Electric vehicle (EV) drivers in Europe are more frequently found at fault in accidents compared to those driving gasoline and diesel cars, according to a new study conducted by Lero, the Irish research organization, in collaboration with the University of Limerick.
The study analyzed telematics data from 125 million commercial fleet vehicle trips involving 14,642 vehicles in the Netherlands between January and October 2022, cross-referencing it with insurance claim data from the same period.
The findings revealed that EV drivers were 4% more likely to file at-fault insurance claims than their internal-combustion counterparts, despite logging fewer miles on average. Researchers also observed that driver behavior changed when switching to EVs, a factor believed to contribute to the increased accident rate.
The study noted the unique characteristics of EVs, such as instant torque and one-pedal driving modes, which may require an adjustment period for drivers. U.S. data from LexisNexis corroborated this, showing EV drivers had a 17% higher claim frequency and a 34% higher claim severity.
In addition to the higher at-fault rate, EVs were found to be 6.7% more expensive to repair than internal-combustion vehicles. This aligns with U.S. findings from Mitchell International, which reported that EV collision repairs cost 20% more than equivalent repairs for combustion-engine cars.
The study attributed these higher repair costs to the complexity of EV repairs, the increased weight of EVs, and the high costs of battery replacements. These factors contribute to higher insurance premiums for EVs, further compounded by challenges in profitability for insurers due to the high costs associated with EV-related claims.
