehicles have not yet fully entered the mature stage, and there are certain limitations in safety, maintenance costs, professional support, etc., which directly affect the compensation risk of insurance companies. In order to cope with these uncertainties, insurance companies have had to increase the premium level of new energy vehicles, which has created an additional financial burden on consumers.
The current situation and why insurance companies refuse to underwrite
In addition to the problem of high premiums, many car owners also encounter the dilemma of insurance companies refusing to underwrite when buying new energy vehicles. This is not an isolated phenomenon, but a trend that is becoming more and more common.
According to the actual cases reported by netizens, when they contacted a number of insurance companies to insure the newly purchased new energy vehicles, many well-known brands, including Ping An, Pacific, Dadi, Alipay, etc., all refused to underwrite for various reasons. Some insurance companies directly stated that "they do not accept the insurance of new energy vehicles", while others claimed that "the probability of claims for new energy vehicles is too high and they are unwilling to take risks".
The main reasons are as follows:
The frequency of claims is uncontrollable
As mentioned above, the probability of failure or accidents in the use of new energy vehicles is relatively high. This has brought greater pressure on insurance companies to pay compensation, and once there is a large-scale claim, it will seriously affect the normal operation of insurance companies.
Repair costs are high
For the maintenance of new energy vehicles, insurance companies often need to bear high maintenance costs. In particular, once the core components such as power batteries fail, the maintenance cost is even more prohibitive. This is beyond the insurance company's affordability, resulting in a denial of coverage.
Lack of experience in claims settlement
As new energy vehicles are an emerging product, insurance companies lack sufficient experience in claims settlement. This makes it difficult to make accurate judgments on risk assessment and pricing strategies, and can only choose a cautious rejection attitude.
Liability for compensation is unclear
The types of faults involved in new energy vehicles are complex, and it is difficult to determine whether it is a quality problem of the manufacturer or human negligence in the process of use. This has caused great trouble to the insurance company's definition of compensation liability, and then it has chosen to refuse to underwrite altogether.
There is a gap in regulatory policy
The relevant regulatory authorities have not yet formulated practical policies on the management of insurance services for new energy vehicles. This has brought greater uncertainty to insurance companies when underwriting new energy vehicles, and out of prudence, they are more willing to choose to refuse to underwrite.
It can be seen that the refusal of insurance companies to underwrite new energy vehicles is mainly due to concerns about risk assessment and compensation costs. In the absence of perfect data support and policy guidance, it is difficult for insurance companies to fully grasp the risk characteristics of new energy vehicles, and can only adopt conservative strategies to avoid, which has brought many troubles to consumers' car choices.
The "dilemma" of new energy vehicle owners
For the majority of new energy vehicle owners, high premiums and difficulty in finding insurance companies willing to underwrite have undoubtedly become a major "roadblock". This not only increases the economic burden of buying and using cars, but also seriously affects the willingness of consumers to use cars. Specifically, the "dilemma" faced by new energy vehicle owners is mainly reflected in the following aspects:
The cost of buying a car has risen significantly
As a new energy vehicle owner, in addition to bearing the high cost of vehicle purchase, you also have to suffer from extremely expensive insurance costs. The cost of use is much higher than expected
Many consumers choose new energy vehicles because they want to offset the high cost of buying a car with lower operating costs. However, the reality is that due to the high premiums, the overall cost of using new energy vehicles is higher than that of fuel models. This detracts from the intended results.
Renewing your policy is difficult
For owners who have already purchased new energy models, they often encounter trouble when renewing their insurance. Many insurance companies refuse to cover for various reasons, forcing car owners to be forced to change insurance companies, causing additional inconvenience and anxiety.
Security risks are difficult to avoid
Unable to purchase comprehensive insurance coverage, it will be difficult for NEV vehicle owners to obtain timely and effective claim support in the event of an accident or breakdown. This not only increases its own economic risk, but also does not ensure driving safety.
The used car market has suffered a setback
High premiums have not only affected the new car market, but also placed a heavy burden on consumers in the used car trade. Many second-hand car buyers have chosen to give up buying new energy second-hand cars due to concerns about insurance costs, resulting in the development of this market segment being hindered.
It can be said that as new energy vehicle owners, they not only have to bear the high cost of car purchase, but also face various economic and safety hazards in the process of use and maintenance, which undoubtedly weakens the market competitiveness of new energy vehicles. This series of problems also makes the majority of consumers fall into a dilemma when choosing a car.
Policy guidance and industry linkage to alleviate the pain points of the industry
In response to the problem of new energy vehicle insurance, industry experts and relevant departments have put forward some solutions, hoping to start from policies, technologies and services to alleviate the current industry pain points.
Improve regulatory policies and guide insurance services
Governments and regulatory authorities at all levels shall establish and improve the insurance regulatory system for new energy vehicles and issue clear policy guidelines. On the one hand, it is necessary to formulate more flexible and friendly regulatory measures to provide policy support for insurance companies and encourage them to actively participate in new energy vehicle insurance services. On the other hand, it is also necessary to strengthen the protection of consumer rights and interests to ensure that the legitimate rights and interests of car owners are not infringed upon.
Strengthen technology research and development and improve the level of maintenance
Manufacturers and maintenance companies should increase investment in R&D of new energy vehicle technology, continuously optimize product performance and reliability, and reduce the difficulty and cost of maintenance. At the same time, it is also necessary to strengthen the construction of maintenance outlets, improve the professional level of maintenance personnel, and provide more efficient and professional maintenance service support for insurance companies.
Innovate insurance products to meet diverse needs
Insurance companies should actively develop more targeted insurance products according to the characteristics of new energy vehicles. It is necessary not only to take into account the economic burden of car owners, but also to fully consider their needs for safety and environmental protection, and launch more segmented and differentiated insurance packages. At the same time, you can also try to carry out in-depth cooperation with manufacturers to provide more intimate and thoughtful insurance services.
Strengthen industry collaboration and promote win-win development
New energy vehicle companies, insurance companies, government regulators and other entities should establish a closer communication and cooperation mechanism. On the one hand, it is necessary to strengthen industry information sharing and jointly study the risk characteristics and development trends of new energy vehicle insurance; On the other hand, it is necessary to actively explore the cooperation model of benefit sharing, promote the balance of the interests of all parties, and promote the healthy development of the industry.
Through the above efforts, it is believed that the new energy vehicle insurance service will usher in a new change in the future. On the one hand, it can greatly reduce the economic burden of car owners and improve their car experience; On the other hand, it can also create a broader development space for insurance companies and realize a virtuous cycle of the industry. Only by working together can the new energy vehicle industry take the lead in the future market competition.
epilogue
In general, the issue of new energy vehicle insurance is becoming a major bottleneck in the development of the industry. The dilemma of high premiums and difficult underwriting not only brings inconvenience to the majority of car owners, but also hinders the promotion and application of new energy vehicles.
However, as long as all parties work together to improve regulatory policies, improve technical standards, and innovate insurance products, we believe that this problem will be solved and the sustainable development of the new energy vehicle industry will be promoted. At that time, new energy vehicles will not only have a positive impact on the environment, but also provide consumers with a more high-quality and convenient travel experience.